Harper Tidwell and Abbey Ellerglick have been friends since they were 2 years old, and have been making art together almost as long. Needless to say, the 11-year-olds’ collection of masterpieces had become overwhelming—even more so after a long day of creating. One evening over dinner, Abbey’s mom, Lisa Eller, had an idea: Turn her […]
Summer as a kid was pretty glorious—no school and a succession of bright, hot days to revel in boredom. Summer as an adult is more complicated. As it turns out, the vast majority of jobs run year-round. Bummer. If you’re a stay-at-home/work-at-home parent, your children are home, too, complicating your schedule considerably. How to balance […]
During a visit to Shenandoah National Park when he was 9 years old, Gabriel Mapel saw a mother black bear with her three cubs, and “from that moment on, my life would fully revolve around nature,” says the now-16-year-old. Not only did the bears get him “hooked,” Mapel says they also turned him into an […]
In 1992, area musicians, including local composer John Hornsby, set in motion plans for a community organization that offered middle and high school students the opportunity to make music after school, believing that a creative outlet could help keep kids out of trouble. Now rounding out its 20th year in operation, the Music Resource Center […]
Like many kids, Megan Greenwood enjoyed summers at her local pool. Unlike most, she hasn’t spent much time out of the water since. That’s why she founded Swim S’cool, a Charlottesville-based business offering swimming lessons at Fry’s Spring Beach Club and Fairview Swim and Tennis Club. Greenwood, an NCAA All-American swimmer for UVA under coach […]
In this month’s issue of Abode: a cleverly renovated home in Staunton’s Newtown district, an update on UVA’s Rotunda redo, D.I.R.T. Studio’s Julie Bargmann on landscape architecture and more. D.I.R.T.’s Julie Bargmann finds beauty in the breakdown. The Rotunda renovation is nearly complete. A peek at this year’s SHE Design House. Farmhouse chic with decorator […]
In houses, so much depends on scale. A room that feels big in one house will seem cramped in another; furniture seems to shrink or expand depending on where it’s placed. On a hilltop in Ivy is a home that reaches toward the maximal end of the scale. Inside and out, it feels larger than […]
Even though Jeannean Carver has lived in her house since 1998, she never had a chance to figure out how to redo her kitchen. A busy pediatrician, she spent years putting off a real renovation, instead making only a few small changes. “I work a lot,” she says. “I didn’t have time to look for […]
It was an exercise in moderation when Dennis and Ingrid Blanton chose their house in Staunton’s historic Newtown neighborhood. New to the area, freshly arrived from two years in Costa Rica, they began house-shopping and were tempted by some sizable homes. But, says Ingrid, “We wanted to simplify our lives.” At first glance, they’d dismissed […]
What does it take to create a successful Design House? Three months, more than a dozen designers and landscape architects, myriad volunteers and vendors, and a public willing to purchase a ticket to venture inside. Oh, and a homeowner who’s willing to leave the house vacant for the duration. The Design House is not your […]