Random Row Brewing Co. brings you closer to your pint

Customers at a small local brewery might enjoy seeing how their lagers and pale ales are actually brewed. That’s what the folks behind Random Row Brewing Co. were betting on when they designed their tasting room on Preston Avenue, which opened in mid-September.  Gleaming metal tanks are a major design element in the space, which […]

Fire pits add style and comfort as temps ease lower

Average high temperatures in Charlottesville don’t dip below 50 until well into December. So what do you need to enjoy the outdoors right up to the holidays? Nothing more than a small, well-built fire pit. “It’ll certainly keep you warm, especially if you’re standing around it,” says Matthew Cox, owner of Crozet’s Appalachian Landscapes, which […]

Down by the river: Sweet details in Woolen Mills

We don’t know about you, but when we hear the not-too-charming term “condo,” we tend to conjure images of dwellings that are longer on convenience than character. You know—concrete balconies, underground parking, stacked washer/dryer, that sort of thing. Well, along comes a condo that shatters the stereotype. Let’s start by considering the neighborhood. We all […]

October Abode: On stands now!

This month’s Abode features a city home with a cool, uncomplicated palette; a sleek white kitchen in Farmington Heights; tips from Rebecca Schoenthal on choosing art for your home and more! Here’s everything you’ll find inside: Architect Cathy Purple Cherry makes good. The Fralin Museum curator schools us on buying art. 21st century gadgetry. Designer […]

The light touch: A few small changes make a kitchen all new

Designer Wendi Smith found not just good but excellent bones to start with when she tackled a recent kitchen redo. And that was lucky, because the look of this kitchen was very different from what her client ultimately wanted. “She definitely has a style,” says Smith of her client. “She likes neutral and calm colors; […]

Home, made easier: Residential gadgets and appliances are linking up like never before

If homes aren’t getting more high tech around Charlottesville, they’re at least getting more connected, according to Ben Feiner of local home integration specialist ProLink. Where at one time appliance and gadget manufacturers focused on making their own products more interactive, they’ve since focused on playing well with others. “Once the iPhones-slash-iPads came out, most […]

Living in the past at a one-time Kluge nest

Every place has a history, but the past at some homes looms especially large. In Albemarle County, the name Kluge is synonymous with lavish wealth, wine and, unfortunately, bankruptcy. Locals—and the rest of the country—watched the fortune of Patricia Kluge rise and fall over her three decades or so in town, and a curious byproduct […]

City style: At home with Alexandra Bracey

Until moving back to Charlottesville two years ago, designer Alexandra Bracey spent most of her life—professional and otherwise—in larger cities, having attended the New York School of Interior Design and working there as a senior designer for Alan Tanksley. No wonder, then, why the Washington, D.C., native says she’s more “city” than “country.” “While I […]