Cohesiveness 101

BH&G’s 2023 Inspiration Home Flows with Color, Function and Style

By June Mathews

Situated amid the natural beauty of Vestavia Hill’s Forest Creek neighborhood, created with the skill of a seasoned craftsman and refined by a strong attention to detail, Birmingham Home & Garden’s 2023 Inspiration Home lives up to its name.

The house is loaded with imaginative ideas for anyone seeking to build a home, upgrade, renovate or simply add a touch of something different to their surroundings.

Designed by David Smelcer and brought to life by builders John Mark Rives and Eric Waite of RW Development, the home is located at 2717 Vestavia Forest Drive.

Tier 1 sponsors for the project are Ferguson Bath & Kitchen Gallery, Triton Stone Group and Cottage Supply Company.

With its Alabama natural stone complemented by photos by Jordan Wald weather-resistant James Hardie siding, the facade of this traditional five-bedroom, four-bath beauty is a reflection of its environment. The meandering creek for which the quiet cul-de-sac community is named runs nearby, and mature hardwoods grow in the neighboring forest.

An underlying palette of neutral tones throughout the house serves as a subtle backdrop for carefully curated art in a variety of media, spectacular lighting fixtures, eye-popping wall and window treatments, and colorful furnishings that combine functionality with style.

As for the yard, Jennafer Collins of Green Space LLC used native plants to create a pleasing blend of nature and landscaping. By then, Rives and Waite had already provided a functional touch by ensuring the home and its future residents not only enjoyed, but were served by its natural surroundings.

“We were intentional about how we placed the home so that the backyard is like an extension of it,” Rives explained. “We envisioned kids playing in the backyard, and it’s so much more advantageous having them where you can see them rather than at a lower level.”

To give the home its interior personality, a team

See FOREST CREEK, page 22 throughout the house.

LOOK FOR: Cool wallpaper patterns and spectacular ligth fixtures.

• Range hood covered in Venetian plaster, in the kitchen.

• Coolest wallpaper pattern, in the primary bathroom.

• Panoramic sliding glass doors to the outdoor living space.

DETAILS: 2023

Inspiration House Tour

Dates & Tickets

The 2023 Inspiration Home is open to the public July 6-30, each Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and each Sunday afternoon from 1:00 until 5:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and may be pur chased at birminghamhomeandgar den.com. Proceeds will benefit Lifeline Children’s Services.

2023 Inspiration Home

Interior Team

Foyer: Hiltz Lauber & Rugko

Great Room: Ashely Ayer of Ashley Ayer Interiors

Rug Sponsor: Angie Burge with English Village Lane

Kitchen: Nicole Roby with Rome

Curate

Dining Room: Stock & Trade Design Co.

Powder Room, Mudroom,

Laundry: Mary Catherine Folmar of Cotton & Quill

Outdoor Living: Hollywood

Outdoor Living

Primary Bedroom & Bathroom:

Christopher Collection

Closets & Pantry: Kim McBrayer of Space Cadets

Upstairs Bedroom: Candy

Whitaker of White Peacock Designs

Upstairs Loft: Christopher Collection

Upstairs Twin Bedroom: Dorm

Decor

Upstairs Bonus Room:

Scandinavian Design Gallery

Upstairs Bedroom: Bill Aroosian of Habitation

Downstairs Den: SWAG Design Studio

While in the House, Look For:

• Spectacular lighting fixtures

• Christopher Collection’s portraits of their employees’ dogs in the loft.

• Abstract wall art in the upstairs bonus room.

• Bedroom décor in the upstairs dorm room.

• Black and white tilework in the Downstairs bathroom.

• Built-in dog crate with coordinating cushion in the laundry room.