New restaurant who dis?

When people look back on 2021-2022, what will they think of?Okay, other than that. With a little luck, it will be the new coffee shops, bakeries, and lunch counters that braved the elements to open their doors to the city’s hungry and thirsty. With a little luck, it will be that elegant cake they brought […]

The next stage

When the kids leave home, what are the choices: Rent out the basement? Move? Retire to a warmer climate? Sean and Gineane Stalfort rejected all those options. “We thought about downsizing,” says Gineane. “But we do a lot of entertaining, we host family holidays, and we wanted to have our sons come back here.” The […]

Hard (wood)work

If you’ve been following Taylor Ahn on Instagram (@new_iterations), like I have for a while, you’re at once impressed, inspired, and…a little grossed out. Her current project, an antique card catalog, started as a grimy habitat for a colony of stink bugs. She spent hours ridding the piece of its occupants and rebuilding the frame. […]

On the money

If you had your eye on the more than $1 million new construction home at 802 Hinton Ave., bad news. Someone beat you to it. But also good news. The builder, Steve Nicholson Construction, is still out there doing HGTV-worthy work on spec and for specific homeowners with style—not to mention substance. For context, consider […]

Courageously contemporary

Dave Ackerman and his architecture and design firm, Wolf Ackerman, have been making modern additions to traditional homes for at least a decade, and he thinks the trend is definitely catching on. “We’ve done a lot of older houses, specifically in and around Belmont, that just don’t suit the way people live today,” Ackerman says. […]

New house, new look

When David and Nancy Hughes retired in 2017, they needed a big change.  “We had lived in Delaplane on 21 acres,” says Nancy. While they loved the place, the couple decided they wanted a smaller, newer home and an urban vibe—so they moved to Charlottesville. “We were looking forward to travel, lots of dinner parties,” […]

Pour decisions

Ever wanted to drink from a horse trailer? Now’s your chance: The Loaded Pony, a Staunton-based mobile bar, offers just that.  Combining her love of entertaining, creativity, and hospitality with a unique setting (a vintage 1960s horse trailer), owner Kimerly Crawford launched the business in 2019 after transforming the formerly pale pink structure into an […]

Personal tastes

As if offering guests a delicious cookie wasn’t enough, these three bakers up the ante with flawless custom designs. They make a great wedding favor, certainly, but you might also consider them for a fancy day-of treat while getting ready, an addition to welcome bags for guests, or an addition to a “Will you be […]

Prime location

New weddings-and-more venue The Bradbury is open for business on the Downtown Mall—and the team behind the new spot is a who’s who of weddings and events experts: Harvest Moon Catering’s Mark Hahn, Ken Notari, and Anne Peterson, photog Sarah Cramer, Just a Little Ditty’s Dickie Morris, and Second Line Business Management’s John Spagnolo. The […]

100 percent inspiration

No doubt it’s fun to flip through magazines and gather inspo for your big day (we’re banking on it!). But sometimes it feels a little like sifting for outfits at a thrift store: The best parts take a little hunting. That’s where styled shoots come in.  What’s the purpose of a styled shoot? It’s three-fold: […]