If anyone needs an object lesson in the power of positive thinking, look no further than Katharine “Boo” Dulaney. In 2014, after she’d lived in her Western Albemarle farmhouse for 63 years, she lost her home to a fire. Did she consider moving to town, maybe a little apartment, something easy to care for? “Never […]
The charm of many old houses is found in similar places—old-fashioned doorknobs, homey fireplaces and gracious entryways. It’s much rarer to fall in love with an aging bathroom or kitchen. When Peter Thomas bought a house in Keswick, built in 1953, he found much to appreciate, but the kitchen and bathrooms were not in the […]
The lure of the long-blooming, low-maintenance garden is perennial in the gardener’s heart. After the rush of early spring has subsided and we are no longer smothered in an eruption of dogwoods, azaleas, peonies, iris and daffodils, thoughts inevitably turn to riding that wave of flowers on to first frost. But we don’t want to […]
While inspecting an array of tall boxwood shrubs on a property in the town of Orange last year, Grelen Nursery founder Dan Gregg discovered more than he bargained for. The 1891 farmhouse in the center of the ring of shrubs was for sale, and Dan immediately saw its potential as a lodging and event space, […]
There’s a mythical element to mirrors, says interior designer Alana Woerpel, that’s very intriguing. “Some cultures believe that mirrors hold powers over our souls. Hence, a vampire without a soul has no reflection,” she says. “The queen in Snow White had a magic mirror. Alice fell into an alternate world beyond the looking glass. It’s […]
You pull your juicy, flame-kissed burgers off the grill, struggle through your patio door, and let your meat rest on the kitchen counter. You head back outside. You put your buttered buns on the grill and do a 180 to give your coleslaw a final mix in the kitchen. You head back outside. You take […]
Inside a gigantic twig nest, 5-year-old Colter Vincenti flaps his arms. “Help me find food,” he trills. Colter and his mom, Leora Vincenti, have come for the first time to Wildrock, a new nonprofit nature “playscape” located in northwestern Albemarle County. “It’s pretty simple,” says Vincenti. “Kids are boiling with energy and nature can absorb it.” […]
Gone are the days of a simple cap-and-gown shot. A senior portrait in 2017 means a photo that’s personal, creative and authentic. “The senior portrait is one of those historical visual documents that we come to treasure later in life,” says photographer Jen Fariello. “[It’s] become so much more real and I think that really […]
Summer’s here and it’s hot, so don’t let the risk of dehydration ruin your little one’s fun in the sun. Local pediatrician Paige Perriello offers a few tips to tell whether your child could use a gulp of water and how to keep it flowing all season long. “The first thing that kids will usually […]
On a recent Thursday, Julian Waters was giving blood while answering a magazine reporter’s questions—a typical morning of multitasking for a busy politician. But Waters isn’t your typical politician. The Western Albemarle High School senior is running for the Samuel Miller District seat on the Albemarle County School Board. The youngest person ever to do […]