Take a 45 minute drive South of Atlanta & See Why Serenbe Stole my Sunday.

If you're looking for a short morning trip, afternoon drive, or day trip- I recommend Serenbe. It's a community close to Palmetto, Georgia and about 45 minutes South of Atlanta, GA. Its worth it. I was inspired by its location (it seemed tucked away and intentionally away from everything) and its mission to live in a way that gives back, eliminates their footprint, and strives to be better. 

Serenbe stole me today. I am happily an Atlanta native. I live in the midst and heart of all the chaos on Peachtree St. Ive always owed my love of the city to the unexplainable energy that lives in the concrete sidewalks. I grew up in the country, and my morning was met with nostalgic smells of manure and dirt roads. 

I have been longing for an escape for a while now. Obviously, Serenbe is a short 45 minute drive south on 85. It isn’t exactly a far trip to travel for a nice escape from this concrete jungle. I honestly had NO idea what to expect. I had heard from a college classmate a few months ago about the area and it’s sustainable attributes. My undergraduate thesis (the equivalent- we call it the Capstone Project) was on sustainable living. I am on fire about the topic, and Serenbe was my morning fix. 

You drive about 35 miles south from Atlanta. You turn right and veer left and yadda yadda yadda. When I came to the road I actually passed it the first time. I wasn’t sure because of a busy wedding recital going on at the forefront that this dirt road was my ticket in. Immediately I was met with stables and horses and these houses that look like they were built early century. 

I started laughing to myself when I first got on this road. This whole adventure started on a whim, and quite frankly I had to  no idea where I was going, what I was going to see, where this road was taking me, and if i even was on the right road to get to wherever I didn’t know... I was one of those life moments where you are aimlessly wandering and it’s just funny. I was the epitome of the saying, not all who wander are lost.

Here is a picture of a beautiful shot of the dirt road, the road before pavement and residential and stores. Which is funny because Serenbe is charming in its ways. A lot of the time i didn’t know if i was looking at a commercial or residential building. I kept driving talking to myself saying, “where am i?!” “this is great, what is all this?!”. 

This is a shot by a bakery. Blue Eyed Daisy. It was charming and i was impressed by it’s LEED Gold rating and it’s 2012 winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Everyone that entered the front doors were either residents or visitors or wanderers like myself. I could never tell. There was this blanket over the the lines that defined residences and business or visitors and residents.

What I also found refreshing were the homes that lined the main street. The people lived as though time here ticked a little slower. Not in a lethargic way, but in a totally refreshing way. People left out their scooters, their shoes, their decorations, their cars as if the chance to lose them did not exist. I had the opportunity to see HGTV’s Green Home while I was there. It was nestled behind the Stables, next to Serenbe’s General Store. 

I had in my senior project at SCAD a retail level that sold merchandise that supported a sustainable lifestyle. In that was a refill station where individuals had the option of refilling their cleaners instead of buying new products with excessive packaging, etc. etc. This is the FIRST refill option I've ever seen. This is at the General Store in Serenbe.
Fern's Market
10528 Serenbe Lane
Palmetto, GA 30268

The general store had me really excited. I recently did [re]think, that project I was referring to earlier, that was rooted in sustainable education and giving people the resources and utility to live sustainably. Little did I know that communities far off where adopting this mindset and really were leaders to me. I immediately found myself respectful of their way of life. In Atlanta, I find it impossible to buy goods that are locally traded or foods that have no GMOs. It just is so hard to find. I know! Trust me, I know. I spent 20 weeks enveloped in a project that tried to get people to live outside their comfort zone. I would more to Serenbe in a heartbeat. Except when I was peaking in the storefront of Serenbe’s Real Estate shop, the pricetag of 500k was a bit of a deterrent for a young single out of college. 

This is the first time I have ever seen a dispenser that dispensed something other than duck food, candy, chiclets.... It dispensed seeds to grow. I LOVE THIS IDEA! Can I please have one? 

Recycle Or Trash. Why thank you for the option!

I will definitely be back. On Saturday’s Serenbe has a market from 9-noon. I missed it today going there on a Sunday, but I will be doing that. As well, I will be renting bikes from the newly establish Peachtree Bikes that just added a location to Serenbe’s community. So for those of you whose interested is similarly piqued by a community such as this, don’t be deterred when you turn on the main street and its dirt road with no signs. Keep on trucking. Let you sense of adventure take to you to a little town off the beaten path! 

Farnsworth Lego House

New projects are always fun. Be them for pay or for play, the ability to create is something designers and artists are gifted with. This weekend my boyfriend bought a lego replica of the Farnsworth House. The 500+ lego box was more fun than it was initimating. The two of us tackled the project and had fun in the construction of the house. 

The pieces came in clear plastic bags that correlated with the directions. Thankfully the directions were VERY clear as to what was needed for each step of the process. We weren't left with too many extra pieces so I think it went great! 

How precious are the furniture and interior architecture made out of legos!!! 

You can see the glass curtain wall made with legos here. A lot of caps were added to the bags to create a smooth finish to the legos. Typically they come with the circular nob at the finish (as you can see here in the picture). The smooth finish is applied to these knobs to create a finesse unlike any other lego project :)

Here is what the exterior looks like. The steps leading up to an outdoor patio, with steps that then lead to the interior of the house.

Voila! The finished product. Lego me something else :)

I know its not the most interesting post. It just has progress pictures of this mini-house being built, but I what I found to be such an awesome idea would be to create these houses of like people's homes.

You could go online to the companies' website, essentially upload a floor plan of the space, or elevation, or auto-cad plans and then a few weeks later you would get your lego house in the mail!

 I don't know how it would be executed because economically and educationally you'd have more manufacturing issues and then each house would be custom so you'd have a new set of directions for each house... It may only live as an idea, but I KNOW I would love to have a lego house of my house. That would be SWEET. I don't know if there are any other 80s & Early 90s babies that were lego junkies, but I definitely had a chance to relive some childhood hobbies today. 

Adieu Avril

I consider one of my biggest accomplishments is the four hard years I spent working towards a undergraduate degree here in Atlanta, Georgia. Granted, I am still in the midst of that uphill conquest, but am close enough to humor the idea of completion. On the same note [of not being done quite yet] I am wrapping up my schooling with my final Senior project. The hours and mornings and nights spent contemplating [the perfect solution of an interior space] has reached the halfway mark and I am giddy.  Knowing that the design is about to start, I am reflecting and rejoicing [almost] in that floor plans are being drawn up and sketches are filling the pages of my sketchbook.

 My passion is the betterment of life [I could get into altruism]. After working for ten weeks, I have a lot of research to show for this project to push me in the correct direction as far as design goes. I put together a re-cap of the major points [extracting the codes, grueling text, and existing building information]  that help to visualize a path. 

"Breeding social thinkers" is almost a mission statement. It comes from the thought that in order to interact with something differently you have to see it differently. The project is driven on change for the better- if we could breed a mass of thinkers that think of not only themselves, but others, we might fix a lot of social issues [issues everywhere]; "will yourself to tread lightly" is something I came up with that symbolizes the personal willingness an individual possesses + the ability to do something less dramatic and detrimental, softer, lighter, and better for all.

Because the project is a research based project, the interior must be the result of a problem.
The solution came about because of the thought process diagrammed here. Change was the solution to the identified issue, Education was the solution to change.

The project is located in Atlanta, GA off Marietta St. Fortunately there was a vacant building in close proximity to a lot of green space [centennial Olympic park] that both residents and visitors frequented, as well as Museums, restaurants, and hotels. These establishments close to the building provide a heavy foot traffic and exposure for the project.

The users are staff employees, volunteers, individuals, children in field trips, children in families, parents, single, married, widowed, adults in workshops, children in workshops, teachers and educators, teenagers, and the list goes on and on... The goal was to create an environment that is inclusive not exclusive.

An ethnographic study of my users walking in off the street, be them residents of the Atlanta community or visitors from afar. If the project is about thinking and those thoughts materializing as positive actions, then thought is a major component and value of this process. Thought. In recognizing this, I wondered then what did the average person, the median, mean, mode person THINK about sustainability and personal initiative. I compared and contrasted the two ways of thinking in order to assure that I was consciously aware of their journey.

Facility Overview

Facility Overview

Concept

Color Direction/Mood

Principles & Elements

Principles & Elements

Principles & Elements

Branding

The Smell of Success

Design Intelligence ranked SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) #1 for Interior Design for both Undergraduate and Graduate programs regionally. And now, as finals conclude tomorrow, I am feeling the weight of that title. My newest feat has been putting together a digital portfolio. As with most things, it will be a progressively changing process. As more projects find their way onto my work resume, the portfolio will morph itself to fit its new form.

I enjoyed the capabilities of having your business card in a stamp.Or some part of your branding package incorporating into something so flexible and reusable. Potentially a branding move in the near future....

The result of what I came up with came from a stringent process, of SCADs curriculum, and of my portfolio preparation class, was really figuring out who I am as a designer, as a person, as an employee offering a company my services. It was, for the first time in my collegiate process, that I saw myself as a product arranged on floor fixtures for buyers to peruse. Up until now, I had a misconception that all the hard work I've produced and the hours of sleepless nights endured would somehow sell itself to potential employers. I did not see my services as they should be seen as. It was a really interesting but gradual epiphany for myself.

 Still, I challenge myself as to why we market ourselves the way we do?

I think its good to ask yourself this as you design your brand. Asking what message you want to send, and how you come across initially. Some approach the topic in assertive colors with lines that suggest dominance, others Asian background affect the organic nature of their logo. Interestingly so, the brands (as they should be) become a graphic transformation of who we are, not only as designers, but as people. It might not have been the initial motive when creating a brand identity, but in seeing the finishing products of both a print and digital portfolio, there is a consistency with the design and the designer. I like this. I enjoy exploring how we can more accurately, better represent, ourselves visually.

Additionally to the history class, I finished as of a few short hours, my studio class is wrapping up beautifully. It is a exhausting sigh of relief to know that in a short 30 hours I will be exhaling the sweet breath of completion. This being one of the more meaningful quarters of my education, has given me the opportunity to choose a design problem and solution specific to my interests. Similar to the brand identity observations between the design and the designer, the problems we chose to address as designers seem specific to our interests and extendability. I am going on break soon and look forward to updating on the process of the Atlanta project for my Capstone!

Adieu SCAD, hello [short] break!!

Zaban Night Shelter

Jennifer Edds and Myself making artwork for the resident's rooms

Volunteer work is very important- to me. And while I think it should be innate to everyone, I understand that not everything is everyone's cup of tea.Social works I believe creates an understanding (sometimes) of a life outside your own. It allows perspective and selflessness that is crucial to the character and perspective of an individual. Wholly, it's important to my personal life as well as professional- avocation versus vocation I remind myself daily. There are things you do as a job, to pay bills and support a lifestyle, and there are things you do as hobbies and sometimes to fulfill the passion an indivudla possesses. Fortunately and unfortunately, I live with the ideal that the two can coincide. Everyday I search to live authetntically both in vocation and avocation. 

Volunteer Photo

Now, to get off my soap box and onto an organization that is just doing wonderful things-
The Zaban Project.

The Temple Zaban Night Shelter is a shelter for the homeless. Unlike other shelters I've been in contact with, this one sparked a note because of their users and the people behind the project driving it home.The Zaban house is located directly across from SCAD Atlanta on Peachtree St.  The mission of the project is to provide shelter for homeless male and females without children.

Did you catch that? Unlike other shelters that focus predominately on individuals of minority groups, or to families of a general area, or anyone who find themselves walking in the front door- this shelter focuses on couple. COUPLES.

When I found that the users were this, I was so inspired. A place that looks passed the obvious obstacle of couples using this as a brothel, and instead takes the leap to cultivate and nurse the partnership of two homeless people. I find this incredibly inspiring. The hopeless romantic in me finds solace that there are lovers out there who can find support in beautiful missions such as this.

Our group went into the shelter and taped off on the floor where
the furniture should sit. It was space planning- quickly. There were
currently a storage shelving unit in each of the bedrooms (22 in total rooms),
and we were going into account for the position and size of the bed
shortly entering the space. By us going in and providing this information,
we were able to provide our skills of circulation, views, and space
planning and allow the movers to efficiently move the furniture
in without having to deal with orientation.

Additionally, the bedrooms were provided with artwork that was
designed by the volunteers. I found this to be inspiring as well
(this project is INCREDIBLY inspiring in their mission and in their efforts).
The fact that the designers of this space provided these couples with
artwork not only uplifts the environment but
shows the importance of art as a value.

Phase 2 of the project is being proposed now. Phase 1 was the residential spaces. Phase 2 entails an office, kitchen, dining area, and computer room. These public spaces are ppossible because a contractor volunteer their time to the project.

More details on the update soon!

Materials

"Welcome to Makeup 101. Today we will be learning about the characteristics, durability, and clean ability of materials and their effects to cosmetics."

This was the introduction to a studio class at SCAD the fall of 2011. The ten of us in the class went to the materials room on campus and sat around large flat surfaces to dive into what this entailed.
99% of the class were females, 1% men. This being noted, there was a plethora of options for makeup. Those who had access to the cosmetics were asked to bring them to class. The nine women brought in the daily cosmetics they use. This entailed foundation, mascara, lipstick, etc. We then as a group selected materials from the selection offered at SCAD to test these cosemetics on.

The selection of materials varied. Some where harder surfaces,
some fabrics, vinyl, glass, the list goes on and on. We wanted to test the
cosmetics on the most diverse selection of materials to provide
the most accurate response for our research.

A photograph of the classmates testing
their products on the materials

The relevancy of these tests came about with the assignment we were currently working on. The project was a cosmetic fixture for a chosen brand of cosmetics. Some of the brands chosen were Dior, Chanel, Illamasqua, Art of Shaving, Elizabeth Arden, and NARS. Individually we pursued these projects to ultimately create a fixture that was no bigger when expanded than  3' X 3' X 7'.

Here is a maquette of the final product alongside
dimensioned sketches of the fixture. The design needed to be realistic
for the specific brand, and by understanding the brand we
understand the proper proportions and dimensions required.

Front Perspective

Back Perspective

Below is a final rendering of what the fixture would look like when built

Atlanta's move towards Modernism?

I went to a lecture last night, at the High Museum, which really shed light on Atlanta's progressive, or lack thereof, actions towards adopting an additional aesthetic into the hearts and homes of Atlantans. Michael Shapiro, the director at the High Museum, noticed from the statistics noted from the Andy Warhol and Picasso exhibit that the 1/3 million of people that came through the exhibit, the average age was 41 (the average age usually resting around 46-47 years old). These statistics brought an interesting debate to the round table.
The five professionals at Atlanta Embraces Modernism addressed the rising issue of encouraging younger markets into the art industry. One woman, Catherine Fox, brought up an interesting point of view. She said that youth now, twenty-something men and women, have less to loose now because, well, there's less to gain. Therefore, a more lackadaisical point of view is easily obtained because, as she said, you "dance in the fountain without a stage". It's this idea that youth now are excited by art, no more are there large stages required to display great art and design. Younger generations are creating this art in basements hung with cobwebs, and markets that Atlanta hosts to showcase these ambitious individuals. Organizations are now coming about that honor these artists, and want to encourage and drive the leadership in these young individuals.

Even before we can look at the people making the shift for Atlanta’s city, I think it’s important to ask if Atlanta is even ready for Modernism. John Oetgen and Doug Henderson were also two of the professionals at the lecture, Atlanta Embraces Modernism.  Doug was saying that there was a show hosting something like seven pieces of modern furniture and that one of the group were purchased by a couple and that the rest were sent back. Is this the pattern of response for Atlanta natives? John Oetgen had an interesting response. His experience with the industry and many of Atlanta clients gives him the insight he has. I loved the words he chose to describe Atlanta aesthetic. He said it’s something of “nostalgia soup”. Following up with an explanation, he described homes that have midcentury interiors, high ceilings, crown molding, combining this history with punches of modern aesthetic. Many of Atlanta homes are graced with the city’s history and combining this with elements of 21^st century. They are an integration of each other, not separate entities. I found this to
be incredible interesting and brings me back to ask again, is Atlanta ready for modernism? Doug Henderson said it’s going to take a few homes that breach the aesthetic boundary of modernism before it’s accepted unanimously. Almost like a ring leader of design is needed in the residential sector for homes to adopt this transformation.

This motif of leadership kept surfacing, and for good reasons. If leadership is needed for residential designers to lead their clients from mixing contemporary with older antique furnishings to a more modern approach, what are we doing as designers to educate ourselves, our clients, our communities? And this again brings up another issue I found in speaking with a professor of mine, Christian Cottier. He brought up good food for thought with the lecture at the High Museum. He proposed that begging modernism into Atlanta almost suggests that there is a void without it. Is there? Is the Atlanta design ‘missing’ something? Is modernism the missing link? As to what the answer is, I do not know. I do know that diversity and progressive change is inevitable and beautifully wonderful. I think the lecture was not to condone traditional design, but moreso bring light to the adoption or lack of adoption for the Atlanta community. I think that Atlanta doesn’t have the competition (like more densely populated areas like, New York or Tokyo (as brought up in the talk)) to be more contemporary than our colleagues and community. In those areas there is this lingering approach to be better, be more inventive, and more modern than our fellow artists. This is crucial to notice for our beautiful city of Atlanta. With less competition, comes more room to radically change and make a difference. What a beautiful realization for designers of Atlanta. We DO have a say, we can make an effect, and we can change the world with good design.

Let’s change the world. Let’s start with Atlanta.