Since 1908, First National Bank has been a leader in community banking in the Commonwealth of Virginia. From its humble beginnings in Altavista, the Bank has continued to grow its footprint, from Danville to Lynchburg to Charlottesville with 18 branches. First National Bank provides its clients with an extraordinary customer service experience, every time. For this generation and generations to come, First National Bank is here to stay and ready to serve. #FNBNation.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK
3401 Odd Fellows Road
Lynchburg, VA 24501
434-369-3000
1stnatbk.com

Since 1930, Fink’s Jewelers has taken pride in our rich heritage founded on our extensive knowledge of fine jewelry. Specializing in the highest quality diamonds and designer collections, our customers will experience unsurpassed customer service in every location. Currently owned and operated by the third and fourth generation of the Fink Family, we cherish the close relationships with our customers and value the opportunity to help them celebrate special moments in their lives. Our in-house repair services ensure your fine jewelry purchases sparkle as bright as the day you bought them. As one of America’s Top 50 Jewelers, we proudly offer Lynchburg and the surrounding communities the finest selection for the absolute best value. We look forward to seeing you soon!

FINK’S JEWELERS
16960 Forest Road
Forest, VA 24551
434-237-6301
www.finks.com

David Rubinberg and son Bruce Rubinberg’s family has been practicing Krav Maga since the mid 1950s. Krav Maga (contact combat) is the Israeli Martial Art used by its people and military force (IDF). Krav Maga was born from the need for the Jewish people to protect themselves from their surrounding neighbors. It specializes in fast, simple, and effective combat survival techniques that will work for both men and women of all sizes. The Rubinberg’s Krav Maga will concentrate on gun disarming, knife disarming, hostage situations, as well as basic attack scenarios. The Rubinbergs have been learning and teaching Krav Maga since their family fled Europe before World War II to Israel in escape of the Nazis. Classes are taught in both Hebrew and English. David is the Head of Israeli Martial Arts Federation for state of Virginia and the only 8th degree Kapap Krav Maga expert in the world.

FEKS MARTIAL ARTS CENTER
18478 Forest Road
Forest, VA 24551
434-219-4207
lynchburgkarate.com

Interior designer Kathy Potts is celebrating ten years of serving clients in Lynchburg, surrounding counties, and Smith Mountain Lake areas.
As a Decorating Den Interiors franchisee, Kathy brings added benefits to clients through her access to the company’s LIVV Home Collection™ of fine furnishings. “It all makes for a complete turnkey service from creative designs to final delivery and installation,” she explains.
She also states, “The complete room must be both functional and meet the client’s personality and lifestyle.”
If you speak with Kathy or her assistant, Olivia, you will find them patient and insightful.
One client put it this way: “Oh my goodness! I am blown away by the room. It is so beautiful and it’s even better than I could have imagined. What a transformation.” For regular trend tips on interior design, you can follow her at www.facebook.com/DecoratingDenInteriorsKathyPotts.

DECORATING DEN INTERIORS
Forest, VA 24551
434-525-2700
kathypotts@decoratingden.com
www.kathypotts.decoratingden.com

A local law firm serving Central Virginia since the 1950s, Davies & Davies is a multi-generational practice specializing in wills, trusts, estate planning, and estate administration. “By focusing on one area of the law, we are able to efficiently provide quality advice and legal documents to our clients. We don’t try to do it all. Rather, we try to do what we do as well as it can be done,” said attorney Peter Davies.

DAVIES & DAVIES
4935 Boonsboro Road, Suite A
Lynchburg, VA 24503
434-528-5500
daviesanddavies.com

Situated in the heart of Central Virginia you will find CENTURY 21 ALL-SERVICE. With five offices and 90+ Real Estate Professionals, they are a local brokerage with International Brand name recognition as “Most Respected in the Industry.” Broker/Owner Kevin Turner and General Manager Wendy Knott have worked together to establish a Company that “Defies Mediocrity and Delivers Extraordinary Experiences” for their Buyers and Sellers, continually earning Quality Service recognition with an average 98% Customer Satisfaction rating. The Company believes in a culture of family and teamwork, which encourages success for all associates. By educating their team of professionals through mentoring and agent led training, along with a support staff that is second to none, they give their clients 121% every day. These accomplishments are acknowledged through the growth of the Company as well as recognition as one of “The Best Places to Work” and runner up as “Top CEO” by the Lynchburg Business magazine, six years in a row voted #1 as the “Reader’s Choice Top Real Estate Company” in the News & Advance, as well as six years placing in “The Best of” by the Lynchburg Living magazine for top real estate companies.

CENTURY 21 ALL-SERVICE
www.c21all-service.com • 877-391-2121

Amherst Office
101 South Main St., Amherst, VA 24521
434-946-0580

Appomattox Office
2071 Confederate Blvd., Appomattox, VA 24522
434-352-2318

Bedford Office
415 East Main St., Bedford, VA 24523
540-586-5500

Forest Office
15243 Forest Rd., Suite C, Forest, VA 24551
434-525-1212

Lynchburg Office
20886 Timberlake Rd., Lynchburg, VA 24502
434-237-7777

The Willing Suspension of Disbelief

Royal Shirée brings activism and change to the stage

Photo by Ashlee Glen

Royal Shirée began her playwright and solo performing career while she was in college, but her flair for dramatic storytelling goes back to when she was a toddler. Shirée used to volunteer for story hour in school and spin fairytales, but as she grew older, she began to tell stories rooted in today’s societal issues. In her plays, all the “-isms” became the dragons that needed to be slain.

“Theater is the willing suspension of disbelief,” Shirée said. “You have to place yourself in that moment, in that time, and forget that you are looking at a stage or looking at a person saying lines. Theater is an active part of activism. It is also a very real part of connecting to people and their spirits.”

For Shirée, theater is more than entertainment; it’s education. Shirée grew up in a family of educators and so was raised with an educator mentality. Her award-winning play Sisters, a collaboration with Connecticut-based playwright Joanne Hudson, was incorporated into the Ridgefield, CT, middle school curriculum.

Markedly, Shirée wrote her solo piece Clippings while she studied at Hollins University to earn her MFA in playwriting. Shirée values this play for its important themes. Clippings explores global female abuse through domestic violence, rape, the system sworn to protect, and notably, the horror of female genital mutilation, which is practiced in areas of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

“Everyone has a backstory and there are a lot of social ills that people fall victim to,” Shirée said. “I want to address those issues to help change and positively affect the lives of the ignored.”

Shirée harbors a deep love for writing. She describes it as her escapism, with the need of “the intellectual stimulation of writing.”

“Writing is an expedition,” Shirée said. “You have to really discover [the story], then you have to exhume a lot of facts, then you analyze [them] … I always want to know why—why this and why that …. Instead of writing ‘this is the person,’ I want to write about how this person came to be.”

Storytellers like Jamaica Kincaid, August Wilson, Spike Lee, and Maya Angelou inspired Shirée to be bold in her art. Their work also helped Shirée learn how to develop characters and give them authenticity. 

That being said, writing and performing activate two different parts of her brain. Shirée describes performing as being all about the timing, rhythm, accents, and crescendo. Her role as a performer is to bring to life all of the voices she wrote into the script.

“I think it’s really important that the voices are heard. … These voices may be male, may be female, may be drunk, may be dying, whatever the case may be,” she explained.

Shirée currently works as the resident playwright at the Hamner Theater. Though she is battling health issues, Shirée refuses to abandon her passion. She makes an effort to think creatively, if not write, every day.  

To support her work, visit her website at www.royalshiree.com.

Not sure where to go for your oral health or dental treatments? Look no further than the experts referenced in our Area Dental Guide. From braces for your kids to the dental professionals you want in your corner when there’s an issue, we have you covered.

If aliens had landed and embedded a tribe of intergalactic species into one room… .”  No, that’s not the start of a zany joke; rather, it’s how one story in the January 2004 issue of Lynchburg Living began. In the article, Cutting Edge, Curious, Contemporary, writer Craig Shaffer reviewed a sculpture installation exhibiting at the time at Riverviews Artspace. We’d like to adopt that title—Cutting Edge, Curious, Contemporary—as the autobiographical title to this trip down memory lane. Twenty years of magazines. Twenty years of curiosity, of exploring the cutting edge, the contemporary, and the celebratory. Twenty years of putting ink to paper to catalog all that our beautiful region has to offer. If you’ve been with us since day one, this is just as much your celebration as it is ours. If you’re new to these pages, welcome. We hope you’ll stick with us for the next 20.

Interiors With A Little Bit Extra

Jewel-toned rooms, curated collections, dark color palettes, and bold accents own these stunning interiors from local interior designers. If you’re ready to achieve a moody and maximalist look for your home, look to these examples as inspiration.

Bold Bathrooms
“I designed this bathroom for a historic home in Boonsboro. The client was looking for the wow factor when walking in the space. We utilized a mural for the walls with rich jewel tones. Instead of a typical sink vanity, we retrofitted a console table from Arhaus with a limestone bowl sink on top. The back legs of the console were taken off and we had the base wall mounted. The scale of the console table helps balance the statement mural. We chose a tall mirror to reflect the light from the crystal chandelier.” – Agatha Interiors, www.agathainteriors.com

Rental Property Reno (Featured Top Photo, Courtesy of Agatha Interiors)
“We utilized pops of jewel tones in rich velvets for the furniture pieces, which make a big impact against the white walls due the high contrast. In lieu of art, a large, gold mirror was used which helps to visually fill the expansive wall and creates a focal point in the space.” – Agatha Interiors, www.agathainteriors.com

Curated Corners
“The Dragonfly basement was done for clients who had a sad, depressing space that hadn’t been touched since the 1960’s. As avid readers, it needed ample book storage as well as a dedicated reading area. As graphic designers they wanted to be surrounded with images that were inspiring to them, so we added cork treatments to the walls to allow for a rotating display of items that bring them joy. A black and white photo mural of the family takes up the darkest corner in the space bringing some contrast and interest to an otherwise lost area. 

This space is ‘curated, moody Scandinavian.’ The clients love raw, natural wood, texture, simplicity but also cozy warmth and a collected feel.”  – Skylark Designs, www.instagram.com/Skylarkdesignsllc.

Moody Main Floors
“The moody main floor bathroom is actually in my own home. This bathroom serves as an ensuite for a guest room as well as the main bathroom for the main level of the house. The vanity and top were here when we moved in and were in good condition so the dark wall color (Knoxville Gray by Benjamin Moore) was chosen to help them blend into the space better. The collage of art is a conglomeration of lots of things: Old family photos, cheap Hobby Lobby finds, antique art, silhouettes, China plates, and even some needlework. It was all about finding things with the right ‘tone’. My motto: things don’t have to match, they just have to complement one another.”
– Skylark Designs, www.instagram.com/Skylarkdesignsllc.

Luscious Libraries
“The library bedroom was a pale lavender little girls’ room until recently. I wanted it to be a cozy, peaceful space you could curl up and read in all day and no one would find you—a secret library. I wanted this space to feel curated and not matchy-matchy, like pieces have been acquired over time so there is a natural variation in the pallet: the bed quilts are made out of recycled Saris from India, but the couch and light fixtures feel more modern. It’s a wonderful room that feels like a warm hug and invites you to sit, relax and discover something new.” – Skylark Designs, www.instagram.com/Skylarkdesignsllc.

Stylish Starters
“This was a design project for clients in Lexington. The space was small so using the darker colors on the walls as accents rather than the entire room was important, as well as keeping our ‘collections’ (wall murals, bookshelf design, etc.) a bit more reigned in for a more refined look. A little reading corner with deep green velvet chairs fills the far end where the windows are covered with warm gold velvet drapes. In the bedroom, they were afraid to commit to the darker wall colors and lose the beautiful light, so instead we brought in the deep greens with a wall treatment we created with sconces and warm green velvet drapery on all the windows. The gold sconces sparkle beautifully against the deep green (Tarrytown Green by Benjamin Moore) and the wood molding gives the space the architectural detail it was so desperately lacking.” – Skylark Designs, www.instagram.com/Skylarkdesignsllc.

A Groomed Suite
“Every bride wants to feel special on their day, but equally so does the groom and what’s better than giving him a brag-worthy space for him and his groomsmen? We made this space dark, moody and perfectly masculine! Since the room is small, we opted for a single black textured feature wall instead of going dark in the entire room to still maximize light. In the space, we brought in rich textures that provide a dark and masculine mood—from leather lamp shades with metal rivets to luxe velvet window treatments layered over warm textured shades and of course a classic Chesterfield style sofa. Just add in a craft beer or a glass of whiskey to cheers your favorite friend, and the room is complete! All of these elements marry each other to create the perfect moody space to gather with your boys.” – Curtains, Blinds & Bath, curtainsblindsbath.com

Bridal Beauty
“Just because this room is bright doesn’t mean it’s not moody! This space is a whole mood in itself because of some big time texture! We created so much visual interest in this room by keeping things flowing in neutral colors, yummy textiles, and very intentional pops of soft color—think your favorite hotel, where you go in and expect a welcoming and trendy vibe! While the room feels full, your eyes don’t land necessarily on one specific spot because we intentionally left it soft and soothing to compliment any bride’s color story. We left plenty of walking room once the girls add in their garments, bags, and all the getting ready supplies. Plus, we had to have a floor mirror moment for the bride in her dress, or a champagne toast boomerang!”
– Curtains, Blinds & Bath, curtainsblindsbath.com

Perfect Powder Rooms
“We were channeling an organic, timeless look in this small (we mean very small) bathroom. We kept the room moody by layering warm greens and grays that veer more on the brown undertone side and paired them with a mid-tone wood vanity to complement each other.

The curbless shower was soldier-stacked with a glossy subway tile to help bounce the light around, while the continuous warm floor brings in a slight maximalist vibe with the pattern. Matte black and a warm brass play into the moody aspect of the design, rather than pulling in cool tones of chrome or nickel. The granite selected for the countertop and shower shelf also tie in the gray greens of the room. Overall, the dimmable lights and warmth of the space give off a moody modern New England vibe.” – Curtains, Blinds & Bath, curtainsblindsbath.com