What is the Caspari style? “There are certain themes,” says Gaea Rich, head of design, licensing, and product development for the store. “Our inspiration is international—Chinoiserie, classic French, botanicals, textiles from India and Asia, ceramics, European 19th century but also modern influences…” Mark Bergadon, director of marketing, retail and e-commerce, nods: “You know it when […]
What is the Caspari style? “There are certain themes,” says Gaea Rich, head of design, licensing, and product development for the store. “Our inspiration is international—Chinoiserie, classic French, botanicals, textiles from India and Asia, ceramics, European 19th century but also modern influences…” Mark Bergadon, director of marketing, retail and e-commerce, nods: “You know it when […]
The Hark family started having folks over to try their award-winning wines in the fall of 2019. The only problem was, they couldn’t invite anyone inside. At the time, Hark Vineyards was growing grapes on a 70-acre parcel and making its estate wines out of an 8,500-square-foot production facility. Aaron and Candi Hark, working with […]
Kate Chambers Beck has followed her passion for architecture from Charlottesville to the Midwest to Alabama and—finally—back home to the Blue Ridge. The C’ville native recently opened a local office for her firm, ’bama-based Tippett Sease Baker Architecture, and took time to chat with Abode about the homecoming. Abode: What made you want to bring […]
COVID had Chip and Betsy Tucker thinking things over after living in this area for four decades. A combination of practicality and the post-pandemic real estate market made them consider their next move. Was it time for a smaller house? A transition to one-floor living? The Tuckers began exploring their options, and found a 1920s […]
A historic house doesn’t have to be a saltbox Colonial or a gingerbread Victorian—houses built in the late 20th century are also pieces of history, especially when they were designed by notable local architects. And while they may not have historic designation, they often present the same challenges—and satisfactions—as renovating a much older home. That’s […]
Kevin Nguyen & Matt Pinyan August 30, 2025, at Montfair Resort Farm Photography by Colby Blount Weddings The inspiration for Kevin Nguyen and Matt Pinyan’s Montfair Resort Farm wedding came from another wedding they attended together in Wisconsin, which, coincidentally, was inspired by a Montfair wedding that the couple had attended. “What we loved about […]
When Erin Kinsey launched her wedding planning and coordination business in 2020, she quickly became immersed in “countless celebrations over several seasons.” But the deeper she moved into the industry, the more she noticed a pattern. “Through that experience, I saw firsthand how trends cycle—often resulting in weddings that, while beautiful, begin to feel visually […]
Weddings are celebrations. And when people get together to celebrate, there’s going to be wonderful food and lots of it. So what’s currently on the menu at big days in our area? We talked to three top wedding caterers in town—The Local, Harvest Moon, and C&O—to get the latest. Since Central Virginia is popular for […]
We’re not saying you can’t get dressed up in “I’m with the bride” sashes and drink from naughty straws to celebrate your friend’s betrothal anymore—but we’re not not saying that either, especially since, as the U.S. Census Bureau continues to report, the average age of marriage is climbing. In other words, couples are growing up, […]
Weddings are full of traditions—some are cultural, some are religious, some are family (like my father and my aunt, both parents of four daughters, threatening to go halfsies on a ladder so we could all elope). But as weddings have changed over the years, which traditions have gone by the wayside—and which traditions still hold? […]