Victoria Wilson.

By VICTORIA WILSON
The Voice-Tribune Intern

The Cinemark Mall St. Matthews is a one-of-a-kind experience that moviegoers of all ages will enjoy – especially those who are ready for a cinema experience that is out of this world.

At Cinemark, guests have the option to purchase tickets for movies before they ever step foot inside the door. Whoever thought of putting an electronic ticket box on the outside of the building is a genius. Not only does that help cut time waiting in line to purchase tickets, but it’s very convenient for those who want to purchase them in a hurry.

Inside the facility – which is gorgeous – theater guests are able to buy snacks at the concession stand; however, Cinemark has added other amenities unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They have a personal butter station so you can add extra melted butter to your popcorn. They also have a bar and lounge, so while you are waiting for your movie to start, or if you want to discuss the movie you’ve just seen, you can do it right there in the lobby.

The best part about going to the movies for me is watching something on a big screen. They’re huge. Ten ceiling-to-floor screens, all with 7.1 surround sound systems. They’re amazing and added so much to the experience of watching “Star Trek: Into the Darkness,” which I got to see in 3D. At times I caught myself jumping and dodging because it really felt like things were coming toward me.

Cinemark moviegoer Larry King had a similar experience. “It seemed like I was in the movie,” he said. “I haven’t experienced it before.”

Doris Jackson’s son took her to see “Star Trek” for a belated Mother’s Day gift.

“When my son said we’re going to (see) ‘Star Trek,’ I thought ‘oh, it’s going to be boring,’ ” said Jackson, 78, “but boy it was exciting. It was a blast. I enjoyed it to the highest.”

Mark Cowherd believes the addition of the theater is much needed for the community.

“I thought it was really luxurious. I think this is great for the east end of Louisville. We didn’t have a theater, so this is awesome.”

I agree. The Cinemark theater is a really great addition to the Mall St. Matthews area. I only have a couple minor complaints.

You aren’t able to get to the theater from the mall. It sits right next to Forever 21, but you must enter the theater from the front. I wish they had made the theater accessible from inside the mall.

Also, Cinemark sits on a corner near a parking lot that easily becomes crowded during the day when mall patrons park. With the amount of cars that go through the mall parking lot anyway and the addition of those seeking the cinema, I’m betting there is going to be frequent traffic on that corner.

But overall, I had a wonderful experience at the Cinemark theater. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give the theater a solid 9.

For information on movie times or what’s playing, visit www.cinemark.com.

Photos by CHRIS HUMPHREYS | The Voice-Tribune

You can feel it in the air: the warmth that comes with spring and the desire to enjoy it on the golf course.

As you prepare to dust off the golf clubs, don’t forget about the most important piece of equipment: your body.

The following golf-specific training program will help you increase your club head speed and your accuracy within a few weeks if done consistently – at least twice a week – and with proper form.

“Most great ball strikers begin by generating power from their lower body and transferring that power through their torso into their arms and into the club,” said Joe Lively, the golf fitness coach at ProFormance.

So power up and get your golf game on!

Contact Joe Lively, Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Coach, at joe@proformanceresults.com or 502.895.3472.

Photo by Chris Humphreys | The Voice-Tribune

Interview By MIRANDA ROGERS MCDONALD
The Chic Sheet

What is your fashion view? 

I love getting dressed in the morning. I like how something great can transform your whole mood and make you happy throughout the day. However, on the flip side, I also hate how not being able to find anything in your closet can frazzle you before you have even walked out the door.

How do you describe your style? 

My style is classic, but I like to add a little sparkle. Although, when I’m not working, I am a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl.

What are your favorite pieces?

I love jewelry, because it can completely change an outfit, and shoes are really important too. I’ve worn heels through fields, mud and all kinds of long-distance walking days. They give me an extra pep in my step, but I will be the first to admit that they are not always the most comfortable. I also have an almost unhealthy obsession with dresses. Every once in a while, I need someone to drag me out of a store.

Where is your favorite place to shop? 

I like to mix it up between local stores and big name retailers in the mall. I love finding a bargain, even if it’s off season, because I like to buy things and keep them for the next year.

Who is your fashion icon?

I don’t know that I have a specific person that I would call my fashion icon. However, I do admire people who can make bold choices and wear them with confidence, even if it doesn’t fall into my spectrum of personal style.

How does working in the public eye affect your style choices?

Working at a place where people can see you every day is a pretty unique challenge. We all have our good and bad hair days, and those days when we feel frumpy and not quite ready to face the world. Thankfully, there are enough really kind people who give compliments on the good days and make it easier on the days when the feedback is negative. Let’s be real, no one likes to hear that someone thinks they don’t look their best. Either way, I try to view it as a positive that people are interested enough to comment in the first place.

How do you decide what you will wear, and do the types of stories that you cover affect your wardrobe choices as well?

I try to change it up between traditional suits and things that are a little more fun (see my dress obsession above). Also, I might change my wardrobe if I know I’m covering a specific story, especially for a weather forecast.  However, I have worn heels through more than a decade of reporting and nothing I’ve come across has stopped me yet!

Do you choose your work wardrobe every day, or does someone else assist you with it? 

It’s all me, so you can blame me for the bad, and give me a cheers for the good.

Do you have a go-to store or label that you use?

I really don’t have a go-to store or label. I know that some brands fit my body type better and that there are some that I just can’t wear. However, I’m one of those people who try on everything because you never know!

Miranda Rogers McDonald is the author of www.thechicsheet.net. When Miranda isn’t blogging about fashion or flexing her social media muscle, she is spending time with her husband and feisty Chihuahua, Niles. She believes in celebrating the smaller things in life, such as good wine and food, an interesting book and sitting on patios while enjoying conversations with her closest friends. She strives to one day join the ranks of the fashion editors that she idolizes, and to show the world that a girl from Kentucky knows a little something about style.

Nelson Dawson with his cat, Scout.

By NELSON L. DAWSON
Your Voice Contributor

The United States is full of First Churches, mostly Baptist, though other denominations slip in some occasionally. There is, however, a new First Church, long in development but now fully functioning, which is not listed in the directories – the First Church of Political Correctness. This all-encompassing church has various subsidiary causes – abortion, same-sex marriage, environmentalism, Darwinism, secularism, and – the list goes on and on. These various causes are held with all the emotional intensity of any religious worldview; this church is an example of what Winston Churchill called a “Non-God religion.” While militant secularists have enforced a separation of church and state far beyond anything our founders ever conceived, one could argue that the scope of the separation should be expanded so that the Non-God religions are also disestablished, particularly in public education.

It is a deep irony that the seemingly unassailable headquarters of the new First Church is in American universities which Abigail Thernstrom of Harvard described over 20 years ago as “islands of oppression in a sea of freedom.” Why is it that on American college campuses, some religions, like the animals in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, are more equal than others? Why is it that any Christian professor exhorting his students to believe in Jesus would face immediate censure while, day after day, class after class, the tenured acolytes of the Non-God religions proselytize freely? When did the honorable liberal professors of my undergraduate days, who welcomed free and open debate, morph into the politically correct leftist bullies of today? Of course, there are still honorable liberals on campus, and I am pleased to say that I know some. But they no longer are able to effectively resist the dominant politically correct fundamentalism.

In the 1950s, American universities were threatened by the indiscriminate anti-Communist zealotry of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The universities resisted. Today, an internalized McCarthyism is in force. The universities have succumbed. There is resistance, but, for the most part, it is coming from outside. Nonpartisan organizations such as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the National Association of Scholars are fighting to defend intellectual freedom. The real scandal, however, is that such organizations have to exist at all.

Indeed, for some zealots mere dominance is not enough. They want total control. People driving around with “Turn Off Fox News” bumper stickers are the psychological equivalents of small children who, when confronted by unwelcome news, shut their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears, and hum. There are many professorial fingers sticking in many professorial ears (and maybe even some humming). Any poll of college professors shows an overwhelming leftist dominance. Where is diversity when you need it? Where, for that matter, is affirmative action to redress the imbalance? Where is the true diversity of people who may or may not look alike but who think differently?

So is the answer really the total disestablishment of all religions, God and Non-God? This, tempting as it may be, is a kind of intellectual nuclear option. Far better is true diversity, true intellectual freedom, true openness to the riches of Western civilization. Far better is the recovery of the Socratic ideal. There is a pleasing symmetry here, for it carries us back to the fountainhead of our intellectual tradition which, unfashionable though it may be to say so, is certainly as varied, as profound, and as self-critical as any in history.

Socrates was a man of contraries – an “atheist” who revered the gods, a skeptic in search of transcendent truth, a rebel whose civic piety led him to endure an unjust death sentence. He shatters all comfortable stereotypes because for him the life of the mind was the great adventure of the human soul. Mary Renault gives us a memorable vignette in her novel “The Last of the Wine.” Her protagonist encounters Socrates in a “narrow Athenian alleyway” (symbolizing, perhaps, the constriction of the unenlightened soul):

“Can you tell me,” he said, “where one can buy good oil?” I thought it odd he should need telling, but I directed him. Then he asked after flour and cloth. I told him the best places I knew; he said, “And where can one get the good and beautiful?”

I must have looked pretty blank; at last I said, “I’m sorry, sir, I can’t tell you that.”

“No?” he said smiling. “Come with me, then, and let us find out.”

This is far, far better than the politically correct fundamentalism of the new First Church.

Nelson L. Dawson is a lifelong resident of Louisville. He lives in Crescent Hill with his wife Susan. He graduated from the University of Louisville, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Kentucky. He has taught history at the University of Louisville and Indiana University Southeast. 

SiDonna Cox, Vice President, Commercial Design. BITTNERS. Photographer, Robert Burge. Hair & Makeup, Stephen Lewis & Jill Higginbotham, J Michael’s Spa & Salon. Creative Direction, Franny Guenthner.

By Melissa Zoeller
The Leap Group

Spring is in full bloom on a radiant afternoon as I walk into Bittners to meet SiDonna Cox. Many new furnishings and accessories highlight the excitement of the season.

SiDonna warmly greets me.  We settle into a beautiful modern dining room in cream and gold tones where we take a seat in comfortable high back chairs around a custom-made reclaimed wood dining table.

As our conversation begins, SiDonna begins to share what brought her into the world of commercial design and why she is so passionate about creating functional and beautiful public environments.

Why did you choose commercial design?
My Uncle, David Lewis who is a paraplegic and refused to be defined by his disability, was a big part of my life growing up. He overcame challenges every day involving access to public places, from educational facilities to shopping malls, before the American Disabilities Act had been established.

Because of his influence, I considered a medical career since I knew I could make a difference and help those with disabilities.  I received a full Diederich scholarship, allowing me to study nuclear medicine at the University of Kentucky.  I soon realized this stifled my creativity. I chose interior design as my minor and found my passion.

Then I discovered commercial design, where I could use both my creativity and the technical aspect of design to not only create beautiful spaces, but also help those with unique physical challenges so that they can enjoy public spaces in a functional and rewarding way.

My first job was at Bittners, as an intern in the commercial group. After several years, I knew I wanted to understand the various processes of this business – from beginning to end. I went on to work with a local architect and another interior design firm. I finally came back home to Bittners four years ago to head up the commercial group and am so glad to be around such creative people at Bittners.

What do you love about design?
I just love the people I get to interact with. Every project is so rewarding with the team that comes together.

Each project also comes with its own set of challenges. No two projects are the same. By allowing each project to take its course, I am constantly engaging new challenges and building relationships.

In creating a new workplace or healthcare environment, my main goal is to help employees feel more comfortable and relaxed. When the lighting is warmer and the space is more inviting and functional, it makes a huge impact in performance and every day routine. Many times clients aren’t using their existing resources to its full efficiency. It’s a matter of reevaluating those and making them as useful as possible.

What are the current design trends?
When it comes to healthcare facilities, I always keep in mind the many families affected and the experiences they are going through. These environments no longer have to look sterile. There are a plethora of different ways to create a safe and inviting space, with colors and design that promote and aid in healing and in a person’s well being.

Office spaces are different in that they need to be more flexible. People are in and out – using technology differently, not sitting at a desk every day. The environment must be more mobile and flexible, just like our technology. Fewer walls and more open areas invite interaction and collaboration, which is what our business world thrives on.

Last, “aging in place,” has become extremely important as our clients transition in their lives, both at work and at home.  Douglas Riddle, our President and COO, is so passionate about making all of our residential and commercial design friendly for all ages.  This trend has been important to our cutting-edge design.

What is your design philosophy?
Functionality with a timeless and aesthetically pleasing environment.

What inspires you in design?
The challenge of each project inspires me. I love achieving my client’s goals, and exceeding their expectations – whatever those expectations may be!

What are the design strengths at Bittners?
Healthcare and larger scale commercial projects are an area of Bittners that many do not realize that we are so strong in. The larger projects require more – beginning with the programming phase all the way to the finishing touches of hanging artwork on the walls. It takes a lot to go from ground level to completion. You must understand not only the aesthetic but also all technical aspects involved.

Here at Bittners, we have a team of experts that can take that project from ground level to completion!  I am so fortunate to work with such a wonderful team of designers and project managers led by Douglas Riddle.  His vision has led us into being the leading design firm throughout our region.

Who inspires you?
Of course, my family!  My husband, Cary, and my daughter, Carmen, both inspire me everyday and I am so grateful for their love and support.  My parents, J.D. and Patty Hignite who encourage me every day with their work ethic, positive outlook and their faith.

I am full blown inspired by athletes with disabilities and what they overcome. My Uncle, David Lewis, also inspires me with his wonderful attitude in dealing with his disability. His determination and passion for life is simply amazing.

What are some of your career highlights?
My most unique project was an Oncology Center in Hyderabad, India. They have no equipment and do most things by hand, unlike anything in the United States, so no power tools or electronic aids. Because of the custom, hands on design, the quality of projects are much more intricate and precise. It was an eye-opening experience!

My other career highlights include working on numerous projects in a multitude of industries from hospitality, education, financial and corporate to even race tracks.  Each project has its own unique creative opportunities and I feel fortunate to have such a wide variety of design experience.

What are you most grateful for?
I’m most grateful for the people around me and in my life. My family, friends and co-workers are amazing and I’m just very fortunate to have them surrounding me. And my health – I’m so grateful for that.

I’m also very grateful that Douglas Riddle and Claire Alagia brought me back to Bittners, as well as Owsley Brown Frazier and Laura Frazier’s commitment to Bittners, Louisville’s leading design firm for residential and commercial design.

What are you most proud of?
My daughter, Carmen. She has a beautiful compassion towards others and some wonderful athletic accomplishments. She recently broke the Highland Hills Middle School (Georgetown, IN) 200-meter record!

What type of community service are you involved in?
I currently serve as a board member for the US Marine Hospital Foundation and Presentation Academy.

I also volunteer with Maryhurst, serving on the campus design committee that is working on new dorms and a complete campus renovation. Maryhurst was the non-profit organization assigned to my Leadership Louisville’s Ignite program group, and I’m thrilled to still be helping the organization today!

What is one thing no one knows about you?
I love the outdoors such as four wheeling, horseback riding, and skeet shooting!

Q&A with SiDONNA COX

Hobbies: Boating, running
Favorite/best book: The Shack by William P. Young
Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing, The Notebook
Best restaurant: Rye on Market, Sapporo on Fourth Street
Favorite vacation spot: Sedona, Arizona
Favorite artist: Willem de Kooning (such happy color!)
Best advice you ever received: “Live for Today, Pray for Tomorrow and Never say Never.”

David McGuire.

Interview By MIRANDA ROGERS MCDONALD
The Chic Sheet

What is your fashion view?
Hmm. I never really thought about my “fashion view.”  I just know what I like and what I don’t. I think some, or many, take it a bit too far with trends, which is fine, but it’s not really something that I study. When I  look at magazines, I think, wow, that’s cool, but where in the hell would you wear that?

How do you describe your style?
I would describe it as rural prep. A good friend of mine came up with this term when I asked her how she would describe my style, because I really had no idea. We both had a good laugh when coming up with this one. I guess after growing up in Winchester, Ky., and now living on a farm in Simpsonville, that old saying, “You can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man,” is true.

How has your career affected your style choices?
My career has definitely influenced my style over the years, and it also affects how I buy. I really like to know who and how something was made. I think whenever you are able to identify both, the quality is assured.

What are your favorite accessories?
My Cartier “love band,” an Old Fashion from St. Charles Exchange and my sense of humor.

Favorite place to shop?
Crittenden & Co. in Midway, Ky.

Who is your fashion icon?
This is another tough one. However, I would have to say Ralph Lauren, because I have been wearing his clothes for as long as I can remember. I would also say Crit Rawlings, who is the owner and designer of Crittenden & Co.

Miranda Rogers McDonald is the author of www.thechicsheet.net. When Miranda isn’t blogging about fashion or flexing her social media muscle, she is spending time with her husband and feisty Chihuahua, Niles. She believes in celebrating the smaller things in life, such as good wine and food, an interesting book and sitting on patios while enjoying conversations with her closest friends. She strives to one day join the ranks of the fashion editors that she idolizes, and to show the world that a girl from Kentucky knows a little something about style.

With the warmer months being the most active time of year to buy and sell real estate, it’s important to ensure your home is seen in the best light possible.

“Despite the influx of homes for sale this season, the process of buying and selling a home can be simple, efficient and enjoyable,” says Wendy Froehlich of Homes.com, one of the nation’s top online real estate listing and lifestyle resources.

According to Homes.com, the top five projects that improve home equity are:

Basement

Basement improvements can optimize livable space and protect the home from extreme weather, mold, moisture damage and mites. Whether transitioning the basement to a home gym, office or family room, the basics remain the same: insulate well and waterproof.

Maximize space by including shelving and storage units. If the opportunity exists, make the space feel open and inviting by creating an open stairwell, a trick that visually connects the upper part of the house with the lower, and filters natural light into the space.

Outdoor Spaces

Curb appeal adds immediate interest to any home’s exterior. According to Remodeling Magazine, improving outdoor spaces can increase a home’s resale value dollar-for-dollar.

Frame the front walkway with items that add visual interest, like flowers, potted plants, large rocks of various sizes and solar-powered lights. If yard space is scarce, hanging plants are another great, low-cost option.

Extend outdoor projects to the backyard – power-wash decks or patios and clean screened-in areas.

Bathrooms

If adding an additional bathroom isn’t an option, upgrade existing ones.

Adding a dual vanity to a master or secondary bath improves functionality, allowing multiple people to use the space. Change out fixtures like faucets and shower doors to increase aesthetic appeal. If you’re on a budget, replace light fixtures or switch plates to help refresh the space.

When working with a small space, highlight storage options with shelving and update or remove wall decor, paint or wallpaper.

Kitchen

Kitchen renovations can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 and more. If that’s not in your budget, upgrading cabinetry and paint does wonders to liven up even the most outdated spaces.

Add crown or decorative molding to “shape out” the kitchen cabinets and modernize the space. Repaint cabinets, or add new hardware to add visual interest and brighten dark spaces.

Mudroom

Mudrooms ensure families stay clutter-free and have a dedicated space to drop stuff as they come through the door. They can also make potential homeowners feel welcome upon entry.

While knocking out a wall to create a mudroom is expensive and labor-intensive, you can make a “drop zone` by simply anchoring a bench to an empty wall and hanging labeled storage units.

Making homes stand out in a sea of real estate listings isn’t always easy. More tips on increasing home values can be found at www.Homes.com.

Content provided by StatePoint Media.

PHOTO SOURCE: © Nyul – iStockphoto

All around us, life is getting louder. But home should be a place to relax and unwind. Between televisions, cell phones, computers and video games, it’s sometimes hard to find peace and quiet within the walls of your home.

Luckily, with a few do-it-yourself soundproofing projects, you can reclaim your home as a place of respite no matter what’s going on in the rooms around you.

• Fabrics: For a quick fix, think fabric. In addition to complementing the look of a room, soft rugs, carpeting, curtains and tapestries make great sound absorbers. And just a few rugs can spell a lot of disturbance-free foot traffic.

• Furniture: Give rooms a unique touch and a powerful sound barrier by placing thickly-upholstered chairs in each corner. Large bookcases against common walls can also help block noise.

• Surface texture: Rough surfaces on walls and ceilings, such as sprayed-on texture, a textured paint job or even wallpaper can help reduce sound waves in a noisy room.

• Insulation: The simplest, most effective way to soundproof is to reduce airflow between rooms with a high-density stone wool insulation that’s specifically designed for noise reduction.

For example, Roxul Safe ‘n’ Sound, for use between interior walls, in ceilings, and between floors, traps sound waves and vibrations in the thousands of interconnected spaces created by its fiber structure. Because it can be cut precisely with a serrated blade, it can be trimmed for the best possible fit, meaning maximum sound absorption.

Installation is easy and will go a long way to reduce sound transmission with the added benefit of improving your home’s fire resistance. And because stone wool insulation is mold resistant and doesn’t slump or settle inside walls over time, it is maintenance free. More information can be found at www.Roxul.com.

• Cracks: Sound can burrow through crevices and cracks. Seal cracks around baseboards and in drywall, and block slits around window seals and interior doors.

While homes are getting louder, there’s good news — many sound-proofing techniques have additional benefits, from aesthetic appeal to improved energy efficiency. Take steps today to make your home a more peaceful, comfortable place to live.

Content provided by StatePoint Media.

Amanda Terry, Vice President, Residential Design
BITTNERS
Photographer, Robert Burge
Hair & Makeup, Britney Dunbar, J Michael’s Spa & Salon
Creative Direction, Franny Guenthner

By Melissa Zoeller
The Leap Group

Spring is in the air at Bittners.  New furniture, fabrics and accessories have arrived reflecting fresh colors for this exhilarating time of the year.

Amanda warmly greets me.  We make our way to the new Urban Showroom, settling into a modern linen dining room chair around a Bittners’ custom-made table, with the wood’s rich history coming from a historic building in downtown. A very unique painting depicting a 19th century boxing scene gives the room a distinctive Louisville flair.

As our conversation begins, Amanda shares her love of design and extensive knowledge of art.

Why did you choose your career?
Design truly chose me! From an early age, I was always rearranging furniture and decorating at home.

While in college, friends would ask me to help pick room colors. Word spread, and eventually that became a part-time job! After completing my degree in Fine Arts from the University of Louisville, I was hired for a full re-design of a home.  During that project, I knew I had discovered my passion.

In 1997, I was thrilled to be hired by Bittners as a residential interior designer.  During those years, I learned so much!  I left to pursue work as a freelance designer but my heart kept pulling me back to Bittners.

This year came the opportunity to return and I am thrilled to be back. I am amazed at the vision of Bittners’ President, Douglas Riddle and what he has accomplished in the years I had been gone. He’s truly brought the firm into the 21st century both visually and technologically.

What do you love about design?
I love the process of working with a client to create their vision of their dream home. Each project and each individual is personal and it’s a unique challenge and privilege to unlock what they envision for their space.

Meeting my clients for the first time, seeing the before and watching the process unfold is amazing. The outcome at the end of the project is always such a dramatic difference!

Because it is such a personal process, you end up with lifelong friends. I take that with great honor. Everyone works so hard, and to come home and love a room and be able to relax in the space is the most important thing we as designers can do for people.

What design trends do you see right now?
I love the concept of creating calm spaces with neutral walls. I approach a room like a blank canvas.  I use foundation color on the walls and then accent with color – almost like a backdrop for rugs, fabric, furniture and art.

Neutrals are not only creams, tans and white, but can also be in blues and green, all allowing you to move them from room to room.

What is your design philosophy?
Every client and every space is different, so the most important thing we as designers can do is listen to what they want.  We have the opportunity to not only give them their dream space, but also the ability to live the best way possible in that space.  I want my clients to feel comfortable and warm in their home.

What inspires you in design?
First, my kids inspire me every day. I also love to watch people and life and how they interact in their spaces.

A blank canvas inspires me. A disaster of a room that I know I can fix is what drives the artist in me.

Cooking and food is very fulfilling. You can show your love by preparing for family and friends a wonderful meal.

I’m also inspired by the Bittner’s creative process and collaboration. It’s a huge aspect in how you think and how you feel. I’ve known most of these designers for years and some I’ve just met. I’m so happy to be associated with them.  I also love Bittner’s incredible showrooms. It inspires me every time I walk through. Our amazing resource room has any sample you could possibly want.

I’ve spent much time and learned from our master craftsmen, who are truly inspiring. It gives us, as designers, an ability to create whatever our clients imagine.  Bittner’s is really an amazing place to be.

What are your personal design strengths?
I treat every interior as the client’s interior. I try to give them a room they are asking for. It all goes back to the listening. You as a designer are not the one living in the room – the client is. It’s the marriage of the knowledge of design and real life that I bring to the table.

Who inspires you?
My mother was always an inspiration to me. She had a grace and dignity about her that I strive to have every day. Growing up, she told me that, “You can do anything.” She instilled that in me with little words of encouragement every day and I believed it!

What are some of your career highlights?
Working at Bittners has been a highlight for me. Douglas’s vision for the future and how he allows us as designers to be as creative as possible, equipping us with a support team that stands behind us, is really incredible. That’s a hard balance to find and he’s mastered it. Quiet leadership is truly an incredible gift of his.

What you are grateful for?
My kids, every day. I am so proud of them!

Happiness. The people in my life and the love that I feel. I work every day to be grateful and teach my kids to be grateful.

What type of community service are you involved in?
I’ve been involved with the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the March of Dimes Signature Chef auction. I’m also working on an idea to fight against childhood obesity through food and exercise for improving the health and wellness of our children.

What is one thing that people may not know about you?
I’m writing a cookbook with recipes from all over the country.

Kim Boyle.

Interview By MIRANDA ROGERS MCDONALD
The Chic Sheet

What is your fashion view?
I try to maintain a really healthy balance between trendy and classic. I love those staple pieces that I know I can wear forever and maybe pass down to my (possible, future) daughters one day. However, it’s also really exciting to be on top of trends and be the first person in my general network to wear something. My recommendation is to always splurge on classics, and bargain on trends.

How do you describe your style?
I am very casual and sometimes a little rocker chic and edgy. Day to day I love pairing things like skinny jeans with my Converse Chuck Taylors and a low-cut v-neck under a flannel button down shirt.

I also love really unique staple pieces and being a little risky, so I have fun pairing things like my neon orange fringe necklace from J.Crew with my camo fitted jacket. Sometimes I’ll also wear one of my boyfriend’s button downs when I’m feeling playful, or lazy.

What are your favorite pieces?
My white Toy plasteramic watch, my Louis Vuitton Speedy bag, my tall Minnetonka fringe boots and my camel (colored) faux leather jacket.

Where is your favorite place to shop?
I’m a little all over the place, but boutiques are my favorites! I love Pitaya and Revelry Boutique Gallery for my neighborhood finds in the Highlands. However, I also love Nordstrom and J. Crew for my more classic pieces, like denim, and I love Target when I’m looking for really trendy pieces that I know won’t be “in” for too long. I also just recently discovered the local boutique Circe. That’s a new favorite splurge!

Who is your fashion icon? Why?
Jennifer Aniston because she has a laid-back sense of style, and her outfits are so effortlessly cool.

What are you doing when you aren’t shopping at your favorite boutiques in The Highlands?
I’m a huge animal lover and rescue advocate!

Miranda Rogers McDonald is the author of www.thechicsheet.net. When Miranda isn’t blogging about fashion or flexing her social media muscle, she is spending time with her husband and feisty Chihuahua, Niles. She believes in celebrating the smaller things in life, such as good wine and food, an interesting book and sitting on patios while enjoying conversations with her closest friends. She strives to one day join the ranks of the fashion editors that she idolizes, and to show the world that a girl from Kentucky knows a little something about style.