Home + Design

At Home on Honeysuckle

A serendipitous redesign brings fresh color, layered character, and livable elegance to a Crestline cottage Article by Alice Welsh Doyle | Photography by Laurey Glenn Call it serendipity, good fortune, or sheer luck, but when Birmingham decorator Zoë Gowen received a phone call from a young couple asking for help, it was a full-circle moment. “When I was a homes editor at Southern Living, I scouted this house in Crestline and did a curb appeal makeover story, but we never photographed the...

Fitness

Tumbling Into Joy

Where a group of Birmingham women come to tumble, laugh, and cheer each other on Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Dr. Joseph Wu On Friday mornings at Magic City Cheer in Hoover, the bass carries out into the parking lot. Inside, cheers erupt — not for a kid or teenager, but for a mom in her 40s who just landed a roundoff back tuck, met with high fives and whoops from women who were strangers just months ago. It all started with a playful dare from Coach Tression “Tre” Nash to a...

Arts + Culture

Soaring

Three Birmingham women helping the next generation rise higher Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Mary Fehr Pamela Reed Phipps Executive Director of Grace House Ministries There she stood—an 8-year-old girl holding an unusually large purse. Curious, Pamela Reed Phipps asked why she carried such a big bag. “I never know when I’m going to need to stuff things in it and leave,” the girl told her. Phipps devotes her life to helping foster girls like these at Grace House Ministries, a...

Life + Culture

She's Good at Getting Dressed

Courtenay Bullock brings instinct, restraint, and confidence to Le Weekend Article by Kali McNutt | Photography by Gracie Eddins There’s a clarity to the way Courtenay Bullock approaches style—and it starts with knowing what not to bring home. “Good taste is knowing who you are and staying in your lane,” she says. At her English Village boutique, Le Weekend, the racks aren’t crowded. They’re considered. Edited. Intentional. It’s not about offering more. It’s about offering the right things. ...

Food + Beverage

Entre Deux Mondes

Kristen Hall on raising daughters, building La Fête, and living in between Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Mason David Erwin Before there were restaurants and accolades, there was a mother with two little girls at her side, playing in the kitchen, hands dusted in sugar. It was the summer of 2013, and Kristen Hall, owner and executive chef of La Fête, stood with a two-year-old and a five-year-old—Eleanor and Emma—measuring, spilling, stirring right alongside her, sleeves pushed up...

Life + Culture

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Three residents of Kirkwood by the River share what time has taught them Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Ambre Amari Nan Wingo Nan Wingo, born in Birmingham in 1930, met her late husband James at Birmingham-Southern College. Their first date was a football game, followed by dinner, where their waiter sang Nat King Cole. Looking back over her 95 years, the advice she would give her younger self is simple: “Don’t sweat the small stuff. I can remember lying awake at night worrying...

Arts + Culture

Girls, They Wanna Have Fun

Maggie Smith is bringing intention back to entertaining—designing celebrations that feel personal, immersive, and anything but expected Article by Kali McNutt | Photography by Gracie Eddins There’s a difference between a party and a feeling, and Maggie Smith knows exactly where that line lives. “As soon as you walk into a room, you know,” she says. “It’s the lighting, the music, the service—you might not be able to pinpoint it, but that’s what makes or breaks a great party.” As the founder...

Beauty

HOW HOLLY GLOWS

Birmingham makeup artist Holly Sims shares the products behind her signature glow Article by Birmingham Lifestyle For some, wandering the aisles of Sephora in search of the perfect product can feel overwhelming. For Holly Sims, it’s always been the fun part. Even as a teenager, she was the one trying new things, testing products, and doing her friends’ makeup—drawn less to transformation and more to bringing out what was already there. Years later, while in pharmacy school, a friend...

Arts + Culture

The Art of the Swirl

Laura Penkava transforms paint, water, and silk into one-of-a-kind designs Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Mary Fehr A tray of thickened water sits on the table in Laura Penkava’s home studio, its surface dotted with drops of floating paint. With a small tool, she pulls the colors through the bath, watching them stretch and swirl into marbled ribbons of indigo, rust, and soft green. A length of silk is laid carefully across the surface. In seconds, the pattern transfers—a dreamy...

Entertainment

Beyond the Masters

This city in Georgia isn’t just for golf Article by Elliott Harrell | Photography by Destination Augusta Ask someone what they know about Augusta, Georgia, and you’ll probably hear two words: The Masters.  And yes, while the idyllic Southern city is home to arguably the most famous golf tournament in the world, that’s not all the city has to offer. At just over four hours from Birmingham, the city is perfectly situated for a long weekend getaway. Lauren Robbins is a local interior designer...