When the renovation of the Oakhurst Inn began, no one would have believed it could turn out the way it did—including the designers. “We felt like we needed hazmat suits when we first got in here!” said Kathleen Blick, design director at Kenny Ball Design who, with Chloe Ball, created the look of the boutique […]
When the renovation of the Oakhurst Inn began, no one would have believed it could turn out the way it did—including the designers. “We felt like we needed hazmat suits when we first got in here!” said Kathleen Blick, design director at Kenny Ball Design who, with Chloe Ball, created the look of the boutique […]
We asked interior designer Heidi Brooks to tell us a few things about herself and her design philosophy. Here’s what she had to say. Antique or modern? Antique. City or country? City. Which colors do you use most? White, black, various hues of gray and beige. Which materials or textures do you frequently use? Linen and leather. […]
Graduate school brought Suzanne Crane to Charlottesville, but clay has kept her here. With her husband, Matthew Crane of Arterra Design and Construction, Crane opened Mud Dauber Pottery in 1996, and began making tiles “to give my collectors a way to use wall space to show my work.” She initially made framed tile murals, with […]
Your bathroom is cool, comfortable, and clean. Your kitchen is stain-resistant, sleek, and stylish. Why? Tile, of course. “Tile is a good choice because it’s timeless, can complement any look, and has unmatched durability,” SariSand Tile’s Dawn Catlett said. According to Wayne Murphy of Wainwright Tile and Stone on Preston Avenue, tile is typically used […]
Albemarle County and northwest Iowa wouldn’t seem to have much in common. The vast, table-flat spaces of the Midwest are utterly different than the private, wooded coves formed by Central Virginia’s endlessly rolling topography. But at Sue Sargeant’s home, Mossy Rock, the feel of her native Iowa is palpable. The house, designed by Bushman-Dreyfus and […]
Time marches on! Last time ABODE visited Turkey Saddle—the Free Union home of Elizabeth Birdsall and Eric Young—it was 2008 and the house had just undergone a major renovation, led by local architecture firm Formwork. It was a serene, minimalist retreat, like a treehouse overlooking the Moormans River. Now, the vibe has changed a bit, […]
Stephanie Tatel and Christian McMillen had only a vague idea of what they wanted their new kitchen to look like—nothing too firm or detailed, but they knew it had to be functional for a busy family of four. Enter Alloy, a Charlottesville-based architecture and design studio that specializes in construction and production. “We didn’t really […]
Glenn Robertson, of Smith & Robertson, cast his remodeler’s eye on a Free Union two-story. Here are his ideas for bringing it up to date. 5315 Free Union Rd. $279,000 MLS# 516858 This home is worthy of a major remodeling project due to the excellent location and house site. The house is suffering from a […]
Perhaps it’s true that you can’t go home again. But Sarah Lloyd found a way to bring her childhood home, built in the 1950s and woefully outdated, into the 21st century. The ranch-style house, tucked into the Western Albemarle woods, had seen Sarah and her four siblings through their growing years—and not always in the […]
The Design House, a fundraising event for the Shelter for Help in Emergency, celebrates it’s fifth anniversary this year. Accordingly, the organization has added a few new components to this year’s function. Here’s a primer on what you can expect when you take a tour. —Stephanie DeVaux Who? Homeowners Chris and Christine Pittinger “took a leap,” […]