Open house: The whys and wherefores of this year’s SHE Design House

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,” […]

It takes two: Folly owners balance each other out

We asked Victoria Pouncey and Beth Ann Kallen, who own West Main Street home furnishings shop and interior design studio, Folly, to tell us a few things about themselves and their design philosophies. Here’s what they had to say. Antique or modern?  Beth Ann: Antique with modern mixed in, to keep things interesting. City or […]

Hues at home: Palette helps homeowners decide on the best color combos

Fretting about what color to paint your living room? Good news, the hottest trend is to give up on color altogether, according to Stephanie Snyder of Charlottesville’s high-end paint and home store Palette. “People are cleansing those bright colors with more soothing colors,” she said. “Soft grays, pale blues, creamy whites—lots of whites—opens up spaces […]

Strong Connections: At CFA, design puts people and places together

When Martha Jefferson Hospital relocated to Pantops Mountain in 2011, it left behind a neighborhood landmark whose history went back for decades. And when CFA Institute, an international organization headquartered in Charlottesville, made the building its own, it formed a closer relationship with the city where it was founded back in 1947. CFA, which awards […]

A line to design: David Day stresses attention to setting

We asked the Charlottesville-based architect about his influences while at NC State College of Design, how his childhood informed his career, and what he’s working on now. Why architecture? For as much as I love visual arts and music, this profession can have that subjective, artistic life, but at its heart is shelter, a necessity. I […]

Light hearted: An 1817 farmhouse upgrades with a bright, modern kitchen

The idea of uncovering a buried treasure is not impossible in Virginia. With its rich history, the Commonwealth allows a homeowner to embark on a farmhouse renovation and suddenly find herself unearthing historical documents dating back to the early 1800s. At least, that’s how it happened for Julie Dixon. While removing the attic flooring in […]

A sense of place: Kendra Guiffre says good design is site-specific

We asked the founder of Blueply Design how she got into architecture, what she’s working on right now, and where she finds inspiration (did she say “a coffee mug”?). Why architecture? Architecture has the ability to bring something special to everyday life, to help us see things in a new light. Beautiful space connects with […]

From the editor-at-large: Making the village

Aristotle once observed that “the speculative life is the highest life of man.” When I think about the University of Virginia’s design, I see a physical embodiment of the speculative life. Thomas Jefferson was a farmer, an inventor, a writer, a dreamer, a statesman, an archivist, and an architect—but through all of that, a teacher. […]

Stay awhile: A winery finds a way to say ‘welcome’

Four years ago, a winery in Madison County was named Sweely Estate, it was facing foreclosure, and its 18,000-square-foot visitors’ facility was decorated in a dark French chateau style. Today, it’s called Early Mountain Vineyards, it has new owners, and the tasting room is light and bright. All in all, a hopeful change. Current owners […]