MOD Society Magazine - Triad July/August 2022

EDITOR from the

Welcome to the issue, #marvelouslyMOD readers! Summer is in full swing, and we have so many fabulous stories for you.

First, we take you inside a gorgeous abode in Irving Park for our home feature. Designer Linda Knight Carr worked on the home with a longtime client for whom she has designed two previous residences. Through those projects, designer and client have forged a harmonious relationship that resulted in a space that incorporates pieces old and new for a fresh, stylish look.

Fresh, stylish looks abound at Seagrass in Greensboro, too. We visited with the store’s laid-back, Californiacool owners Erin and Brian Miranda, who share their design ethos and how they’re bringing that sophisticated coastal vibe to homes in the Triad.

We also caught up with Jeff Ryan, executive director of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament, which will be held August 20-22 at Wake Forest University. Jeff has a storied career in managing tennis events from the Davis Cup to the Olympics. He shared not only stories from his career but also insights into how the tournament is growing and contributing to the Winston-Salem community.

Giving back to the community is also a major goal for James Gardner. A teacher, husband and father, James spends his free time managing the Positive Direction for Youth & Families (PDY&F) Community Garden in Greensboro. The garden has become a hub not only for feeding people in the midst of a food desert, but also for teaching people how to grow and cultivate their own food. James takes us into the garden and shares how it feeds not only families in need, but his soul, too.

For our Book Club feature, I’m so excited to introduce you to Cate Doty, author of Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned from the Wedding Pages. Cate previously worked on the weddings desk at The New York Times, writing about some of the most lavish nuptials in the nation. Cate’s book gives readers an insider’s look at a world most of us aren’t privy to and tempers that experience with her real-life romantic ups and downs.

Elsewhere in the issue, we take you to two fabulous events in our Society Sightings column — the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Hope Gala and the Theatre Art Galleries Gala and Auction. The events raised funds for two important organizations, and we’re excited to highlight their good work. There’s so much more inside, so I won’t keep you from any of these fabulous stories — enjoy!

Jennifer Bringle, editor-in-chief

* In our May/June issue, we listed Anna Danielle as photographer on the Flavor of Success feature. Lindley Battle was the photographer for that story.

CONTENTS

�4 �8

EDITOR’S LETTER

Our editor takes you behind the scenes of the issue and shares some of her favorites.

3�

CLOTHES WHISPERER

REFRESH & RENEW

Designer Linda Knight Carr helps a longtime client repurpose existing pieces for a fresh look in her new home. We show you the gorgeous results.

POINTS OF VIEW

3� � 9

Curvy silhouettes are all the rage in furnishings, and designer Lisa Johnson shares the best ways to incorporate them into your home.

TRIAD’S FINEST TIPS

Want to upgrade your kitchen? Kristen Haynes has advice on easy and stylish design changes.

THE WEDDING WRITER

When it comes to the frilly frocks trend, stylist Maribeth Geraci says less is more. She offers tips for wearing this style without looking silly. 36

North Carolina author Cate Doty spent several years on the weddings desk at The New York Times. Her memoir, Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages, gives readers an inside look at some of the country’s most exclusive nuptials.

CONTENTS

4 �

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

The Positive Direction for Youth & Families community garden not only feeds families, it also teaches them skills for growing their own food. Director James Gardner explains how the garden feeds bellies and souls.

4 8

COASTAL COOL

After relocating from the West Coast to Greensboro, Erin and Brian Miranda opened Seagrass, a sophisticated home design and gift shop. We take you inside and introduce you to the couple’s laid-back approach to design.

5 4

A PERFECT MATCH

After managing major tennis events such as the Davis Cup and the U.S. Olympic Team, Jeff Ryan came to the Triad to direct the Winston-Salem Open. He shares how the event has evolved and what’s to come this year.

58

SOCIETY SIGHTINGS: TAG GALA

After a COVID hiatus, the TAG Gala and Art Auction returned for an evening of art and entertainment in High Point.

60

SOCIETY SIGHTINGS: JDRF HOPE GALA

More than 1,000 attendees gathered in person and online for an evening of fun and fundraising for juvenile diabetes research.

REFRESH

& RENEW

photography by aura marzouk

“Color and light were important, and comfort was a big factor. She wanted every room to be very comfortable and user-friendly with connections of color,” Linda says.

IIn interior design, relationships between designers and clients can endure far beyond their first project together. Sometimes those connections lead to friendships and multiple collaborations. Linda Knight Carr of Knight Carr & Company forged just such a partnership with a client in Greensboro’s Irving Park who reached out to the designer to help create a comfortable, colorful space in her new home.

“This is the third residence that we’ve designed for this client, so we have a lengthy relationship,” Linda says. “We have a good understanding of each other.”

While previous homes they’d worked on together skewed more traditional, this home’s style evolved to a blend of transitional and contemporary.

“She wanted a soft, contemporary feel,” Linda says. “Color and light were important, and comfort was a big factor. She wanted every room to be very comfortable and user-friendly with connections of color.”

The homeowner is an art collector. Incorporating her expansive collection — around 80 pieces — into the design was important, too. “We created art stories throughout the home,” Linda says. “When there is a collection of art, especially similar-sized pieces, creating wall stories allows a greater signficance of each. For example, this client really likes local artist Kevin Rutan and has acquired several of his pieces. On one wall there might be six or seven pieces — a showcase of his work.”

Art wasn’t the only thing Linda incorporated into the home. She had worked with the client a few years prior on their second project together, and the homeowner asked Linda to reuse some of the pieces from that project in the new home.

“With that in mind, we looked at what we could reuse and bring to life in this new environment,” Linda says. “She had a color scheme that she liked, so we wanted to work with as much of that as we possibly could. Once that’s done and you’ve plugged in the elements that you already have, you start looking for what you can add that’s going to pull this together. And you want to give the house a different look so it doesn’t feel like you just moved from one home to another.”

That process began in the entryway where Linda included an antique chandelier from the previous home, along with two upholstered benches. They then added a lucite side table to complete the look.

“The entry is small, but it effectively begins introducing the attitude of the home,” Linda says. “Having a classic wood floor with hand-painted detail and an architecturally mounted full-length mirror, I saw an opportunity for defining the space with painted grass cloth on the walls. The mirror was also a challenge. However, placing a lucite table in front allowed for a floating impact, giving the space a larger presence.”

Off the entry, the formal dining room makes a striking impression. Linda built the space around the owner’s antique dining table and added custom upholstered chairs from Hickory, North Carolina-based maker Charles Stewart.

“It’s really the room that creates the statement of the house and how the house is going to feel,” Linda says. “It had this pretty tray ceiling that was tall and lofty, which we wallpapered.”

Hanging from that ceiling, a showstopper chandelier from Visual Comfort adds a touch of flair to the room.

“I knew that she would want something somewhat classic, but also with a little bit of an edge,” Linda says. “Small handmade bars of crystal create this feather design. It makes a very elegant statement, but it’s sort of playful at the same time.”

In the keeping room off the kitchen, the idea of repurposing items from the previous home drove the design. Linda created custom draperies for the prior project, using a sunny yellow fabric with a gray-and-white botanical pattern. They selected fabrics for pillows and accent pieces that would coordinate with the draperies.

“All of the other selections for the space were made in order to repurpose these draperies,” she says. “To add comfort and allow a central place for repeating the colors of the draperies, we crafted a custom round ottoman on lucite legs.”

Because the room is situated off the kitchen, Linda outfitted the space with comfy swivel chairs that allow for enjoying conversation or watching television together.

“It’s wonderful to be able to sit in those chairs and turn to look outside, turn to see the television or turn to have a conversation,” she says. “When the homeowner uses this room — I’ve been there many times — she usually puts a tray filled with snacks on the ottoman. It works out really beautifully.”

Touches of yellow from the keeping room flow into the main living room where Linda freshened the palette with an aqua blue. A yellow bamboo frame chair from the client’s former home adds a pop of color to the living room. Floral patterned throw pillows pick up both the yellow and blue, as do the paintings hanging above the sofa. Vases on the mantel and a small ceramic side table also add blue touches to the space.

“The pretty fabric on the pillows was subtle enough to introduce the aqua tone without commanding too much attention. One addition and the old and new were joined,” Linda says.

That aqua shade transitions from the living room to an adjacent sitting area. Overlooking the backyard and bathed in natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, the long, slim space is outfitted with a sofa and chair, along with a small table and chairs ideal for playing cards, a favorite activity of the homeowner. Because the space is small, Linda selected furnishings that would create an open, airy feeling.

“We chose the lucite table because it’s clear and light-looking, and the space would not be consumed by something heavy,” she says. “And then we added armless seating, again, to make it less weighty in there.”

Linda custom-made the sofa and matching chair with an armless design to maintain that open feel. The dining chairs around the lucite table came from Hickory Chair and were upholstered in aqua and blue floral fabric to coordinate with the living room palette.

“She didn’t have a sunroom previously,” Linda says. “It gave an opportunity to add a new color into the previous color scheme, which was the yellows and the grays. We were able to pull in this aqua tone. And it all looks really fresh and new.”

The theme of repurposing and refreshing carried into the back entryway, a diminutive space that packs a high-style punch. The homeowner had a black lacquered chest, a black-and-white animal print indoor-outdoor rug and a white garden stool. Linda brought them all together, adding custom-designed draperies with a black-and-white large-scale floral print to finish the look.

“Here we went with something slightly bold because it’s at the back door,” Linda says. “There’s a playful mirror to address you when entering or a final ‘check’ before departing, and there’s a drawer to put things in. It’s just a great little mud room back entryway.”

While a project that reuses pieces from a prior home could easily turn into a duplicate of the last house, Linda says she and her team took special care to make this home different.

“The first thing is to establish the bones of a room, how the layout needs to work in order for the room to function properly for comfort and use, and the appropriate amount of seating,” she says. “And with this in mind, how can we bring it to life in this new environment? Once that’s done, you start looking for elements that breathe new life into the new home. Everything must be fresh.”

For the homeowner, both the process and finished result stood as a testament to the strength of the relationship between designer and client.

“I would never have considered buying a house without Linda’s blessing — that’s how much I trust her,” she says. “She knows what will be transferable from your previous home and where the holes will be. Her genius with color, dimension and lifestyle considerations are evident in every project. Linda has been my go-to design advisor for 35 years — projects were small when we were younger, and this is certainly our biggest and most fun.”

Regarding the Home...

DESIGN TEAM: Knight Carr & Company

Featured Home Photos

Cover Keeping Room

Pages 18-19 Sunroom

Page 20 Living Room

Page 21 Living Room

Pages 22-23 Dining Room

Page 24 Keeping Room (top) Hallway (bottom)

Page 25 Front Entry

Page 26 Back Entry

ON

PUBLISHER

MSM Media, LLC

Kathryn Field

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jennifer Bringle

Editor@yourMODsociety.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Maribeth Geraci

Kristen Haynes

Lisa Johnson

COPY EDITOR

Jennifer Weaver-Spencer

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lindley Battle

Anna Danielle

Aura Marzouk

DIGITAL AGENCY

The

POINTS OF VIEW EMBRACE THOSE CURVES

Curves are back in a big way! After a recent trip to California, I began to look at interior design styles in a renewed light. The curved styles from the past can easily be worked into a room to create energy and evoke feelings of relaxation, versatility and beauty. Rounded edges will continue to be a part of the design vocabulary appearing in facades, interiors, fabrics and tiles.

Let’s look at why curves are a former trend to consider bringing back into your home. Curves in architecture remove limits within a rigorously structured space. In interiors, curvy furniture has great balance — a perfect mix of modern and feminine. Swapping out big, boxy chairs and sofas for circular club chairs and C-shaped sectionals over hardline alternatives gives a room a relaxing feel.

How hard is it to sit on one end of a sofa while trying to have a conversation with someone on the other end? Curves allow for an easy flow of conversation, and style can be heightened when paired with geometric designs. You can easily mix and match curves throughout your home and create lighting that is more interesting.

Architects are rediscovering the rich historical detail of arches on facades and interiors. Many interior designers are moving away from box-like rooms and softening the hard edges with voluptuously plump furniture. This, in part, could be fueled by the pandemic as the comfort of curves is appealing. But don’t mistake this as a trend — the architecture of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Antoni Gaudi is proof that curves have always been a relevant part of design. Their curves and arches are a reliable barometer of modernism that is here to stay.

I love curves because they exude fascination, expressiveness and comfort. I adore a beautifully crafted arch like those in 19th-century facades. I think most people have a natural affinity for curved forms, so it’s hard to understand how all the boxy designs in furniture took over as an expression of modernism. Curves do take more effort to create, but they’re so worth it!

It’s not just architects and designers who are embracing these sensual curves. Artisans and manufacturers are also on board. Consumers are once again looking back to move forward and bringing materials, furnishings and objects with curves into their everyday spaces.

Welcome the curves! They have a stronger emotional impact, and who couldn’t do with a little more of that!

– Lisa Johnson, Lisa Johnson & Company | Shop on Blair

CLOTHES WHISPERER

We have been living in a time of romance and whimsy in fashion, and it has lasted through more warm-weather seasons than I’d like to count. Call it boho chic, cottage core or rufflemania — it’s still happening.

If your style is romantic, and you like a feminine aspect to everything you wear, then you have been one happy fashion consumer. The designers can’t seem to have too many ruffles, tiers or puffed sleeves as part of their dresses and tops.

Maybe it all started with “Downton Abbey,” or perhaps it was influenced by other shows such as “Bridgerton,” “The Queen” or “The Gilded Age.” And it looks like this trend is here to stay. While I think that some of this look can be executed in a chic, elegant way, for the most part I find it too young and girly, cartoonish and silly. In fact, if you look at the shape of many of the dresses with puff sleeves, it’s not hard to imagine a Minnie Mouse head. I haven’t been able to shake that image, and I see it in my mind almost every time I look at one of these dresses.

To better understand this trend’s staying power, I decided to look into the history of ruffles in fashion and apparel. My historical investigation uncovered some surprising results. For example, while we think of ruffles as feminine and delicate, their history is quite the contrary. During the 15th century, soldiers slashed their sleeves creating a ruffled look. These “ruffles” served as a symbol that the soldiers had returned from war — not such a delicate origin after all!

I don’t see this trend going anywhere in the foreseeable future, so remember that feminine touches can be lovely, but too many ruffles, puffs and tiers wear you, and that’s rarely flattering. As with any trend, the Dress Code Style mantra applies: Less is more. – Maribeth Geraci, DressCode Style www.dresscodestyle.us

TRIAD’S FINEST TIPS

Cooking isn’t the only way of expressing yourself in the kitchen! Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, it’s the natural gathering place and home to many memories with friends and family alike. Why not put your stamp on it and make it fun? Here are some tips for what to do and not do to put some flair in your kitchen.

Less is More There’s certainly a balancing act of keeping the kitchen kitsch functional and not tacky. The trick is to avoid overcrowding. If minimalist is your style, stick with that, and if you’re more eclectic at heart, express that with a few key pieces and build from there.

Begin Gradually Go for one or two key elements like an amazing hood over the stove, a ceiling light, or a backsplash. Note: Any island is incomplete without a statement light fixture. A fun tile backsplash is an easy way to add personality to any kitchen at a low cost — they can make a bold statement with patterns, textures or color.

Pick Your Palette

If you’re starting with a blank slate, decide on a color palette and stick to it to avoid clashing. Introduce two key colors and focus on those while mixing neutrals. Popular cabinet colors right now are whites, earthy tones and natural wood tones.

Play with Patterns

It’s easy to have fun with patterns on textiles such as window treatments, table linens, and towels. They involve less commitment and are easier to change if something feels off or you change your mind. Also, think about adding art in creative ways to up the color and pattern.

Express Yourself You want to inject personality, but I’d advise not adding more than one or two bold pieces and then build around them. Introduce textiles or plants, then layer with pieces from different eras. Other options would be to express yourself in permanent fixtures: counters, flooring, appliances, etc. White counters are still king, and if you are debating on kitchen flooring, remember you can never go wrong with solid hardwoods.

Decorating is a way to bring self-expression to life. Find joy in the process, and the end result is simply a bonus!

For more information: www.triadsfinest.com or 336-209-3382 – Kristen Haynes, Triad’s Finest

The Wedding Writer

Cate Doty never imagined she’d meet her husband while writing for the wedding pages at The New York Times. The North Carolina native had just graduated from UNCChapel Hill and moved to the city both to pursue a career in journalism and to be closer to her college boyfriend.

Not long after arriving, that career really began to take off after she was hired by the Times to write and edit wedding announcements. At the time, this was one of the most popular features in the paper. That experience led Cate to write a memoir, Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages, which was published last year.

Cate says the idea for the book came almost immediately after she started working at the paper in 2004. A good friend pointed out how Cate’s life as a young woman working at a major media outlet mirrored popular culture at the time, and the stories she heard and edited would make great fodder for a book.

“That was of course in the middle of Sex and the City and that time period when there are all these tropes of young women moving to New York, wearing Manolos and all of that stuff,” Cate says.

But Cate says it took moving back to North Carolina and being removed from the situation to allow her to write the book.

“It really took coming home,” she says. “It took being away from New York to have the perspective to understand what that story was and how these events that happened to me formed the life I have now.”

The life she has now — wife, mother and adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, living in Raleigh — is quite different from the one she lived in New York.

As a reporter on the weddings desk at The New York Times, Cate was responsible for writing and fact-checking wedding announcements, a role that gave her an inside

look at the formula for choosing which couples made the cut. While Cate acknowledges the process has changed over the years, during her tenure there were several important factors that would bring certain couples to the top of the sometimes-hundreds-deep submissions pile.

“At that point, they always looked for where you went to school, where you worked, who your parents were, who your ancestors were, which is a very big thing — especially if you were descended from the founder of the New York Stock Exchange or something like that,” she says. “Public service was a big deal. The weddings editor really liked people who had served in the military or worked for the government in some way. Of course, we had a lot of Senate aides and White House advisors — that sort of thing.”

After the couples were selected, Cate and the other weddings desk staffers would reach out to the couples and their families to get additional details beyond their resume highlights. For Cate, these conversations often proved quite revealing, telling her a great deal about not only the individuals but also their relationship.

“I always loved hearing what the couples had to say about each other,” she says. “The women generally were super-effusive, and they couldn’t wait to get married. And the dudes were mostly like, ‘Yeah, I’m getting married next week,’ which is very weird because I would talk to these people two weeks before they got married. Anybody who’s been through that knows the two weeks before they get married are just insane for a number of reasons.”

But while it might sound glamorous, Cate says the job wasn’t as sparkly as one might think. She particularly felt that way after she began writing for the Times’ “Neediest Cases” series, which highlighted the impact of poverty on New Yorkers. Seeing that economic dichotomy between her wedding subjects and those she wrote about for “Neediest Cases” made her keenly aware of the divide between the wealthy and poor.

“By day I would write about these crazy-rich people, and by night I would go to public housing and write about people who needed money for food or needed money to buy their children shoes,” she says. “I was writing about the opposite ends of society, economically speaking.”

While working on the weddings desk, Cate also experienced the breakup of her relationship with her college boyfriend. While initially devastated, a new friendship with a colleague at the Times eventually helped her move on. In fact, she’s still married to him today.

“Breaking up with my boyfriend at the time and meeting and falling for my husband helped me have a perspective on what these people on the other side of the wedding announcements were going through,” Cate says. “I think asking them these questions, hearing about their weddings, hearing about their relationships, it gave me a deepened perspective on what I wanted from someone else and for myself.”

While pretty far removed from the 20-something woman writing about elaborate weddings, Cate says the experience still resonates as a reminder that good stories can be found even in unexpected places.

“I was surprised by how instructive it was on a personal level and also on a journalistic level,” she says. “It’s funny because even though the wedding announcements are still some of the most highly read parts of the paper, people look down on them inside the newsroom. They’re not real journalism. They’re not investigative. They’re just about people getting married. But, to the people getting married, their families, their friends and to a large portion of society, they’re enormously important.”

– Jennifer Bringle, editor-in-chief

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

James Gardner is a busy man. A high school science teacher, father of five and husband of a pediatrician, James has plenty on his plate. Yet he spends much of his valuable free time ensuring hungry people in the Greensboro community have food on their plates.

James serves as director of the Positive Direction for Youth & Family (PDY&F) community garden. The garden provides fresh produce for people in need and also offers education on growing and cultivating plants. For James, the endeavor is truly a family affair. PDY&F was founded 30 years ago by his father-in-law, the late Otis Lockett, Sr., who also founded Evangel Fellowship church and Malachi House, a residential treatment facility for men. James and his wife Faith have volunteered for years with both PDY&F and Malachi House, working as GED instructors and in other roles.

“We’ve done a lot of things, primarily around giving youth an outlet so they don’t end up on the streets,” James says. A few years ago, PDY&F began focusing on food insecurity. When a family experiences food insecurity, it means not every family member has access to enough nutritious food to sustain an active, healthy lifestyle. According to recent figures from the nonprofit North Carolina Justice Center, North Carolina ranks 10th in the nation in food insecurity. And according to the nonprofit Feeding America, one in seven North Carolinians don’t have enough to eat, and one in five children live with hunger.

PDY&F opened a food pantry to provide nonperishables and refrigerated foods such as milk and eggs to people who need them. But when COVID hit, they realized more needed to be done. Knowing James grew up gardening with his family, Faith suggested he start a community garden to supplement the pantry’s outreach.

“I love to garden, and it had been a dream of mine to have a garden where I can give food to people,” he says.

PDY&F started with a small group of volunteers and an even smaller budget. They built beds in December 2020 and planted their first crop. But as any gardener knows, things don’t always go according to plan.

“We got a recommendation for some dirt, so we got that dirt, and long story short, it was trash dirt,” James says. “Nothing grew — it was bad. But we learned a lot, and we started planting again around February and March of 2021.” This time, the plants took off, and the garden began food distribution to the community. As word spread, the garden’s reach expanded exponentially. In addition to an influx of volunteers, PDY&F received donations of nonperishable foods and even struck a partnership with K&W cafeteria to provide hot meals to those in need during the pandemic.

“Between that and the buzz on social media, people just started coming out and helping, and we got a lot done,” James says. “We surpassed our goal of providing 100,000 meals — we reached around 104,000.”

And that was just the first year of the garden. In 2022, PDY&F aims to serve 200,000 meals to the community through its food pantry, garden and other outreach efforts. While feeding the community is the goal, James says the education aspect of the garden is almost as fulfilling for him. Seeing members of the community who receive produce working in the garden, growing and harvesting their food, while also learning how that process works, has been rewarding.

“That’s been the most satisfying part of this whole process,” he says. “To see children come out and play in the dirt and plant seeds, watch things grow, ask questions and be wowed by different natural processes like composting. People are really growing, and as cliched as this sounds, they’re getting back in touch with nature.”

James says he’s watched so many volunteers fall in love with the process of gardening and gain a new sense of confidence and control over the food they eat.

“The day that we live in now, nobody knows where their food comes from, the process of how it gets to their plates,” he says. “We’re able to actually show them how to do these things in their own backyard,” he says. “And most people who’ve never gardened, they say, ‘I feel like I’ve been doing this all my life.’”

James also sees the garden as an opportunity to improve the nutrition and health of those it serves, many of whom live in food deserts — areas without easy access to quality, highnutritional-value foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

“We’re trying to replace the high sodium, the canned goods and the preservatives with these organic vegetables,” he says. “I have the privilege of being able to go to Whole Foods, or I could even pull up my phone and have Whole Foods delivered to my front door. But the people we serve don’t necessarily have that privilege yet.”

As the community garden continues to expand, the next frontier is a greenhouse that will allow James and his team to cultivate vegetables year-round through aquaponics. The process combines hydroponics — raising plants in water — with aquaculture, or raising fish or other marine life in tanks.

“The greenhouse is really the next innovative thing we’re doing,” James says. “And that’s really going to change the game. Not only in terms of the amount of food that we can produce, but the education bit — my goal is to have a system where students can come work in the garden, work in the greenhouse and leave with a license to practice aquaponics or horticulture.”

Looking back on the tremendous success the community garden initiative has achieved over the past two years, James feels grateful to be part of something that is bringing meaningful change to so many people.

“All the blessings that I’ve gotten as an individual and that the organization has gotten based on the work we’ve done, I can really pinpoint it back to our purpose, which is to serve the community,” he says. “And that’s why God keeps us going.”

For more information, visit pdyandf.org

– Jennifer Bringle, editor-in-chief

“People are really growing, and as cliched as this sounds, they’re getting back in touch with nature.”

COASTAL COOL

Living in San Diego, Erin and Brian Miranda enjoyed the classic West Coast beach lifestyle — sun, sand and surf. This relaxed, chill vibe comes with living by the ocean in Southern California. They’ve cultivated that same aesthetic at their Greensboro home design shop, Seagrass.

Four years ago, Erin and Brian left California and relocated to North Carolina. After settling into the Triad, they opened an interior design and construction business to help clients refresh their homes. But two years ago, they realized they felt more drawn to the design side of their business than to the construction aspect. So they decided to open Seagrass, a home design shop in Greensboro.

Seagrass exudes an air of sophisticated coastal style — a clean, white space filled with gifts and decor in soothing neutrals and sea-inspired shades of blue and green. Pieces in Seagrass such as stone serving ware and woven baskets incorporate natural materials and contribute to the relaxed, nature-inspired aesthetic.

“We have an organic, earthy vibe,” Erin says. “Chill and relaxed is what we want people to feel when they come in. And a lot of our pieces are one-of-a-kind and locally made, and some items are sourced globally.”

Choosing products that have a socially or environmentally conscious aspect is important to Erin and Brian. Many of the items they sell are fair trade, made by global artisans from countries such as Africa, Indonesia, Bali and Portugal, who are compensated fairly for their work. They also carry sustainable and recycled products, and the couple is dedicated to not only capturing the aesthetic of the sea, but to preserving the natural resource, as well.

“We’re trying to be environmentally conscious,” Brian says. “We’re big in the Surf Rider Foundation, which is something that we’ve always been a part of. We want to save the coast — we want to do what we can.”

Along with selling decor pieces and gifts to walk-in customers, Erin and Brian work with interior designers and design clients to create custom spaces. They offer custom-order furnishings in addition to decor such as pillows, lighting and art.

“We’ve found a little niche with design clients who want their second homes decorated — beach, mountain, lake — that type of thing,” Erin says. “We’ve gotten quite a bit of work with that. But I also have local design clients who are working on their own homes now after being home during COVID.”

Seagrass recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Erin and Brian say they feel grateful for all the support they’ve received from the Greensboro community, as well as the greater Triad. And they’re excited to continue growing the business, offering more products for every room in the home. But while they plan to grow, Erin and Brian intend to maintain the friendly, welcoming vibe that Seagrass has become known for.

“We want to have a small local business that offers something customers can’t get anywhere else. We want people to get to know us, feel welcome in our store and have a different experience,” Erin says.

– Jennifer Bringle, editor-in-chief

A PERFECT MATCH

As a kid, Winston-Salem Open tournament director Jeff Ryan never imagined one day he’d travel the world, managing some of the biggest tennis events in the sport, rubbing elbows with iconic players such as John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. But after a high school job at a tennis tournament facility in Boston led to a series of college internships with sports management company IMG, Jeff began to see a career in tennis more clearly. His brother Bill (an agent at IMG for 25 years) had originally encouraged him to take a shot, and the rest is history.

After graduating from college, IMG offered Jeff a full-time job and he went to New Orleans to work on a tennis tournament the company was managing.

“I’m very fortunate,” he says. “I had supportive family — you can’t do these internships without a supportive mom and dad, and frankly, grandparents. And after that, it just becomes your own responsibility to do a good job — I feel like I did because I was asked to come back and ended up working full-time for IMG for 10 years.”

The New Orleans gig was one of nine events Jeff worked on that year, traveling around the country to help set up, operate and break down each tournament. At the same time, his brother began to break into the sports agent field for tennis, affording Jeff additional connections to players. During those years, he saw some of the greatest players in the sport take the court.

“The players that I remember the most are Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova,” he says. “That was a lot of fun. I think back on that and how lucky I was to be there at some of their classic rival matches.”

In 1997, Jeff took a job with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the governing body for the sport in the U.S. That position led to a 24-year career with the USTA during which Jeff worked on iconic events including the U.S. Open, the Fed Cup and the Davis Cup.

“I was doing what I enjoyed — organizing and promoting tennis events, but now I was in charge,” he says. “I was the generalist who oversaw all the things that I had learned, including ticket sales, marketing, operations and so on.”

While fun, the job also put Jeff in a high-pressure environment, as event managers often have to work on truncated schedules to make sure matches run smoothly.

“It was a complicated business model, and I feel like I contributed to the success because I was not put off by the extreme scheduling challenges that you face when you run those events,” he says. “A lot of times, you find out about these events as few as four or five weeks before.”

The more than 100 events Jeff oversaw during his time with the USTA took him all over the U.S. and around the globe, from California to Zimbabwe.

“I did the first outdoor open air baseball stadium event in left field of Petco Park in San Diego,” he says. “We used the existing outfield stadium, but built a clay court and built another 6,000, 7,000 seats. We built a stadium at the foot of Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont. We sold out 4,000 seats there for a U.S. Fed Cup tie, the United States versus Russia.”

In his role with the association, Jeff also helped organize six trips to the Olympics for the U.S. tennis contingent. Part of that work included making advance trips to host cities including Sydney and Tokyo to ensure that facilities, transportation and other components were up to the standards expected for the U.S. team.

“When you come off that field of play, you’re in the midst of a different feel from a media setup, from a transportation setup, and security’s going to feel different,” he says. “That’s where an organization like the USTA really deserves a lot of credit, because where there were potential interruptions to what would be a traditional experience for a tennis player, the USTA could step in and provide.”

During his years with the USTA, Jeff helped organize a Davis Cup event in Winston-Salem in 2001 and 2007. That experience made him a fan of the city, and also introduced him to local businessman and philanthropist Don Flow.

Don is a major proponent not only of the WinstonSalem community, but also the sport of tennis as a longtime sponsor of the Flow Motors Invitational Tournament. So when Jeff heard a USTA-sanctioned event was leaving New Haven, Connecticut, he knew just the place for it to go.

“I was doing what I enjoyed –organizing and promoting tennis events, but now I was in charge,” Jeff says.

“I called Don, and he said, ‘Absolutely, let’s talk about it,’” Jeff says. “And in 2011, they had the first event here. I had also done two other Davis Cups in this market in 2007 and 2008 Don and his team, so we both had that much more credibility in our relationship, and it just made an awful lot of sense. And I knew it would be wellrun and well-organized.”

In the years since, the Winston-Salem Open has become a premier event for tennis. Major players including Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Greensboro native John Isner have played in the tournament. The event draws thousands of fans to Winston-Salem each summer.

And while Jeff was one of the biggest advocates for the tournament moving to Winston-Salem, he didn’t come on board as director until March 2020, right at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for Jeff and his team, he’d faced similarly unfathomable obstacles before, particularly following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“I think experiences like that and my 24 years of having to be nimble and change and adjust just made me a good candidate for this job,” he says. “It wasn’t ideal coming into my role at that time, but the way the sponsors came

through and helped us sustain ourselves for that year, we still gave back a little to the community and did some things that I feel good about.”

Jeff says the move to a permanent position in WinstonSalem has been good for him personally, as well.

“I want people to know that I’m part of the community,” he says. “This is an ideal situation where I can come back in a space that is somewhat familiar, but invest in a community, live in that community and perhaps finish out my career in a community like Winston-Salem. It was a fit.”

For Jeff, being a part of the community extends to the tournament as a whole. He and his team see the event growing in the future, providing a greater impact on the Winston-Salem area.

“We want to turn a profit, but our goal is not to necessarily go and drop that into a bank account,” he says. “Our goal is to give back to the community. I think the future is bright, and I think the event will be here for a while.”

– Jennifer Bringle, editor-in-chief

SOCIETY SIGHTINGS

TAG Gala and Art Auction

The annual Theatre Art Galleries (TAG) Gala and Art Auction, a lively mix of art, food, drink and music, serves as the unofficial kickoff to spring in High Point. Following two years of COVID postponements, the gathering returned in person at the home of Doug Witcher. Dodging unpredictable weather, more than 350 friends and art lovers came together outdoors beneath massive oaks and an assortment of tents to support the work of Theatre Art Galleries. This annual event is a feast for the eyes with artwork from more than 50 artists, along with more than 100 silent auction items generously donated by local businesses.

TAG is the premier nonprofit organization in High Point dedicated to the visual arts and offers exhibitions and educational opportunities for the entire community. Proceeds from the gala help underwrite TAG’s programming, including a full lineup of summer camps for kids.

For more information, visit www.tagart.org or call 336-887-2137.

photography by aesthetic images photography

Jeff Horney, Executive Director Amy & Peter Freeman

Joe & Allie Blosser

Maria & Trey Zimmerman

Orrin, Catherine & Amanda Magill

Charlie, Lily & Elizabeth Sheffield

Stephanie Beaver, incoming Board President: Courtney Best, Gala Chair; Donna Cumby, Gala Co-Chair

Stephanie Ross, Debbie & Bob Cottam

Don & Carolyn Shaw

Mary Powell & Marc DeLille

Matt & Meghan Sink

Cindy Armfield & Dawn Bingham

Nancy & Lin Amos, Board Vice President

David & Leslie Moore

Jane, Stuart & Lee Nunn Britt & Sarah Lytle

Courtney Best, Haleigh Breece, Molly Harris, Emilee Brigman, Donna Cumby & Kathy Rohrbeck (TAG board members)

Jacob & Elizabeth Breece, Beth & David Breece, Haleigh Breece & Dillon Sexton

Leah & Stephanie Williams, Jamie Brummel (with the raffle painting by Kim Hassold)

SOCIETY SIGHTINGS

photography by ivan saul cutler, lynn donovan, marshall hurley

JDRF Hope Gala

Last summer, JDRF Piedmont Triad volunteers envisioned 1,000 Gala guests gathering at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro in February 2022. They named the event the Hope Soars Gala to recognize a community ready to spread its wings after the pandemic. But then the Omicron variant hit. So JDRF shifted gears and mounted a hybrid gala with 500 inperson guests and 500 watching online. The livestream began with a parade led by North Carolina A & T State University’s Cold Steel Drumline. Erskine Bowles – architect of the special diabetes program that has funded nearly $3.5 billion in type 1

diabetes (T1D) research since 1997— received the Senator Kay Hagan Awareness & Advocacy Award.

Long-time volunteer John Bate received the Gala Champion Award. Laurie and Dr. Norman Regal, whose son Andrew was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 18 months, received the 2022 Living & Giving Award.

“Hope Soars” was a perfect description of the evening, with $1.25 million (and counting) raised for T1D research.

—by Eleanor Schaffner-Mosh, JDRF Piedmont Triad market director

Eleanor Schaffner-Mosh, John Bate & Jason Bush

Rob Simon, Dr. Nancy Rosenthal & Kerrie Orrell Ellison

Katie Rossabi, Wendy Calloway & Alejandra Thompson

Henry Fyre, Shirley Fyre, Erskine Bowles, Carrie Hagan Stewart & Chip Hagan

Grace McPhail, Layne Maggard, Emerie Hilton &Andrew Regal

Taylor Mowery Davis & Emma Saunders

John Ellison, Misty McCall, Kerrie Ellison, Bradshaw Orrell & Jonas Drees

Emcees Neill McNeill & Natalie Wilson

Laurie & Norm Regal

Susan & Paul Mowery

Kim Hayes & Tahe Fulton

Ashby Cook, Performer in Champagne Dress & Dan Hood

Noah Regal, Andrew Regal, Carly Regal, Laurie Regal & Norman Regal

Brett Hoge, Berkley Hoge, Riley Hoge & Wendy Hoge

Eleanor Schaffner-Moss, Tim Mann & Riley Hoge

George Carr & Shirley Carr

Henry Fyre & NCA&T Drumline

Brittany Carroll & Vanessa Carroll

Gala Chairs Quint Barefoot & Robin Barefoot

Trevor Snyder & Madison Carroll Snyder

Andrew Jordan, Alex Thompson de Jordan, Katie Thompson & JJ Thompson

Eleanor Schaffner-Mosh, Laurie Regal, Robin Barefoot, Norman Regal, Quint Barefoot & Jason Busth

Imagine Circus Butterflly Dancer, Skyler Ellswick & Majer Ellswick

Jason Bush, Sarah Bush, Nita Saylor & Karen Bush

Brad Calloway, Wendy Calloway, Paige Cochran & Ken Cochran

Mike Diamond, Linda Diamond, James Shade & Haley Gingles