Month: September 2018

Make Self-Improvement the Foundation of Your Home Design

Make Self-Improvement the Foundation of Your Home Design

September marks Self-Improvement Month, but that doesn’t mean you only have one month to evolve into a better version of the person you are today. Instead, take the time remaining in this month to make a list of the areas of your life where you would like to improve and start taking those first all-important steps towards the new you. At Highlight Homes, we specialize in custom homes and luxury renovations that are designed around our clients’ personal tastes, interests, wants and needs. If self-improvement is a personal goal for you, here are a number of ways that you can build or renovate your home to fit that goal…

Work Towards Wellness

According to CooleFitness.com, 15% of Americans hold gym memberships – that’s about $2.6 billion spent on fitness at the gym each year! And let’s not forget the hassle of getting dressed for the gym, driving there, leaving your valuables in a locker, waiting for your favorite equipment, driving home and showering before the rest of your day can begin. For adults aged 18-64, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) OR an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (i.e., jogging) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms). If you have a dedicated gym in your home – complete with inspiring views of the outdoors and energizing natural lights through a wall of windows, staying fit becomes a great deal easier… and more cost-effective!  Highlight Homes can incorporate a fitness space into a renovation of your existing home (by reimagining an existing room, creating a room addition or finishing your basement) or can make it an important element of your custom home design.

Find Time for Me-Time

Ask any mother of small children and she’ll tell you, the bathroom is often her place of solitude… but it’s never guaranteed. Still, it’s important for each member of the household to have a space that is dedicated to their own “me-time.” For kids, that’s often their bedrooms, but for adults who share a bedroom – you may want to have another space that’s ALL (mostly) yours. If you have that, you’re more likely to FIND TIME for that all-important me-time. If you’re an avid reader, a library with French doors or even a book nook with cozy seating may be all you need. There’s also the possibility of including a man cave inside and a “she shed” outside for the privacy we all crave to help us clear our heads and improve our moods.

Spend More Time with Family

Parents who travel for visit may crave more time with their family. The creation of spaces intended for family gatherings are essential to inspiring that together time that helps us stay connected. A home theater for the family who loves to watch movies together, a game room for board game buffs or an outdoor living space centered around a swimming pool and open-air kitchen for the family who loves the Great Outdoors are just a few ways you can go. The possibilities are truly endless and can be customized to fit your family’s collective interests.

Set Your Sights on Being the Host and Hostess with the Mostest

If it’s always been your dream to host dinner parties to die for or tailgate-themed gatherings for football season, your home design should reflect that fact. From an expansive island in the kitchen where you can set out the appetizers and a dining room where the real magic happens to a sprawling outdoor living space with bar, comfy seating, hearth and HUGE flat screen TV, if you hope to become a better host/hostess, there are any number of ways you can make your home work to your advantage. An open concept layout in the main living areas is a MUST so your home never feels cramped, even with 20 guests at any one gathering. For overnight guests, you want to make sure your guest rooms and guest bathrooms are luxurious and welcoming. Highlight Homes can help you have the home your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors would LOVE to visit – no matter the occasion!

Get in Touch with Nature

If you love the Great Outdoors and hope to work towards self-improvement through that passion, there are a number of ways that Highlight Homes can help you do just that. A sunroom or screened in porch can serve as an extension of your home, offering exquisite views even when the weather is anything but warm and sunny. Some imaginative landscape planning and a gardening shed are other wonderful ways to pursue your love of the outdoors. And – of course – dedicated outdoor living spaces are a must, whether dining al fresco, enjoying a cocktail under the stars or telling stories in the glow of your outdoor fire pit.

If you are seeking ways to pursue self-improvement through your home design, Highlight Homes would love to help you! To learn more about Highlight Homes and our process of building a custom home or pursuing a luxury renovation, please visit www.highlighthomesga.com. Once you’re ready to get started, contact us at 678-874-9234 or info@highlighthomesga.com.

Midtown’s Atlantic Station – Making History

Midtown’s Atlantic Station – Making History

Foodies, Fashionistas and Fun-seekers throughout Metro Atlanta are likely very familiar with Atlantic Station, its treasure trove of shops and restaurants, and its jam-packed year-round calendar of events. However, they may not know about where this 138-acre Midtown destination came from… or where it’s going. With a history dating back to 1901, the site where Atlantic Station now stands was once home to the Atlanta Hoop Company – manufacturer of cotton bale ties and barrel hoops. The company evolved to become the Atlantic Steel Mill, and by 1952, it employed more than 2000 Atlantans – producing fencing, nails, rivets and more. After the mill closed in the 1990’s, a new vision began to emerge for the site. The vision was for a sprawling mixed-use development unlike any other, boasting LEED certified office towers, a variety of housing and entertainment options, and a wide array of stores and restaurants – poised within a walkable neighborhood. By the time Atlantic Station debuted in 2005, it was the largest urban Brownfield redevelopment at that time and – because of its size – it was given its own zip code: 30363.

Showcasing 500,000 SF of restaurant and retail space, 2 million SF of class A office space, 3000 residential units, a boutique hotel, a gym and movie theater surrounding Central Park where a variety of signature events are hosted, this new addition to Atlanta’s Midtown landscape quickly grew in popularity. Of course, the great news is… it continues to evolve in exciting new directions. By the end of 2020, Atlantic Station will soon boast two new office buildings, a new AMLI residential complex, three new hotels, several new shops and restaurants, and a newly reimagined Central Park. The mixed-use development’s tagline “We’ve Got It All!” will never be truer.

Award-winning Atlanta custom home builder, Highlight Homes is making a little history of our own. While we have had a presence in nearby Brookhaven and Buckhead over the years, we are now proud to become a part of the Midtown Atlanta landscape, too. Just a mile away from the bustling streets of Atlantic Station, we are building a stunning luxury duplex project.  Starting at $750,000, each home will showcase more than 2600 square feet of living space to include 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The 2-car garage will prove quite a commodity in this area of town, although – given the high walkability factor of the neighborhood – the cars may spend a lot of time parked INSIDE the garage. Each home will also boast an unfinished basement, representing 1100 square feet of potential for future growth. Other features of these homes that beg to be mentioned include three covered porches (one for each level), mudroom off the garage, upstairs laundry for the ultimate in convenience, charming fireplace in the living room, custom cabinets with granite countertops and Jenn-Air appliances in the gourmet kitchen, hardwoods throughout and all of the surprising and distinctive touches for which Highlight Homes is so well-known. What is just as exciting as its proximity to Atlantic Station is the duplex’s convenience to I-75, I-85, the beautiful campus at Georgia Tech, and many of Atlanta’s top employers and Fortune 500 companies.

If you’d like to be added to the interest list for one of the homes in Highlight Homes’ new duplex project, please contact Melanie Pourhassan with Keller Williams First Atlanta at MelanieHP@kw.com or 404-531-5708. To learn more about Highlight Homes, we invite you to visit us at www.highlighthomesga.com.

Photo Credits: By PEDS (Flickr: Atlantic Station) [CC BY 2.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons