getting
ART right There are certain things in life you’re born with. Long legs, good skin, brains, and of course, the ability to accessorize. And we’re not just talking about picking the right necklace, the perfect boots or the ideal lamp for a coffee table. We’re talking about having a knack for choosing art. Thank goodness Sally Plyler and Amy Laport Gant can help us when our genes fail. BY ILLYSE LANE
58 | midtownmag.com
Living style in
P
rofessional writers talk to a lot of people. It’s part of the job. And every once in a while, someone says something a writer tucks away, sometimes recalling it for a personal reason, other times for professional cause. I had one of those writer’s moments a few years ago. I was interviewing a young Apex family of seven. They had invited me into their home. Brave, I thought, when they offered their house as the interview spot on the same day I called and asked for a conversation. Maybe I’m a bit ner vous, but I couldn’t imagine having a stranger - especially a stranger with a camera - over to my house with a few hours’ notice. As we sat in the kitchen and discussed the chronic illness two of his children were living with, he looked out at a well-appointed family room and said, “Our house is nice, but it’s not immaculate. We live here … we enjoy our family.” I won’t soon forget the way he paused and emphasized the word live. When my own family room is a mess, I repeat the words in my head. We. Live. Here. And when I started to research what makes a comfortable family room, the words were there again. Sure, one thought is emotional, drawing me closer to calm inside my own world. And the other was more practical and work-related. But the three little words apply in both cases. After all, the family room is where so much
of living actually happens.
64 | midtownmag.com
BY kate tur geo n
You look like you just lost your best friend.
reunit This is how you get him back.
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Ravenscroft ready to celebrate
It’s not every day that a school gets to celebrate 150 years. Just how is it that Ravenscroft has been able to thrive for a century and a half? BY ILLYSE LANE
106 | midtownmag.com