Homes on the tour include Mary Catherine and Scott Laney’s in Mountain Brook.By Sharon Smith
Attracting an average of 11 million viewers each month, HGTV has offered decorating tips, inspiration and ideas for 30 years. Move over, HGTV. On Dec. 12, there’s an even better destination for inspiration and ideas right here in Birmingham – and it’s one that changes lives, too.
Wondering what that may be? The answer, of course, is Samford University Legacy League’s annual Christmas Home Tour.
Now in its 14th year, this beloved yuletide event is a community favorite. Since its inception, the tour has featured 55 homes and attracted nearly 7,000 guests, including visitors from multiple states.
“We are thankful that the Christmas Home Tour, now a Birmingham holiday tradition, provides financial support to deserving young students while being a blessing for guests, students and volunteers,” said Chair Jan Service. “The tour’s impact has been enormous – over $425,000 raised for scholarships so far.”
As always, the slate of homes includes a variety of ages, architectural styles and design concepts. This year’s event includes three Vestavia Hills homes and one each in Homewood and Mountain Brook. But while each of the homes’ décor is unique, the five being featured this year share a common factor – all have either undergone extensive renovations or been rebuilt from the ground up.
Tickets to the event cover a tour through the personal dwelling of a nationally recognized interior designer; a panoramic golf course view in Vestavia Hills; pop-up shops, treats and antiques in the president’s home; a reimagined 1950s era Hollywood home; and a Crestline residence described as a ”French Normandy chateau.”
Continuing its support for the ninth year, ARC Realty is the Presenting Sponsor for the Christmas Home Tour.
“ARC is a relationship company,” said Beau Bevis, president and CEO. “We value our relationship with Samford and the Legacy League and the work they do in our community. We are always grateful to be part of this wonderful event, knowing that it helps young people who could otherwise not afford a university education.”
Premium Sponsors are AllSouth Appliance, Community Bank and Shunnarah Flooring.
This not-to-miss event is an “all hands on deck” endeavor for the Legacy League – involving more than 200 volunteers serving as home hosts and helping with food, logistics and publicity.
The Legacy League overall has awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships, helping more than 200 students experience a Samford education. Legacy League scholarship recipients have endured obstacles including homelessness, innercity violence, death or disability of a parent, foster care, abandonment, parental addiction or incarceration, and the sacrifices of full-time ministry.
In addition to receiving scholarships, students in the Legacy League cohort benefit from caring relationships, campus connections and practical assistance, including book stipends and food pantry access.
Houses on the tour will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Guests will drive to each home; carpooling is highly recommended.
Tickets must be purchased in advance; there will be no ticket sales at the door. They are available at samford.edu/legacyleague for $40 through Nov. 30, then $45 through Dec. 10. Guests select their start time and first home during ticket purchase. They may tour the remainder of the homes in any order.
Homes on the Tour
• Amy and Matt Kelly, 318 La Prado Circle, Homewood
• Mary Catherine and Scott Laney, 504 Dexter Ave., Mountain Brook
• Nancy and Ron Rowell, 2421 Chestnut Road, Vestavia Hills
• Marianne and Patrick Strong, 503 Eastwood Place, Vestavia Hills
• Julie and Beck Taylor, Samford President’s Home, 1994 Shades Crest Road, Vestavia Hills
Amy and Matt Kelly, 318 La Prado Circle, Homewood
Built in 1955, Amy and Matt Kelly’s inviting Homewood residence has little resemblance to the original dwelling on the lot. Previous owners added a second story to the bungalow at the start of the millennium.
The Kellys have given it a “top to bottom renovation over the past four years, covering the full interior and exterior,” Amy Kelly said.
“Prior to moving in,” she said, “we updated the floor plan to improve sightlines downstairs where there were previously several smaller rooms. Upstairs, we closed and moved doorways and walls to create a better flow. After moving in, we worked our way through the kitchen, bathrooms and exterior. At this point, almost every surface has received a refresh.”
This completely renovated home on a quiet Hollywood street boasts several interesting features – a cozy screened porch with tall accordion doors, a 1,000-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar, and an updated outdoor kitchen, to name a few.
The yuletide décor includes a ceramic Christmas tree stand made by Matt Kelly’s great-grandfather, who also made the molds for the decorative top of the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
Mary Catherine and Scott Laney, 504 Dexter Ave., Mountain Brook
Arab natives and high school sweethearts Mary Catherine and Scott Laney love the walkable community of Crestline, where they’ve lived in their French Normandy-inspired chateau since 2020.
Simultaneously classic but artful, comfortable yet elegant, their custom-built home includes countless notable features. Numerous roof peaks, tall corner windows and a porte-cochere add interest to the white brick exterior, while the grand chandelier and angled staircase distinguish the two-story foyer.
The center of the residence includes a living room with exposed beams and a gorgeous white kitchen with double islands. Each of the home’s four bedrooms is appointed, thanks to interior decorator Lisbeth Cease, to fit its resident’s interests and personality.
Leon the Elf ushers in the yuletide season for the Laneys, presenting their three children with coordinating Christmas pajamas.
A wonderland at Christmas, the home displays 10 trees, including a 10-foot Fraser fir dressed in Old World and other mercury glass ornaments. Sentimental ornaments and a Christmas train adorn the playroom tree, while the whimsical upstairs den tree provides a backdrop for Santa’s mailbox. The outdoor sitting area boasts three nested trees by the bed swing, the suspending ropes of which are wrapped with lighted pine garland.
Nancy and Ron Rowell, 2421 Chestnut Road, Vestavia HillsNancy and Ron Rowell, 2421 Chestnut Road, Vestavia Hills
After 43 years in the same house, Nancy and Ron Rowell “decided it was time for a change. Instead of downsizing,” Nancy Rowell said, “we upsized.”
Overlooking Vestavia Country Club’s 12th green, the Rowells’ custom-built residence has all the features they wanted.
They spent more than a year in the planning stages. Five years after building their “forever special home,” Nancy Rowell said, there is nothing they would change.
The stately painted brick house has large arched windows, a balcony and limestone accents. Inside, the limestone makes a starring appearance in the majestic staircase and large fireplace.
The kitchens’ twin islands, another focal point, offer space for entertaining family and friends. Across the back, the large open-air porch with remote-controlled motorized screens provides tranquility and gorgeous views.
Seasonal decorating starts before Thanksgiving for the Rowells, who adorn their home with multiple Christmas trees inside and out. The living room’s 12-foot flocked tree reaches nearly to the top of the second-floor balcony railing, which is dressed in complementary wreaths.
Silver-trimmed stockings coordinate with festive pillows on the room’s club chairs. The steps of the foyer staircase provide the stage for nativity characters on their journey to Bethlehem.
Marianne and Patrick Strong, 503 Eastwood Place, Vestavia Hills
The Strongs have lived in two houses on the same Vestavia Hills lot – the first they bought and the second they built seven years later because they didn’t want to leave their neighborhood.
Building a home “from the ground up” was familiar territory for Marianne Strong, a nationally recognized Birmingham interior designer.
With hopes that visitors “would want to stay awhile,” the Strongs built a cozy yet spacious brick home with a fresh, eclectic style and a commitment to function.
The kitchen, outfitted by AllSouth Appliance, features a large four-seat island with a built-in bookcase for cookbooks. It’s topped with a boldly veined stone Marianne Strong found years ago that also is used on the countertops and backsplash. Custom steel windows above the sink and in the breakfast nook maximize natural light and views of the park behind the house.
The home’s art and holiday décor harken back to family memories. Every ornament on their downstairs Christmas tree tells a story, and framed Christmas cards in the stairwell memorialize passing years.
Marianne Strong’s Chilean heritage is evident on the “sailboat wall,” while other pieces give nods to Nashville and Mississippi. The family’s talent is revealed in moon views Marianne Strong painted and lots of the Strong boys’ artwork.
Julie and Beck Taylor,Samford President’s Home,1994 Shades Crest Road, Vestavia Hills
Julie and Beck Taylor, Samford President’s Home,1994 Shades Crest Road, Vestavia Hills
On the ridge of Shades Mountain overlooking Samford’s campus sits the Samford’s President’s Home, a replica of Monteigne, a mid-18th century neoclassical house in Natchez, Mississippi.
The four-story house is a busy university event space and the dwelling place of President Beck A.Taylor; his wife, Julie, the university’s first lady and Legacy League’s executive director; their youngest daughter, Chloe; and their goldendoodle, Peanut. Furnished with a beautifully integrated collection of university-owned antiques and Taylor family pieces and collections, the majestic residence welcomes thousands of visitors annually. More than 1,800 books fill its plentiful bookcases.
The president’s home has anchored the Christmas Home Tour since its inception 13 years ago.
Its yuletide attire includes themed Christmas trees, many yards of lighted garland and festive ribbon and special pieces the family has collected over the years. A snowy Christmas village depicts Victorian England and scenes from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Guests can view the home’s gorgeous décor and seasonal flair and then experience live holiday music, treats and pop-up shops in the ballroom. A percentage of all purchases supports the Legacy League Scholarship Fund.
Sharon Smith is managing director of the Samford University Legacy League.
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