The HeartPine Company made its name crafting custom products from stuff a lot of people would throw away. It’s that commitment to finding beauty that has allowed the firm to thrive for 25 years. “I think there are two or three things that make it different,” says Debra Kirschnick, who directs the company’s sales and […]
The HeartPine Company made its name crafting custom products from stuff a lot of people would throw away. It’s that commitment to finding beauty that has allowed the firm to thrive for 25 years. “I think there are two or three things that make it different,” says Debra Kirschnick, who directs the company’s sales and […]
When Peter Hunter was growing up in Cismont, his father would take him out driving along the back roads in the Southwest Mountains, where the young boy felt drawn to the old derelict houses scattered through those woods and fields. Years later, Peter took his son Blake along on his drives through the Blue Ridge […]
You’ve bought a 1950s home in the Rugby area. It’s lovely and spacious, but it needs a little re-organizing. One example: It has a small, dark galley kitchen; you have four kids who want to bring their friends over and hang out, which means it’s time to re-do the first-floor layout and design a kitchen […]
Homes, in tandem with the lives lived within them, change and evolve. So do their landscapes, as the grounds around one home in the University area demonstrate. The house has gone through its own evolution. Built in the early 20th century, it was designed by noted Charlottesville architect Eugene Bradbury, whose work includes St. Paul’s […]
Lack of real estate inventory may have you dreaming of building your own abode from the ground up. But what does the home-building process actually involve? We spoke to local realtor Jeff Mattie, partner with Core Real Estate Partners, to get the lay of the land on building your own home. First, Mattie says, you […]
Whether you keep a roll of Forever stamps in your desk just in case or believe that a handwritten thank-you note or birthday card is still de rigueur, postage stamps continue to be part of our lives. Every year, the United States Postal Service strives to highlight this country’s history, arts, and culture with stamps […]
Southern Development Homes turns 25 this year, and on June 14, the company’s founder and president, Frank Ballif, won Distinguished Builder of the Year from the Home Builders Association of Virginia. Ballif, who prefers to avoid the spotlight, recently spoke to Abode about Southern Development’s longevity, giving back to the community, and the future of […]
The homeowner of this Afton house envisioned an intimate and “materially rich” spot to rinse off after a day of working on the nearby farm. Mike Krop of Blu Haven Architecture took the idea and ran with it, creating an outdoor shower reminiscent of a garden arbor. From the timber home’s primary suite, a wood […]
Like plenty of other Wahoos, Landon Saks loved Charlottesville and stayed here for several years after graduation. Eventually, life took her to Aspen, Colorado, and her career keeps her traveling—but Saks still wanted a base in town and a gathering place for friends when she came back. So in 2021, she decided to make herself […]
When she’s called a serious decathlete, May Kelly demurs. “I just love to be in the outdoors,” she says. “But I have to be moving—I enjoy it more.” “Moving” for Kelly means lap swimming, bicycling, running, and hiking. When she and husband Jim bought a Whitehall-area house on a knoll overlooking Shenandoah National Park in […]