Norman Askins on Salubria, Buckhead’s most secluded estate

The Italian-style villa sits on 16 undeveloped acres, and it’s for sale
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Salubria
Photograph by Marc Mauldin

Architect Norman Askins often makes up a story when he builds a house. To inform the design for this 1997 Italian-style villa, he created a fable that revolved around a European countess whose American husband built her a retreat inspired by the famed Colombe d’Or hotel in Provence. But the fiction stopped there. Every detail of the roughly 4,500-square-foot home is authentic: Each patinaed roof tile came from a French farmhouse; all wood trim was salvaged from old houses and barns; windows display the uneven ripples of antique glass. The 20-inch-thick exterior walls are made of Jerusalem stone. The owner named the estate “Salubria,” which loosely means “a place of good health and peace” in Latin. But what makes it seem like a real-life fairytale is that it overlooks the Chattahoochee River on 16 undeveloped acres in Buckhead. The property is one of the city’s largest privately held tracts—with skyline views. Yes, it is for sale. Price upon request. Betsy Akers, Atlanta Fine Homes/Sotheby’s International Realty, 404-372-8144, betsy@atlantafinehomes.com

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.

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