This Theatrical Birmingham Condo Blends Heirlooms, Art & Edge
Step inside actor and playwright Mason McCulley’s Birmingham condo, where bold design choices create a whimsical escape. Image: Chris Luker
Birmingham-based actor and playwright Mason McCulley’s condo is as storied as it is striking. The space is inspired by Southern heirlooms and a theatrical blend of history, artistry, and even personal healing. With the help of interior designer Danielle Balanis, Mason transformed the condo into a sanctuary that reflects his creative spirit, honors his family’s legacy, and anchors him back in his hometown. Take a look inside!
When actor, writer, and Birmingham native Mason McCulley began toying with the idea of moving home after two decades in Los Angeles, it wasn’t part of a master plan. In fact, it happened at one of his lowest points.
“I was playing with the idea of looking at real estate in Birmingham and what coming home would look like. It wasn’t a concrete idea; it wasn’t a plan. I was in what I call ‘my darkness.’ I was almost at my rock bottom,” Mason says. “My mother had been sick for a very long time, and I was drinking way too much. I am now sober from alcohol. But on a whim, a friend sent me this listing.”
That listing would change everything.
“The funny thing is, I had a great aunt who lived upstairs on the fifth floor,” says Mason of the building where he now resides. “Even as a kid, I always imagined that if I ever came back to Birmingham, this is the building I would want to be in.” He defines the space as “very New York,” something that always appealed to him.
“This condo became available, and it was so theatrical and unique and special that I flew home to look at it three days later. I literally walked through and made an offer, and it pulled me back home. There was something about it that was cosmic and spiritual — not just because it’s beautiful and grand, but something just made sense. It felt as though I could find myself again in this space.”
When it came to shaping the condo into a reflection of both history and artistry, Mason turned to Birmingham designer Danielle Balanis. “Danielle is a magician,” he says. “I don’t have to explain my crazy to her — she gets it. I text her with an idea, and she won’t rein it in; she’ll layer it on.”
Danielle recalls feeling the spark immediately, too. “He interviewed me with his family by his side in late 2021,” she says. “I clicked with him instantly and knew it was a good match. We had a blank canvas with a most gorgeous shell. The world was our oyster!”
From the start, Mason and Danielle aimed to create a space that was both historic and theatrical. “I’ve always been a collector, and every piece has a story,” Mason says, noting that portraits, heirlooms, and art from friends were meant to tell a larger narrative. Danielle shares that they leaned into what she calls “nerdy Gucci library chic meets cabaret,” an aesthetic that blended books, heirlooms, and theatrical flair into a home that truly echoed Mason’s personality.
“At the time, Alessandro Michele was the designer at Gucci, and he was doing some really profound things,” Danielle shares. “Mason and I both love books, and there was this notion to lean into things that were crusty and a little grandma chic. Mason is also very theatrical, and the world is his stage. We had to make his home echo that.”
The balance between old and new was intentional. Danielle explains, “There are family heirlooms and pieces from his fairy godmother, Roda, that really ground the space.” To keep it fresh, she layered in modern touches — a curved sofa, sleek lamps, and clean-lined tables — against the storied backdrop of antiques and heirlooms.
Certain pieces hold even more profound meaning for Mason. “The portraits mean so much to me,” he says. But the most powerful anchor is a mural painted by his friend Krista Machovina, which depicts symbols of loss, resilience, and renewal. “Krista took my story and turned it into a mural,” Mason says. “It looks like a storybook.”
The portraits of Mason’s ancestors hold a profound place in the condo. “When you walk in, there are two five-and-a-half-foot portraits, one of my grandfather and one of my great-grandfather,” he says. Both men were Chiefs of Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital — visible through the living room window — and the portraits once hung there before being returned to the family.
Danielle notes that every corner carries intention. “Each of the three spaces in the great room is perfection,” she says, pointing to the balance between the peacocks, a reading nook, and a grand dining table.
For Mason, the condo became a place of healing after the loss of his mother and his dear friend, actress Carole Cook. He found himself drawn to birdcages, collecting several ornate, empty ones that now dot the space. “They definitely represent my journey,” he says. “There’s something beautiful about a birdcage because they are so impractical … beautifully impractical and almost skeletal. They sort of represent the body without the life in it. And also being free.”
For Mason, returning to Birmingham has been a revelation. “The biggest thing about me coming home is finding that I can, in fact, be my authentic self,” he says. Encouraged years ago to chase his dreams in Los Angeles, he now feels that same support as he settles back into his hometown. “They’re still cheering for me,” Mason adds. “They’re embracing me as I come home … and that’s been the most beautiful discovery of all.”
The condo’s setting, perched above Birmingham’s beloved Garage, adds to its magic. “Oh, it’s a vortex. It’s a beautiful, magical vortex,” Mason says, noting the nearby theater, parks, and Bottega’s ever-buzzing energy. “The neighborhood is a representation of the creative force that is Birmingham.”
For Mason, the space embodies both memory and momentum. “If you walk around the condo with me, you get that everything is a recalling,” he says. “It’s a snapshot of a life lived — not just my life, because I’m lucky I’m still living it.”
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.