Abode Magazines

It’s about the journey

Kenny Ball has been finding, buying, and selling European antiques for more than three decades. His showroom on Ivy Road is filled with beautiful furniture, furnishings, and decorative arts. You might assume a background of wealth and privilege…but the road that brought him here began with a pony.  “I didn’t grow up with these things,” […]

Carol Diggs | February 1, 2023

News

Training for life

As a professional boxer, George Rivera fought under the name “Wartime.” Growing up poor and mixed-race, he learned to fight to survive. But now he’s taken on a different battle: Inspired by his late sister, Rivera is turning his Charlottesville gym into a nonprofit called Wartime Fitness Warriors, using boxing to help at-risk young people […]

Carol Diggs | January 18, 2023

Made In C-VILLE Magazines

Heirloom variety

For the last five years, Charlottesville artist Tim O’Kane has been designing new seed packets for the flowers, herbs, and vegetables that have been preserved and propagated by the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Monticello. Recently, he spoke with us about the project and his work. Made in C-VILLE: How did this project […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

434 Magazines

The play’s the thing

Maybe you thought LEGO was just for kids. But for 19-year-old Liam Mohajeri Norris and his mother Emily, those little plastic shapes may win them a title, a trophy, and a cool $100,000 on in the “LEGO Masters” reality competition series.  And, Liam admits, “I do have the dream of working for LEGO.” Roll tape […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

434 Magazines

When wanderlust hits

It’s a gorgeous Virginia fall. The UVA football season is nearly over, but you’re not quite ready to start your holiday shopping at area stores, and the online pre-holiday bargains can wait. So spend your weekend participating in another popular autumn pastime: exploring beautiful back roads, stopping at country markets for sandwiches or snacks, and […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

Magazines Weddings

Way to go

Most wedding visions include the perfect life partner, the ultimate dress, the romantic setting, glorious weather, and wonderful food—but what about the dream motor coach?  “Transportation is a really important part that clients don’t often think about,” says Hannah Dubit of Hannah Rose Event Design. Fellow wedding planner Marilyn Speight of Just a Little Ditty […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

Magazines Weddings

Wedding in a box

This is it—you’ve found The One! You’re ready to hold the ceremony in which you tell each other, your families and friends, and the world that you are beginning a new life together, and you want the occasion to be perfect. But to get there, you face months of decision-making—finding a venue, choosing vendors, negotiating […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

Abode Magazines

The house of the three chimneys

Chimney House doesn’t announce itself. Turn onto the gravel road, drive under a few trees and up a short grassy slope, and the house is revealed, silhouetted against the sky and the Blue Ridge in the distance. The exposed hilltop, the almost windowless white brick walls and steep dark metal roof, the rustle of tall […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

Abode Magazines

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 daughter Mary was headed off to UVA, in a charming college town right next to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wouldn’t it be nice to have […]

Carol Diggs | December 15, 2022

News

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 granola bars, protein bars, and beef jerky. Two bags of cookie packets, hard candy, Twizzlers, and chewing gum. One bag with toothpaste, bar soap, hand […]

Carol Diggs | November 9, 2022