Sitting on one of the most prized pieces of land at South Beach, The Setai is sexy, sleek and the perfect place for a quick trip to Miami. Notably, this sublime tropical hideaway has been a fixture on Conde Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” for the last five years running and Forbes Traveler has dubbed it one of the “sexiest hotels in America.”

The A-lister hot spot is situated in the art deco hub of South Beach, with modern nods to the era with its use of Shanghai brick and bronze, teak, stone and art. The rooms and suites feature in-room bathtubs for personal spa treatments, rain showers, teak floors, Lavazza espresso machines, personalized housekeeping service and a 24-hour concierge, among other luxury amenities.
It’s off-season during the hot, summer months, and deals are easy to find. The Setai’s Girls’ Getaway and Gentleman’s Retreat packages offer private shopping experiences, spa treatments, breakfast, complimentary spirits and VIP access to Miami’s nightlife. (Rates begin at $595 per night with a minimum two-night stay.)

To tone down on price, but not on style, stay at TownHouse Hotel. Smack dab in the middle of South Beach, flanked by high-end neighboring hotels, sits TownHouse. “It’s great because of the location,” says Colleen Graham, director of sales. “It’s nestled in with the big guns [and is a real] home away from home.”

Highly utilized for studio and magazine production shoots, TownHouse is as much appreciated for its creative, minimalist lines, and all-around fun and flirty decor as it is for its comfort and unassuming prices.
Brought to South Beach at the turn of the millennium by Jonathan Morr, who is well-known for his Manhattan eateries, Republic and BondST, this 69-room, two-suite, Parisian-designed boutique hotel is frankly a steal at $145 a night midweek, and $175 a night on the weekends, through August and September. A Parisian breakfast is included.
The rooms are clad in white, with striking pops of color, and hallways, specked with benches, comics and other good reads, are engulfed with cool soundtracks. The rooftop, fitted with various table settings and lounge chairs, transforms at night into one of South Beach’s hottest weekend hangouts, and the highlight is sushi sent up from the ground floor BondST Lounge. Zagat Miami has named its tuna “the best on the planet.”

Images by Sean Murdock
Written by Melanie Bowden Simón
Read more on our August/September Issue now!

At 20 mph, barely a sound is audible save for the dirt road crunching beneath the tires and the good-natured voice from the driver’s seat. The voice belongs to Charles Davis, president of The Earth Comfort Company, and the tires to his Chevrolet Volt, which is one of two in the state of Georgia. As he drives slowly around his Guyton, Georgia, property, Davis explains the many perks of the electrically powered car: one of the catchiest being its incredibly low maintenance requirements, as in an oil-change-after-24,000-miles low maintenance. After parking beside his house, Davis removes a cord from the vehicle and connects it to a charging station on the exterior wall noting that it’s “the same charger Jay Leno installed in his garage.”

Davis’ house is far from typical of other homes in Southeast Georgia. It’s a customizable, prefab structure and, like his car, it exhibits his commitment to renewable energy. After purchasing it as a foreclosure in the Atlanta area, Davis had the house delivered to his one-and-a-half-acre property in Guyton. The property is one of nine and the first step toward the goal of creating a zero-energy community (a working organic farm already exists on site). The prefabricated, modular “i-house” is a model made by Clayton Homes, the largest manufacturer of modular homes in the United States. With clean lines and a modern sensibility, the i-home is advertised as being “built from the ground up to be environmentally friendly” without sacrificing aesthetics or comfort. From its specialized roof designed for the collection of rainwater and the installation of solar panels to energy efficient windows and insulation, the i-house is clearly geared toward efficiency aficionados. But that’s only the framework upon which Davis crafted a system that allows him to bring the first net-zero energy home to Savannah.

The Man Behind the Plan

Originally from the Macon area, Davis points to his college days as the beginning of his passion for renewable energy. “I was in college years ago and Jimmy Carter was going to have a war on energy; that got me fired up. This was going to be the future and the next thing you know it’s never mind.” While some of the social and governmental drive toward renewable energy may have lost some steam, since those days, Davis’ interest in putting the concept into action hasn’t flagged.
The Earth Comfort Company was born 18 years ago while Davis was working for a LaGrange based electric cooperative and travelled to Washington, D.C., to learn about geothermal heat pumps with the goal of returning to teach Georgia companies about the technology. Geothermal heat pumps are a renewable energy technology that have existed since the late 1940s and function by taking advantage of the fact that the earth’s underground temperature is constantly around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
With several different variations, the pumps circulate water or fluid through a piping system placed a few feet underground, often in a series of loops, by means of an electric pump. Using 40 to 60 percent less energy than conventional systems, geothermal heat pumps pay for their installation within five to ten years and have an estimated 25-year service life, with the underground components extending to 50 plus years, according the U.S. Department of Energy. As an added bonus, enough hot water is produced as a free by-product to cover 60 percent of usage. Owners of geothermal heat pumps also receive a 30 percent federal energy tax credit, which Davis points out almost pays for the additional cost of installation.
After learning about geothermal technology, Davis put his passion for energy efficiency to work and began The Earth Comfort Company, basing it in Savannah. Today the company provides a variety of energy efficient installation services, including solar, wind and insulation, and prides itself on being “the go-to source” for geothermal heat loop systems. Focusing primarily on larger scale commercial projects, The Earth Comfort Company has completed numerous projects including the installation of a geothermal system for Florida State University’s Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center, one of 14 off-grid zero emissions buildings in the country.
In 2008, Davis joined The University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service in Brunswick in an ongoing effort to provide a tangible example of efficient energy use through various renewable energy equipment. He helped get geothermal, solar, and energy efficient lighting technologies on a 16,000-square-foot building built in 1991. With the bulk of construction finished in December of 2010, the associate director for the Marine Extension Service, Keith Gates, who has since retired, says of the project, “The geothermal [heat pump] is fantastic; it dropped our electric bill around 50 percent, which is pretty amazing. And not only were we improving energy, the idea was to teach folks down the road about the whole operation.”

Photography by Shawn Heifert
Read more on our August/September Issue now!

Although every individual on this article’s stage is, by nature and circumstance, a soloist, South’s Hottest Singles of 2011 declared in chorus that they did not nominate themselves for their title. For the most part, they had no idea who did. Also, each hot single holds confidence and honesty as their prized qualities, so one must take their word for it. Therefore, South would like to thoroughly thank their furtive patrons for casting the extraordinary protagonists of the following few pages.

Monday July 18, 2011 marked the beginning of what will become one of Savannah’s most sought after events, Fashion’s Night Out 2011. Fab’rik, located at 318 W. Broughton street, welcomed Mayor Otis Johnson for the announcement of Fashion’s Night Out Savannah.

Times are changing. Today’s modern working women aren’t confined to a closet of boxy suits and drab skirts anymore. From 9 to 5, these sexy and sophisticated styles are making a splash in the boardroom.

Body heat loss is a winter sport’s biggest opponent. Underwear and outerwear made of moisture wicking materials are key to keeping you comfortable and dry during the wintry weather. The good news is that you don’t have to go too far for the season’s best clothing: here’s just a taste of what’s available locally. And after you’ve braved the wrath of Old Man Winter, head back inside for a cup of hot chocolate and some rest!

Dive In

Cool off with one of the most popular trends in exterior design: salt water pools. These manmade ponds offer both health and financial benefits. Because they have a generator that breaks down salt and produces chlorine, the pools are easy to maintain and don’t require purchasing a lot of expensive, harsh chemicals. “The pH of the water in a salt water pool is very close to the pH of our eyes,” explains Frank Fotia, president of Year Round Pool.

Yearroundpool.com 912.236.6261

Paver Lights

Pavers have been a hot trend in exterior design for some time due to their durability and clean aesthetic. Now, paver lights are adding another attractive element: the ability to highlight a back patio, walkway, or driveway with solar-charged lights. “They look really great at night and add to the ambiance if you like to entertain,” says owner of Quality Hardscapes, Fabio Santos. And since they’re self-powered, these lights don’t emit any harmful carbon dioxide, a perfect addition to the already eco-friendly benefits of pavers.

HIP NEW TRENDS IN HOME AND INTERIOR DESIGN FROM AN INDUSTRY INSIDER.

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL BUNN

1 SAVANNAH HARDSCAPES Dining al fresco has led to cooking al fresco. The moveable feast has moved to the great outdoors, and Savannah Hardscapes leads the way with a full range of outdoor appliances to make your outdoor entertaining sizzle. Whether you intend to grill it, smoke it, wok it, cook it on a rotisserie or in an oven, there’s an outdoor kitchen appliance for the job. There are warming drawers to keep your food fresh after it comes off the fire and outdoor hoods to keep the fresh air fresh. There’s a full line of refrigerated storage and dispensers to make sure your favorite brew or nicely aged Chardonnay stays at the perfect temperature. All you need for a perfect backyard outing are some wonderful guests and a day of sunshine. SAVANNAHHARDSCAPES.COM

Power Pumps

These days, women can get away with a slightly sexier heel at the office. The rules have changed and the fashion savvy professional can certainly find wiggle room within office dress codes. Pumps can look ultra-chic in the workplace when paired with fitted slacks and can add a slight sexiness to a high waist pencil skirt. But how do you know which pumps are office appropriate?

1. Eco-friendly framing- Using a line of moldings made from reclaimed lumber, as well as a collection of mouldings and mats that uses wood from well-managed sustainable forests, Maldoror’s Frameshop creates a custom design that complements any style of art all while being environmentally responsible. The eco-friendly mouldings include: a traditional collection of ornate and gilded moldings; a line of painted salvaged woods, for casual, rustic decor; and an exclusive line of warm, rich, salvaged hardwoods that are customized to accentuate specific pieces of art. Customers can pair any of these frames with fillets, decorative mats and custom glazing (including restoration hand-blown glass) that create a one-of-a-kind design.

2. Frameless Framing- Plexi face mounting is a crisp, sleek, contemporary way to display photos. Art lovers may not recognize it by name, but its been used for signs and graphics for years and has recently gained popularity in the world of fine art photography.