In houses, so much depends on scale. A room that feels big in one house will seem cramped in another; furniture seems to shrink or expand depending on where it’s placed. On a hilltop in Ivy is a home that reaches toward the maximal end of the scale. Inside and out, it feels larger than […]
In houses, so much depends on scale. A room that feels big in one house will seem cramped in another; furniture seems to shrink or expand depending on where it’s placed. On a hilltop in Ivy is a home that reaches toward the maximal end of the scale. Inside and out, it feels larger than […]
Even though Jeannean Carver has lived in her house since 1998, she never had a chance to figure out how to redo her kitchen. A busy pediatrician, she spent years putting off a real renovation, instead making only a few small changes. “I work a lot,” she says. “I didn’t have time to look for […]
It was an exercise in moderation when Dennis and Ingrid Blanton chose their house in Staunton’s historic Newtown neighborhood. New to the area, freshly arrived from two years in Costa Rica, they began house-shopping and were tempted by some sizable homes. But, says Ingrid, “We wanted to simplify our lives.” At first glance, they’d dismissed […]
What does it take to create a successful Design House? Three months, more than a dozen designers and landscape architects, myriad volunteers and vendors, and a public willing to purchase a ticket to venture inside. Oh, and a homeowner who’s willing to leave the house vacant for the duration. The Design House is not your […]
We first encountered interior decorator Lesli DeVito through her blog, myoldcountryhouse.com, where she showcases her work as a custom pet portrait artist and the artist of a much bigger canvas—her house. An 1880s farmhouse in Greenwood, the home has been lovingly updated with modern amenities and a bright, cheerful interior aesthetic. And DeVito did the […]
First things first, current or future homeowner: You need a garage. “I would say, for sure, 100 percent of our customers want garages,” says Brice Craig of custom home designer Craig Builders. Really, like 100 percent 100 percent? Not even like one carport somewhere? “I haven’t seen any carports,” Craig says. “For new construction homes, […]
A structure as history-soaked as UVA’s Rotunda has many chapters to its story. And, having served as a symbol of the university for nearly 200 years, it’s layered with meaning, too. The Rotunda is currently undergoing a major renovation; much of the exterior will be finished this month, allowing graduates to process around the building during […]
It’s not that Julie Bargmann doesn’t like a vast panorama of green countryside—it’s that she’s more inspired by its opposite. “Give me a path through a landscape with railroad tracks overgrown with wild and woolly weeds,” says the landscape architect and D.I.R.T. Studio founder. “Give me urban wilds, give me a place that is growing […]
In this month’s issue of Abode: A 1938 Ivy home and landscape, an heirloom kitchen, WillowTree Apps’ offices and more. Click through here and, below, find a digital copy of the magazine. Grounded LLC’s Anna Boeschenstein on why architecture. A bright, hip renovation for WillowTree Apps. A huge home library. What to look for in […]
In a town with more than its share of notable houses, the home of Bebe Heiner and Bill Atwood is a quiet gem. Hidden at the end of a long driveway in Ivy’s Flordon neighborhood, Credenhill—as it was named by its original owners, after their Welsh hometown—embodies a reserved and gracious sensibility. The pleasing proportions […]