Inspired renovation makes a developer house a custom dwelling

“This was our first house, and we were excited to make it feel like home,” says Nicholas Wilson. He and his wife Rose had spent five years working abroad, mostly in the Middle East, then they lived in the San Francisco area for a time. When they moved to Central Virginia with their young son […]

Staircase as sculpture

 A curved staircase can feel like architecture in motion—and this one arrived with a bit of drama. Designed by architect John Voight and fabricated by Century Stair Company of Haymarket, Virginia, the stair was produced using computer numerical control technology, which allowed the most complex elements to take shape with remarkable precision. “All of the […]

Learn a new skill from local pros

Maybe the tired “new year, new you” adage should apply less to you personally and more to your … home? Start the year off with a lesson from one of these professionals, and learn everything from seasonal seed-starting to watercolor basics or the best ways to support pollinators. Plant workshops at We Grow Floral Shop […]

Outside and inside blend in this integrated home

This project started with a vision one couple had of living in the midst of the landscape they love. Once they discovered the perfect spot, the adventure of making that vision come to life began. In 2017 they found about 20 acres in southern Albemarle County that had been left in pasture, close (but not too […]

Ideas and textures shape unique spaces

Every home tells a story, and often it begins on a mood board. We asked this year’s Best of C-VILLE Interior Designer, Stushek Design, to share a few it recently created for clients, giving us a peek into the inspiration behind a globetrotting couple’s living room, a timeless kitchen, a girl’s bedroom in bloom, and […]

Landmark house holds one man’s history as well

A 1930s house in the Rugby-Venable neighborhood has recently been granted Virginia historic status—but to its owner, it’s worth preserving as part of his own family’s history. The wood-frame and stone house, built in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, was designed by noted local architect Milton L. Grigg. A Virginia native, Grigg attended UVA but left […]

Finding the perfect house with a killer view

We all fantasize about strolling through Zillow to find our dream home. But for one family, the fantasy became reality. “At the time, we were living in the Norfolk area,” recalls the client. “I’d gone to UVA, and always knew I wanted to retire to this area.” The clients’ children were still in school, and […]

Efficient ADU could serve as template for local homeowners

It’s called the Sugar Shack, but don’t get the wrong idea. The accessory dwelling unit in the Fifeville neighborhood, designed by Oak Five Architecture, is named for the dandelion wine once made there. “It was a place where lots of stuff happened,” Oak Five principal Kate Snider Tabony says. “[The former homeowners] sold the dandelion […]

Listening to the stories a site has to tell in The Land is Full

It’s not easy being a landscape architect. Thomas Woltz, senior principal with Nelson Byrd Woltz, calls this time “an identity crisis” for the profession. When he tells people he’s a landscape architect, Woltz says, “they ask me what to plant in their backyard.” So now he tells them he designs public spaces, a succinct description […]