If you own a house in a historic district, it turns out that implementing any kind of renovation project is tricky business. Mark and Caroline Shaffrey knew this when, in 1997, they decided to buy their 1902 Colonial in Downtown Charlottesville. And it meant waiting to make any changes to the space until they were [...]
The story of how Keriann Koeman came to have upwards of 50,000 tulips planted on her property starts with love, but not necessarily a love of tulips. Koeman, a self described “green girl,” met Jeroen Koeman, who hailed from a Dutch family of tulip growers. They fell in love, got married, and started the first [...]
After decades spent living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Don and Minna Doyle found themselves facing catastrophe when Hurricane Katrina flooded their house with 12′ of water in 2005. “It was structurally sound, but everything had to be replaced,” Minna remembered. While many of their neighbors threw everything away, the Doyles were more inclined to [...]
05/23/2013 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm Maggie Edwards Durty Nelly’s, Charlottesville VA
Coffee tables. We all have them. But many of us don’t exactly know what to do with them. Or at least, how to make them functional and artfully styled. What kinds of things belong on a coffee table? How should they be arranged? Matters of scale, practicality, and sentiment all come into question [...]
Do you respect wood? Michael Keith does. A master of old-world craftsmanship, Keith is a furniture maker and restorer of the highest mark. Passionate about the details and intent on preserving the original integrity of antiques, his is an art based upon labored hours in his workshop/studio. [...]
The camellia is an all-around surprising plant. First of all, this evergreen actually blooms in, of all seasons, winter. Autumn-flowering camellias bloom from November through mid-January. And while spring-blooming camellias aren’t supposed to put out flowers until March or April, “last winter [...]
Heather Halsey and Derek Sieg are equally aesthetically minded people. She’s the Charlottesville editor of The Scout Guide, and he’s a filmmaker. It’s been a whirlwind of a relationship. After a year of dating, they got engaged, although Heather claims “I knew about two weeks in that this was [...]
Sometimes, inspiration doesn’t look the way you expect it to. In 2008, Rhonda Matthias was gathering ideas for a new house she and her husband, Cary, planned to build. They had the land—a four-acre parcel in rural Goochland County—and they thought they wanted a “traditional farmhouse,” [...]
Living in a farmhouse that dates back to 1860 is not for everyone. “It can get pretty cold. Our home isn’t known for its insulation,” admitted Kemp Hill. But she, along with her husband Tommy and their four children, wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, weather permitting, there’s almost [...]
Fascinated with orchids? So is anyone with eyes, at this time of year when the world outside tends toward browns and grays. Orchids can bring a splash of tropical color and a certain joie de vivre to your indoor environment. Aren’t they hard to care for, though? Not necessarily, says Stephen [...]
Up until six months ago, Tara and Andrew Montgomery were struggling to provide a safe and freedom-filled environment for their young daughter, Leah (18 months). They were living in an old North Downtown farmhouse, and their newly mobile child was at odds with the accoutrements of the 1910 home, [...]
’Tis the season for tending boxwood. Remove any dead branches, with a hand saw if necessary. Boxwood is renowned for its density, a favorite of woodcut block-makers, so you can’t approach it with just a pair of hand shears. Loppers tend to tear. Get a curved folding saw and a good pair of [...]
The remaking of one Charlottesville house is a study in contrasts. It was a modern addition to a traditional (though not very old) house. It didn’t change much about the original structure—except for turning it from a dark, unpleasant space into a light-filled and open home. It bumped up the [...]
According to the United States Census Bureau, new home sales are defined as occurring “with the signing of a sales contract or the acceptance of a deposit.” That said, most new homes sales happen while the house is still under construction or not even started. Only 25 percent of new houses are [...]
It was supposed to be a small project. Debra Weiss had owned her North Downtown house for seven years when, in 2003, a city ordinance changed to allow homeowners to build detached rental properties. She was ready with what she thought was a simple, low-key idea: Turn her 400-square-foot garage [...]
Having come home to his calling as a woodworker, Fred Levering is now selling his wares through a number of local shops: The Happy Cook, The Barn Swallow, The Artful Lodger, Curious Orange, and Vivian’s, among others. Hunt for him there or contact him directly: 202-8887 or falfour@comcast.net. [...]
Twenty-five years in one kitchen is enough time for several eras to unfold. “I moved here in ’87 and I’ve been here ever since, much to my surprise,” said Leigh Glassmire of her Charlottesville house. Perhaps a resonance with the places of her Northern childhood is the reason: “This house [...]
Since Eppie’s is a study in efficiency, serving up the food we crave before we can even reach the end of the counter, it comes as no surprise that flow was at the top of owner Dan Epstein’s list when renovating his home kitchen. Dan, his wife Kate, and their 2-year-old daughter, Libby, moved [...]
For the creative woman, the lines between work and life are often blurred. Inspiration can strike at any moment, and having a space nearby that’s conducive to realizing a vision can be crucial. Being surrounded by objects, treasures, natural curiosities and sentimental items can provide an [...]
“The object that is my most prized possession in my home is a handmade Afghan woman’s shepherd cloak that is about 80 years old, from the northeast province of Badakhshan. The cloak is made from felt and embroidered with beautiful silk thread designs of flowers. All of the dyes are made from [...]
For interior designer Sandy Muraca, updating her foyer last winter so that it reflected her love of vintage art and antiques was vital. “While it’s not a space or room that you would sit and have coffee with a friend, it is a space where you come home, a space where you greet family and [...]
The autumn equinox brings a change of season. Regardless of drought, derecho or whether we believe fossil fuels contribute to global warming, at 10:49 am EDT on September 22, Earth faces the sun straight on before tilting toward fall. Like students at the start of the school year, gardeners can [...]