Beauty

Why We Are Rethinking Dermal Fillers

Why We Are Rethinking Dermal Fillers: A Shift Toward Natural Facial RejuvenationBy Dr. Grady Core, MD, FACSCore Plastic Surgery | Birmingham, AlabamaIn aesthetic medicine, our understanding of cosmetic treatments constantly evolves. For years, synthetic dermal fillers have served as a quick, non-surgical solution for restoring lost facial volume. However, as our clinical experience deepens, we are learning that synthetic fillers are not entirely benign—and in certain delicate areas of the face...

Shopping

Why July Is the Smartest Time to Start Your Kitchen Remodel

While spring often gets the spotlight for home improvement projects, mid-summer offers several advantages that can make the remodeling process smoother and less stressful.Whether you're dreaming of a modern entertaining space, a more functional layout, or simply replacing outdated fixtures, getting started now can help ensure your kitchen is ready to enjoy by the time fall arrives.Plan Ahead for the Season You'll Use It MostAs summer winds down, calendars quickly fill with football watch...

Arts + Culture

Fine is a Figment

Rebecca Egeland has never written a song she didn't live first Article by Kali McNutt | Photography by Liesa Cole In Birmingham’s independent music scene, authenticity still matters — and Rebecca Egeland has built her music around exactly that. Her songs are not manufactured stories or carefully polished fiction. They are lived experiences: grief, joy, longing, healing, memory, and the quiet work of learning how to keep going. Ahead of the July 10 release of her new six-song EP, Fine is a...

Arts + Culture

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

As America marks 250 years of independence, the American Village reminds us that freedom depends upon an informed and engaged citizenry Article by Val Crofts As America, Alabama, and the American Village get ready for the celebration of the semiquincentennial (250th) birthday of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, it is a perfect time to reflect on the Declaration's meaning and to learn more about it and those who wrote it. The Declaration was more than just a statement of rebellion...

Home + Design

Laid Back Luxe

Interior designer Laurin White and architect Matthew Costanzo create an elegant, light-filled home on Lake Martin Article by Alice Welsh Doyle | Photography by C.W. Newell “Our goal was to make this lake house more than a getaway, but rather somewhere ethereal, beautiful, comfortable, and seasonless,” says interior designer Laurin White of Cambridge Row. “We avoided anything too trendy or lake specific and focused on authentic materials with lasting appeal instead.” Laurin was teamed up with...

Travel

Where to Next?

What to book and what to skip, from six Birmingham luxury travel advisors Article and Photography by VIRGINIA MOORE Best hotel you’ve stayed in the past year– Cheval Blanc St-Barth. They anticipate every need before you think to ask. They already knew where my dinner reservation was each evening and would call a taxi thirty minutes in advance without me asking. What are your clients asking for that they weren’t two years ago? A slower pace. Less interest in rushing through five...

Arts + Culture

The Raw Deal

From Harry's Bar to the Magic City — six takes on Birmingham's best carpaccio Article by Christiana Roussel Carpaccio is one of my all-time favorite items on any menu. If I see raw beef listed, it will literally direct my entire ordering process. Legend has it that the original dish traces back to Harry’s Bar in Venice, where restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani (also credited with inventing the Bellini) created it in 1950 for Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, who had been advised by her doctor to eat...

Life + Culture

Saturdays Somewhere Else

One Birmingham family’s weekends above the clouds Article by Blair Moore | Photography by Sam Jasper Photography “Daddy,” one of the children might say, peering at Eric Guster’s phone, “It’s sunny in New Orleans. Can we go get some beignets for breakfast?” Some mornings, the answer is yes. Within an hour, backpacks are packed, and the family is heading toward a private terminal near Birmingham-Shuttlesworth. Another Saturday, the kids might be eyeing Orlando on the map. “Can we go down to...

Travel

Greece Returns Home

Dorothy Sarris reflects on eight years in Athens and Fish Market's next chapter Article by Kali McNutt | Photography by Mary Fehr Tonight, there’s a high school graduation dinner for 40 on the patio at Fish Market. Last weekend, there was a wedding for 500 at Saint Mark the Evangelist. Regulars drift toward their usual tables and order the same thing they’ve been eating for years: Athenian shrimp, gumbo, Greek snapper. In the middle of it all is Dorothy Sarris — answering phones, filling in...

Life + Culture

Westbound for Southbound

Atlanta-based chef Anne Quatrano honored with Frank Stitt Award Article by Denise K. James Atlanta-based chef Anne Quatrano is no stranger to Birmingham. A longtime member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, she frequently stopped in the Magic City for a meal at Niki’s West on her way to SFA media symposiums in Oxford, Mississippi. Niki’s was “close to the highway,” she says, and she appreciated its distinctive menu of Greek and Southern cuisine. In the last two decades, Quatrano has gotten to...