If anybody around here understands how locals prefer to drink their beer, it’s Mandi and Taylor Smack. The proprietors of Afton’s wildly popular Blue Mountain Brewery, the Smacks bought South Street Brewery in July and hired Wolf Ackerman to help them put their stamp on it before reopening it in November. And though lots of […]
How does a project begin for architect Adams Sutphin? First, “A question, and then listening,” he says. “And then a series of questions that become a puzzle, and then the quest to put the pieces together rationally.” That’s how he views it from his end, but Sutphin actually prides himself on taking some of the […]
“I love my attic home office,” declares REALTOR® Kelly Ceppa, an Associate Broker with Nest Realty. “It’s a quiet place where no one just comes walking through. And so, no one sees the messes I make there sometimes either.” Back when an addition was added to the house, she explains, the attic space was finished. […]
All sorts of things can trigger power outages. Random broken lines are usually repaired quickly, but when a big storm hits, you might be without power for several days. It’s a good idea to make like a Scout and Be Prepared. Basic equipment *Have a good stash of batteries in the sizes you need for […]
She didn’t realize at first she’d interrupted a burglary. The elderly, deaf dog was dozing on her usual chair and everything looked fine. But when the homeowner, let’s call her Jean, turned on the TV to check the news, it didn’t work. She checked it over and found the cable connection was undone. Odd, she […]
Everybody talks about marrying old and new, but there are different ways to do it. You’ve got your fixer-upper farmhouses, into which you can insert contemporary elements like stainless steel dishwashers. You’ve got your new builder homes that nod to tradition with way too much crown molding. Here is something totally different, and very unusual. […]
“This was a poor man’s farmhouse,” said Jen Fariello of the classic 1890 abode she shares with her husband, Chris Conklin, and their 5-year-old son. It’s a far cry from that now. Ten years after the couple bought the place, they’ve just completed their second major update, and the house is looking polished and modern. […]
In Fauquier County’s hunt country, the views are long. Roads gently rise and fall through open fields, passing horse barns, ponds and board fences, and in the far distance, the Blue Ridge draws a curving horizon. It feels like a place where the long vistas suggest a connection to the past. In this iconic setting, […]
Mix it up. That seems to be the unofficial motto of Roderick Coles, the owner of local antiques shop The Curious Orange Store. He told us The Royal Tenenbaums has certainly influenced his taste when it comes to interior design. And it’s true—you can find anything from faux fox fur-covered benches to an 18th century […]
Do you want a handmade rug, or do want some commercially made rug? When Saul Barodofsky, co-owner of Sun Bow Trading just south of the Downtown Mall, asks you this, it’s less of a question and more of a command. A frequent lecturer at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., and a 36-year veteran of […]