The last bite: Split decision

It may not look like anything fancy, but the old-school banana split at Chandler’s Ice Cream (that throwback soft-serve stand by the Tractor Supply store on River Road) is a summertime must-have. Served in a styrofoam container, it’s two bananas, split down the middle and piled high with ice cream, whipped cream, walnuts, pineapple and […]

May Abode: On stands now!

In this month’s Abode, learn about Charlottesville kit homes’ past, present and future; see why lighting is better in threes; explore an Ivy landscape that matured over 30 years and—we saved the best for last—peek inside V House, a palatial Albemarle estate designed in Jeffersonian tradition. And then some! Here’s what’s inside: A dank downtown home […]

Brighten up: When it comes to good lighting, layering is key

Good things come in threes: primary colors, books in a trilogy and, says designer Kori Messenger, lighting. “There are three layers of lighting: ambient, accent and task lighting,” she says. “We like to see all three in a space if possible.” In a recent client’s home, Messenger and her designer partner at Foxchase Design, Nicole […]

What’s next? Four of UVA’s architecture school grads tell us where they’re headed

Now that they’ve made it through the program, we asked a few of UVA’s architecture graduate students to tell us where they’re headed come May 21. Jennifer Hsiaw Undergraduate school/degree: U.C. Berkeley, BA Architecture; MIT, MEng Structural Engineering Graduate degree/concentration: Master of Architecture Summary of your thesis: My thesis is looking at high-tech corporate campuses […]

April Abode: On stands now!

This month’s Abode is historic—peek inside a 19th-century farmhouse, explore an updated 1850s James River estate, find out the best way to preserve wood detailing in your home and more. Here’s what you’ll find inside: A Lewis Mountain home evolves in phases. When to restore or replace. A new Bundoran show home. A 300-acre James […]