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The Beauty of Simplicity

By
Julie Gillis
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“There was one thing I kept hearing from her again and again, ” explains designer Liz Woods of her Mountain Brook client. “She would say, ‘Keep it neutral; keep it clean. No knick-knacks.’ ” And that is exactly what Liz accomplished in designing the home’s interiors for Patti and Bill Ireland.

“Patti was very definitive about her requests for the project, and I like that trait in a client, ” continues Liz.

“For her, it was not about creating a grand place for entertaining. She wanted a beautiful home that was all about family—a peaceful place for them to relax and enjoy together.” 

Even though the home’s previous owners had made significant renovations to incorporate modern-day conveniences, the interiors were still heavily influenced by the traditional style of the house. “We couldn’t ignore that fact, and that’s what I loved about this project, ” explains Liz. “Working with this wonderful old Tudor house was a lot of fun. Plus, the Irelands already had some fabulous antique pieces and beautiful artwork that they wanted to incorporate into the design. Their collections fit perfectly with the home.”

But Patti also wanted the space to have a somewhat contemporary edge. “She has a very sophisticated flair, ” Liz says of her client. “It was important for that to show through in the interiors.”

To achieve just the right balance of both contemporary and traditional designs, Liz integrated more transitional upholstery and accessories with the Irelands’ existing antiques. “As a result, the house has much more interest and energy, ” she says.

That energy definitely spills into rooms throughout the home, as seen in the dining room. “The artwork and furnishings in this space really work together to make a statement while still maintaining the more pared-down look that Patti desired, ” says Liz. “And the neutral Oushak rug adds just the right amount of softness. It’s a space perfectly suited for leisurely dinners with family and friends.”

The more private areas in the home also follow suit with soothing neutral hues and light fabrics. “The bedroom with built-in bookshelves and a rolling library ladder is one of my favorite areas in the home, ” says Liz. “It is a study of textures and layers in different shades of white.”

To complete the interiors, Liz pulled items from her own home accessories boutique, Details, for the finishing touches. “The boutique was born out of my own need for the last layers in my projects, ” she explains. “I was already warehousing much of the merchandise for my own use, so I decided to make the items available to everyone. It is a carefully curated collection of decorative pieces and gifts—the all-important details.”

And in the Irelands’ house, it’s clear that Liz’s penchant for such details enhances the beautiful simplicity of the design.

ABOVE White upholstered chairs in keeping with the neutral color scheme help complete the intimate conversation area in the living room. The ornate gold-filigree clock above the mantel is just one example of the Irelands’ beautiful antiques collection.
 

  

ABOVE LEFT Liz’s ability to seamlessly blend traditional and contemporary styles is evident in the living room. A chair belonging to the client perfectly complements a more modern piece of art from Henhouse Antiques.

ABOVE RIGHT The unique fireplace in the family room adds to the more rustic appeal of the space. Punches of green in the urn plantings on the mantel and in the calla lilies on the coffee table add depth to the neutral surroundings.
 

  

ABOVE LEFT In the dining room, black intaglios from A. Tyner Antiques in Atlanta flank the gilt-framed mirror from the owners’ personal collection.

ABOVE RIGHT In the dining room, a 10-foot-long table from Dennis  and Leen, a Los Angeles company, allows plenty of room for family gatherings. Portieres made of silk and velvet anchor each end of the room, adding warmth to the space.
 

  

ABOVE LEFT The kitchen banquette, custom-designed for the space by architects Paul Bates and Jeremy Corkern, is upholstered in family-friendly outdoor fabrics for easy cleanup. 

ABOVE RIGHT “The Irelands already had some fabulous antiques and beautiful artwork that they wanted to incorporate into the design. Their collections fit perfectly with the home.”  — Liz Woods
 

ABOVE An antique screen mounted to the wall becomes a beautiful piece of art in the family room. Renovations from the previous owners included the vaulted ceiling constructed from pecky cypress.
 

ABOVE Built-in bookshelves and a rolling ladder were additions from the home’s previous owner. Liz had the books on the shelves covered in handmade decorative papers to maintain the room’s neutral palette.
 

RESOURCES

Designer: Liz Woods, Liz Hand Woods Associates • 205.870.8005 • lizhandwoods.com
Accessories throughout the Home: Details • 2337 20th Avenue South • 205.423.2993
Dining Room: Console table: Circa Interiors & Antiques • 2831 Culver Road • 205.868.9119 
Intaglios: A. Tyner Antiques • 404.367.4484 • swedishantiques.biz 
Rug: Paige Albright Orientals • 2814 Petticoat Lane • 205.877.3232 • paigealbrightorientals.com 
Family Room: Antique Screen on Wall: Henhouse Antiques • 1900 Cahaba Road • 205.918.0505 
Kitchen Banquette: Paul Bates and Jeremy Corkern, Bates Corkern Studio • 205.414.9939 • batescorkern.com; Kitchen Table and Table at Bottom of Stairway: Henhouse Antiques 
Bedroom: Artwork: Cecily Hill • chillart.wordpress.com 
Custom Bench: Liz Hand Woods Associates

text by Julie Gillis • photos by Jean Allsopp

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Comfort Food: From the Kitchen of Susan Dressler

By
Paige Townley
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With her mother being a born-and-raised Southerner and her father being Cuban, it’s no surprise Susan Dressler spent a lot of time in the kitchen growing up.

Whatever they cooked, whether it was her mother’s Chicken Divan or her father’s Arroz con Pollo, cooking was always a fun and flavorful adventure for the whole family. And just as importantly, both cultural traditions were always blended into meals—plantain chips were served right alongside cheese straws. “To this day, we still have a great tradition of eating a Cuban dinner on Christmas Eve and a Southern dinner on Christmas Day, ” Susan says. “We keep both influences going strong.”

Not long ago, Susan and her mother created a family cookbook, ensuring that special family recipes like her mother’s Sloppy Joe’s and her father’s Chicken Ropa Vieja will continue on. And as often as this family still finds thezmselves in the kitchen together, it doesn’t seem likely that any traditions or recipes will be forgotten anytime soon. “We love to get in the kitchen and collaborate on the menu and cook together, ” Susan says. “It’s so much better than doing it any other way.”

Black Beans

Don’t pass on this recipe just because it looks complicated. It is amazing, and you really cannot mess it up!

Phase One:

1 pound dry black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium ripe tomato, quartered
1 bay leaf
½ medium onion, quarted
½ medium green pepper, quartered
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and crushed

1. Wash beans, discarding imperfect ones. Place in 3- or 4-quart pot. Cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, and then turn off and allow to soak for one hour.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Add additional water so that beans are covered with an inch of water. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat. Cover and cook until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Remove large pieces of tomato, pepper, onion, and garlic.

Phase Two:

½ cup olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
½ green pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons dry sherry

1. In a skillet, heat oil, and sauté the onion and green pepper until transparent.
2. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, wine vinegar, and salt. Stir to mix well. Cook 2 minutes longer, and then add to beans.
3. Cook beans at least another 30 minutes.
4. Add sherry just prior to serving. Serve over rice or as a soup.
5. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or raw onion. 

Text by Paige Townley

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Portrait of an Artist

By
BHG Staff
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When asked to reflect on the life and work of iconic Birmingham artist Arthur Stewart, his family, friends, and art critics invariably call up adjectives reminiscent of 1940s movie stars— debonair, a bon vivant, urbane. And they inevitably conclude, “Most of all, Arthur was the kindest man I ever knew.”

“He developed a following as a personality as well as an artist, ” remembers his nephew and godson Rusty Stewart. “Arthur was an engaging person—well read, physically fit, handsome, and well dressed. He was the ideal guest at a dinner party.”

Rusty speculates that Arthur’s magnetic personality may have landed him one of his most intriguing portraits, a 1940s oil study of Parisian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who posed in her Place Vendome apartment. In the painting, Schiaparelli wears a blue dress, pearls, and green platform shoes against a background of mauve draperies. “He captured her great persona, ” Rusty comments. “I have often wondered how a young, and then unknown, painter got into that famous apartment.”

Art collector Elise Durbin treasures the two portraits Arthur painted of her as a four-year old and also the memories of the multiple sittings in the early 1970s. “He baked me lemon cookies, ” she recalls. “I ate cookies and my mother read me stories as he painted. Arthur didn’t simply paint ‘bank president portraits.’ He captured personalities.”

“Arthur Stewart was without a doubt one of the most elegant individuals I ever met, ” concurs Birmingham Museum of Art Director Gail Andrews. “His appreciation for both Dutch and Flemish paintings was especially apparent in his work. In his portraits, he was able to capture the essential character of the sitter. And his watercolors of flowers are brilliant and technically superb.”

The third of eight siblings, Arthur grew up in Perry
County. He began painting at the age of six, showing an early talent with “very theatrical and dramatic” portraits of his sisters. After graduating from Marion Military Institute in 1935, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. During World War II, Arthur served in the Army, drawing military scenes for training purposes. Artistic vagabond years followed before he settled in San Francisco in the late 1940s. In 1952, the artist came home to Birmingham.

During his 60-plus years of painting, Arthur hung over 35 one-man shows from New York to California. He customarily offered paintings from home gallery shows at his four-acre Glocca Morra Farm in Birmingham, where the gardens provided inspiration for his vibrant floral watercolors. More than a thousand of his pieces currently hang in private and public collections, including the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and the galleries of the Queen of England.

If alive today, Arthur would no doubt continue to project a timeless Cary Grant elegance in his double-breasted jackets and signature pocket scarves, regaling dinner guests with witty stories told against a backdrop of museum-worthy art. A Renaissance man for all seasons, his legacy endures.

  

  

Written and produced by Cathy Adams

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Comfort Food: From the Kitchen of Randi Rhone

By
Paige Townley
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Throughout childhood, Randi Rhone’s weekends weren’t complete without a visit to Nanny Black’s house and an afternoon spent in the kitchen. “I can still visualize a step stool Nanny Black kept in her kitchen that she would pull out for my sister and me to stand on, ” Randi reminisces. “We would put on the aprons she had sewn especially for us, hop up on that stool at the kitchen counter, and go to town with whatever she was cooking that day.”

Whatever they cooked, whether it was fried okra (one of Randi’s personal favorites), her grandfather’s vegetable soup, or divinity (another family favorite), Randi quickly learned that cooking was about so much more than simply preparing a meal.

Randi’s grandmother went on to self-publish a cookbook, Cooking With Love, that featured many of her recipes, and today, Randi still cooks many of the same dishes she prepared with her grandmother all those years ago. “When I cook from her cookbook, I immediately think about the times I spent cooking at her house, ” says Randi. “It makes me feel like she’s still here cooking with me. And now with a daughter, who is named after Nanny Black, I look forward to sharing them with her one day.”

Paw-Paw’s Vegetable Soup

2 cans tomato sauce
1 can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ pound suet (fat; usually free at market. Note: Instead of suet, you may cut stew meat into small pieces to use.)
4 potatoes, diced
1 large package frozen cut-up okra or 1½ cup fresh, cut up.

Place the first 8 ingredients in a 4-quart or larger pot with 3 quarts of water. Simmer 1 hour, and then add potatoes, vegetables, and okra. Simmer another 1 ½ hours. Yields 8 – 10 servings.

Text by Paige Townley

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Cheers to That

By
Leighton Mosteller
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Secret Garden

Steva Casey, main mixer at Veranda on Highland in Birmingham, serves this cocktail julep style for a deliciously fresh herbal concoction you don’t need a secret garden to enjoy. Find Strega and Zucca Amaro liqueurs at your local liquor location.

.5 ounce Honey Syrup
1.5 ounces Strega
1ounce Zucca Amaro
2 basil leaves
1 sprig of basil

1. In bottom of metal cup, muddle two basil leaves and honey syrup together. Lightly bruise the basil, don't destroy it.
2. Add Strega and Zucca and crushed ice. Stir. Add more crushed ice on top. Garnish with reserved basil sprig.

S'moretini

As the weather begins to cool, serve this drink as a delicious and fun complement to that fire in the fireplace.

32 ounces vodka
16 ounces chocolate liqueur
1 sleeve graham crackers (or more if needed)
1 jar marshmallow creme
wooden skewers
16 jet-puffed jumbo marshmallows

1. Combine vodka and chocolate liqueur into large pitcher and refrigerate for several hours until cold.
2. Rim 16 martini glasses with marshmallow creme. Crush graham crackers in a small bowl. Dip glasses into graham cracker crumbs and shake gently to remove excess.
3. Toast marshmallows on skewers over an open flame. 
4. Pour 3 ounces of cold drink mixture into each prepared glass and garnish with a toasted marshmallow.

Vanilla Bean Champagne

Atlanta entertainer Danielle Rollins shares her delicious champagne cocktail in her book “Soiree: Entertaining with Style.” For more recipes from her book,  click here.

8 ounces bourbon
8 Madagascar vanilla beans
1 bottle champagne, chilled
8 chilled champagne flutes or tall pilsner glasses

1. In small saucepan, bring bourbon to a simmer. Add the vanilla beans and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft and tender.
2. Remove vanilla beans from bourbon, shaking off excess, and allow the beans to cool.
3. To serve, split beans in half lengthwise with a knife and place in champagne flutes; top each flute with champagne.

Apple, Ginger and Cranberry Vodka Cocktail

One of my favorite foodie sites is whatkatieate.com. Photographer/cookbook author/recipe writer Katie Quinn Davies provides feasts for the eyes in addition to her amazing kitchen concoctions. This cocktail is great year round, but it’s especially nice in fall and winter. 

2 cups apple juice
2 cups cranberry juice
½ cup vodka
2 cups ginger ale
Ice, to serve

1. Pour the apple juice, cranberry juice and vodka in a blender and whizz until pale pink and frothy.
2. Pour mixture into a large serving jug, add the ginger ale and a good handful of ice. Serve immediately.

Ty Ku-Tini

This recipe by Nina Allman yields a refreshing martini infused with a delicious combination of exotic Asian fruits and crisp pear. 

1 1/2 ounces Ty Ku liqueur
1/2 bottle Asian Pear Saké2me
splash of club soda
splash of simple syrup
pear slices, to garnish

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a martini shaker. Add ice and shake.
2. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with pear slices.

Godfather

There’s definitely nothing girly about the Godfather. Use a 2-inch square ice cube like this one for the perfect chill without watering down your drink.

1 1/2 ounces of scotch (or bourbon)
3/4 ounce of Amaretto Almond Liqueur

Pour both the Scotch and Amaretto over ice into an old fashioned glass. Stir slightly. Add your choice of garnishes such as a cherry or lemon wedge.

Bushwacker

This creamy cocktail is a Lower Alabama favorite you can, and should, serve all year round. Pirate's Cove shares their take on the classic.

6 ounces ice
2 ounces vanilla ice cream
1 ounce Kahlua
1 ounce Malibu rum
Cruzan Rum 151, to garnish
additional garnishes: cherry, cinnamon or nutmeg

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and add a splash of Cruzan. Top with a cherry. For a more festive presentation, dust with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serves 1.

Follow our Pinterest board here for more libations that are sure to wet your whistle. 

Text by Leighton Mosteller

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Comfort Food: From the Kitchen of Margaret Agnew

By
Paige Townley
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When gathering recipes for her many cookbooks, Margaret Agnew never had to look very far for inspiration. A self-professed recipe collector, Margaret simply turned to the family members who influenced her culinary craving over the years. Her mother, Betty—who Margaret describes as an “instinctively good southern cook”—had dozens upon dozens of family-favorite recipes, as did her aunts, great aunts, and cousins. “Another really important influence on some of my recipes has been my husband’s family, ” Margaret adds. “His mom was a very good cook.”

Regardless of where the influence originated, Margaret’s recipe collection essentially came to serve as a way to preserve a part of her family’s history
and traditions.

Margaret’s latest cookbook, The Southern Cook, certainly serves as a tasty reminder. “Whenever we make peach ice cream, we always end up talking about how that was Nana’s recipe, and that starts a conversation about Nana, ” Margaret says. “It’s good to remember the people who originated the recipes and how important they were to your life.”

Margaret’s passion for family recipes turned into a career. A former food editor at Southern Progress Corporation, she has published numerous cookbooks. Her
latest book, The Southern Cook (July 2013, Parragon Books), features a variety of family recipes, including her mother’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

There are many variations of this cake which is baked in a cast-iron skillet, including apple and cherry, but pineapple is the most traditional. After baking, the warm cake is inverted onto a plate so that the glazed fruit becomes the top.

½ cup unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (20 oz) can pineapple slices, undrained
7 maraschino cherries
12 pecan halves
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites

1. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Sprinkle brown sugar in skillet. Remove from heat.
2. Drain pineapple, reserving ¼ cup juice. Set juice aside. Arrange 7 pineapple slices over sugar mixture. Cut remaining pineapple slices in half; line sides of pan, keeping cut sides up. Place a cherry in the center of each whole pineapple slice; arrange pecan halves between slices in a spoke fashion.
3. Beat 3 egg yolks on high speed of an electric mixer until thick and lemon colored; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well. Add to egg mixture alternately with reserved pineapple juice, mixing well. Stir in vanilla.
4. Beat egg whites on high speed of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold beaten egg whites into batter. Spoon batter evenly over pineapple in skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool for 5 minutes. Invert warm cake onto serving plate. Yields 6 servings.

Elegant Pear Tart

Pears are not just for picking and eating. They are at their best enjoyed in this lovely, elegant pear tart.

Tart Pastry

(One refrigerated piecrust can be substituted if desired.)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4-6 tablespoons cold milk

Pear Filling

4-5 medium-size ripe pears
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup peach or apricot preserves

1. Combine flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small mixing bowl; cut in ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter and shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk evenly over surface, stirring with a fork, until all ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball; cover and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Roll dough out to fit a 10-inch tart pan. Prick pastry with a fork and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. For the filling, peel and core pears. Combine lemon juice and water, and dip pears in mixture; drain well. Cut pears in half lengthwise; cut each half into ½-inch thick lengthwise slices. Arrange pears in a prebaked tart pastry so that slices are slightly overlapping. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
4. Combine egg yolks and ½ cup sugar; beat well. Add cream, 1 tablespoon flour, and vanilla; beat with a wire whisk until blended, then pour over pears. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set.
5. Cook preserves in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until melted; brush over tart. Yields 6 – 8 servings.

Text by Paige Townley

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Industrial Evolution

By
Cathy Still McGowin
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A Do-it-yourself project is always bigger than it seems, and it always involves more than one surprise along the way. For David Hill and his family, the transformation of a 1920s post-industrial building in Auburn required plenty of DIY determination as well as his expertise as an architect and landscape architect.

When David accepted a teaching position at Auburn, the couple rented a house in hopes of finding a commercial site to convert. “We looked for months, ” David says. “We finally found this place on Bragg Avenue. At the time, it housed a cabinet shop, but we later found out that it has had quite a history.”

David and his children Luke, Wade, and Breyton relax in chairs made from old road signs in David’s experimental Phenology garden. (Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal lifecycles.)

Uncovering bits and pieces of lore through community stories and the building’s rubble, David and his wife, Elizabeth, embarked on what would become almost a two-year project and their intrigue grew. “After we made the offer, we spent about nine months getting zoning variances, doing engineering and design studies, figuring out our budget, and pouring over inspections, ” David says. “It was only after we knew we could do it that we signed the contract.”

Once they gave themselves the go-ahead, David and Elizabeth worked with contractor Gregory “Scoop” Langston of HF&L to start the demolition, salvage, and building process. “I can’t give him enough credit for his help, ” David says. “He guided my efforts throughout the project by advising me about the things I could do myself to save money and what I should hire out.”

The brick building is essentially one big rectangle. Over the years it has housed numerous businesses. Interior spaces were sealed off and divided. David’s goal was to unite these rooms and reconfigure them into a place for his family. The walls, floors, and ceilings were removed or cleaned up, openings were closed up and recut, and new or restored pieces were put in place. In the living area, a large steel door slides to open or close the space between the TV room and the kitchen/great room. “We tried to save everything we could, ” David says. “Everytime we pulled something out of the building we’d throw it in a stockpile. We found ourselves returning to it for supplies again and again.” Slabs of concrete became walkways and stepping stones in the garden, a wooden shed became an outdoor tabletop, a gas line became a curtain rod in the master bedroom, and a shipping container found new purpose as a garden shed and wood shop.

Throughout the house and landscape, there’s a synergy that hasn’t gone unnoticed. David has won awards for the home’s architecture, landscape design, kitchen, and building. “It is nice to be recognized in all of these categories, ” David says. “A holistic approach in design is very important to me.”

ABOVE The TV room shows the Hill’s flair for mixing thrift store finds and salvage furniture. Metal ceiling tiles and moulding, original to the building, were taken down and repainted during the renovation. Light fixtures, floorlamps from IKEA, were turned upside down to illuminate the vast living area (shades were flipped). A sign culled from Elizabeth’s father’s business hangs on one wall. Above a desk, David displays a collection of photographs documenting the changing view of one landscape.
 

Similarly, the interior design works in cohesion with the loft-like space. Most of the furniture is thrift store, salvage, or hand-me-down. The couple is especially fond of metal furniture and filing cabinets. “They are great for storage, ” Elizabeth says. She fills them with paper, markers, scissors, and office supplies in the kids’ “study hall.” Others serve as coffee tables and end tables in the living areas.

In the kitchen, new cabinets are painted filing cabinet gray/green to tie in with the old pieces. The dining table is a painted board laid across a pair of bright yellow sawhorses. Surrounding the table is what Elizabeth calls their collection of “ten dollars and under” chairs. Vintage signs hang as artwork. The Culpepper Lumber Company sign was culled from Elizabeth’s father’s business. The “Southern Delite” sign in the kitchen was found on the property—one more piece of evidence of the building’s history and a telling forecast for this home’s future.

  

ABOVE The original walls were stripped of plaster to reveal the brick beneath. Demolition stopped at chair rail height to represent wainscotting. “We chose all of our paint and accent colors from the patina on the walls, ” Elizabeth says. Her favorite shade? The red glitter paint from the building’s days as the “King Congo Club.”
 

  

 ABOVE The family invites friends to enjoy movie night in the garden. 
 

ABOVE David converted a shipping container into a storage unit and workshop.
 

ABOVE The French doors in the master bedroom replaced an old garage door—the former opening to an automotive shop. Draperies (painter’s dropcloth) are hung from a retrofitted gas line. The fabric conceals closets and an opening to the master bathroom. The wingchair is a $40 thrift shop find.
 

ALONG THE WAY
The home’s history was revealed piece by piece during the demolition and reconstruction phase. “What we didn’t discover on site, we found by talking to neighbors and researching old phone books, ” Elizabeth says. Over the years, the building has housed a nightclub, grocery store, cab company, recycling center, pool hall, and church. 

  

  

  

text by Cathy Still McGowin • photography by Jean Allsopp

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Picture Perfect

By
Paige Townley
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Over time, Barbara Harbin’s Mountain Brook home has developed into more than just a dwelling. The historic abode really serves as more of a memory maker—the backdrop where Barbara preserves special moments on film for families too numerous to count. “I couldn’t even guess the number of shoots I’ve had here over the years, ” says Barbara. “But there have certainly been many.”

Specializing in sepia, black-and-white, and hand-tinted portraits, Barbara has photographed babies, children, and families from all over the South. Essentially every aspect of her home—inside and out—has become a prop for each shoot. “I have one bench that practically every single toddler I’ve photographed has either stood or sat on, ” Barbara says with a laugh. “Sometimes the children don’t want to have their picture made when they arrive, but after it’s over they say it was fun because I let them swing or climb a tree.”

It’s that personal interest Barbara takes in those she photographs that keeps clients coming back. “I have a lot of the same clients today that I started out with years ago, ” Barbara says. “It’s such a wonderful experience getting to know each of them and seeing the families grow. It makes every shoot really special.”

With camera in hand, Barbara has walked the many paths of her own beautiful garden during countless photo sessions.

Barbara’s interest in photography started when she was about the age of many of the children she photographs, but it wasn’t until her own children were practically grown that she realized the fun hobby could become a full-time business. “My friend kept telling me we needed to start a business, ” she says. “She wanted to start an antiques business, but I thought it would be fun to take pictures. She said ok, and we just learned as we went.”

Today, Barbara’s photography business has come full circle. Many of the babies she once photographed in their christening gowns are now bringing in their own babies for a shoot. “The relationships I’ve built with the children are what has me still doing photography, ” Barbara says. “One little girl I started photographing when she was six months old is now graduating from high school.”

Barbara and her husband, Robin, now are moving from the home that has long served as her studio, but with that change comes the chance
for a new beginning—a fresh canvas for future photo shoots. “This house has so many memories that it’s really hard to leave, ” she says. “But I’m also excited about it. The new home will play a role in creating memories just as this house has.”

  

ABOVE The walls of Barbara’s home seem to tell many stories through her photographs of clients over three decades. “It’s so much fun to see the way each child matures over time, ” Barbara says of her loyal clients.
 

GET SET TO SAY CHEESE
All parents want to capture their child’s timeless moments during a photo session. But getting there isn’t always an easy task. Photographer Barbara Harbin offers up her top tips to ensure a successful session.

Check and Re-Check
Double-checking that your child is neat and tidy before the session starts is critical. Take a few moments to comb hair again and wipe his or her face.

Stay Calm
Children can tell when parents are anxious or excited. Be careful about building up the photo session too much. “If they know mom expects certain things of them, they might try too hard and not smile naturally, ” says Barbara.

Don’t Pack Too Lightly
Have extra clothing on hand in case clothes get wet or dirty. And wait until you arrive at the shoot location to dress your child for the session.

Bring Comfort Items
Many children struggle to focus on one task for very long. To help them, bring a favorite toy to hold the child’s attention.

Allow Extra Time
If your child is shy, ask about allotting extra time at the beginning to let the child warm up and get used to the surroundings before the shoot.

text by Paige Townley • produced by Rebecca Hawkins

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Pillow Talk

By
Jean Allsopp Photography
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Sisters Crawford Bumgarner and Sullins Phelan entered the design world quite by accident. “I designed some pillows for my bed, ” says Sullins. “Crawford saw them and wanted some too. Before long, we decided to make it a business.” Their to-the-trade company, Too, Unique Pillow Accents offers three lines.

For their handpainted line, they work with artist Kitty White, pictured below,  who they met at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Antiques in the Garden Show last year. Kitty handpaints and stencils graphic designs on fabrics that Crawford and Sullins transform into pillows.

A fabric line showcases the sisters’ talent for assembling remnants, ribbons, and trims into glorious works of art. Yet another line incorporates monograms.

“Our favorite fabrics are rich velvets and linens with texture. We also love metallics, ” Crawford says. “Pillows are like a piece of artwork for the sofa and an easy way to update neutral interiors.” 

  

Photography by Jean Allsopp and Major Adam Colbert

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Landscape Artistry in Tuscaloosa

By
Julie Gillis
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“For the most part, they left me a blank canvas, ” says Birmingham landscape architect David Brush of his Tuscaloosa clients. “Their primary request was that the garden be a place where both grownups and children could enjoy themselves.” So David set about using his artistry to fill the canvas and create a beautiful, welcoming environment for friends and family.

Because the house and surrounding property sit on a golf course, the owners relished a prime view down a long fairway. They wanted to maintain that vista while also having a bit of privacy. With that short wish list in mind, David designed plans for a lush outdoor retreat that would also establish a strong connection between the landscape and the adjacent golf course.

“When I got involved with the project, the owners showed me some preliminary drawings that had the pool aligned parallel to the back of the house, ” explains David. “I told them that my inclination was to extend the pool away from the house toward the fairway to create that desired connection.”

Along with this change of location, David and the owners decided to surround the pool with grass instead of a more traditional pool deck. “I think it’s one of the best things we did on the project, ” says David. “The grass around the pool and in the garden behind gives the subtle illusion that the fairway beyond is a grand extension of the space.”

  

ABOVE LEFT Although it was fabricated within the last decade, the courtyard fountain looks like it could be a couple hundred years old. “I especially love the spigots, ” says David. “They remind me of gargoyles.”
 

In keeping with the classical style of the Hank Long-designed home, David played upon symmetry in the surroundings. “I felt like the success of the landscape was largely based on its ability to capture the personality of the house, ” he explains. “Within the symmetrical elements of the design, there are also several garden rooms that lend depth to the space.”

Evergreens establish the main structure of the planted areas. The result is what the landscape architect refers to as a “sophisticated neutrality.” In the same way, trees and plantings in the parterre garden at the front of the house were intentionally chosen for their simplicity and somewhat austere appearance. “I gave the option of adding seasonal color for interest within designated areas, ” says David.

Deciduous plants, such as Lacebark Elm, Dwarf Japanese Maple, and Beauty Bush, add a healthy balance throughout the garden by bringing more color to the palette. The design also includes an area that can be converted into a kitchen/herb garden. It’s these added elements that seem to be David’s final brushstrokes in the transformation from empty canvas to inspired masterpiece.

ABOVE Yoshino Cryptomeria trees line the iron fence behind an aged stone bench, creating a natural partition of privacy from the fairway behind the house.
 

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
When it comes to his designs, landscape architect David Brush gives every detail his undivided attention. Check out some of the key elements to this garden plan.

1. A parterre garden consisting of Common and Green Beauty Boxwoods offers arriving guests a glimpse of the sophisticated garden beyond. David planted Standard Liberty hollies within the parterre to balance the grand scale of the house. Mondo grass fills in the spaces between the hedges.

2. “I knew I wanted to include a fountain in that space, ” David says of the water feature at one end of the pool. “I like that it commands attention without detracting from the greater views.”

3. Symmetry plays a vital role within the landscape, offering an extension of the classical style of the house.

4. An area directly off of the kitchen can be converted into a convenient herb garden for the budding chef.

5. Surrounding the pool with grass rather than a traditional pool deck allows the pool to become more in sync with the garden. It also means no hot concrete to walk on during those sunny summer days.

MEET DAVID BRUSH

Landscape architect David Brush counts himself as fortunate to love his chosen profession. “The combination of my clients, the architecture, and the lay of the land makes each project refreshing and unique, ” he explains. “It’s incredibly rewarding to work with clients to help them realize their dreams.”

David’s early professional years were spent under the steady guidance of luminaries Ben Page and then Nimrod Long. In early 2005, he founded David N. Brush Landscape Architecture, where he continues to specialize in residential design. David says one of his hallmarks is “taking classical principles and then adding a modern twist to create dynamic, living pieces of art.” davidnbrush.com

text by Julie Gillis • photos by Jean Allsopp

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