It is commonplace for architects to speak of “bringing the outside in”—usually via plentiful glass and a toolkit of other tricks. When Richard Williams describes his firm’s design process on a Rappahannock County home, that familiar goal—connecting inhabitants to the landscape—takes on an unusual cast. “On our first site visit,” he said of his clients, […]
To Cole Burrell, landscape designer, a garden is an extension of a house. “There’s a million styles and a million vocabularies,” he said, “but none makes any sense unless it makes sense with the house.” One of his Albemarle projects illustrates that principle with a garden that seems to spring organically from the spirit of […]
As a University of Virginia undergraduate, Jeff Bushman majored briefly in science, thinking he’d one day attend medical school. An architecture class put the brakes on that plan, though, and the future Bushman Dreyfus Architects principal’s course was set. He recently spoke to us about influential teachers at UVA, why consilience inspires him, and the […]
“I don’t know why, but design is pretty much all I think about all the time. Much to my wife’s dismay.” Master woodworker and furniture maker Blaise Gaston laughed, fully aware that the affection he lavishes on his work is the sort many reserve for first loves. Which, in a way, it is. “I remember […]
When Bill Hamilton and his team decided to remodel Hamiltons’ at First and Main in 2011, the flooring was a potential stumbling block. Hamilton wanted to preserve the character of the original restaurant space, built in 1996, and the wooden floors were an important part of the aesthetic. But they needed work. Options for new […]
When we asked designer Chloe Ball to answer a few questions for us this month, she said, “I’m one of two who make a team.” So we talked to Chloe and her partner, Kathleen Conroy, and they enlightened us about the Medici family’s Pitti Palace, tinsel on Christmas trees, and Sister Parish. Have you ever […]
Red Pump, one of Charlottesville’s newest restaurants, carries the tagline “A Tuscan Kitchen,” and its menu—bursting with pizzettes, bucatini, and salumi misti—certainly bears out that designation. But when it came to the interior, owners Dean and Lynn Andrews drew upon a continent’s worth of influences. A Tuscan fire breathes at the back of the restaurant […]
It was autumn, and I had just moved to Charlottesville late that summer to embark upon the second phase of architecture school. I was thrilled, humbled, and full of optimism. Back then, I kept a paper map of North Carolina in my car. It had torn edges, crisp, hair-thin folds, and palimpsest markings of journeys […]
Each summer we highlight the many outstanding private schools in our seven-county readership area. We are pleased to enable these schools to shine a light on their extraordinary accomplishments, helping readers to get a flavor of the type of private school opportunities available to their children throughout central Virginia. Here are the schools that replied […]
Energy-saving upgrades such as weather stripping compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-flow faucets and showerheads, and lifetime air conditioning filters can save you up to 25 percent annually on your utility bills. Here are some energy-saving tips you can apply to your home. And these don’t cost a lot of money, either. Immediate insulation A good […]