Chicken in the pot As humans, we tend to think of putting on weight in the winter months, but really it is the abundance of summer and fall that ought to fatten us up for the winter—not unlike the Thankgiving turkey and the Christmas goose. Speaking of our feathered friends, November is a great time […]

 Problem: Encouraging imagination while honoring a young girl’s taste Stella Goldstein, 4, heads over to her vintage rack of dress-up clothes and pushes past the fairy wings and sparkly pink princess dresses before happily plucking her red cape off the hanger. “This is for super hero games that Max and me play,” she explains. Max, […]

Before After Turn a builder’s grade fireplace into a touch of old Virginia style with a reclaimed mantel and surround. Fire faux As we begin to prepare for the cool, autumn Virginia nights, many of us embrace the great indoors. If you’re like me, nothing says fall like making a pitcher of Stone Fences (cider […]

One brick at a time In the process of updating or demolishing a building? Here’s a handy source for finding and disposing of reclaimed materials—PlanetReuse. Think of it as a supplement to our local resource, the Habitat Store. The folks at PlanetReuse match up buyers with sellers, work to find materials within 250 to 500 […]

Bowled over Made from 100 percent recycled material in a family-owned Cairo workshop, these food-safe bowls incorporate both style and function. $6.50 each at Artifacts. (111 Fourth St., NE, 295-9500)                 Wrap it up   There’s something exciting about unwrapping a new gadget. The perfect hardware, the glossy […]

 All summer, while humans have been eating, and weeding, and watering gardens and farms, a more subtle and profound transformation has taken place in pastures and hardwood pens across the Old Dominion. Domesticated animals have been working long days harvesting, storing and distributing energy on our behalf.  Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry are able […]

When it comes to fixing up a rental, I believe we have to play more of a magician than master carpenter, opting for a bag of tricks and a magic wand instead of a sledgehammer and chainsaw. Even if you have a landlord who gives you free run of the place and tells you to […]

What happens when two young architects move into a brand-new townhouse, surrounded by dozens of identical townhouses, in a big development where the bulldozers are still at work? If they’re Lowell Morin and Lin Jia, they cheerfully overlook the dust and set to work making their home their own. The pair moved into the Pavilions […]

Bring walls to life Lacking the space to invest in a full-sized garden? If you’re looking for a way to bring some green plant life into the house, consider wall planters as a refreshing alternative to potted plants or cut flowers. Woolly Pocket Garden Company designs gardening containers made of a shapeable felt that is […]

Desktop basics With school back in session there’s no better time to get organized. The good news: You don’t need a lot of fancy gadgets to bring order to your work space. Weights, containers and a sense of style are all that’s required to keep clutter at bay. Here are some of our favorite options […]