An intimate space: Using a garden to soften a vast view
The house enjoys an extraordinary location, overlooking miles of Albemarle countryside from a high mountainside perch. Throughout the day the sun makes its crossing from east to west across a wide expanse of sky, while fields and woods unroll below for what seems like forever. When the present owners came here in 1996, they loved […]
Commercial update: After a five-year search for a new space, design firm Convoy finds a mixed-use home
It’s a sign of a Charlottesville that’s growing and changing. On a site on East High Street, where once stood two small single-family houses, architect and developer Richard Price is creating a cluster of modern buildings to provide “medium-density” working and living space. At the moment, much of the project is yet to be built—but […]
From business to casual: While maintaining some of its original appeal, a downtown office becomes an eclectic family home
Finding a house in downtown Charlottesville isn’t easy, but Kate Stephenson managed to do it when she spotted a commercial space for sale just north of the Downtown Mall. Like many onetime residences, the brick building had been serving for decades as offices. When she first walked in, Stephenson definitely noticed a “law-office” look—acoustic tile […]
The new ag: Sylvanaqua models the next wave of local farming
Talking with Chris Newman about the farm he runs with his wife, Annie, you get the feeling you’re glimpsing the future. Newman likes to think ahead; he was still in his 20s when he and Annie began planning to become farmers after retirement, which was decades away. They lived in Washington, D.C., then; he worked […]
How to pass ‘go’: City office lends business owners a hand
Thinking of making the leap to entrepreneurship in Charlottesville? Your first stop ought to be the Office of Economic Development, which offers a broad menu of services to would-be business owners. We spoke with Jason Ness, business development manager, about what he and his colleagues can do to nudge your startup dream closer to reality. […]
Wedding greens: For a fresh take on arrangements, try trees
Longing for a breath of fresh air at your wedding site? Potted plants, trees and shrubs are a trend that can delight your guests and bring an all-natural vibe to a space. There are lots of ways to use greenery at your wedding. One of the most common: “Making a space more intimate,” says Luke […]
Simple pleasures: How to have a small Charlottesville wedding
What’s that you say? You actually don’t want the big ol’ wedding involving three days of catered meals, bagpipers on parade, engraved nameplates to mark which boutonniere goes on which groomsman? You’re not alone. Plenty of folks opt for a smaller, simpler wedding. There are many reasons why—and cost is only the most obvious. Fewer details […]
Mixed metals: Locally, wedding rings are going nontraditional
It’s a detail few guests will get a good look at, but it’ll stay with you, up close and personal, for as long as you’re married. Wedding bands deserve some attention as you do your planning—and don’t leave this decision to the last minute, since rings can take one to four weeks to arrive once […]
To top it off: Hip, fresh rental option Emerson James enters the scene
Planning a wedding means thinking about how best to represent the two of you as a couple, down to the very last cup. But how do you set your wedding apart when you’re pulling from the same resources as everyone else? That was a question local industry vets Mallory Joyce, a wedding planner and florist, […]
Make it work: One home’s kitchen is another home’s…kitchen
Talk about seizing the day. When Anna Boeschenstein found out that a practically new kitchen was slated to be removed from a home in Farmington, she realized she was looking at a golden opportunity. The place had served as the 2014 Design House—a fundraiser for the Shelter for Help in Emergency, in which many local […]
Home again: Taking a downtown office building back to its residential roots
The house in downtown Charlottesville had lived many lives. Built in the early 1900s, one of a number of similar foursquare houses on its street, it had served for decades as an office building before Gerald and Marianne Starsia first saw it in 2014. And though the couple liked the structure right away, they also […]
Hey, Joe: Local roastery tweaks its space’s flavor
Dave Fafara stands over the noisy machine in the back of his Shenandoah Joe’s Preston Avenue shop, coffee-scented steam rising from a batch of freshly roasted beans. A metal arm pushes through the beans heaped in the cooling tray, and Fafara occasionally stirs them with his hand, until they’re cool enough to slide out a […]
Design time: In a Bellair kitchen, high-gloss finishes set the tone
As a professional designer, Kathy Heiner is familiar with all the twists and turns of the renovation process. So, when it came time to redo the kitchen in the Bellair house she’s shared with her sons since 2012, she appreciated having the luxury of time to think about what she wanted. “Lori Randle and I […]
Finding level: On a mountaintop, Waterstreet Studio carves outdoor living space
The cabin sits on a steep Albemarle mountainside under a tall forest canopy. It was built in West Virginia, probably in the early 1800s; it was moved here in the 1970s, reconstructed and updated with basic conveniences like plumbing. Its owners used it only a few weeks per year as a vacation spot. Then, on […]
From my mountaintop: Lynchburg house commands a view, comfortably
The house would be a surprise to any visitor. Just a few minutes outside Lynchburg proper, a leafy suburban road leads to a quiet gravel driveway curving through trees. At the end of it is a stunning, open site with a far-reaching view of the mountains. It’s quite unexpected, and the new house that perches […]
All together now: Lewis Catherine House gets a guest-friendly makeover
The old farmhouse in Afton wasn’t exactly ready for prime time. But it had a stellar location for the short-term rental that two young homeowners dreamed of opening. Positioned in a spot with lovely mountain views, it was right down the road from popular wedding venue Veritas Vineyards—and it boasted five bedrooms. “We thought of […]
The big update: Scott Weiss creates a farmhouse’s new wing
With six previous renovations under their belts, Frank and Rebecca Gristina had lots of practice sizing up old houses. When Rebecca, accompanied by her mother, came to see a 1906 farmhouse in western Albemarle, she quickly noticed promising signs. This was despite the fact that the place had been uninhabited and was so uninviting that […]
Back to school: VMDO pushes the envelope on educational design
Since it began in 1976, VMDO—the firm that won Best Architect in this year’s Best of C-VILLE reader poll—has come a long way. And it’s established itself as a part of Charlottesville, both as a physical presence at its downtown office—housed in a onetime YMCA facility—and as the design force behind many local landmarks, including […]
Slow evolution: On an Albemarle property, global ideas take root
Most gardens reflect a gardener’s care and dedication. At the Albemarle home of Lucy and Robert Huff, the landscape is also, in a sense, a gallery of souvenirs. The couple have amassed not only plant specimens given as gifts by family and friends, but garden concepts collected on their travels. Ideas from around the world […]
Entry to paradise: Schuyler’s Quarry Gardens get a proper introduction
Local lovers of native plants have a new mecca: the Quarry Gardens in Schuyler, where owners Armand and Bernice Thieblot opened 40 acres of native habitat to visitors just this spring. Those visitors will enter through a structure designed to complement the gardens’ eco-minded mission. “This building is in keeping with the underlying focus on […]
Sitting pretty: Tucked into colorful gardens, a curvy Berryville pool
Low stone walls, a stone deck and lots of ornamental plants create a natural feel. But the pool zone doesn’t lack for convenience: A pergola at one end shelters an outdoor kitchen complete with a dishwasher and a bathroom. When the owner asked designer Jen Greenhalgh at Jackson + Park Design to help her choose […]
A pool on a slope: On a tough site, building an irresistible spot to swim
When Carl and Khabira Wise spoke to us for this story, it was late afternoon and they were sitting in their pool. “We normally have pool time around 4 o’clock,” says Khabira. That’s a routine the couple has quickly established just this year, in the brand-new pool that was just installed behind their Barboursville home. […]
Beautiful timing: A new city house makes a couple’s dreams come true
The first time Staci Vinson and Robyn Templeton walked into their house—even though it was still under construction—they had the feeling they’d been there before. “We’d been drawing this house on napkins at happy hours for 10 years,” says Templeton. The serendipitous part was that Jason Roberson, owner of the design-build company Builderbeast, had independently […]
Function and games: A family pool anchors a multi-use landscape
The couple was not looking to revamp their pool, but the year after they moved into their Albemarle house, the pool began to cave in. They realized they had a project on their hands. And they had an opportunity—to make the pool and its surroundings much more amenable to their lifestyle. “They asked me to […]
Heaven on earth: A sophisticated farm samples many styles
It’s quite a new house—finished less than three years ago—but the home of Monique Maniet has a settled quality, as though it’s perched on this Rappahannock hillside for a long time. A collection of buildings, more “related” than “matching,” snuggles into the slope, looking like a European village. They’re accompanied by plants of many types, […]
New again: After a fire, embracing second chances in Western Albemarle
If anyone needs an object lesson in the power of positive thinking, look no further than Katharine “Boo” Dulaney. In 2014, after she’d lived in her Western Albemarle farmhouse for 63 years, she lost her home to a fire. Did she consider moving to town, maybe a little apartment, something easy to care for? “Never […]
Listening to the house: A Keswick renovation aims for seamless style
The charm of many old houses is found in similar places—old-fashioned doorknobs, homey fireplaces and gracious entryways. It’s much rarer to fall in love with an aging bathroom or kitchen. When Peter Thomas bought a house in Keswick, built in 1953, he found much to appreciate, but the kitchen and bathrooms were not in the […]