We’re conditioned to think certain thoughts when we see a log house: wilderness, rugged individualism and bootstraps by which someone is ascending. Yet it’s been a long time since hardy frontier settlers constructed theirs from fresh-felled trees. We never see cabins in cities, but that’s just a convention at this point—modern log homes can be […]
From her childhood, spent in places like Peru and Venezuela, to adulthood, interior designer Nancy Wardle has spent a lifetime soaking in the riches of travel and allowing those disparate adventures to spark her creativity. “The abundance of art in Peru including silver and goldsmiths, alpaca weavers and woodcarvers, the quality of the fabrics produced […]
If you’ve ever been sitting in your yard and thought to yourself, “Boy, do I wish I had more shade,” take heart. You’re likely a great candidate for powering your home with solar energy. Rooftop solar panels are more affordable now than ever, and for homes with adequately slanted, shade-free, south-facing roofs, they’ll pay for […]
With a body of work comprising Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, the Virginia Governor’s Mansion, the Lincoln Memorial and various estates, the intent of renowned architect and preservationist Milton Grigg when he began his Charlottesville firm in 1933 was clear: Create structures that are both beautiful and long-lasting. Architect Bob Paxton is one of three principals currently […]
Open concept, urban lots, a 5,000-square-foot weekend home and more, all in this month’s issue of Abode. On stands now! Keith Scott‘s design influences. Agnor-Hurt’s multi-age learning space. The open concept tide is still high. Kathy Heiner‘s favorite things. How to buy land in the city. Thank heaven for hell strips. This month’s featured home: […]
When Jim Burton began designing a weekend home for Burton and Yardly Gray, he took a cue from the direction they’d be traveling to reach the house from their primary home in Washington, D.C. The getaway would be an hour and a half south, and a world apart from the city. Its site, overlooking a […]
Even though Cole Burrell has lived and gardened at Bird Hill, his wooded Free Union property, for 17 years, there are still visible signs of the previous owners written into the garden. “I want to honor the place and how it was used by the people who lived here before,” says Burrell, a garden designer […]
Scrolling lazily through the MLS, looking for a vacant city lot on which to build your dream home? You can scroll to your heart’s content, but you’re not too likely to nab your quarry. “They don’t come on the market very often at all, but when decent lots do come on the market, they’re gone […]
Waves move in cycles. If you want to know the status of the open concept trend among homeowners, that’s pretty much all you need to know, according to Robert Nichols of Formwork Architecture. “There are almost always cycles, and there are subwaves too,” he says. “Some hybrids start to get developed. I kind of feel […]
Having already earned a degree in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech, Keith Scott decided that, in order to deepen his understanding of the built environment, an architecture degree would be necessary as well. So he got both. “As a result of the two degrees, many of my favorite places are where building and landscape are […]