As an interior architect, Jennifer Greenhalgh of local design firm Jackson + Park oversees multiple aspects of a home renovation project—from its structural design to its décor. Accordingly, the word “design” takes on a few different meanings as she approaches a new client; she and partner Kelly Carwile may be reinvisioning a room’s entire layout […]
We asked Stedman House interior designer Nicole Fagerli to tell us about her design influences, her favorite room and growing up in the furniture business. Antique or modern? Antique for sure. I love the patina that antiques add to a room. City or country? Country. I just love the city life, but I am a […]
One can sometimes forget that Charlottesville is a river town, but Alexandria Searls keeps the Rivanna firmly in mind. As director of the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center, she’s helped influence the choice of its location (overlooking the river in Darden Towe Park) and its mission (educating visitors, especially kids, about boatbuilding and nature-based aspects […]
This is a full circle kind of story. A couple of years ago, on this very page, we got some advice from local contractor Troy Yancey about renovating an Earlysville ranch house that was then on the market. Troy recommended opening some walls to improve flow, adding a fourth bedroom and a few other fixes. […]
This month’s issue of Abode is available now. Here’s what you’ll find inside: Patricia Kluge’s former Albemarle estate opens to overnighters. STOA’s Justin Heiser shares his influences. A check-in with designer (and shop owner) Laurie Holladay. Why your fireplace doesn’t have to be so plain. The oldest home in Albemarle (it’s not exactly livable). PLUS: This […]
Upholstered walls. A bright red hallway. Gilded chandeliers. When Holly and Kevin Davis bought their house in Fry’s Spring in 2012, it was, in an endearing way, over the top. “The house just evoked so much color and charm,” says Kathleen Conroy, a designer with Kenny Ball Design. Along with her colleague, Chloe Ball, she […]
When you’re building a new house on a wooded hilltop—a house whose design prioritizes views of the outdoors—the landscape is a crucial piece of the puzzle. From within Ron Harris’ Fluvanna County house, the woodsy surroundings are a constant presence, especially through the south wall, which is made almost entirely of glass. Finished in 2007, […]
It has long been established that there is an inexorable link between architecture and the community it serves. But, for architect Justin Heiser, that link was never more apparent than in grad school at UVA, when he studied under American architect Samuel Mockbee, a visiting professor from Auburn University. It was Mockbee who, with a […]
Talk about a house being great for entertaining. When opulent Albemarle House was built in the early 1980s by Patricia Kluge and her then-husband, media mogul John Kluge, they aimed to create a mansion fit to welcome royals and celebrities. As fate and fortune would have it, 30 years later, the 45-room home has become […]
You might love your fancy modern fireplace, but in this area, that’s just one of a few options when it comes to heating your hearth. While the modern fireplace brings with it a number of finishing options, tradition hasn’t gone completely up in smoke. Mike Ball, president of Element Construction, says at least half his […]
Having grown up in the family business—a furniture and lamp store founded by her father in Nassau, New Jersey, 70 years ago—Laurie Holladay comes by her talents naturally. She started Gordonsville-based Laurie Holladay Interiors in 2007 and sees it as a continuation of what her family built. “Beautiful lamps and lampshades have always been a […]
It was a kind of magic trick. An old house in Fifeville, sandwiched closely between its neighbors, was demolished to make way for a new, modern dwelling—and presto change-o, the new house reuses and features many of the materials from the old. It’s as though existing DNA was scrambled to create a novel animal. “You […]
Cabinets are really just boxes on the wall you put your stuff in, says Dave Connolly of Heartwood Design. But that doesn’t keep some of his clients from spending time and money making sure they look—and function—just right. Connolly, a project manager based in Afton, says his customers are looking for cabinets that look like […]
By the time you read this, downtown Charlottesville should have its movie theater back. But it’s not just a matter of reopening the old Regal theater. The new Violet Crown Cinema, which now stands in its place, will be an entirely different animal. “I always think of these places as boutique cinemas: very bespoke, very […]
When Katherine Donovan returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, in her early 20s after a stint living on a ranch in Wyoming, she was searching for her next move. A friend suggested she contact Charleston-based designer Amelia Handegan to see about an assistant position, which led to working on the original River Course Clubhouse at […]
Rolling drive? Check. Board fencing? Check. You’ve got your mature oaks and boxwoods, your brick façade, your white columns. And, naturally, there is a historical connection to a towering figure of early American history (Patrick “Give Me Liberty” Henry). It doesn’t get much more classic than Oak Grove, a 131-acre estate outside Scottsville. Visiting it […]
When you’re young, one of the hardest —and most important—decisions you face is what to pursue as your life’s work. For Anne Gibson Mark, that choice didn’t come easy. She had always been interested in architecture—her father was a founding principal of local firm Johnson, Craven & Gibson, so she’d grown up with an appreciation […]
The October issue of Abode is on stands now… Here’s what you’ll find inside this month. Architect Bob Moje’s design philosophy. A case for tiny houses in Charlottesville. Need an appliance upgrade? Consider this. A new beer garden drinks in the view. This month’s featured house: The low-key farmhouse Wanting to preserve the look of a […]
For anyone confronting a property that’s short on landscaping—and feeling that it’ll be a lifetime before anything substantial can grow—Katherine Kane has reassuring words. “If you get obsessive, you can have a mature garden in 25 years.” She should know. In 1990, when she and her husband, Olin West, bought their Free Union farm, it […]
It’s a truism that designers and their clients need to have a good collaborative relationship for a project to go smoothly. But it’s not always the case that they’re actually longtime friends. When Joel and Betty Loving asked designer Karen Turner to rethink a kitchen in their Fluvanna County farmhouse, the request hardly came out of […]
We’re all affected by design. A mediocre building, says VMDO founding principal Bob Moje, degrades the world we all share. “Every act of building is embedded with enormous potential to make a difference—resources are leveraged or wasted, the human condition is enhanced or too often harmed in countless ways, which is tragic when you see […]
Sometimes it takes actually setting foot in a tiny house to know just how tiny tiny houses are. Perhaps that’s why several local housing experts are skeptical of the movement that has a subset of home buyers seeking to cut their living space tenfold. “This idea that I’m going to downsize my life is one […]
Traditional wisdom says fall is a great time to buy appliances, as that’s when manufacturers crank out new models and retailers drop the price on older equipment. But, according to several local retailers, that’s not necessarily so. “I wouldn’t say there is a typical timeframe,” says Jeff Kramer, a sales consultant for the local outpost […]