Author: c-ville-abode

(Photo by Andrea Hubbell)

When you walk into Mike Ball’s stunning, open-floor home located in the heart of Downtown Charlottesville, you immediately see the lush green of the backyard. The self-taught contractor, who started Element Construction after years of working for Artisan Construction, bought the space in 2008.

But he and his wife Karen, a local realtor, didn’t immediately move in. Instead, they stayed with Ball’s parents and slept on pushed-together twin beds for a year, in order to renovate their new house. Ball completely transformed the house—and he did so after hours and on the weekends, nearly singlehandedly.

In terms of design choices, the couple is quite the team. “Karen has a lot of great, grand vision but not a detail vision. I’m the detail-oriented person. She’ll say ‘we need something here’ and I’ll be able to actually conceptualize the details of it. It’s not any one person’s vision. I actually think we make a great team in that way.”

The Balls added a second floor with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, put in beautiful hardwood floors made of Australian wormy chestnut, created a brand-new kitchen that features industrial pendant lights and a matte granite countertop, and installed chunky-yet-shallow built-ins to house the TV and family photographs. “So many of the details in the house were a result of being at the house late at night and on a whim deciding to put in an archway here, or tongue and groove there. It was an organic process in that way,” said Ball.
Originally, the house was a one-floor ranch, with the living space divided into small rooms, including a tiny dated kitchen strangely located near the front door. It was the expansive back yard that was the selling point for the couple, who now have a 22-month-old son. “There was no access to the back yard. You literally had to go around the entire house to get to the back. So building the screened in porch that leads to the yard was essential.”

And it’s this breezy porch—casually appointed with contemporary wicker furniture, and made even more fun by a toddler’s swing dangling right in the middle of it—that is Ball’s favorite space. “We spend so much time out there. It’s really peaceful.” —Cate West Zahl

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“I basically learn what looks good, rather than create what looks good. I’m not a very creative designer, there’s a distinction! I think that works well with clients; I don’t have demanding design, I don’t go into a project and say ‘This is how you need to do it.’ Rather, I go in and get to know them, and then I can come up with something that I think they will appreciate.

“I’ve always enjoyed building things, tinkering with things, building tree houses, digging holes like in Red Dawn. Through college I would fix things, rebuild things; I built a motorcycle once. I think I just fell in love with exploring the mechanical process.

“It’s always been a hobby that morphed into a full-time career. I’m self-taught via spending hours of time reading Fine Homebuilding magazine, Journal of Light Construction, and through various apprenticeships. Back in the day, I would say to myself ‘I need to put a sink in,’ and then I would read a book about it and do it.

“I think that we tore down every single wall on the first floor except for the one in the bathroom…[I wanted to get] all the living towards the back of the house near the yard.
“We were mostly going for traditional in this house, but [with] the open floor plan. I like contemporary design in many cases, but I also think that it can end up feeling how we currently view ’70s houses. It will feel dated in five to 10 years. I go for timeless design that will always feel fresh.”

Kim Speer, TheFeteBlog.com columnist and University of Virginia construction manager (Photo by Cramer Photo)

OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION
Hot pot
“Five years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to cook. Once I got cooking, I really wanted a Le Creuset Dutch oven pot, but I just couldn’t splurge that much so my parents surprised me with it as a gift. I just love it…I think it’s a beautiful blue color, and I love cooking with it. Nothing bad ever comes out of my Dutch oven pot—it’s always good slow cooking. There’s a lot of good memories associated with it, like cooking meals for me and my significant other and dinner parties and chili cook-offs, so it’s definitely my treasured item.”

 

GREEN EYE
Green light for green thumbs
Many folks have heard about the benefits of planting native species at home—they’re easier to care for, they create habitat for native wildlife, and they help filter stormwater runoff, improving the environment all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. But what if you’re having trouble choosing species to plant, or aren’t sure how to group them? You’re in luck. The Plant More Plants campaign offers many resources for would-be native plant gardeners, including free landscape plans.

The campaign, offered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, is your official encouragement to add native plants to your garden or yard. Check out plantmoreplants.com for an array of resources: nurseries, landscapers, designers, and free plans for rain gardens that will fit different types of spots. Local businesses listed on the site include From Seed Design, Natural Design Concepts, and Meadows Farms Nursery. Download tip sheets on topics like mulching and fertilizing.

You can even take an online pledge to add more plants, concentrate on natives rather than invasives, and minimize the impact of fertilizers. Bottom line? More plants, happier planet.—Erika Howsare

To market, to market
In early May, the Piedmont Environmental Council will publish its annual Buy Fresh Buy Local guide, which tells you everything you need to know to eat local: who the farmers are and where to buy their products. Here’s a sneak preview—a listing of this season’s farmers’ markets. The big one is City Market, which runs Downtown every Saturday morning from 7am to noon. But there are many others. See buylocalvirginia.org for location details, and get your basket ready…—E.H.

Crozet Farmers Market
Saturdays 8am-noon

Earlysville Farmers Market
Thursdays 4-7pm

Farmers in the Park (Meade Park)
Wednesdays 3-7pm

Forest Lakes Farmers Market
Tuesdays 4-7 pm

The Market at Pen Park
Tuesdays 3-7pm

Scottsville Farmers Market
Saturdays 8:30am-12:30pm

Crofton Plaza Farmers Market, Palmyra
Saturdays 9am-noon

Fluvanna Farmers Market, Palmyra
Tuesdays 2-6pm

Greene County Farmers Market
Saturdays 8-11am
(Begins June 16)

Mineral Farmers Market
Saturdays 8am-1pm

Zion Crossroads Farmers Market and Flea Market
Fridays 11am-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays 9am-5pm

Nelson Farmers Market, Nellysford
Saturdays 8am-noon

Eastern Orange Farmers Market, Locust Grove
Sundays 10am-3pm

Orange County Farmers and Artisans Market, Orange
Saturdays 7am-1pm

How the pros go eco

On May 15, the Better Business Challenge, a local contest designed to help area businesses incorporate sustainability into their everyday operations, will be complete. Judging by the energy-efficient measures some participants have taken, competition is going to be tight—perhaps as tight as Alloy Workshop’s building envelope.

Alloy, a design and construction studio, recently moved its offices to an older yet retrofit-worthy space on Rose Hill Drive. To make the space more sustainable, the studio installed spray-foam insulation in the wall cavity to cut down on air leakage. As part of the challenge, they also installed solar tubes, which are similar to skylights, to capture and redistribute daylight throughout the interior, including the bathroom. “It’s so bright in there that it’s almost like being outside,” said intern architect Michael DeMonaco.

Meanwhile, Challenge participant Carpet Plus on Allied Street has switched to LED lighting and single stream recycling—tactics that any homeowner can implement. One employee who practices the waste-not-want-not eco-mantra even takes his coworkers’ food scraps home for compost, said Carpet Plus co-owner Cindy Adams. Inside the showroom, Carpet Plus has also applied American Clay, a nontoxic, mold-resistant natural plaster to their walls to increase indoor air quality, which serves as a model for their homeowner customers.

Over at Natural Earth Laundry, an eco-friendly wash and fold laundry service on Allied Lane, owner Jeremy DiMaio said his team is now using map routing software to maximize the fuel efficiency of its pick-up and delivery vans. While they have always used high-efficiency washer and dryers, they have further modified the settings so that the entire wash cycle now typically uses just 10.7 gallons of water. “To put this in perspective, most home washing machines use 40-45 gallons,” he said.

Natural Earth Laundry also uses plant-based, hypoallergenic, pH neutral, and phosphate-free detergents—“no weird chemicals,” added DiMaio. Overall, Natural Earth Laundry has managed to reduce its non-recyclable waste output to just five pounds each week. Said DiMaio: “If we can figure out how to re-purpose dryer lint, that number would decrease even more!”—Jennifer Pullinger

The 2012 Design House is big enough to showcase the talents of a few dozen local designers and artists. (Photo courtesy Design House)

ABODE NEWS
Inside the Design House
In mid-April, a preview of the annual Design House—the event is now in its third year—showed off an impressive work-in-progress. Each spring, the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), which supports victims of domestic violence, invites interior designers to apply their talents to a local house—with each designer transforming one room—then opens the home for tours. (ABODE is a sponsor of this year’s event.)

By May 5, when the Design House opens to the public, the property will be a showcase for local design and art. Designers from 20 different studios have tackled everything from re-tiling a powder room, to furnishing a baby nursery, to redoing kitchen cabinets and landscaping. “It’s become more of an art event,” said publicist Sandra Gallaudet, showing off a gallery to be hung with local works curated by MUSES Art for Living. “There’s no other event in town that brings all these people together.”

“This felt almost like an artist loft, like in Paris,” said local designer Cathy Cassety in the room she designed. It’s on the second floor of the property’s two-bedroom guest house, and it features a sloping ceiling and large windows overlooking a lake. Cassety has reimagined it as an artist’s studio, and local painter Meg West will show some of her landscapes as an integrated part of Cassety’s design. “I chose neutral colors so the paintings can stand out,” said Cassety. Besides a reading chair and a couch, there will be an easel with a half-finished canvas.

The house is a sprawling one with numerous large windows, ample indoor and outdoor space, and a prime spot overlooking a lake. But even those of us with more modest houses should find plenty of inspiration (not to mention eye candy). You can tour the 2012 Design House, located in Ivy Farms, May 5-20. See cvilledesignhouse.com for more!—Erika Howsare

BY THE NUMBERS
3,600
That’s the number of plants started in the greenhouse (including 12 different tomato varieties!) at the Local Food Hub’s educational farm in Scottsville. Why care? Because you can choose which ones you want to adopt at the Hub’s plant sale on May 5, 10am-3pm. Find out more at localfoodhub.org.

(Photo by John Robinson)

ART AND CRAFT
This month’s artisan: Lotta Helleberg
Can a wall hanging connect you to the natural surroundings outside your door? Yes, rather directly—if it’s made by textile artist Lotta Helleberg. Using naturally dyed fabric and paper, her work “focuses on documenting nature in our immediate surroundings.” Local plants make her fabric dyes and also become plates for printing directly onto surfaces.

See Helleberg’s work—art quilts, textile collages, and other objects—at Chroma Projects, The Barn Swallow, or O’Suzannah, or lottahelleberg.bigcartel.com. Learn more at lottahelleberg.com or email her at info@lottahelleberg.com.—Erika Howsare

Describe the style of your work in five words or less.
Nature-inspired, elegant simplicity.

Briefly, how did you become a textile artist?
As a graphic designer by profession, an avid gardener, and a sewer from an early age (inspired by my mother, who is an expert seamstress), my true passions are coming together in my current work. I have always loved natural materials, such as linen, silk, and handmade papers. I am also inspired by the historic aspect of patchwork and hand sewing and its role in our artistic heritage, here in the U.S. as well as in Scandinavia where I grew up.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made in the last year?
The quilt Sumac Studies, which features sumac leaves eco-printed on silk and wool, appliqued onto hand-quilted natural linen. Eco-printing is a fascinating technique, where the leaves and plant materials are tightly bundled with the fabric and simmered in water. The plant releases color pigments, which adhere to the cloth. This quilt will be featured in a large international textile exhibit in Toronto, Canada later this year.

What’s an object you love in your home that you did not make?
We have a painting in our dining room by the late Robert Barbee, called The Fishermen, that I adore. Mr. Barbee was a renowned art professor at UVA for many years, and a wonderful contemporary artist.

(Photo by Ed Warwick)

YOU CAN DO IT
Tie one on
When it comes to design, I love to find new ways to repurpose, reuse, and reinvent what I already have. With the price of gasoline, shopping within our house provides a fun and affordable alternative. Growing up with a family in menswear, I have an unhealthy overabundance of ties, and despite being well-outfitted for my 9 to 5, I set out to find ways to thin out the rack and spruce up our abode.

NECKTIE WREATH
Materials:
Wire wreath form
Safety pins
Assorted neckties
This project couldn’t be easier. Starting with the narrow end of your tie, wrap it tightly around the wreath form until you come to the larger end of your tie. With the point facing up, secure the back of your tie to itself, holding the wrapped tie in place. Repeat until your wreath form is covered. Finish it off by tying a bow with an extra tie, or attach a bowtie. If you change your mind, the ties can be easily removed, replaced, or even worn again.

Don’t need a wreath? Neckties make fun and affordable curtain tie backs. Wrap them around throw pillows for an extra pop of color, or sew them into a one-of-a kind holiday tree skirt. In colors and patterns that match every décor, you can put those Father’s Day/graduation gifts to new use. Ladies, don’t feel left out: Peruse your father’s tie collection for inspiration, or pick them up for about a buck apiece at a local thrift store.—Ed Warwick

(File Photo)

TOOLBOX
Color in a can
Spray paint is one of those mediums that, depending on one’s technique, can result in a fantastic mess. But, if used correctly, this brushless stuff can be a quick and inexpensive way to reinvigorate countless surfaces and items.

1. Know thy surface. Determine what material you will be applying the paint to. If it’s glossy, sand it (220-300 grit will do); otherwise the paint won’t adhere. Is it plastic? If so, you’ll need a spray primer specifically made for plastics. Is it rusty metal or flaking paint? You’ll need to take care of the chunky stuff by scraping and sanding it.

2. Just clean it. Windex, rubbing alcohol or sometimes just a dust cloth all ensure that the paint sticks to the goods and not to the gunk.

3. Duck and cover. You will be painting outside (yes, you will) but you’ll still need to mask off anything within 15-20′ of your project, as spray paint travels. Drop cloths, bed sheets, tape—all of these will save you from explaining to your neighbors why their Volvo has pink speckles.

4. Go ninja. Put on a mask (look for one specifically made for paint particles) and some protective glasses. Disposable gloves are a good idea, as well. Do some deep squats and arm circles to stretch for the main event.

5. Prime time. The primer you use will depend on what you’ve determined your surface to be and what your final paint color choice is. For example, if you’re painting your iron patio set black, use a rust-resistant, red-toned primer. If it’s a plastic planter, use a plastic primer (they usually come in either white or clear). If you’re going pastel with your rocking chair, hit it with some grey-toned primer.

*Now, if you read nothing else about spray paint, read this! Whenever you are painting with spray paint (primer or final color), always start and end the stream of paint off of your item. Hold the can 6-8" from the surface to be painted. Just off a few inches to the right, let’s say, depress the nozzle. Continue even pressure and distance as you give a light coat across the surface of your item, moving right to left. Continue depressing the nozzle until you are off of the left side of your item by at least a few inches and release pressure. And remember, just like in questionable weather, several light layers are better than one heavy one.

6. Object to objet. After following the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the dry time for the primer, you are ready for the final stage. Using the above technique, apply several light coats of paint, waiting a few minutes between coats. Once the item has even coverage and is off-gassing like crazy, leave it alone. Don’t try to take off masking tape, rotate the item or even remove drop cloths. Seriously, just leave it be for at least six hours (depending on the type of paint you are using), 24 if you can stand it. Once the paint has fully cured, you can hug your new purple lamp.

Please note that only completely empty spray cans are acceptable for recycling.—Christy Baker

TIPS FROM BETTER WORLD BETTY
Space cadet
This month I’ll share a chapter out of my personal eco-journal. Here are space-saving green ideas we’re looking to include in our space-challenged Belvedere townhome.

Gardening
I begin by observing my surroundings with a keen and creative eye. Do we have extra wall space for vertical gardening, some front yard space, or deck space? Yes to all three. Going vertical, rotating crops by season, and pairing crops with long and short growing times (like quick-growing radishes between your tomato plants) can all save space. We decide on a salsa garden and herbs. Rather than starting from seeds (we’d get them locally through Southern Exposure Seed Exchange), we’ll tap the local farmers at Saturday’s market.

As for containers: a combo of pots, a 6’x3’ box elevated container, and vertical gardening sound wonderful, but could be pricey. A couple D.I.Y. weekends could be fun and save money. Local business Nature Neutral has EnviroSafe Plus treated lumber.

Composting
Small-scale composting pairs well with our small-scale garden plan. My friend, Michelle, swears by a small indoor composter made by Nature’s Mill; it runs on electricity but costs only about 50 cents per month to operate. We’ll compost most, not all, food scraps and add shredded newspapers and old bills. This will compost two gallons a week. If I generate too much, I’m sure my homeowning neighbors would enjoy the fruits of my labor (and there’s always freecycle or Craigslist).

Energy savings
Finally on to clothes drying. Urbanclothesline.com outlines my options: a retractable clothesline (could work in my son’s bathroom), wall-mounted drying rack (hmm), ceiling-mounted (not so much), light-weight portable umbrella clothesline (I like it!). Let the fun begin.

Check out Better World Betty’s green living resource list at betterworldbetty.org and blog at cvillebetty.blogspot.com.

VOCABULARY
Oculus
The Latin word for “eye” also serves as a term for any circular window. As in the Pantheon in Rome, oculus may refer to a circular window at the top of a rotunda or dome. There’s one in our own local rotunda at Mr. Jefferson’s university, and there are oculi in humbler buildings, too—including the yurts that we’re featuring in this month’s issue.

 

(File photo)

A fresh pea tastes like a gift from the earth. When pinched off the vine and eaten immediately (preferably with dirty feet and a basket full of fresh lettuce), their crisp sweetness is always a reminder of the merits of fresh food. Tempt a toddler to pick a pod or two and then reveal the peas nestled inside like a prize; even a toddler knows what to do! One wonders if the concept of candy originated with a fresh spring pea…

Peas are part of the legume family—famed fixers of nitrogen in soil, sturdy stockpilers of protein digestible to humans and animals both. The term “pea” describes immature seeds that are stripped from the pod (in the case of the English pea) or enjoyed in an edible, digestible pod (in the case of snow peas and sugar snap peas).

Peas of the world
Legumes that have been dried are called (as a group) pulses. Internationally, pulses play a vital role in traditional cooking, often served at most meals alongside porridges and breads made from regional grains. Even if English peas pass their prime to become starchy and stiff, do not despair—shell them and roast them in a 400 degree oven, then toss with ground cumin, smoked paprika and salt and pepper for a Derby-worthy snack—perfectly paired with a mint julep.

Snow peas originated in China. When they arrived in Europe, the French issued a command, “mange tout,” which became their name in that language. Translation? Eat it all. While their concave pods are quite flat and tender, the stem and tail end are typically snapped off prior to serving. Snow peas can be eaten raw—chopped into spring salads, or sliced on the diagonal and marinated in a rice wine vinaigrette with green onions and sesame oil—and are also excellent cooked. But beware! They need very little time in the pan, so stir them into your wok after the rest of the ingredients.

PEAS FOR THE FUTURE Fresh peas If you grow them at home, try to harvest any type of pea each day in the early morning. Store English peas in their pods in the refrigerator, and shell just before cooking and eating. Toss raw over salad with chopped mint and feta cheese, or pour cooked pasta (still hot!) over raw peas prior to stirring in prosciutto, parmigiano, and olive oil. Wash sugar snaps and snow peas just before cooking—the water will help them stay moist throughout any kind of cooking. Peas to freeze English peas can be shelled and frozen in small amounts each day; freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or in a wide bowl, then empty into a freezer bag and exclude air. It isn’t necessary to cook and puree them for, say, baby food or pea soup, as they will cook so quickly upon thawing and can be pureed and seasoned at that point.—L.R. Our kitchen columnist, Lisa Reeder, is an educator and advocate for local and regional food production in Central Virginia. She received chef’s training in New York and currently works in Farm Services and Distribution at the Local Food Hub.

Meanwhile, the common garden pea, or English pea (which you ought not call common, missy) rose to prominence in England and throughout the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite crossing to the New World with American colonists (imagine—a dried food that might double as a seed!), the garden pea prefers consistent, cool temperatures and not too much sun—England, anyone?

In the years following the genetic research of Gregor Mendel (that’s right, wrinkled vs. smooth peas), scientists continued to manipulate the genetics of peas, finally arriving in 1970 at a cross of the English pea and the Chinese snow pea—the sugar snap pea. The pod is edible and surprisingly sweet (like the snow pea), and the peas themselves are plump and tender, for those old-timers who insist upon shelling.

Peas of the past
In perusing cookbooks from the past, one finds recipes that suggest adding sugar and salt to 1" of boiling water and cooking fresh peas for eight to 25 minutes; the cooking liquid could then be reduced and poured over the cooked peas to rewarm them. At that point, their flavor and texture would have been so flaccid that the “nutritional” cooking water may have brightened them up a bit.—Lisa Reeder

Spring abounds with opportunities to learn about growing fruit. (Photo by John Grant)

GREEN EYE
Compleat gardening
Growing herbs can mean nothing more than a pot of chives on the kitchen window—or it can be the foundation for a healthy, nature-centered way of life. That’s the idea behind the course “Whole Living from the Ground Up,” offered by Louisa’s Forrest Green Farm this growing season. The 12-session course teaches a holistic approach to growing and using herbs and veggies, touching on many other aspects of organic living along the way.
Students will learn not only how to grow and make medicine from herbs, but also herbal body care, seasonal eating, making cordials and elixirs, using cover crops, basic botany and a long list of other skills in the garden and kitchen. The goal is to cultivate self-sufficiency through whole foods, seasonal awareness and herbal wisdom, and the class is hands-on, so you’ll be taking home the results of class projects.

The Whole Living course meets two Sundays a month, May through October, and costs $600 plus a $300 materials fee. See forrestgreenfarm.com for more.—Erika Howsare

Bin there
Not jazzed about plastic compost barrels? Tired of critters raiding your unprotected heap? Here’s a local, aesthetically pleasing alternative. Brian Wright of Faber’s Pilot Mountain Farm makes wooden compost bins by hand.

The bins are made of untreated cedar on sides and top, with untreated pine framing, and coated with linseed oil for protection. They cost $195 and you can order one by contacting Wright at bwright@goldengate.net or 361-1568.—E.H.

A bounty of learning
Just like every year, this spring there’s a wealth of local opportunities to learn about growing food—especially fruit. Here’s the tasty lineup.—E.H.

*Find out all about grafting and propagating fruit during an all-day intensive workshop taught by Alexis Zeigler, April 7 from 9am to 5pm. You’ll learn how to grow fruit trees from seed, a number of different grafting techniques (they have cool names, like whip grafting and saddle grafting) and specialized techniques for hard-to-root plants. There will also be a discussion about growing fruit in the local climate without using pesticides or fungicides. You’ll take home five fruit trees, plus a grafting knife. Contact Zeigler at 409-6006 or alexis@conev.org. The workshop costs $50.

*On May 5, bone up on the “art and science of finely crafted fermented cider” at Albemarle CiderWorks. This Cider Maker’s Forum costs $125, including lunch. Register at vintage-virginia-apples.myshopify.com.

*Learn from a local master grower, Michael McConkey of Edible Landscaping, during a three-hour fruit production course at Scottsville’s Maple Hill Farm on May 17, 4-7pm. McConkey will discuss what kinds of fruit grow around here (going well beyond apples—think kiwi and pomegranate!), plus site preparation, pest management, and propagation. The class costs $35 and you can find out more at 286-2176 or info@localfoodhub.org.

Fair thee well
Charlottesville’s EcoFair has become a spring ritual for greenies, plus folks who like music, gaiety and food (read: everybody). This year’s EcoFair happens April 22, noon-6pm, at the Main Street Arena.

The heart of the fair is the long list of exhibitors—last year, those included everybody from Bellair Farm CSA to Natural Earth Laundry to the Ivy Creek Foundation. Another reason to show up: great raffle prizes, like rain barrels, solar panels and (for the pleasure-seeking environmentalist in you) massage gift certificates. Plus, there’s live music, local food and hands-on demonstrations.

Want to help out? The EcoFair needs volunteers. To find out more, see earthweek.org.—E.H.

(Photo by John Robinson)

ART AND CRAFT
This month’s artisan: Todd Leback
Bringing a Scandinavian touch to the local furniture scene is Todd Leback, who sells his modern cabinetry and furniture at his own Sycamore Gallery at 608 Preston, plus other local retailers: Chroma, the Artful Lodger and Muses. Leback, who’s self-taught, uses both solid wood and veneers in his work, forgoing stains and paints.

Despite being new to the business, he’s already making a name for himself: “I’m going to be attending some major furniture shows this year,” he told us, “the first being the Baltimore Fine Furnishings show the first weekend in May.” Get in touch with him at 960-4516 or check out vaneristudio.com.—Erika Howsare

Describe the style of your work in five words or less.
Modern with clean lines.

Briefly, how did you become a furniture maker?
I’ve been trying to do furniture full time for the past year. I dropped out of William and Mary after one year in ‘97 and started working construction, doing remodeling and new construction. I’ve built cabinetry and also attended a six-month course in traditional wooden boatbuilding.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made in the last year?
A console table I’ve built using macassar ebony and cherry. It has a sleek, simple design reminiscent of some mid-century modern pieces. One of my favorite aspects about it is that I made the legs removable for easy shipping.

What’s an object you love in your home that you did not make?
We’ve got a number of Clementina plates from South Africa that I think are fantastic—hand painted with vibrant colors and designs.

Peter Hatch’s new book details the Monticello gardens he’s tended for more than 30 years. (Photo by Ashley Twiggs)

ABODE NEWS
Garden Week features Hatch book launch
As always, Historic Garden Week is packed with more fine old houses, notable furniture and (oh yeah) gardens than you could possibly take in. See vagardeenweek.org for the full schedule and ticket info. Garden Week 2012 takes place April 21-28, with the Albemarle tours happening in and around Keswick on April 22 and 23.

One highlight at the granddaddy of Albemarle estates: Monticello will host a launch party to celebrate the release of a new book by its director of gardens and grounds, Peter Hatch. The book, “A Rich Spot of Earth”: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello, is a nearly 300-page, full-color tour of Jefferson’s beloved and, in many ways, radical mountaintop gardens. It covers everything from Jefferson’s seed-saving practices, to favorite vegetable varieties, to how the third president was influenced by garden practices from other countries.

“I tried to emphasize that this was a sacred place,” Hatch told C-VILLE in 2009. During his nearly 35-year tenure on the little mountain, he oversaw a major shift at Monticello, returning to an emphasis on historical accuracy at the World Heritage Site.

The launch party for Peter Hatch’s book will happen April 23, 6-8pm, on the West Lawn at Monticello, and includes informal tours, Virginia wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres. You must reserve $60 tickets at Monticello.org.—E.H.

(Photo courtesy Design House)

All designs in one house
Now in its third year, the Design House event is becoming a bright star on the local calendar. Each spring, the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), which supports victims of domestic violence, invites interior designers to apply their talents to a local house—with each designer transforming one room–then opens the home for tours. (ABODE is a sponsor of this year’s event.) You can tour the 2012 Design House, located in Ivy Farms, May 5-20.

Design companies on the roster include Gibson Design Group, Kathy Davies Interiors, Stedman House, Water Street Studios, and 14 others. They’ll gussy up the home of Sanjiv and Cindy Kaul, which features a separate two-bedroom cottage, a pond, and a two-story quartz fireplace. The house was renovated in 1994 by Haven Construction, with finish work by noted local tradespeople like Toru Oba and Terry Herndon, and boasts a sauna as well as family rooms on each of three levels.

Organizers have planned a few tempting special events. Besides taking a tour (tickets cost $20), you could attend a Preview Party May 3 (6-9pm, $100). Or check out a Designer Breakfast May 9, 9-10am, where four of this year’s designers will share tips on decorating topics like color and fabric (tickets are $15). On May 14, folks from Beehive Events will give a talk on Table Top Design, for no extra cost if you’ve got a tour ticket.

Check out cvilledesignhouse.com for more, and mark your calendar!—E.H.

(Photo by Cramer Photo)

OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION
To remember where she’s been
Laura Van Camp, owner of Jean Theory
“When I graduated from college, my dad bought me two maps—one of the U.S. and one of the world. They’re pretty big, two by three feet. He bought them for me because I wanted to travel. I was going to mark the places I wanted to go, but I started marking with red dots the places I had been. I couldn’t get them framed because custom framing, my goodness, is like $250. So I framed them with crown molding from Lowe’s.”

(File photo)

TIPS FROM BETTER WORLD BETTY
Dealing with the nasty stuff
During spring cleaning time, we’ve all come across stuff with the toxic CAUTION label looming. It’s tempting to just throw it away. Problem is, dangerous reactions can happen when hazardous chemicals are combined—not to mention the effects of pollution on our land and sea creatures and, in turn, us humans. Just one quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water. And here in Charlottesville, 70 percent of our rivers, lakes, streams do not meet federal and state water quality standards! Everything we flush, put down the sink or drain, on our lawns, ends up being treated and put back into our waterways.

According to Robbi Savage, Executive Director of the Rivanna Conservation Society, one of the most important ways to help is to properly dispose of prescriptions and household hazardous waste.

The city and county will continue Household Hazardous Waste disposal service this spring: for residents, Saturday, April 14 (I’ve heard they are STRICT with their hours: 9am-2pm). Amnesty collection days for Bulky Waste will follow on the Saturdays of April 21 (furniture/mattresses), May 5 (appliances), and May 12 (tires), which contain flame retardant, freon, and other chemicals unfit for regular trash cans. See rswa.avenue.org/household.htm for the list of items accepted.

CFL bulbs? HHW Day, Lowe’s, and Vanderlinde Recycling accept them.

Partially empty or full paint cans? Vanderlinde Recycling or the Ivy MUC (materials utilization center) location.

Nail Polish: EPA considers this a household hazardous waste. Bring it out to HHW Day.
Never mix used motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, paint, paint thinner, pesticides, solvents or other potentially hazardous liquids together. Of course, never pour them into the ground or storm sewer.

As for prescription drugs: Most grocery store pharmacies now sell an 8 x 11 envelope ($2.99) to place leftover or out-of-date prescriptions. Or you can wait until National Take Back Prescription Day on April 28. Call ahead to see if your favorite pharmacy is participating. (Details at Environmental Return System: www.sharpsinc.com)

Check out Better World Betty’s green living resource list at betterworldbetty.org and blog at cvillebetty.blogspot.com.

 

Materials: Black cardstock, White cardstock. Tools: Camera, Scissors, Glue stick, Pencil. (Photo by Ed Warwick)

YOU CAN DO IT
Prints charming
I have a very vivid memory of my parents forcing me and my two siblings to sit still on vacation while a street vendor made our silhouettes. From the trendiest of magazines to the chicest of weddings, silhouettes are all the rage again—a traditional, yet modern approach to the family portrait. Here’s how to make your own silhouettes, easily and for just a few bucks.

To begin, take a profile photo of your subject, whether it’s yourself, a loved one, or the family pet (don’t worry, you can cut out your double chin later). Have the photos printed at your local photo lab (the size print will be determined by how large you want your silhouette to be).

Using your scissors, cut out the profile image, removing the background. Lay your image flat on your black cardstock and trace it lightly with your pencil. Then carefully cut out the image on the black cardstock. For a more traditional look, mount the silhouette to a piece of white cardstock, mat, and frame. For a more modern look, mount the silhouette on a piece of patterned scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or a wallpaper remnant.—Ed Warwick

TOOLBOX
Vintage finds
Back in the day, craftspeople relied on their tools to make a way in the world. Today, many of those same tools have survived and are still going strong. The ergonomic handles, quality hardwoods and carefully forged metals afford these instruments longevity not often achieved by their modern counterparts.

True, some antique tools should be admired for design and aesthetic. Some should be revered for the stories tucked in the rust, chips and cracks. But a fair few can be cleaned up and put back to work.

A vintage hand drill tops the list as an elder tool still worth its iron. A hand bit brace and an “egg beater” style gear drill are the two most prevalent types of older hand drills. Both are non-electric and rely on the transfer and amplification of rotating force, through gears and the like, to turn a drill bit. Well-maintained hand drills are perfect for precision drilling or small jobs that may suffer from too much torque (think furniture construction and repair). Plus, you don’t have to worry about the battery failing mid-drill, or whether the extension cord will reach far enough.

Although made with softer steel than modern chisels, wooden handled vintage finds are easier to sharpen and therefore, maintain than their extremely rigid granddaughters. Here is also a case for the superior ergonomics of older tools, as the lathed handles are comfortable and responsive. Not to mention that wood functions as a healthier shock absorber than most plastic, while still transferring the force of a mallet’s blow effectively.

Arguably, most contemporary tools benefit from vastly improved materials (think titanium claw hammers) and more precise manufacturing processes (most measuring instruments: laser level, sliding bevel, etc.). But for the sheer delight of nostalgia and elbow grease, I’ll stick with my grandfather’s hand forged auger bits for now.—Christy Baker

 

(File photo)

PLANETARY
Spare me
We love the architectural look—like futuristic office towers—of these bowling pins from local company Cardboard Safari. They’d look equally sharp in a kid’s room or grown-up living room. Best part: You can actually bowl with them. Other best part: They’re made from recyclable cardboard. See cardboardsafari.com.

(Photo by Andrea Hubbell)

For the past two years, Catherine McFarland, an elementary school teacher, has slowly gathered an array of furniture and artwork for the one-bedroom Downtown apartment she shares with her husband Nate. The aesthetic is clean and fresh: The walls are painted Champagne and the upholstery is cream; pops of green branches and succulents add cooler tones to the space.

For McFarland, carefully decorating her apartment has been a fruitful creative outlet. “As a teacher, you get so immersed in the world of children all day…Taking care in decorating my home has provided a chance for me to reacquaint myself with my creative side. It’s my adult hobby,” she says.

It helps that McFarland has a natural can-do spirit and a gifted touch with the sewing machine. Doing things frugally was the way she grew up: “My mom has always been a do-it-yourself, or do-it-for-cheaper…I wanted to carry on this way of thinking, and have nice things in this house, but I wanted to make as much of it as I could.”

Examples of her innovation include a chic table skirt she sewed from printed burlap fabric she bought online, and four dining chairs she bought from Circa, which she painted white and reupholstered in a navy velvet. And she’s always scouring the local estate sales and auction house. “I scored a Betty Draper table for practically nothing from a Harlowe Powell modern auction that I had been following. They had forgotten to post the table online and offered it to me for $150!”

The couple has married their sensibilities nicely in the space. Nate, who hails from the West Coast, is inclined towards a sleek, Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic. Catherine, on the other hand, grew up in a traditionally appointed home in Virginia Beach. “We weren’t even allowed to make our beds because we wouldn’t do it right! I mean, my mom would iron our sheets. Can you imagine?” Yet McFarland has started to gravitate towards mixing modern, sleek pieces with elegant antiques. She’s paired a traditional wooden secretary desk with an acrylic Louis ghost chair.

But in this space, there’s a definite emphasis on casual, comfortable surroundings. “Because we only have the one room, we can’t really afford to have anything that isn’t comfortable or functional. Maybe one day I can see us picking form over function, but not yet!”—Cate West Zahl

 

“I just can’t resist a $50 chair. When I see one I can’t not bring it home with me. I tell myself that I’ll find a reason for it later.

“We entertain a lot in the space, and have had up to 30 people at a time. I kept apologizing to people about the lack of space, but I actually think people preferred being crammed in together. It was fun and intimate! I try to make our home as inviting as possible. The ceilings are 10 feet high, which makes the space seem larger than it actually is.

“My favorite piece is the Kiki Slaughter painting, the first commissioned work we’ve received. It was a wedding present from my aunt and uncle. I love the mix of white, blues and green, and I love having art from local Charlottesville painters in my space.

“When we first got married, Nate just liked that everything was so clean and put together for the first time! He spent so much time on the road from touring with his band, and he was living with a bunch of guys in a house on Rugby Avenue on a twin bed on the floor!

“I’ve grown into gravitating towards more sleek, clean and modern things. I think growing up in a traditionally designed home, you bought furniture and arranged things because that’s what you did, and that’s what everyone else did, and there wasn’t much veering away from a certain look. So I think I have enjoyed the freedom of picking out things that I like, even if they are outside the box, and mixing and matching aesthetics.”

GREEN EYE
Plant your own forest
If you’re longing for a more verdant landscape outside your kitchen window—or if you just believe in the importance of oxygen—how about planting some trees? The Virginia Department of Forestry grows and sells upwards of 24 million tree seedlings every year, in a few dozen varieties—from hardwoods like red maple and sycamore, to conifers like Virginia pine, to ornamentals like dogwoods. You can order seedlings (as long as you want at least 10 of a species) at BuyVirginiaTrees.com.

Don’t need 10 seedlings? Go in with a neighbor; the prices are friendly ($45 for 25 northern red oak seedlings, for one). And do it soon; many species sell out. The harvest season ends in April.

Tips for planting: Plant during the seedling’s dormant season (for most species, that means before April). Keep roots moist and covered, and don’t prune them. Dig a hole as deep as the roots are long, plant the tree up to its root collar, and if you mulch, don’t let the mulch touch the trunk. Keep your new seedling watered and look forward to a long, beautiful friendship.—Erika Howsare

Bring on the critters
Having lots of wildlife around your home isn’t just a matter of getting lucky. There is plenty that humans can do to encourage the presence of bees, birds, and other animals near our dwellings. In fact, the Piedmont Environmental Council offers help to homeowners who want to create a welcoming habitat. Start at the PEC website (pecva.org), where you can read a Bird Habitat Guide, browse a list of native plant suppliers, and learn how to build a frog pond.
Then, consider calling up Sustainable Habitat Program Manager James Barnes, who’s available to give advice on any size project, from bringing pollinators to a suburban backyard to making grasslands more inviting to birds. The best part? There’s no charge for his wisdom.
Speaking of charges, if the expense of a habitat or other land conservation project is standing in your way, the PEC also now offers a database of funding sources to help you out. The database gives the lowdown on 82 different programs, from tax relief for conservation easements, to the Pine Bark Beetle Prevention program.

Sounds like the bee’s knees to us. Barnes is available at jbarnes@pecva.org or (543) 347-2334, x30.—E.H.

BY THE NUMBERS
114
That’s the number of official “Transition Towns” in the U.S.—that is, cities that are undertaking initiatives to confront peak oil, within the model of the Transition movement (which began in the U.K. in 2006). Charlottesville held its own Transition workshop in February, kicking off what organizers hope will be a more sustainable future for our town.
Source: transitionus.org

ABODE NEWS
Too sweet
Attention, cookie monsters: You can cut down on sweets and eat them too—that is, if you get hip to lower-sugar cooking and baking. Luckily, we have a local expert on this matter: Wendy Vigdor-Hess, dietician and author of the book Sweetness Without Sugar. She’ll share some of her many recipes for satisfying treats that don’t rely on refined sugar, March 31, during a workshop at Divine Play.

Vigdor-Hess knows that sugar cravings are no joke. She aims to give folks healthier ways to satisfy those urges. Check out her book at sweetnesswithoutsugar.com or at Integral Yoga Natural Foods. Or sign up for the workshop at Divine Play, 313 Second St. SE, 1-3pm on March 31. The cost is $55. See divineplaycharlottesville.com for more.—E.H.

Woolen Mills as captured by Bill Emory. He gave a “Where I Live” talk on the neighborhood in February; this month, the series will cover the Martha Jefferson/Locust Grove area.

Locale news
Charlottesville’s rich history lives not only in the brick-clad edifices of Court Square, but in the minds and memories of residents from all over the city. The Historic Resources Committee will bring some of those stories into the open with its “Where I Live” events—a series of monthly talks on Charlottesville neighborhoods, taking place at C’ville Coffee throughout 2012.

The series kicked off in January with a talk about West Main Street by lifelong resident Preston Coiner and photographer John Shepherd, and continued in February with a presentation on Woolen Mills by Bill Emory and Victoria Dunham.

Each event happens on a Sunday, 3-5pm, and it’s free to attend. Next up is a March 18 talk on the Martha Jefferson/Locust Grove neighborhood. A tentative schedule includes talks on many other parts of town, from Lewis Mountain to 10th and Page. Call 970-3130 for more info.

Oh, and bring your storyteller hat: Audience contributions are encouraged.—E.H.

Flower fun
One of our favorite discoveries of 2012, so far, is a blog by Nancy Ross Hugo, the Howardsville-based author of Seeing Trees. She was a longtime garden writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and she’s an all-around expert on plants and flowers and being outside.

Her blog is called Windowsill Arranging, and the premise is simple: She makes a new flower arrangement every day. It’s a smart, lovely site. The arrangements are casual, the writing is crisp, the photos are pretty. And it’s evidence of the small beauties of our region, seen through the lens of a devoted observer. Hugo makes use of whatever’s currently blooming, or has a nice shape: hellebore leaves, parsley stems, a lone daffodil on New Year’s Day (!).
Bookmark it for a daily dose of quiet delight: windowsillarranging.blogspot.com.—E.H.

ART AND CRAFT
This month’s artisan: Gerald Boggs

(Photo by Sarah Janeway)

The ancient, elementary craft of blacksmithing is the province of Afton-based Gerald Boggs, who forges forms both practical (coat hooks) and symbolic (the Tree of Life) under the name Wayfarer Forge. “One of my favorites is the cross,” he tells us. “It’s one of the oldest symbols of man, one of the most simple, and yet has endless variations.” Find Boggs’ work at City Market, the Michie Tavern and Monticello gift stores, or at his shop (which is part of the Artisan Trail). Contact him at blacksmith@geraldboggs.com.—E.H.

Describe the style of your work in five words or less.
I don’t have a style, I have a method: “Forged by hand and hammer.”

How did you become a blacksmith?
By the serendipitous meeting of a blacksmith. Upon first sight, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life. At first he would let me come to his forge on the weekends; later he gave me a job. I worked for him for three-and-a-half years and then started Wayfarer Forge.

What’s your favorite piece you’ve made in the past year?
My favorite form was a Tree of Life. All cultures and beliefs have a Tree, so everyone finds a connection to it.

What’s an object you love in your home that you did not make?
I have several wooden chests and boxes. One’s an old Gold Rush stage coach chest.

PLANETARY
Deco set
The greenest furniture is the stuff that already exists. Our favorite secondhand find of the month is this diner-style table and stool set, which called out to us at the Habitat Store.

HOT HOUSE
Virginia Victorian
Nothing like a well-placed detail to turn the heads of passersby. In Belmont, this house charms with its very local (i.e., brick-and-white) take on the Victorian form. It works because of that just-ornate-enough woodwork edging the porch roof, and the slim columns that recall—but not too closely—all the white verticals propping up Mr. Jefferson’s porticos.

VOCABULARY
Rain garden
The old way: Funnel stormwater off pavement and roofs into closed sewers, and thence to the watershed. The new way: Guide it to a planted depression in the ground, where native plants take up excess water, soil filters out pollutants, and runoff to local waterways is reduced (along with erosion). That’s called a rain garden. This one was planted by residents in the RiverBluff neighborhood.

YOU CAN DO IT
Where the chips fall
Artwork is a surefire way to bring personality and charm to a space, but it sure can be expensive. Ready to let go of the Breakfast at Tiffany’s print? (Face it, you don’t even like that movie.)

Here’s a fun and easy way to make some affordable, one-of-a kind artwork for your abode.—Ed Warwick

Materials:
Paint chips from the home improvement store
Cardboard
Mat and frame

Tools:
Scissors
Spray adhesive

Pick up a handful or two of paint chips at your local home improvement store in colors that suit your mood and will complement your space and décor. Using your scissors, cut the paint chips into the shape(s) of your choice (try triangles or diamonds). Be sure to cut off the part that lists the paint color name–you know, Mango Sunset, Clean Laundry, Misty Mountain Morning, etc.

Arrange your chips into a fun pattern on your cardboard to visualize the final product. Once satisfied, cut your cardboard to the size of your frame and spray it with even coats of spray adhesive. Lay your paint chips on the cardboard, in your desired pattern, and press firmly.
Once dry, place your new artwork in a store-bought frame for a more finished look. Hang, enjoy, and serve with wine and cheese.

TOOLBOX
Keep it clean
There’s nothing more frustrating than finally locating the tool you’ve been searching for, just to discover it’s still gummed up with last month’s paint or, worse, last year’s machine grease. Ick.

When it comes to keeping your tools clean, a proper solvent is often required to eliminate the remnants of various oils, stains and other gummy grime.

A word of warning: Solvents are powerful cleaning agents because they often contain strong and possibly harmful chemicals. Please follow manufacturers’ guidelines carefully and employ proper safety techniques.

As a rule, use the least powerful method appropriate for the clean-up job to minimize unnecessary exposure to toxins. For example, if you have some adhesive residue from a sticker on your new, energy efficient double-pane windows, don’t douse it with acetone (nail polish remover). Instead, try using smearing some hand lotion on the goo. Wait a few minutes and it should wipe right off. Clean the oily streaks with a 50:50 vinegar water solution and some newspaper.

Certain gunk requires bringing out the big guns. It’s nearly unavoidable (unless you want to throw that sloppy paint brush in the trash). Alkyd and other oil-based paints and stains require a tough solvent to free the brush, roller or sponge from the pigments and binder. Turpentine, which is actually made from trees, is a tried and true brush cleaner and paint thinner. Bonus: it’s reusable! Keep your turpentine sealed in a glass container and let the particles settle to the bottom after cleaning your brush. The stuff on top is ready to use next time.

Many solvents contain water, which can damage some metal parts on tools. Using a product like WD40, odorless mineral spirits or a water-free citrus-based solvent will help stave off rust. In fact, any freshly cleaned metal items will benefit from a wipe down of 3-in-1 oil or vegetable oil. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a liter of Goo Gone.—Christy Baker

tips from better world betty
Apps to save water
Water is vital to everyone, every day. In honor of World Water Day on March 22, this month Betty has found top-rated iPhone applications to help you do your part to conserve our most precious resource.

Drip Detective: I love this clever app that calculates your water waste and cost from leaky faucets. Simply tap the screen each time a drip fall from your faucet and voila—see the reason why you should fix it ASAP!

How Blue Are You? This application launched by American Standards details their highest efficiency products, but also offers a water savings calculator, quiz, and efficiency tips.
How much water do you eat? The Virtual Water Project would like to tell you. This application shows the large amount of water it takes to produce everyday things such as food, paper, and cotton clothes. ($1.99)

My Water Diary: Track your weekly water consumption with this application. Just click on their cute shower, toilet flush or mop graphic to see your use. Only caveat: because it hails from the U.K., it calculates in liters.

Meter Readings will help you easily monitor all of your household utility meters—in addition to water, energy and gas. Once you start entering readings, your usage, costs and savings are calculated and displayed in easy-to-visualize graphs.

Finally Facebook, Friend2Friend, and Siemens have teamed up to offer a Personal Water Footprint Calculator to help you conserve. Take a test and you’ll learn where you use water and get savings tips. Plus, you can share with your friends.

Check out Better World Betty’s green living resource list at betterworldbetty.org and blog at http://cvillebetty.blogspot.com. 

 When Spanish architect Iñaki Alday accepted his position as Chair of the Department of Architecture at UVA in 2011, it meant moving his family from a bustling life in the heart of Barcelona to a house surrounded by trees in Charlottesville. “Even though we love pedestrian spaces, we thought for the kids, maybe we should change and go to a house in the forest, under the trees,” he said. “If we were going to change, why not change all the way.”

(Photo by Andrea Hubbell)

When it came time for his wife, Margarita Jover (also an architect and partner in their firm aldayjover), and their two children to pack, deciding what to leave and what to take proved easy. They brought it all with them.

“We are not necessarily interested in comfort when it comes to our space. It’s not our main concern. We are interested in quality, personality and spaces that challenge you,” said Alday. The family’s vast collection of artwork, furniture and artifacts occupy the open floor space in their modern home, designed by local firm Bushman Dreyfus. Highlights include a Giacometti figurative sculpture, Gio Ponti Superleggera chairs acquired from a hotel under renovation, an early piece by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, and a one-of-a-kind enormous coffee table made from a slice of bubinga wood.

An oversized photograph by a well-known Spanish photographer depicts a difficult image of a row of billboards, a comment on commercialism. The photographer told Alday that not many people choose such a challenging piece for their space because they find it too disturbing, which is precisely why he acquired it.

There are whimsical touches too: an original magenta bullfighting cape made of canvas so thick, it stands on its own like a piece of sculpture. The bookshelves dividing the room into a dining and sitting area are low to the ground, as is all the furniture. “In Barcelona, we tried to have nothing exceed one meter in height. It makes for a more peaceful existence.”
The stewardship of occupying an architectural space and doing so with intention is something he takes seriously. “Architecture lasts many, many years. I’m just a temporary occupant. If a house is strong, filling it with beautiful pieces is a way of showing respect.” As an architect, Alday advocates adhering oneself to the restrictions innate in a structure. This philosophy continues to hold true for his life in Charlottesville.—Cate West Zahl

“I feel like we have no right to transform places that have their own life and personality. I get disappointed when I see that attitude of drastically tearing down walls and original details of a space in order to suit your needs. I’d like to see people change their own ways to accommodate the space, not the other way around.

“Normally being in a house, when you put your stuff in it, you fill it with colors. Most of the time you need a neutral background in which your things will provide the color. Sometimes you need to use color to bring something else out. Say you have a magnificent door. And then you paint the wall around it a certain color to make it appear. You have to ask that wall and ask that door, how do you want to get along?

“We really should dare to live in and use the spaces of our times. Just as we use the cars of our times. We aren’t trying to use a horse to get around! I don’t understand why there is this trend to build houses that try to reproduce something that is not our time. Just look at the cathedrals: When they were constructing them, the cathedrals were changing style with the times. They start with a Romantic part, then have a gothic section, and then a Renaissance part…People just naturally built what the style of their era was.

“We were living in a beautiful flat in the center of Barcelona in an old palace. We have always given priority to quality of the space that we live. Even if we don’t have the money to buy a thing, but just to rent, and then arrange it or transform it or give life back to that place. We realize that we have been always asking more for having a special place than for having comfort.

“A compliment we received from a photographer once was that our work is hard to photograph. We think this is good. It means the qualities are not obvious and staged in a way that looks like a set. I have a hard time with spaces that are designed only to look great in a photograph. Rooms are meant to be lived in.”

Andrew Montgomery can’t remember a time when he wasn’t interested in building. In fact, he claims he built his first chair when he was five years old. “It was this tiny little armchair made out of pine wood, with a small square seat. Ever since I made that chair, I’ve always had this desire to create, design, and build things with my hands.” A graduate of Virginia Tech’s architecture program and currently a design associate for Spatial Affairs Bureau, Montgomery grew up surrounded by builders. “Both my grandfathers did woodworking and built houses. And my dad always had a pile of wood, and nails, hammers and saws around, so when I was growing up I was just constantly building things.”

Two years ago, when he and his wife, Tara, decided to rent a 1910 house in Downtown Charlottesville, he naturally fell in love with the characteristics inherent in an old space: original wood floors, exposed pipes, even the radiators. “I love the detailing of the gold radiators. It’s just fun. At first, when I saw the landlord spray painting them gold, I thought ‘what is this guy doing?’ but now I think it’s awesome and unique.”

While the house is old, the décor is new. And most of it has been built by Montgomery himself. His furniture marries form and function beautifully. Think clean lines, special materials, and hidden details, which is his specialty.

The living/family room aims to be “clean and simple.” Aside from the chairs and lights that Montgomery built himself, there’s a modern gray sofa, a baby blue Eames rocker and a contemporary metal shelving unit attached to the wall. Montgomery’s favorite element, however, is the coffee table he built his wife. “I used wood that was cut down from my grandfather’s property, so it has significance to it.”

Montgomery appreciates this quirky abode, especially since his wife helps add warmth to the space. Tara, a talented jewelry maker, is quite can-do herself, and it was her idea to paint the room a cool blue, as well as to make the oversized wire pendent lamp out of clothespins. “I’m grateful for Tara, because she has a great sense of color and style that I don’t have.”—Cate West Zahl

 

“What I try to do with my furniture is to design it so that no details are showing. The funny thing about that is that it almost takes more details, time, and effort to actually achieve this effect! My personal aesthetic is to not express the way the materials have been joined together.

“I can never name my pieces. I could never give a name to my artwork either. I think what I love about chairs, and furniture…is that it interacts with people. People create their own memories and associations with that object. So I don’t want to name it something that boxes the person into thinking about it in a certain way. I love that this inanimate thing can actually connect with people.

“I have so many ideas in my head, there’s a constant stream of possible items I could make, there’s just not enough time to make them all! It’s an amazing experience to have an idea, design this idea, and then make it. You are creating an object that didn’t exist in the world and wouldn’t exist, if you hadn’t thought it up. It’s incredibly satisfying.

“So in high school, I started taking sculpture and taught myself how to carve wood. I would do it on my own, not even in class. I started carving busts and more sculptural items. Even in college I would have a pile of wood in my room; there would be wood chips everywhere. It was always something I was doing in my spare time.

“Furniture is just another scale of architecture, it’s simply another opportunity to be expressive and creative, but on a smaller scale. It’s actually harder because with a house, you have more opportunities to make your mark in the details. With a chair, it’s limited.
“There is an apparent chaotic order to our existence, but in actuality, I believe there is an order to it that we simply can’t comprehend. A lot of my architecture reflects this; there are no square walls, there are crazy forms that interact with each other. This is my way of expressing the disorder we experience within life.”

You’ve got your bed. Now you need the other pieces to let your bedroom hit a certain middle C between dull (so that you’re not kept awake by overly flamboyant furnishings) and interesting (so that, well, they’re not too dull). Find the blend that’s right for you, starting with these pieces from local stores.

TOP Good knight. Round table from the Artful Lodger ($265, 970-1900); Off the wall. Floor mirror from Kane Furniture ($599, 296-5594); Bedside buddy. Nightstand from Artifacts ($1,195, 295-9500); MIDDLE Bed-end bench. Stools from The Second Yard ($335 each, 295-6054); Sweet sheets. Linens available from Yves Delorme (Prices vary, 979-4111); Alarmingly cool. Clock with MP3 dock from Best Buy ($99, 977-1578); BOTTOM Sock drawer and more. Dress from Classic Furniture ($1,699, 973-1578); Light the page. Wall-mount reading light from Timberwood Lighting ($252, 872-0400); A good read. Armchair from And George ($1,670). 

Cold winter weather and hunger can both be answered with a hunk or two of hardwood and an iron pot bubbling with beans and bone. Dried beans are an economical source of vegetable protein in all corners of the world; including a few marrow bones or some scraps of smoked meat would increase the rich flavor and nutritional content of a whole pot. Traditional methods for cooking beans rely upon earthenware vessels with fitted lids and a slow, low heat source such as a dying fire.

Those folks who are heating the old-fashioned way can also be eating beans the old-fashioned way—cooked over a fire overnight, and ready to scoop and serve in the morning.
Dried beans should be soaked in tepid water for a few hours and picked over to remove “floaters,” debris, and any loose skins.

Choose a cast iron or enamelware pot with a fitted lid. While earthenware pots are traditional for indirect heat, one would need to be rated for direct heat up to 700 degrees and/or soaked in water for several hours before using on the top of a cookstove.

To test the surface temperature of your stove, fill your FIRESAFE pot with a few inches of water to see how quickly it boils. The ideal temperature is one that will boil your beans for a few minutes, then slowly diminish over the course of eight hours or so.

If your fire seems too hot, you may choose to use a FIRESAFE buffer such as soapstone, pizza stone, or cast iron skillet (inverted for best buffering). However, prudence dictates that you simply wait a few hours for a more moderate fire on which to begin.

The easy way
If a wood stove with a cook top is not part of your present, dig into the more recent past to find the modern equivalent—the Crock Pot.

While the materials and the prevailing designs have changed a little since it was introduced in the 1970, the crux of the contraption is that it faithfully cooks your meal when you aren’t watching. Make dinner when you’re not even at home! Never burn chili again! Chicken soup that tastes like grandma used to make!

In fact, the Crock Pot actually began its commercial life with a different name—the Beanery. That’s right, it was designed in the 1950s as an electric version of the earthenware bean pot! It was redesigned and relaunched in 1971 as the Crock Pot and the rest, as they say, is history.

As is true of many cultural items from the 1970s, Crock Pots can be found for a few dollars at yard and rummage sales, or even in the back of grandma’s hall closet or on a shelf in the garage. Critics will point out that Crock Pot cooking won’t yield the intense caramel flavors of sautéing, grilling, and broiling—who cares? To add those flavors to your crock of beans, cook onions and peppers in a pan, or on a grill, then add them at the end of cooking.

Beans from around here
Steadfast Farm in Ivy, Virginia cultivated black beans in 2011 and made them available by the pound at the Charlottesville City Market. Steadfast is sold out until harvest this year—in fact, all the remaining black beans have been stored for the winter and will serve in the spring as the seeds for the 2012 crop! They are also cultivating wheat, and will be offering freshly-ground whole wheat flour and wheat berries again at the Market this year.—Lisa Reeder

Our kitchen columnist, Lisa Reeder, is an educator and advocate for local and regional food production in Central Virginia. She received chef’s training in New York and currently works in Farm Services and Distribution at the Local Food Hub.