'30A Style' on display in new book

The corridor along County Road 30A has long enjoyed recognition for its uniqueness — a quality found in its residents, homes and even its visitors.

Eleanor Lynn Nesmith has captured that lifestyle in "30A Style," a coffee-table book just released.

Nesmith held a book signing to celebrate the release of her new work at Bud & Alley's Tarpon Club March 9.

This is her second book. The first, released in 2005, was "Seaside Style."

Nesmith said her first book enjoyed great success, but distributors such as Seaside's Sundog Books relayed to her comments overheard by residents of the rest of 30A wondering why there was no book celebrating all of the 30A communities.

Nesmith thought there should be and went to work.

After two years spent interviewing 22 residents and homeowners up and down 30A, "30A Style" offers a peek inside the lives and homes of some of the more intriguing residents. Some of those include the Hartleys of Alys Beach, the Davises of Seaside, the Schnell home in Seagrove and one of the oldest homes in Grayton, The Smith House, owned by the Buzzetts.

Nesmith examined aspects such as architecture, interior design, and covers the historic aspects of homes and the community, as well as the impact of the New Urbanism movement on the coastal communities along the corridor.

"These are real families, permanent residents, or if they are part time, they're people who have a real commitment to this area," said Nesmith.

As a full-time resident of 30A since 2001, Nesmith was well qualified to know which homes and residents to feature.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nesmith lived in Washington, D.C., for 10 years, where she worked for "Architecture Magazine." In Birmingham, she worked for "Southern Living" for six years, before moving to a home on a dirt/sand street in Seagrove Beach, where she continues to do freelance writing and staging for major publications.

"I grew up in a small beach town in North Carolina and have always loved living at the beach," she said.

The 192-page full-color book is available at Sundog Books in Seaside, Tracery Interiors at Rosemary Beach, The WaterColor Store, and Books a Million.