Health + Wellness

A Place To Breathe

Local nonprofit Yoga Moves MS celebrates 20 years — and MS Awareness Month. Article by Susan Thwing | Photography by Elayne Gross March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, a time to spotlight the people and programs helping patients live with greater strength, connection and hope. In Southeast Michigan, one nonprofit has been quietly changing lives for more than two decades — one carefully supported pose, stretch and breath at a time. Yoga Moves MS (yogamovesms.org) recently celebrated its...

Home + Design

The Diamond Standard

Diamond Developments redefines what it means to build well. Article by Todd Haight Most people who have lived through a major remodel carry the same memories: dust in the air, unanswered phone calls, a schedule that keeps slipping. And the nagging fear that what was promised might never arrive. Paul Livernois has heard those stories for decades. And every time he does, he shakes his head. “It doesn’t have to be that way,” he says. He smiles in an easy, unguarded way that has become his...

Home + Design

Modern Love

At Italcasa, high design meets human connection. Article by Susan Thwing Walk into Italcasa Design and you’ll notice two things pretty quickly: the boldness of contemporary European furniture and the ease of the conversation happening around it.  There’s no hard sell, no pressure to “know” design before you arrive. Instead, owner Bill Bahoora starts the same way he always does: with questions, stories and, depending on the time of day, espresso, water — or maybe a glass of Prosecco. For...

Home + Design

Whimsical, Wonderful

Designer Carrie Long’s own home is a functional, friendly and polished sanctuary. Article by Lynne Konstantin | Photography by Diana Paulson Carrie Long has an uncanny ability to see beauty in bones. For example, when the founder and principal designer of Royal Oak’s Carrie Long Interiors set eyes on the circa-1936 Colonial in West Bloomfield Twp., she saw beyond the long-neglected foreclosure. What she envisioned was a light-filled, welcoming and livable home for her own family — her...

Health + Wellness

Pop Culture

Local student Alina Morse built a candy empire by creating lollipops that love you back. Article by Patti Zielinski | Photography by Simran Bajwa Why can’t candy be good for your teeth? This simple question asked by a curious seven-year-old became the catalyst for a revolution in the candy industry. When Alina Morse was offered a lollipop at a bank, her father said “no,” explaining that it would rot her teeth. Not one to take “no” for an answer, Morse got to work, mining YouTube videos to...

Food + Beverage

FLAVORS TO SAVOR THIS VALENTINE'S DAY

Whether it’s date night or girl’s night — where to wine and dine on Feb. 14. Article by Lynne Konstantin SYLVAN TABLE 1819 Inverness, Sylvan Lake Sylvantable.com Worth the drive: Nestled on five acres in Sylvan Lake, Sylvan Table is a farm-to-table destination where sustainable meets spectacular. Owners Nicole and Tim Ryan transformed a 300-year-old barn — relocated piece-by-piece from Maine — into an intimate dining space surrounded by a three-acre farm including vegetable gardens...

Shopping

In the Pink

Get in the rosy mood — no matter your Valentine plans. Article by Lynne Konstantin Threadbare’s Faux-Fur Cropped Jacket is cozy and cool. Asos.com. Twin with your mini-me on a mommy-daughter date: Crewcuts Collection Cropped Faux-Fur Jacket . J. Crew, the Somerset Collection, Troy; jcrew.com. Almost delicious enough to eat: The Pink Reef crystal Ocean Necklace . Area Anthropologie stores; anthropologie.com. So luxe, so effortless: J. Crew’s Wide-Leg Trouser in Washed Velvet. J...

Professional Services

Bringing Comfort Home

Melad Aziza’s professional excellence meets hometown service. Article by Patti Zielinksi | Photography by Simran Bajwa Whether it’s a sweltering July afternoon or a bone-chilling February morning, Melad Aziza knows how to keep you comfortable — and he’s built a business and life around it. After arriving in the United States as a teen, he found opportunity in West Bloomfield — and built Precise Temperature Control as a company rooted in community and professionalism. When Aziza left Baghdad...

Travel

From Paris to Provence

A yoga journey through France. Article and Photography by Cindy Stewart I started practicing yoga 15 years ago, never expecting it would become my passport to the world. My latest retreat with The Travel Yogi and Explore Yoga took me to France, with a backdrop of ancient history, world-class art, food and fashion and sun-dreched lavender fields.  Landing in the City of Lights, our group settled into a centrally located Airbnb with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889 for the Exposition...

Life + Culture

JOY

A local couple unites Western traditions with Indian culture for wedding celebrations. Article by Linda Ditch When Simran Bajwa swiped right on a dating app, he had no idea he was about to match with his future wife — or that their wedding would become a breathtaking fusion of two worlds. The local couple’s Cincinnati celebration this last spring brought together the spiritual depth and beauty of their Punjabi Sikh heritage with the modern details of American weddings. The result? A three-day...