Come play: A horse farm gets a fun-loving update
It’s a luxury to imagine, then create, a playground—not only for children but for adults of many recreational persuasions. That is just what Brooke Spencer and her partner, Kim Cory, did at a Free Union property whose 97 rolling acres include mountain views, mature oak trees, and a spring-fed pond. Its present owners bought it […]
Going with the flow: A seamless transition between spaces makes a Charlottesville kitchen both open and functional
Cars rush along a busy street near downtown Charlottesville, bowing day lilies that cluster beside the driveway of Chad and Rebecca Morgan’s early 20th-century home. But when you stand in the heart of the kitchen—a straight shot from the sidewalk through the front door and down the hallway—you could be a million miles from anywhere. […]
Refreshing the ’70s: Creating a better ranch in Earlysville Heights
In the heart of Earlysville sits a fine brick ranch at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the Earlysville Heights neighborhood. Fifteen minutes from Charlottesville and five minutes to Hollymead Town Center, this home currently features three bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths. We asked Troy Yancey of Teal Construction to give us his contractor’s expertise […]
Flush in a time of drought: Even when water is plentiful, it’s important to control and protect it
Central Virginia is paradise compared to the parched, burning lands of California, Texas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Here on the verdant side of the great river, our groundwater is replenished and streams run high, but everybody has to worry about water in the 21st century. The click-click-click of irrigation heads keeping time for twilit suburban idylls […]
From the editor-at-large: Of the hand
There is a long out of print volume published by Princeton Architectural Press in 1992. Its spare black and white pages brought together a seminal collection of 18 highly individualized and speculative or research driven houses designed entirely by what was then the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Now 22 years […]
Drawing inspiration: A childhood passion for art led Fred Wolf to a career in architecture
Fred Wolf grew up as one of six children in a modest Buffalo, New York house, where, when he wasn’t sketching, he was inventing and building. In high school, he discovered architecture, and he hasn’t looked back since. In addition to reminiscing about his childhood, the Wolf Ackerman partner told us about architecture school at […]
Natural woman: Cotton, linen, and wool are interior designer Kori Messinger’s favored materials
Stedman House designer Kori Messinger talked to us about designing a room at age 10, the color red, and being authentic to yourself while breaking the rules. Have you ever had a change of heart about an object or style? Of course! As our household has grown with four kids and lots of animals, so […]
Seeing clearly: There’s more to residential windows than meets the eye
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Surely, this means the eyes are pretty darn crucial. But what about windows? “Why is a window important? There are lots of reasons,” said Mark Wingerd, architectural salesperson for Charlottesville-based, high-end windows purveyor Gaston & Wyatt. “For one, it’s the only piece of your house […]
The big picture: A condo goes oversize—and back to basics
Buying a condo might seem to be an exercise in ceding control—one has little prerogative to alter the building’s exterior, and a condo association has veto power over many other changes a homeowner might desire. Yet one resident of the Belmont Lofts, which were developed on a city brownfield near the railroad tracks in 2003, […]