Living

Restaurantarama has a ritual most summer Saturdays:

Sometimes my 18-month-old gets so excited that she doesn’t know what to do. She squinches up her nose, tightly squeezes the source of excitement against her tummy, and then squeals with unbridled glee. My reaction to certain wines is not dissimilar, much to the horror of many a wine distributor. I can’t help it—some wines […]

On Friday afternoon, the University of Virginia brought aspiring artists and local creative types out in droves with a bit of barbecue, a little live music from the likes of Trees on Fire and John D’earth, and its Arts Grounds Open House. While Feedback wishes he could’ve stayed for the Architecture school’s rooftop dance party […]

Energy info coming in your mail, online   Doug Lowe, left, and Scott Elliff show off insulation added to an attic panel in a public building at Forest Lakes. Remember the Buy Fresh, Buy Local guides that have shown up in area mailboxes the last few years? This fall, the Piedmont Environmental Council, which produces […]

  The one decor book to buy Standing tall at 464 pages, House Beautiful’s The Home Book is a big, hefty beauty full of practical advice suitable for both newbies and old hand home professionals. Jargon gets translated, designers consulted and quoted, and color broken down into paint swatches and playfully pinned fabric squares. With […]

For most homeowners, “D.I.Y. project” means painting a spare bedroom, maybe putting in a light fixture. For Daniel Kuttner, it meant building a house. From steel. By himself. Daniel Kuttner used 18-gauge steel to build a house in Meadowbrook Heights. He designed the floor plan to be easily modified. “There was an ease to this,” […]

Sign of the times In today’s buyer’s market, it’s not uncommon for some sellers to be saddled with two monthly mortgage payments—one on the house they live in, and one on the house they’re trying to unload…a predicament few people can afford for long. For these sellers, listing the latter as a rent-to-own is an […]

When we first bought the house, we went for full protection, as above. As the months went on, though, we got slightly more lax about it. Close shaves “Safety first,” is what we always repeat to each other, my husband and I, as we set up circular-saw cuts and position ladders and don safety goggles. […]

One-of-a-kind welcome It’s that time of year again: new pencils, new books, and a welcoming doormat to usher in chilly guests. This month’s project leaves you with just that, only completely personalized. Paint on your favorite shapes, your initial (as we did), or even your house number for a more contemporary twist. You could paint […]

Finding your level The most bizarre iPhone app, I think, is the virtual spirit level. Call me “old school,” but I’d rather rely on an actual tool to hang stuff—one that I can drop from a ladder and splatter in paint with impunity. It might be made of modern plastics these days, but the spirit […]