For the majority of August and the first few days of September, a beautiful Cotswold-inspired house in Serenbe’s Swann Ridge hamlet was a hive of activity. Designated as the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 2014 Serenbe Designer Showhouse, it’s been full of contractors, landscapers, construction workers and designers, all working to create a space full of imagination and inspiration.

At the same time, I was playing job foreman at the Art Farm, the place where visitors to Serenbe’s Artists In Residence program live and work. In the main building, we turned what was previously studio space into bedrooms for visiting artists, and added two offices, one for the AIR director and other for the director of Serenbe Playhouse. I oversaw everything from paint colors and the landscaping to the design of shipping containers, which will now enjoy a new life as studio spaces.

The Showhouse and Art Farm are just a few hundred feet away from each other—two completely different worlds connected by two things: a dirt road and revenue. All proceeds from the Showhouse benefit the Art Farm, so we can continue to welcome artists to our community, give them the space and time to focus and benefit from their talents.

Since it opened on September 6, the Showhouse has been a hive of activity in a different way. People from all over the Southeast and beyond are coming to tour the home and see how 12 local designers transformed three floors into a dream house. Seeing it now, it’s hard to believe it was a raw space with dirt out front just a few weeks ago.

We toasted its opening with many events at which we served this Farmhouse Lemonade, a cool, crisp cocktail full of summery flavors like lemon and strawberry paired with the spice of rum. Make yourself a glass and plan a visit to the Serenbe Designer Showhouse. $20 a person is a small price to spend the day dreaming.

Farmhouse Lemonade

• For the lemonade:
• Fills 25 highball glasses
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups water + 1 ½ gallons water
• 1 ¼ quarts lemon juice

Place 2 cups of water in a pan and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve and boil 5 minutes. Cool, add the lemon juice and the 1 ½ gallons of water. Stir well.

• For the strawberry puree:
• frozen strawberries
• 1 tea kettle hot water
• ¾ cup white sugar

Fill Vitamix with strawberries and hot water. Let thaw for 10 minutes and drain water. Add the sugar and pulse until smooth.

• To finish the drink:
• 2 ounces Cruzan rum
• 2 ounces strawberry puree
• lemonade

Add the rum and strawberry puree to a shaker and shake until combined. Fill a tall glass with ice. Fill just under half with lemonade. Pour the strawberry mix on top and garnish with a lemon wheel and shake of raw sugar.