By Donna Cornelius A house’s most intriguing rooms usually are those that mix the old and the new – in a stylish way, of course. That’s the design plan Casey Faulkner and Jan Nordblom used in the Decorators’ ShowHouse dining room. “Overall, it’s a play on taking something traditional and making it more contemporary, like combining Duncan Phyfe chairs and formal draperies … [Read more...]
A Positive Point of View: Griffith Art Gallery Creates a ‘Happy’ Hallway
By Donna Cornelius One of the most eye-catching spaces at this year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse was almost overlooked. Designers who want to participate in the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s annual fundraiser are given a list of rooms and then present plans for the one they’d like to transform. Rick Griffith of Griffith Art Gallery said the first-floor hallway he wanted – and ended … [Read more...]
Lovely in Lavender: Lynne Coker’s Bedroom Combines Warm and Cool Colors
By Donna Cornelius For the second year in a row, Lynne Coker has designed a girl’s bedroom for the Decorators’ ShowHouse. But this year, she’s created a place for sweet dreams that’s very different from the room she did for the 2017 Alabama Symphony Orchestra fundraiser. “Usually I start with fabric,” said Coker, owner of Lynne Coker Interiors in Homewood. “But I was shopping … [Read more...]
Stars and Bars: Kathy D’Agostino Offers Heavenly Creations at Chocolatà
By Donna Cornelius Before you push open the door of Chocolatà, an artisan chocolate shop in downtown Birmingham, stop and look down. Carved in the concrete at the entrance to the shop are three words: “You are here.” If chocolate is one of your greatest pleasures in life, you’ve indeed arrived at a place where the sweet treat has a starring role. Kathy D’Agostino worked in … [Read more...]
Red Hot Yo’ Mama’s: Cooking Channel Will Spotlight Denise Peterson’s Downtown Restaurant
By Donna Cornelius There’s an actual mom in the kitchen at Yo’ Mama’s, where the food is Southern, scratch-made and scrumptious. The Second Avenue restaurant in downtown Birmingham is no secret to many in the city. It’s so popular that at lunchtime the line often stretches out the door and down the sidewalk. Denise Peterson opened her happy, hip eatery in 2014. Her daughter, … [Read more...]