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Abode Magazines

It’s about the journey

Kenny Ball has been finding, buying, and selling European antiques for more than three decades. His showroom on Ivy Road is filled with beautiful furniture, furnishings, and decorative arts. You might assume a background of wealth and privilege…but the road that brought him here began with a pony. 

“I didn’t grow up with these things,” Ball says, gesturing at the antiques around him. He was born and raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, in a family of farmers and watermen—“a humble home,” in his words. “But I like pretty things, and I was smart enough to expose myself [to a wider world], through the people I met.”

The pony was a childhood gift from his parents, and horses became his passion. Ball, who’s “been Kenny all my life,” started going to horse shows around the Mid-Atlantic, and through the friends he made in that circuit began attended local auctions. He picked up a few items of furniture, and soon was selling them as well. 

By the 1980s, Ball’s involvement in the horse show world brought him to Albemarle County. His growing interest in antiques led him to the Country Store Antique Mall in Ruckersville, where he shared a booth upstairs and became friends with owner Jean Voight. The next step was a shop called Dovetail Antiques on Water Street in Charlottesville, where he partnered with Voight for the first year. “That was my first real shop,” he recalls. 

Soon he was scouting major antique shows, including the Greensboro Super Flea Market, where he met well-known dealer Caroline Faison—“one of the most important people in my life.” Soon he was accompanying Faison on her shopping trips to Europe, learning more and more about European antiques and décor—“I was absorbing like a sponge,” he recalls. Through those shows and others, he met more people in the antiques and design world—Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, and Victoria Hagan among them. Gradually, Ball began to focus on furniture and furnishings from the English, French, and Italian 18th and 19th centuries: “It’s just what I discovered that I like, although it also has to do with the people I’ve met.”

By the early 2000s, Ball had moved into a larger space on Ivy Road, and Kenny Ball Antiques was well known in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic. Then came the recession of 2008-2009. “We weren’t selling anything,” he recalls, “and a longtime employee said, ‘You’ve been doing design work [advising clients on what to buy and how to use it in their homes]—only you haven’t been charging for it.’” So Ball began consulting with local architects, and grew a separate retail design business that now has its own full-time staff, showroom, design library, and CEO—his daughter Chloe. 

Navigating the pandemic has not been as challenging. Being homebound turned many people’s thoughts to redecorating, and with the explosive growth of Instagram, Kenny Ball Antiques does a large portion of its sales online. Buying antiques sight-unseen might seem like a risky business, but Ball is careful both in describing his offerings and in assuring his clients that no sale is complete until they are satisfied. “I’ve worked hard on my reputation,” he says. “The only customer I want is a happy customer.” (Another side effect of Instagram: “We’re seeing more younger people.”)

In the last year, Kenny Ball Antiques has moved from Ivy Square to a larger, light-filled showroom next to the Market at Bellair. People often come to stroll around and look at the pieces, without buying anything—which is fine with him. “I love having a shop because of the relationship I build with my customers,” he says. And many of those customers have been coming—and buying—for decades.

What brings people in? Ball says his customers are drawn by his style—he knows and loves European antiques, but he has the ability to combine them with objects from other periods. “The market here [in the Charlottesville area] is very broad, and my customers are eclectic—and I like to mix it up.” In his showroom, Ball’s personal favorites (“the Directoire period—I like straight lines, good Georgian, things that never go out of style”) co-exist comfortably with more ornate inlaid and painted furniture, Chinoiserie decorative items, some primitives, and contemporary graphic arts.

Any advice for those just beginning to consider antiques? “Buy what you love,” says Ball without hesitation. “And buy it when you see it—the piece may not be there when you come back.” Those rules have stood him in good stead over his career—“and after 35 years, I still love coming to work.”

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News

Training for life

As a professional boxer, George Rivera fought under the name “Wartime.” Growing up poor and mixed-race, he learned to fight to survive. But now he’s taken on a different battle: Inspired by his late sister, Rivera is turning his Charlottesville gym into a nonprofit called Wartime Fitness Warriors, using boxing to help at-risk young people ages 6-24 build strength, discipline, and self-respect.

“Boxing changed my whole mental outlook,” says Rivera, 44. “It gave me purpose. And that’s what I want to pass on to these kids.”

Rivera grew up in the Harlem projects. “We called where we lived the Vietnam Building, because it was war inside and war outside” (thus his boxing name), and when he was a senior in high school, the family got out. They moved to Lake Monticello, where his aunt lived.

“It was total culture shock,” says Rivera. “Farms, trees—I’d never seen a praying mantis.” This was 1996—and many kids in Fluvanna County had never seen a Black-Puerto Rican kid. “Coming where I came from, we were big on respect … so my brother and I would get into altercations. I got labeled.”

After high school, a friend suggested Rivera take up boxing, and connected him with Charlottesville youth coach Joe Mallory, who also ran a boxing gym. Rivera says boxing “helped me with my anger. Hitting that bag, you’re releasing so much tension—it made me calmer, more relaxed, helped me focus.” After Mallory’s gym closed, he went on to train at the Staunton Boxing Club. Within a few years, he was fighting as an amateur (45 wins, five losses), and by 2005 as a pro (14 wins, eight  losses, two draws). 

But Rivera had a wife and family to support, so boxing was always a sideline. Eventually, he left the ring, but continued his involvement in athletics as a volunteer football and basketball coach.

Then, in 2018, a heart-to-heart talk with his younger sister, Daniela Johnson—“a beautiful spirit”—set Rivera on a new path. In the middle of a conversation one night, “she turned to me and said, ‘You have to get back into boxing, into coaching—you’re great at it. You have to cut that safety net [of having a full-time job and coaching on the side.]’  And I thought, ‘You know what, she’s right.’” A week later, Johnson fell asleep at the wheel on her way home from her night job, and was killed.

Her death spurred Rivera to take the leap and start his own gym, where he could train and coach full-time. Wartime Fitness opened in Fluvanna in 2019, and moved to a larger space in Charlottesville on Juneteenth 2021.

His gym drew a diverse group of clients from all around the area—and a lot of kids Rivera could see “were already getting judged, labeled, or getting bullied. I understood where they were coming from.” He began working intensively with the kids he calls “misunderstood” (he resists the label “disadvantaged”), getting to know their parents and their teachers, becoming another supportive presence in their lives. 

“I tell these kids, ‘You don’t have to box competitively; you are here to train yourself, mentally and physically. When you’re in this building, you have to do your best.’ Confidence is powerful, and we’re here to build confidence.” 

Rivera’s long-term plan for the Warriors includes renovating a space on Cherry Avenue to include classrooms and computers, so kids can get help on their schoolwork as well as their footwork. “I want this to be a safe haven, a community for them,” he says. In the meantime, Rivera is busy recruiting more club members whose dues will help support the mission, seeking grant money, starting a GoFundMe page, and building ties with schools in the area.

And through it all, he can feel his sister’s presence: “Her energy is here. She was always positive. We’re working to put that back out into the world.”  

Categories
Made In C-VILLE Magazines

Heirloom variety

For the last five years, Charlottesville artist Tim O’Kane has been designing new seed packets for the flowers, herbs, and vegetables that have been preserved and propagated by the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Monticello. Recently, he spoke with us about the project and his work.

Made in C-VILLE: How did this project get started?

Tim O’Kane: Back in 2017 the Center called me, and we had a great meeting. [Local artist] Gail McIntosh had done a black-and-white engraving that they were using on all the seed packets. The Center wanted to actually show the [individual] plants in color. The whole project is sponsored by Kenneth and Teresa Wood, a couple in Philadelphia. … We started the first year with 20 plants, then we did another 20—I’m starting a new set of 20 now. So far, I’ve done something in the range of 130 paintings. And these are all historic plants documented by Jefferson—when you buy seeds from Monticello, you’re getting what Jefferson grew.

How does this project fit with your own artistic style?

I had never done botanical drawings before, but I am a realist painter … and I’ve been a gardener most of my life. But this is a real education! Peggy Cornett [Curator of Plants at Monticello] and the Center staff are amazing. I can create the drawing, then I show it to them and they correct it. I have the skill in observation—I’ve been painting for 50-plus years now—but I couldn’t do it without them. For example, in one painting in a series on pollinators, I put in bumblebees that don’t exist here. It’s a real team effort.

How did you approach creating a unified look for the packets?

Once I got this job, I started to look at old seed packets—I always liked the way they were done, before photography. I decided to go for a whole new style, a kind of pop art. Each painting has a box around the edge, to give it a three-dimensional aspect. And they all have a pretty bold composition. I really wanted to make them into good paintings, not simply illustrations.

How do you create the paintings of the individual plants?

Mostly I work at Tufton Farm [a Monticello property where the Center’s nursery is housed]. The staff may call me and say such-and-such is in bloom now. I start by photographing the plant I’m working on, so I can get the details. Then I do black-and-white studies to work out the composition and the accuracy. Then I paint in oils. The Center is in the process of having all the works framed—they’re planning to do an exhibition.

What are some of the challenges?

For some of the plants, I had to find out how to make them more dynamic. Herbs, for example—there’s no big flower. I’ve done vegetables, flowers, even fruit—tomatoes are a fruit, and the Center has so many varieties! And I’ve learned about so many new plants—blanket flowers, for example, I didn’t know about them, they’re beautiful and bloom all summer long. And Canterbury bells…

Beyond the seed packets, many of O’Kane’s plant paintings are also featured on pillows, scarves, and other objects sold at the Monticello Shop.  

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434 Magazines

The play’s the thing

Maybe you thought LEGO was just for kids. But for 19-year-old Liam Mohajeri Norris and his mother Emily, those little plastic shapes may win them a title, a trophy, and a cool $100,000 on in the “LEGO Masters” reality competition series. 

And, Liam admits, “I do have the dream of working for LEGO.”

Roll tape back to 2004, when UVA grads Scott and Emily Norris moved back to the Charlottesville area with their new family. Emily, who was homeschooling Liam and his brothers, was on the lookout for creative toys, and scored a huge bin of used LEGO at a Waldorf School yard sale. The rest, as they say, is history.

Emily remembers Liam starting out with open play, and then working on sets to discover more ways the blocks could be used. Then came MOCs (LEGO-speak for “my own creations”—there’s a lot of jargon in serious LEGO work). His parents got into the scene as supporters and “artistic advisors,” says Emily. 

Then, Liam recalls, “We had a FIRST LEGO League team that my mom coached.” At 13, Liam started a LEGO Design Club that met at the local library. Then he and his mother taught a LEGO design class at the Community Homeschool Enrichment Center; Emily, who has a master’s degree in education, says LEGO play is a good way to do team building with middle schoolers. Soon Liam was running a LEGO workshop for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia on Cherry Avenue, and working out new designs with the online LEGO community.

The family moved to Tucson in 2021, but the LEGO work continued. Emily designed a studio space in their home, with places for Scott, Liam, and his brothers to work on their individual projects. Liam, now a freshman at the University of Arizona majoring in film and television, has his own YouTube channel called Brixter where he posts LEGO tutorials. He recently posted a design to LEGO World Builder, an online portal where builders can pitch their designs to other enthusiasts—and to LEGO.

What is the appeal that’s kept him playing LEGO for more than a decade? “I like that it uses both the creativity and the engineering parts [of my mind],” says Liam, citing his interests in both robotics and math. And the weekly challenges on “LEGO Masters” aren’t just making cool shapes. In the Wild West challenge, the competing teams had to design a LEGO bull rider that could survive riding on an actual mechanical bull—and look good doing it. In the Jurassic Park episode, the teams had to construct a dinosaur action scene that could stand up to live special effects—Liam and Emily (the first mother-son team in the series’ four-season run) won that round.

Liam finds working with LEGO both relaxing and therapeutic. “I like that creating with LEGO is physical, not just digital—being able to look and interact with what I’m making,” he says. “I enjoy thinking about how other people interact with it.” 

And that’s a lot of people—one site estimates about 400 million worldwide (including APOL, “adult players of LEGO”) have tried their hand with the little bricks. Two million viewers are keeping an eye on the “LEGO Masters” competition. 

What’s his next MOC? “A lot of the time, I’m just playing around,” says Liam. “I may have an idea, other times I’m just experimenting.” Once that led Liam to build a lion carrying a tiny African village on his back, made of more than 5,000 LEGO bricks; next time, who knows what he’ll create.

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434 Magazines

When wanderlust hits

It’s a gorgeous Virginia fall. The UVA football season is nearly over, but you’re not quite ready to start your holiday shopping at area stores, and the online pre-holiday bargains can wait. So spend your weekend participating in another popular autumn pastime: exploring beautiful back roads, stopping at country markets for sandwiches or snacks, and buying local. Head out in almost any direction, and see what you find.

Polly Davis Doig at Polly’s Folly. Photo: Eze Amos

Polly’s Folly

Drive south on Route 29 toward Nelson County, and you’ll see the signs for Polly’s Folly. Owner/jack-of-all-trades Polly Davis Doig bought the almost-derelict used furniture store in 2019. “I had to gut the place,” she recalls, “but I’ve always liked a fixer-upper.” A career journalist tired of reporting the news, Davis Doig dreamed of creating the kind of community hub she remembered from growing up a farmer’s daughter in a tiny town with one store that had been started by her four-times-great-grandfather. Polly’s Folly opened in December 2020. 

Next to the bar where you can order breakfast, coffee, pastries, sandwiches, quiches, and draft beers are four cooler cabinets full of local beers, wines, cider, kombucha, and cheeses (including pimentos, of course). Along the other walls and scattered on tables throughout are more displays of fresh produce, Virginia food and beverage products, dime candy, snacks, and the work of local craftspeople. North Garden-based woodworker Alex Pettigrew walked in one day and “asked if I would sell his stuff,” says David Doig, who jumped at the chance. Pettigrew put the Davis Doig in touch with several other local artisans, from Muddy Creek Pottery in Lovingston to musician and jeweler Gina Sobel. (Particularly unique: the grocery carry-alls, made from recycled cat food and feed bags.) Polly’s Folly is still evolving; watch for upcoming music events in the outdoor space behind the store. And just so you know, it’s the only place to get Shenandoah Joe’s Polly’s Folly blend—“dark like our soul,” says Davis Doig with a grin.

Kristen Rabourdin bought Batesville Market from its previous owners for $1 in 2020 and relishes her role at the helm of the beloved store. “I’m a steward until the torch passes,” she says. Photo: Eze Amos

Batesville Market

The Batesville Market has been the heart of this little town since the 1880s—it’s seen so much traffic over the decades, the front entrance’s wooden step has been worn away to the sill. Kristen Rabourdin bought the store for $1 in 2020, when the then-owners needed to move on but wanted to ensure the store stayed open for the community. Rabourdin moved to Batesville in 2004, and loved the place. “This store is an extension of everyone’s living room,” she says.

During the pandemic, the market became a lifeline for the community (“grocery delivery services don’t come out here,” she notes). Rabourdin took the slower times as an opportunity to build a patio/performance space outside, which now hosts live music (from Irish and bluegrass to The Pollocks) and special events like Batesville Apple Butter Weekend and Oktoberfest. The market’s kitchen prepares breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and caters as well. There’s plenty of grab-and-go food and drink, and shelves of local wines, ciders, snacks, and specialty foods (like The Little Things shortbread buttons from Belmont’s Found. Market Company). Don’t forget to browse the jewelry, pottery, wooden crafts, notebooks, and cards, and soaps and creams from Afton Mountain Apothecary. Hanging above the bar is a double row of beer glasses and steins, many of them individually labeled for the Batesville Mug Club (“we’re the No. 1 beer bar in Batesville,” Rabourdin jokes). As the current owner, she sees herself as part of a long tradition. “People come in and say, ‘I came here as a child.’ Many of the local kids come here to get their first job—I’m not going to turn them away. I’m a steward until the torch passes.”

Simeon Market. Photo: Eze Amos

Simeon Market

A charming former gas station on the road between Monticello and Highland, Simeon Market was acquired by next-door neighbor Jefferson Vineyards as a way to provide food to vineyard hoppers. The market was launched in 2019 by co-owners Ashley Sieg (of Tavern & Grocery) and Billy Koenig (of the late-lamented bakery Sweethaus), aiming to create a country café and meeting place for both tourists and locals. Then came March 2020. During the pandemic, Koenig says, “We did mostly retail business—people didn’t want to sit and stay.” But as traffic and tourism has rebounded, so has the market. It now offers a selection of breakfast and lunch items to go or to enjoy on the little tables inside or outside, with lovely vineyard views. Or combine the prepared foods, lots of specialty items from crackers and condiments (pick up some Jam According to Daniel preserves) to beer and wine, and locally made tablecloths, napkins, and cutlery into the ultimate vineyard picnic basket. 

Browse the craft items (jewelry, scarves, Christmas ornaments, birdhouses, and more) to find gifts for the next birthday or special occasion. But do not leave without a couple of Koenig’s specialty: Vivi’s Cupcakes, in flavors from classic to creative (black-eyed Susan, grasshopper, salted caramel, and funfetti). Named for Koenig’s daughter, Vivi’s also does specialty cakes in its online business, but after years in the hectic restaurant business Koenig enjoys his little bit of country. “It’s magical out here,” he says. 

KEEP GOING

Baine’s Books and Coffee (Scottsville)

A good choice for a rainy weekend—pick up a book and a pastry or sandwich, sit down, and while away an hour or two. Then head down the block for some arts and crafts shopping.

Wyant’s Store (Whitehall)

The opposite of trendy, stocked with necessities from beer and sandwiches to fishing lures and motor oil. 

Hunt Country Corner Market (Free Union)

No crafts, but sandwiches, deli, and fully prepared dinners to go. Check out the week’s menu and reserve yours.

Greenwood Grocery (Crozet)

Gourmet sandwiches, local produce, and specialty food and drink on your way to/from Route 151, Wintergreen, and Afton.

Stony Point Market (Barboursville)

Look over the selection of funky crafts, then treat yourself to a cheeseburger and a root beer float. And, if the idea of running a community/country store inspires you, this one is currently on the market.

Mountain View Tea Room (Tyro) 

Really out in the country! Stop on the way to or from Crabtree Falls.

Categories
Magazines Weddings

Way to go

Most wedding visions include the perfect life partner, the ultimate dress, the romantic setting, glorious weather, and wonderful food—but what about the dream motor coach? 

“Transportation is a really important part that clients don’t often think about,” says Hannah Dubit of Hannah Rose Event Design. Fellow wedding planner Marilyn Speight of Just a Little Ditty agrees: “[Transportation] is one of our top priorities, and it’s often overlooked.”

Many couples—and wedding planners—have horror stories about a member of the bridal party getting lost, or a car full of guests becoming stuck on a country road behind a tractor. “We encourage our clients to provide transportation for their guests to and from the wedding and reception,” says Speight, “and we prefer to manage that, as part of their experience.” 

Smart couples begin lining up vendors a year in advance, and this should include transport services. Charlottesville is a very popular wedding destination, and that means calendars fill up fast.

Charlottesville also poses transportation challenges. That lovely small-town feel means there aren’t a huge number of taxis or driver services to tap into. The majority of wedding venues are out in the country, which means longer travel times, rural roads, and erratic cell service. And many venues have their own access issues: gravel roads, narrow or winding drives, steep hills, and no parking lot. There’s no use arranging charter buses if the vehicles can’t make the turn into your charming wedding site. 

For planning purposes, the number of guests is important—including whether any attendees have physical limitations or access needs. Then, fitting the vehicle to the venue is key; if 55-seat charter buses won’t fit, better options might be mini-buses seating 20 to 40, or even 12-seat executive vans (often used for the wedding party, or the couple’s families). Charlottesville has a wealth of bus charter companies—Easy Riders, Albemarle Coach, Charlottesville Charter, and Quick’s, among others.

For smaller weddings, limousine services are an option—especially for the couple to get to the reception, and get away at the end. Stretch limos are not as popular as they once were, but firms like A&A Limousine, Albemarle Limousine, or Richmond-based James Limousine Service have a range of vehicles.

Depending on your wedding theme, trolleys can be a fun way to go; try Taylor’s Classic Travel or Crozet Trolley. But Dubit notes trolleys may have trouble on hilly sites, and an open-air vehicle might not be practical for that all-white winter wedding. 

Want to go with more style, or a little novelty? Consider classic or antique cars, or perhaps even golf carts. Speight had one client who got married on the family farm and squired guests around in all-terrain vehicles. For these more individualized modes, check with Albemarle Limousine or Camelot Classic Cars. 

Whatever mode you go with, wedding experts say, preparation is key. Dubit says transportation is one of the most stressful aspects because “so much is out of our control.” Speight recommends doing a dry run well in advance, with the chosen vendor, to scope out the route. And she will also check just before the big day for road construction or closures, missing road signs, GPS accuracy, and cell dead zones. It may be wise to consider the low-tech option: providing written directions.

Most wedding planners will assign staff to be at the pick-up site to make sure everyone gets on the right bus at the right time. Some planners even have a staffer ride along to communicate any delays or changes, since the drivers can’t call or text while at the wheel. And remember to factor in transportation arrangements when you’re planning wedding insurance.

In the end, transportation—like most logistics—means a lot of work ahead of time so on the day it seems effortless. After all, what you want everyone to remember is the wedding itself.

Categories
Magazines Weddings

Wedding in a box

This is it—you’ve found The One! You’re ready to hold the ceremony in which you tell each other, your families and friends, and the world that you are beginning a new life together, and you want the occasion to be perfect.

But to get there, you face months of decision-making—finding a venue, choosing vendors, negotiating calendars, cross-checking every detail—and signing lots of checks.

“Weddings are wonderful, but they’re still a pain to plan,” says Adam Healey, founder and CEO of Novela. “It’s hard to know what things cost and who’s good. The vendors all have different offerings and terms of service. And it’s also expensive.”

Healey started Novela in January 2022 to help couples navigate this process: “We see ourselves as a wedding concierge.” Novela does the up-front market research and pre-vetting in order to connect its clients with venues and suppliers that fit their style—and their pocketbook. The goal, says Healey, is to put the right couple with the right partner for the perfect wedding.

Novela begins with an intake interview to go over what the couple wants, what they need, and what they want to spend. Then Novela develops a customized list of recommendations for wedding planners, venues, caterers, and a host of other services. The plan provides three options for each category—all of them pre-qualified to make sure they fit the budget and have availability for the couple’s date. “And we’re there to help guide you through the entire process,” says Healey.

To do the interview and plan development, Novela charges an up-front fee of $295; that fee is fully refunded once the couple hires any of the recommended vendors. The company’s business model is based on the referral fees paid by vendors, all of whom have been pre-vetted and agree to a best-rate guarantee. 

“Charlottesville is our hometown, and we have a lot of relationships here,” Healey notes. He has a background in the industry; in 2011, he founded Borrowed & Blue, a Charlottesville- based wedding marketplace bought by Zola in 2018. Unlike Zola and The Knot, which are essentially vendor listings, Healey describes Novela as “a more curated service—really a new concept for the wedding industry.” Eventually, he hopes to expand the Novela model to other markets.

Why not just hire a planner straight off? “There’s a wide variety of tastes and personalities among planners,” says Healey. “And they offer different levels of service—some just handle event management for the day of, others will plan the event soup to nuts, or they offer everything in between.” For the full-service option, fees can vary from $10,000 to $15,000, he notes. 

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Abode Magazines

The house of the three chimneys

Chimney House doesn’t announce itself. Turn onto the gravel road, drive under a few trees and up a short grassy slope, and the house is revealed, silhouetted against the sky and the Blue Ridge in the distance. The exposed hilltop, the almost windowless white brick walls and steep dark metal roof, the rustle of tall grasses—it feels like a beach house on a dune, immersed in ground and wind and sky. 

From this side, the house appears long and low, anchored to the earth by the three 30-foot chimneys for which it’s named. A flagstone path leads to a tall plain black door set in the angle where two long white brick walls intersect.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

Inside, the house’s geometry becomes a way of drawing visitors in and through the spaces. The exterior white brick wall extends into the entry, then a short stairway leads down, opening into the Main Hall. This two-story kitchen/dining/living area is centered around a massive free-standing white brick chimney with two fireplaces, one facing the living area, one facing the dining area/kitchen. Along the western wall is a series of huge fixed windows and sliding glass/screen doors framing (and proving access to) a vista of fields, woods, and mountains. 

“This is what we sited the house around,” says architect Thomas Ryan of T.W. Ryan Architecture. “The site is set up so that the mountains are very present.” The owner expresses that feeling in different words: “The sunsets here never get old.”

Three Chimney House was designed to embrace its setting—literally. From the Main Hall, two wings extend westward: the family’s residential wing is angled to the south, while the northern wing holds a guest room and studio. The more private rooms are thus set apart, while still connected visually and spatially to the core living areas.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

The owners of Three Chimney House both have roots in central Virginia (one attended UVA), but had lived for years in the New York City area and had seen Ryan’s work there. With professional changes and two young children, the couple wanted to live closer to family and in a more rural setting. 

They moved to Charlottesville in 2016 and were house-hunting when a tract of land in Ivy became available. The listing didn’t look promising—“there was nothing here but a cabin with a porch, built in the 1980s,” says an owner. But when the couple came to check it out, they were stunned by the possibilities of the 44-acre site.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

The couple contacted Ryan about designing a new home for their family. They liked that Ryan had grown up in the South, and had an appreciation for the area’s history and architectural traditions. But the couple also knew they wanted “a modern interpretation of a traditional home.” As a result, Ryan combined a contemporary design with materials appropriate to this area, from lime-washed brick and copper roofing to slate and bluestone, white oak and black cedar. 

While Ryan’s design references Virginia’s historic architecture—he especially cites Stratford Hall, the Lee family home in Westmoreland County, with its forthright geometry and distinctive chimneys—his layout draws inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s 1920s Brick Country House. van der Rohe’s goal was to organize a residential space in such a way that doors were not needed; “I’ve always loved this idea,” Ryan admits. The clients, however, wanted a few doors—so in several key places, pocket doors allow for privacy while keeping the home’s open feel.

At 5,800 square feet, Three Chimney House offers a lot of living space without feeling overwhelming, largely due to its modular organization. In the residential wing, the bedrooms are not large, but each has both a substantial fixed window framing lovely views and a smaller, operable window capturing the breezes. At the end of the wing is a master double bathroom, walk-in double closet, and bedroom with a corner balcony and a wall-sized picture window facing the mountains. 

Photo: Joe Fletcher

The joy of a custom house, of course, is the customized touches. Just off the entry is a sky-lighted mud room full of cubbies, coat hooks, and benches—after all, a real family lives here. A glass-lined passage off the Main Hall leads to a sequestered library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a fireplace (Chimney No. 2) and a window seat. The two-story staircase in the residential wing is hand-crafted of white oak. And off the kitchen is a tiny patio with a built-in pizza oven (Chimney No. 3)—“a prerequisite,” the client says, from time spent in France.

While Three Chimney House has won Ryan several national awards, it presented him, and Evergreen Construction, with a few headaches. Ryan says the weather on the site seems to have a mind of its own. One memorable storm tore the newly installed roof off the residential wing (“it lifted up like a sail and flew away,” he recalls ruefully), adding another month to the construction timeline. 

The house, like a family, continues to evolve. Phase II—a driveway/garage, pool and in-law suite downslope from the western lawn—will start this fall; designing plantings and screening trees will be handled by landscape architect Anna Boeschenstein of Grounded LLC. 

But the kids have already added their own design extensions. In the side yard, where the old cabin used to stand, there’s now a treehouse, tree swing, and stumps for chairs around a fire pit. 

Photo: Joe Fletcher

ROOM WITH A VIEW

A “must have” item for Three Chimney House was a studio space for one of the clients, artist Cassie Guy. After a career as a fashion designer, Guy has branched out into works on wood and paper, illustrations for children’s books, and multimedia pieces. She’s working now on a series around the theme of motherhood, as well as some commissions and one-off pieces for exhibitions. (Her studio art and design background also made her a good partner for Ryan on many of the home’s design and materials decisions.)

As both artist and work-from-home mother, Guy needed her own space, accessible but away from the bustlwe of family life. Ryan therefore put the studio above the guest room in the northern extension, close to the Main Hall but only reachable via an outdoor stone path and an external fire-escape-style stair. 

Being on the second floor made the studio more spacious, with a cathedral ceiling and a half-attic space for Guy to store her finished work. It has a northern exposure, for the best working light, and another west-facing window, which gives Guy an inspiring view of the Blue Ridge.

Having a studio separate from the house means that Guy can spread out and have her paints and materials at hand. She also gets lots of floor space—“I often do my work on the floor,” she says, since many of her pieces are wall-sized. Which is also why the access stairs are outside—“otherwise I’d never get my work out!”—CD

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Abode Magazines

Two for one

Jennifer and Wil VanLoh had reached the stage in life where they were thinking about having a vacation home, a small retreat, someplace different from their home in Houston. Their daughter Mary was headed off to UVA, in a charming college town right next to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wouldn’t it be nice to have their second home close by? And then Mary decided to major in architecture with an eye toward a career in design…

That’s how everything fell into place, and the VanLohs ended up buying and renovating a lovely retreat in the heart of Charlottesville. Once they decided buying a place here made more sense than paying for four years of hotel stays, “we looked at several houses,” Jennifer recalls. “But this one was different, almost like a cabin in the woods.” 

Photo: Virginia Hamrick

Their choice: a one-story house on a quiet street off Rugby Road. The site is a wooded slope that was the back lot of another house—off the street, surrounded by mature trees—“very secluded,” says Jennifer. Other advantages: It was close to town, for when the VanLohs visited, and convenient to Grounds for when Mary needed a study retreat or a place to host out-of-town friends.

But the 1950s house needed a facelift. Its plastic-shingled exterior was drab. A previous owner had added an odd-looking two-story gable over the front door that was, in Mary’s succinct description, “weird.” And now that the surrounding trees had grown up, the house’s windows were far too small. The VanLohs hired Jeff Dreyfus of Bushman Dreyfus Architects and Steven Luck of Dwell Construction to handle the renovation; Mary put her design instincts and training to work on the interior. 

Photo: Virginia Hamrick

The VanLohs’ first ask, says Dreyfus, was improving the front elevation. The two-story gable was removed, and the house’s narrow (and awkward) front porch was expanded into a spacious square flagstone patio with a gable roof, resulting in an all-season outdoor sitting area that’s a focal point for the entrance. And the new metal roof and upgraded board-and-batten siding gave the whole house a clean, fresh look.

Building out the patio also allowed Dreyfus to revamp the foyer inside. A narrow interior hall was taken out, opening up the space to the dining room and living area beyond. The wall enclosing the stairwell to the lower floor was replaced with an open wood-and-wire railing. Enlarging the foyer made space for a powder room, which meant the adjoining home office could be turned into a bedroom suite/study for Mary’s use.

Photo: Virginia Hamrick

The second step was adding a sense of light and space to the interior. All the first-floor windows were enlarged, allowing in more sunlight—morning light for the living area and sun room, afternoon and evening light for the kitchen and dining room. Creating greater views into the surrounding woods added to a sense of calm and seclusion. The dining room and front patio overlook the steeply sloped front yard, where J.W. Townsend Landscapes is currently at work on the beds of shrubs, flowering plants, and grasses. 

Refurbishing the kitchen was mostly cosmetic—square white tile on the walls and refaced cabinets in a simple, contemporary style that mirrors the wood paneling on the bar/counter between the kitchen and dining room, which was lowered to better connect the two spaces. 

Photo: Virginia Hamrick

While the house’s exterior features and internal flow were being improved, Mary began considering the mood she wanted for the living spaces. Her inspiration, she says, was Scandinavian mountain homes: “I wanted it to be light and peaceful, lots of sun and warmth.” To create that feeling, she lightened the stain on the wood floors, whitewashed the stone walls on the two-sided fireplace, and painted the exposed beams white. The furniture features simple lines, gentle curves, and soft fabrics, in a color palette of white and neutrals throughout the house so that sunlight fills the spaces. 

Mary wanted a mix of old and new in the furnishings: “The chairs in the dining room are Swedish antiques, the light fixtures are modern Danish.” Some of the artwork is hers—but some touches are not. In the short passage between the kitchen and the living area, set into the brick wall, are two small recesses with cast-iron doors. Old cooking spaces? Warming ovens? “I don’t know what they are,” Mary admits, “but I liked them, so we kept them.” 

The renovation was almost completed by fall 2019, Mary’s first semester, but it took nearly a year to fully furnish the house. “I was very detailed about [choosing just the right furnishings],” Mary says, doing most of her research online but buying local when she could. And, since her first year was during the early stages of the pandemic, Mary used the house as a get-away from Grounds—“I’d come here to hang out,” she recalls, “and I loved sitting in the sun room in the morning.”

When Jennifer and Wil come to visit, they have an owners’ suite on the lower floor, with its own door leading out onto the back deck overlooking the woods. It’s a wonderful alternative to hotel rooms on football weekends and holiday visits, and feels like the quiet retreat they were looking for.

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News

Sending love 

I work from a checklist. Two bags of coffee brew cups, sugar and creamer packets, and tea bags. One bag with a T-shirt and cotton crew socks. Two bags of granola bars, protein bars, and beef jerky. Two bags of cookie packets, hard candy, Twizzlers, and chewing gum. One bag with toothpaste, bar soap, hand cream, and sunscreen. Two bags with tissue packets, Band-Aids, nail clippers, foot powder, and sweat bands. Two Sudoku books, two crossword puzzle books, two decks of playing cards. Eight or nine hand-written notes from total strangers, saying thanks and God bless.

It’s pack-out night for Blue Star Families of Central Virginia. In a few hours, 50 boxes of daily necessities and small luxuries will be ready to send to military service members around the world. 

This group is one of four Virginia chapters of Blue Star Mothers of America, a national organization started during World War II and chartered by Congress in 1960 to “support our troops, our veterans, our military families, and each other.” Tonight’s assignment? Preparing care packages for active-duty military service members on deployment. 

“Our hardest task isn’t getting money or volunteers,” says chapter president Martha Horsfall. “It’s collecting the names and addresses of those serving, so we can send them our support.”

While this chapter was started during the first Iraq conflict, its boxes aren’t just for those in combat zones; recipients may be deployed to military hospitals, refugee efforts, diplomatic stations, or rescue missions. Wherever recipients are stationed, “they open the boxes up as soon as they get there,” says Horsfall, “and within 10 minutes, everything is gone.” 

Knowing the contents will be shared, the chapter tries to send two or three boxes to each recipient—since 2003, more than 6,500 packages have been mailed, each one holding about $80 worth of supplies, food, and treats. It’s not that the four military services can’t supply their own troops; the aim is to boost morale and show support from back home. As vice president Ginger Fitzgerald says, “The Army can’t send them love.” 

The chapter (mostly women, but men are welcome) holds five pack-out nights a year—and every shipment, like any military operation, requires enormous preparation and organization. Weeks before a pack-out night, Horsfall compiles the mailing list. Then, she inventories supplies on hand at American Legion Post #74, which stores items already purchased or donated by local churches, schools, companies, and community organizations. 

Last year, in-kind donations were valued at $15,635, more than half the cost of the supplies shipped out. But no one can put a dollar amount on the hundreds of hand-written letters, notes, and drawings Blue Star Families collect from its partners and members of the public at community events like Carter Mountain’s Salute to Hometown Heroes, the United Way’s Day of Caring, and the 4 Our Freedom 5K. 

With the wish list compiled, shoppers Fitzgerald and Sharon Widdows hit Walmart, Sam’s Club, or Amazon—wherever they get the most bang for the chapter’s bucks. Then, all the supplies, treats, health and hygiene items, and clothing are sorted and prepackaged into small plastic bags. That way, on pack-out night, volunteers can take their checklists and walk down the line of tables, picking up what’s needed for each box. Once the boxes are stuffed and sealed, the addressing, processing, and shipping (averaging $23 per box) is provided pro bono by Crutchfield. 

After so much preparation, the pack-out runs like clockwork. As they work, volunteers catch up, chat and laugh about how true it is that an army marches on its stomach—and its feet.

Volunteers participate for their own reasons: a child deployed, a desire to lend a hand or acknowledge a debt. Horsfall is the daughter, sister, wife, mother, and aunt of service members. Fitzgerald, whose family never had anyone in the military, found that when her son joined the Air Force, “I needed an outlet to focus my anxiety,” and became active with Blue Star Families for the camaraderie and sense of contributing to something worthwhile.

“These men and women have volunteered for us, and they’re far from home,” says Horsfall.

Blue Star Families of Central Virginia’s next pack-out is November 17, starting at 6:30pm at American Legion Post #74 in Keswick. For more information, go to bsfcv.avenue.org; to volunteer or provide a recipient’s name and address, contact Ginger Fitzgerald at gsfitzgerald@gmail.com. Note: the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families (bluestarfam.org) has a completely different focus, providing support and community networking for military families.