Home + Design

The Fresh Start You and Your Home Deserve

Simple, sustainable steps to create calm, functional spaces that last. Article by Caroline Ficken | Photography by Heidi Harris The Fresh Start You and Your Home Deserve Spring brings longer days, open windows, and the familiar urge to refresh our homes. But when you’re staring at years of accumulated belongings, “spring cleaning” can feel overwhelming. Disorganization isn’t a personal failing. Many of the picture-perfect systems we see online are styled for the camera — not built for real...

Life + Culture

Block by Block

Inside the Downtown Decatur Ambassador Program and the philosophy of hospitality guiding its work. Article and Photography by Caroline Ficken On any given day in downtown Decatur, ambassadors in purple uniforms are seen polishing public spaces, assisting visitors, and keeping a watchful and approachable eye on the square. Many residents recognize the uniforms or perhaps the purple “Visit Decatur” truck, but fewer know the philosophy guiding the work, a philosophy that places hospitality at the...

Finance + Legal Services

Planning for Possibility

Inside the practice of James Herndon III, who puts people before portfolios. Article by Caroline Ficken Designing a life you love starts with getting clear on what actually matters to you, what brings you joy, and what kind of future you're trying to build.  For James Herndon III, a fiduciary financial advisor with Edward Jones, that belief sits at the very center of his work. He understands that money is the tool that supports a life thoughtfully designed. James didn't always see himself...

Life + Culture

Growing Together

How Trellis Horticultural Therapy Alliance Cultivates Community and Healing Article by Caroline Ficken In Decatur’s largest greenspace, something remarkable is taking root. At Trellis Horticultural Therapy Alliance’s Ability Garden at Legacy Park, veterans coping with PTSD, stroke survivors, and gardeners using wheelchairs work side by side. Therapy happens not in clinical offices, but in the soil, under open sky, hands busy in raised beds, among friends.  The story of Trellis began with a...

Entertainment

Behind the Scenes of 21 Down:

From the Field to the Big Screen Article by Renee Rayles Breaking records and defying expectations, Caden Cox became the first person with Down syndrome to play and score in a collegiate football game. His story is now being brought to the big screen, starring Ashley Judd, Nia Vardalos, Dashiell Meier, and Richard T. Jones. We got a behind-the-scenes look at 21 Down and met Caden himself. On set in Covington, Georgia, Caden’s story came alive as the production recreated his Midwest football...

Life + Culture

Preserving Innovation, Inspiring What’s Next

Mimms Museum of Technology and Art Article by Tran Bui | Photography by Luis Contreras Preserving Innovation, Inspiring What’s Next Every swipe, click, and stream traces back to a defining moment. A prototype. A pitch. A breakthrough. The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art stands as a living archive of those moments, preserving the technology and the bold thinking that transformed the way we live. As a nonprofit organization, the museum exists for a purpose far greater than display. Its...

Home + Design

A Vintage Furniture Crawl Through Decatur

Your Guide to Design Treasure Hunting Article and Photography by Caroline Ficken It's no secret that Decatur is a destination for design. From mid-century modern aficionados to lovers of Victorian elegance, our community has cultivated an impressive collection of vintage and consignment furniture stores that deserve far more than a quick browse. Why settle for one shop when you can make a full Saturday adventure out of it? We've mapped out the perfect east-to-west crawl through five of...

Home + Design

Around the Table

Crafting heirloom pieces for everyday life Article by Caroline Ficken | Photography by John Wachs Every home has a center of gravity. More often than not, it’s the dining table that pulls people together and slows people down. For John Wachs, the craftsman behind Wachs Woodcraft, building that centerpiece starts with a deceptively simple philosophy: the materials you build with matter. It’s a value passed down from his family: understand materials from the ground up to make things that last...

Home + Design

The Jewel Box of the Home

Big Personality in the Smallest Room Article by Caroline Ficken There’s something special about a powder room. Perhaps it’s because it’s tucked quietly off a hallway, or maybe because it belongs to your guests as much as it belongs to you. Or it could be that this tiny footprint offers something the rest of the house rarely does: complete creative freedom.  Warner McConaughey often calls the powder room “t he jewel box of the home. ” Like a jewelry box that holds your most precious pieces, a...

Home + Design

Be Bold

Express Your Vibrancy in Shades of Color, Fabrics and Accessories Article by Kim Costa Move over minimalism, whites and grays, and cool monochromatic tones, and make way for cozier, warm, earthier color schemes, more daring pops of color, statements of individuality through design, and dare I say… the boldness of authenticity expressed in our homes. Like a colorful, statement piece of artwork on a neutral wall color, we can feel free to be vibrantly authentic from the foundation of our home...