Romcom Devotees – The Mommies Reviews

I am a avid movie lover and there are places in movies I would like to visit. Or places I would like to stay. Which is why I’m excited to let you know we have the opportunity to stay in a Cottage like we seen in State and Season in Atlanta. Would you like to have a Girls Trip with me?

Romcom devotees have been dreaming about the quintessential cozy houses from their favorite movies for years. More people are flocking to small towns for personal meet-cutes. Georgia, home to many romcoms and the epicenter of the Hallmark Christmas movie universe, delivers famous Christmas towns and Mountain scenery to match.

Towns like Dahlonega, Blue Ridge and Helen are common backdrops for all types of scenic romance. Now, a Christmas romcom cult classic is coming to the Atlanta area as Lucy Small of State and Season takes on building a replica of the British cottage from The Holiday – and you can book your stay!

The designer says she got the idea from the huge demand online. “I’m part of a lot of groups that just enjoy cozy things, no drama, a good book and cup of tea next to a nice smelling candle. And everyone just loves this house,” she says. The problem? It doesn’t actually exist. The studio at the time found an exterior that was altered for the film and built the interiors on a soundstage in Los Angeles. “I thought – I could build this,” she says. “There’s no reason this can’t exist in real life.”

State and Season, Lucy’s company based in the Mountain town of Blue Ridge, Georgia already worked with builders, architects and engineers building custom homes and doing renovations. “I called our architect and asked her to watch the movie to design an exact replica. If you stay there, I want you to feel like it’s an old cottage in the English Countryside and Jude Law might knock on the door at any minute.” But, being a set, some things had to change. For one, the roof line accommodated 3 bedrooms, not just 1 like in the movie. That was an easy concession to make as Lucy wanted more people to be able to enjoy the stay. The other differences were due to modern day building code. “I wanted to get the exact look but some things are just not possible due to code, like that tiny bathroom under the stairs where you have to duck to get in. The windows on the main level have to be further off the ground. And the roof in the movie actually looks broken and sagging – I figured we probably wanted a roof that worked.” Still, Lucy is determined to make this new build feel like the real, 300-year old British cottage.

“We’re building an actual English cottage from 200 years ago. The setting is perfect because we’ve got a lot of nice scenery and a cute town.” So what are the main looks you’ll find in this new, centuries-old cottage?

“Lots of wood burning fireplaces, low ceilings with big wooden beams, layered rugs on the floor and all the British pottery to make it really feel like home.” Turning modern into cozy is something of a speciality for the designer who has been featured on HGTV and other outlets for her Scandinavian style. “There’s a lot of demand for idyllic Mountain living,” she says of the accolades she’s received. “I source a lot of my materials from Europe because people want that vibe. I’ve been really lucky to be right on trend for what people are looking for in modern rustic living.” The home, which will be available to rent, will be equipped with a library, tons of mugs and a seemingly endless Tea collection to make sure guests are living their coziest dreams. And, will of course be decorated for Christmas.