Two for one

Jennifer and Wil VanLoh had reached the stage in life where they were thinking about having a vacation home, a small retreat, someplace different from their home in Houston. Their […]

Sending love 

I work from a checklist. Two bags of coffee brew cups, sugar and creamer packets, and tea bags. One bag with a T-shirt and cotton crew socks. Two bags of […]

What makes Sally run?

“I’ve lived in both very red and very blue places,” says Sally Hudson. “But I never felt my vote really mattered—until 2016.” Donald Trump’s election spurred Hudson into politics—and to […]

Buried treasure

To botanists, Tuber melanosporum is a fungus that grows on tree roots underground. Gourmets give it a classier name: the black Périgord truffle. Once only produced in certain areas of […]

A tale of three pools

Summer in Virginia. It’s hot and humid; you’re sticky and cranky and don’t feel like moving—or even leaving the house. Wouldn’t you love to have a pool, right outside the […]

Refreshing its memory

“My husband and I used to take walks along Locust Avenue, and we just adored this one old house,” says Bryant Taylor. “It had an amazing yard, with lots of […]

It’s a calling

“You gotta love old houses to live in one,” says master stonemason Mike Ondrick. “If you keep it anywhere near correct [to its era], you’re going to live with cold […]

Rest and relaxation

Over the last few years, Beth Ann Kallen, co-owner of home furnishing and interior design firm Folly, has been helping a client redecorate the family’s home in Blandemar Farm Estates […]

Where to wed

COVID-19 spurred lots of creativity among couples planning weddings, including some new ideas about venues. But unusual places can also require some creative thinking ahead to ensure your perfect day […]