December 08: Design, living and trends for home and garden

  Speed racers Neither Zack Snider nor Dan Zimmerman, co-founders and licensed contractor and licensed architect and contractor, respectively, of local design firm Alloy Workshop, won the 2008 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge this year, but we’re proud of their lightning-fast drilling skills all the same. Snider and Zimmerman were two of 20 semi-finalists […]

December 08: Your Living Space

Fit for a king (or queen, or full) Question for Anita Davis, owner of Pillow Mint: What do I need to know about buying the right sheets to fit my mattress? Answer: In terms of length and width, Davis says, the simple twin/full/queen/king system for sizing sheets is fairly standardized: just find the right sheets […]

December 08: Your Kitchen

Lie down with lamb While the term “lamb” usually connotes spring, in this hemisphere we’re much more likely to have fresh, local lamb in the late fall and winter.  Technically speaking, baby lamb would The Shebeen serves Sosatie with green lentils and yellow rice; choose pastured lamb for a stronger characteristic flavor. be born in […]

December 08: Your Garden

Deck the halls This time of year, nothing marries indoors with outdoors more than the particularly human practice of bringing greenery in to spruce up the house. It reminds us that not everything is dead just because the trees are bare. The Yuletide tree has center stage, of course, but wreaths, garlands, swags and kissing […]

December 08: A cook in the house

Ashley Hightower is nothing if not driven. She’s got her own catering business, Dinner at Home; she and her boyfriend, Carter East, just started a second business as in-home personal trainers, Fitness at Home; and they’re both dedicated athletes who log miles running and biking. In their spotless house off Avon Street, where Hightower’s lived […]

December 08: A local holiday

Are you hoping for a kindler, gentler holiday season this year? Something that feels good AND looks good, no matter the temperature, and goes great with last year’s haircut? Trade the flashing lights for glimmering candles, and the plastic packaging for home-spun, hand-made gifts. While commercial messages may insist that season’s greetings are only available […]

December 08: Hot house

  We think this place in the Rugby neighborhood looks just perfect for entertaining. No idea whether there’s an open floor plan inside, allowing hostess to chat while fixing cocktails—it’s more that the front porch looks so nicely sheltered for summer afternoons, and the house’s solid form and lovely trees are as inviting as could […]

December 08: Glossary of the housing crisis

Chances are, more of you reading this are currently on shaky ground with your mortgages than two years or even one year ago. It’s not likely that you’re feeling too great about it, either. But you’ve got to face facts. Shelley Murphy, director of program services at the Piedmont Housing Alliance, will tell you in […]

December 08: Neighborhood on the line

The Willoughby subdivision holds a secret: Hidden in Joelle and Michael Meintzschel’s backyard is the treehouse of dreams.   At a glance Distance from Downtown: 2 miles Distance from UVA: 2.8 miles Elementary Schools: Jackson-Via/Cale Middle Schools: Walker & Buford/Burley High Schools: Charlottesville/Monticello Homes sold in first half of 2008: 10 Median sale price: $263,870 […]

December 08: News and ideas for sustainable living

Red and green go green: LED Christmas lights will make the Yuletide less power-hungry. Green lights If you’re headed out to pick up a zillion-pack of Christmas lights with which to festoon every corner of your house and a tree in every room, skip the standard incandescents and opt for LED lights instead. At a […]