Giving joy a lift

UVA is flush with traditions—streaking the Lawn, painting Beta Bridge, singing “The Good Old Song” after, well, almost anything—but only a few of them, like the Balloon Brigade, come with altruistic intentions. Each year during Final Exercises, students are encouraged to carry a balloon that represents who they are and, after they’ve tossed their caps, […]

Janasha Bradford’s on a mission to make financial education accessible and joyful for the next generation

Money is one of the longest relationships we’ll ever have, says financial advisor Janasha Bradford. We use it to make decisions about where we live, how we work, how we define success and security. For Bradford, the relationship began with personal loss. At just 7 years old, she watched her mother struggle to manage a […]

The sound of silence

A lifelong dancer and music-lover, Krissy Muniz first discovered silent discos while regularly attending music festivals. “Even during the headlining performances, the silent disco was packed,” she says. In 2021, she invested in her own silent disco system, hoping to share her love of music and dance with Charlottesville. Good Times Only, a silent disco […]

Not board with it

There’s a lot to love about a charcuterie board: Meat! Cheese! Sometimes honey! But gathering each of the ingredients? Prepping them? Creating an array that looks Pinterest-worthy? That’s a tall order. In early 2025, Brittany Lowell answered the call with The Wandering Board, a mobile charcuterie cart that allows guests (of your wedding, birthday party, […]

Stories in stone and wood

Four historically significant sites in our area—including a modernist home, a Black cemetery, and a rural schoolhouse—were added in June to the Virginia Landmarks Register, recognizing their cultural and architectural importance. Thomas and Alena Hammond House (Charlottesville)Designed in 1962 by Herbert Fritz, Jr., a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice, this striking one-story home in the Greenbrier […]

Albemarle’s new courthouse brings light, space, and purpose to downtown

After years of planning and study, Albemarle County’s new courthouse, which opened in downtown Charlottesville in June, represents a step forward in local civic design. Located within the city’s historic Court Square, the new structure addresses long-documented needs for more space, improved operations, and updated security in facilities that date back to 1762. The phases […]

Dovetail’s showroom doubles as a gallery

Since 2015, Dovetail has been showcasing Charlottesville artists in its interior design showroom, first on Water Street and now in its current location on Broadway Street in Woolen Mills.  “I always liked seeing local art displayed in businesses around town,” says owner and designer Amy Hart. “When we moved into this space, it felt natural […]

The big idea

Each year for more than 35 years, Southern Living magazine has partnered with builders, architects, and designers to create custom “idea houses.” In 2024, the home was in South Carolina; in 2023, Tennessee.  In February, the magazine announced that this year’s Southern Living Idea House would be just down the road—in Keswick. The selection marks […]