C-VILLE Abode: November 2016

A “ghost barn” makes use of what’s not there

PAGE 31

Inside.

Outside.

Home.

BE IN THE

K N OW News

NOVEMBER 2016

and ev the home-meints for nded

Back to basics A classic barn form inspires an elegant interior

Solar focus Architect Jeff Sties utilizes the sun

Brew see-thru Barrels on display at new Preston brewpub

Fire brand

One way to warm up your backyard

Country Living in Virginia

LOWER BUNDORAN ~ A well-proportioned Federal period farmhouse with panoramic pastoral and mountain views. The residence sits on a 21+-acre equestrian lot in the heart of Bundoran farm with miles of hiking and riding trails and fiber internet. A shed row barn with 4 stalls is connected to a handsome carriage house.

15 min. to Charlottesville. Additional acreage available. MLS # 544780 $1,100,000

PLANK ROAD ~ A coveted 25 acre equestrian lot at Bundoran Farm. This rotected, 2,300 acre Bundoran Farm. The equestrian designation allows owners to keep horses on the property and take advantage of the farm’s 15 miles of bridle and hiking trails. High speed internet and electricity to the lot. MLS# 541595 $675,000

BLACK WALNUT FARM ~ Charming Victorian farmhouse on 22 mostly open acres with spring-fed stream and Blue Ridge views located in historic village of Rochelle. Large eat-in kitchen, custom cabinets, soapstone counters, high-end appliances. Historic home with all the modern amenities and beautiful grounds.

25 min from Charlottesville, 90 miles south of DC. MLS# 548321 $695,000

BECKLEY HOUSE ~ An elegantly proportioned, custom-built home that melds new quality construction with grand spaces and the architectural detail of a historic residence. Reclaimed materials, exceptional millwork, mahogany doors and an airy, light-filled floor plan set this property apart. The house sits on a private knoll overlooking some of the most beautiful land in Orange County. The land is mostly open with a large paddock and run-in shed, a beautiful garden and views of the Blue Ridge from the front porch. MLS# 552286 $895,000

BUCK MOUNTAIN FORD TRACT ~ 48 acres with long frontage on Buck Mountain Ford Lane. This rolling parcel has beautiful views of the Blue Ridge and Buck Mountain with complete privacy. This rare offering has 5 development rights, additional acreage available. MLS# 551892 $622,000

GILBERT STATION ROAD ~ Beautiful 6.58 acres of mostly open land with an elevated building site nestled between the historic villages of Stony Point and Barboursville. Wonderful Southwest Mountain and pastoral views with minifarm potential. Within close proximity to Charlottesville but with a rural feel.

MLS # 544567 $210,000

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Blueprint 11

Architect Jeff Sties’ solar powers, Preston Avenue’s newest brew space, your backyard’s best autumn addition and more.

Real Estate 37

An industrial space in Woolen Mills defies condo stereotypes.

In progress 38

Cover photo by Ron Blunt, ronbluntphoto.com Comments? E-mail us at abode@c-ville.com.

308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 817-2749 n c-ville.com c-ville.com/abode

HOME 25

Back to basics Originally built in the early 19th century to house hogs, this Keswick barn presented a few challenges for designer Jay Jenkins if it were to make a suitable weekend residence for his clients. The greatest challenge? How to maximize natural light, since barns are short on windows.

Plus: A county horse stable is reimagined as a guest apartment, Mountain Lumber’s strangest projects and a new use for reclaimed pine.

RON BLUNT

Monticello’s stable renovations take shape on Mulberry Row.

Feature

ABODE, a supplement to C-VILLE Weekly, is distributed in Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Shenandoah Valley. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Editor Jessica Luck. Abode Editor Caitlin White. Copy Editor Susan Sorensen. Creative Director Bill LeSueur. Graphic Designers Tracy Federico, Henry Jones, Max March, Lorena Perez.

Advertising Director Erica Gentile. Retail Advertising Manager Jim Kelly. Account Executive Hannah Collier, Theressa Leak, Brittany Casstevens. Classified Account Executive Justin McClung.

Production Coordinator Faith Gibson. Publisher Aimee Atteberry. Chief Financial Officer Debbie Miller. Circulation Manager Billy Dempsey. Account Manager Randi Henry. ©2016 C-VILLE Weekly.

ABODE 7

ABODE EVENTS THIS MONTH

Good Work: Masters of the Building Arts November 5, 1pm From Academy Award-winners Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner (The Stone Carvers), Good Work is an eight-segment portrait of American artisans in the building arts—from ScottishAmerican decorative painters restoring the ceiling of Trinity Church in Boston to Mexican-American terra cotta workers restoring a Chicago skyscraper. A discussion with directors Paul Wagner, Marjorie Hunt and John Canning, moderated by Sarita Herman (historic preservation project manager at UVA Facilities Planning and Construction), will follow the screening. $10. Violet Crown Cinema, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. virginia filmfestival.org

2016 Woltz Symposium

Up river

BY ERIKA HOWSARE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES EWING/OTTO

Abode

Inside.

Outside.

Home.

OCTOBER 2014

Montpelier garden blends Madison and duPont in Living history a Park Street Victorian Fall plantings spring into bloom

uences James River infl home’s design

Into the woods

Wreath Workshops November 25, 26, 27, 28, 30 For 30 years, Monticello has hosted a holiday wreath workshop. Lou Hatch and Maggie Stemann Thompson will lead the three-hour project, for which all materials (12" straw wreath forms, pins, wire, etc.) will be provided, including a cornucopia of natural materials.

Bring hand pruners. $75. David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. monticello.org

Holiday Open House November 27, 9am-4:30pm Be among the first to see Monticello decorated for the holidays. Stroll the first floor at your own pace and visit the Shop at Monticello, which will offer tastings and treats. Free. Monticello Main House, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. monticello.org 8 ABODE

A Scottsville award-winner

AMANDA LUCIDON

November 11-12 Six guest speakers from around the world convene for this two-day event. This year’s topic, “Ecologies of Prosperity for the Living City,” aims to promote design as a knowledge-producer and as an instrument for engaging today’s most pressing social, environmental and urban challenges. The event includes a roundtable discussion and a closing cocktail reception at landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz. Free. University of Virginia School of Architecture, Campbell Hall (110 Bayly Dr.). woltzsymposium.com

In Scottsville, a pared-down weekend home

UVA students at the White House

IN THE NEWS

Better homes The American Institute of Architects Virginia announced its 2016 Design Awards in October.

Among the recipients? Richmond-based Architecture Firm, for a modern home on the south bank of the James River in Scottsville. “This project captured the jury from the first slide and was the favorite of all entries submitted this year,” says the jury in a press release about the awards. We know a good thing when we see it: The property was a featured home in Abode in October 2014.

Garden variety UVA architecture students traveled to Washington, D.C., in early October to unveil a project they’d be working on over the summer: a facelift for the White House kitchen garden. The

team, led by UVA landscape architecture professor Elizabeth K. Meyer, designed a communal table and gathering space at the encouragement of first lady Michelle Obama as part of her “Let’s Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity.

Home goods Leftover Luxuries, the pop-up consignment shop founded by local interior designer Wendi Smith, now has a permanent home. Located at 350 Pantops Center, it comprises 8,000 square feet of furniture, antiques, accessories, lighting and more.

Also taking up a new residence? Folly, a furnishings store from designers Victoria Pouncey and Beth Kallen, which will move to Barracks Road Shopping Center from West Main Street this fall. The shop’s 1,700 square feet will include high-end pieces and one-of-a-kind finds, plus the owners’ full-service interior design studio.

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Blueprint ARCHITECTURE

A new brew view on Preston Avenue FINISHES

Heating things up outside the house

BUD BRANCH

A LINE TO DESIGN

Natural focus

Architect Jeff Sties actively pursues a passive approach

E

very house is a passive solar house, by the simple fact that every home that is built sits in the sun. But architect Jeff Sties argues that that isn’t enough.

“We live on a finite planet with a finite amount of affordable resources,” Sties says. “The alternative is to incorporate the free, abundant natural energy available to us into our built environ-

ment,” which is why, through his firm, Sunbiosis, he makes each of his projects energy-efficient.

Energy efficiency became a central focus of Sties’ work from the moment he decided to pursue a career in architecture—in fourth grade. He says he’s been drawing homes with photovoltaics on the roof since before he entered high school; as an intern in Baltimore, he co-founded the area’s AIA

Committee on the Environment; and, his move to Charlottesville from Baltimore, to work at William McDonough + Partners, was motivated by the opportunity to focus on that aspect of his career.

We asked him to tell us more about knowing what he wanted to do from a young age, his architecture influences and what he’s currently working on.—Caite White CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 ABODE 11

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ARCHITECTURE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Architecture was a natural calling. I knew I wanted to be an architect by the fourth grade. I think it started with my parents building a house in a new subdivision in Midlothian when I was about 2 years old. More houses were built over the years, so there was always the sound of construction, the red clay and the smell of fresh-cut lumber. The half-finished homes emerging from the woods beckoned like a siren song to adventurous boys.

My father would bring home scrap paper from work—this was before recycling—and I would spend hours quietly drawing. But it wasn’t great works of architecture that inspired me as a child; it was the archaeology of ancient civilizations. I still have this fascination today every time I tour the ruins of Britannia or see an abandoned home. I am intrigued by the idea that someone lived there.

JOHN FORASTE

Why architecture?

Why did you choose to practice in Virginia?

Virginia is home and much of the family still lives here. I went to Virginia Tech, where I received my professional degree and met my wife, Stacy. After college, we lived in Maryland, where I did my internship. In 1999, after our son Ben was born, I accepted a position with William McDonough + Partners in Charlottesville, which brought us back to Virginia.

Tell us about your college experience. Was there a standout teacher who had a lasting impact on you?

I was accepted to both state schools with accredited architecture programs, but the decision to attend CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

AMY JACKSON

Jeff Sties’ local projects include a LEED-certified house at Bundoran Farm (top), a sustainable home with a minimal color palette (above) and an energy-efficient home in Schuyler (below).

PHILIP BEAURLINE

Although we didn’t have a lot of money growing up, I had a wonderful childhood. My father’s parents lived in a 1920s house at the end of a dirt road on the Rappahannock River. Coming to the end of that road on a Friday night and seeing the house lit up through the large plate glass windows in the dining room created a sense of arrival. Moving through the house and climbing the stairs to the narrow front bedroom with a row of windows overlooking the river—this experience of living in a place was formative. The book A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander (et al) talks about this.

My mother’s father designed and built houses for a living, so there’s definitely something in the genes.

He taught himself design and construction. He would buy city lots in Richmond, design a house and build it himself with hired labor. My mother and her siblings were required to help him after school by picking up nails and stacking bricks. The house he built for his wife and children was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and included features such as sub-slab heating, mechanical cooling and a prairie-style roofline.

KIP DAWKINS

What was your childhood like, and how did it lead you to design?

ABODE 13

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Virginia Tech was a simple one—the drill field as a central organizing element for the campus made the transition to college life both physically and psychologically navigable. University architecture programs are notoriously difficult, and the five year program at the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech was no exception.

Among the faculty that inspired me was a quiet regionalist named Donald Sunshine, who had a great love of seaside villages, tobacco barns and other vernacular forms. And there was Ellen Braaten, who taught ceramics as part of the multidisciplined, Bauhaus-based architectural program in the bowels of Cowgill Hall. It was under her guidance that I began to explore architecture as a vessel.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Random Row brings you closer to your pint

By Erika Howsare

C

ustomers at a small local brewery might enjoy seeing how their lagers and pale ales are actually brewed. That’s what the folks behind Random Row Brewing Co. were betting on when they designed their tasting room on Preston Avenue, which opened in mid-September.

Gleaming metal tanks are a major design element in the space, which combines brewery with tasting room as seamlessly as possible. The building is a simple, concrete-floored structure that’s served many purposes over the years, mostly industrial ones. “It was a blank slate where we could come in and make our mark,” says Kipp.

One lucky break: The building has a slanted roof, so there’s a high end (handy for fitting large pieces of brewing equipment) and a low end (better for an intimate indoor biergarten). An L-shaped bar defines the brewery zone as distinct from the customer zone, but it’s not meant to act like a wall.

“We hope customers want to ask questions,” says Kipp. Putting people in touch with the brewing process is built into the architecture here. Even before entering the front door, customers can see the tanks from the street; when they do walk in, they’re hit with a heady fragrance of fresh beer ingredients being put to use just a few feet away.

Element Construction helped the brewery team on the design end. “We tried to keep a very clear,

On process: How does it begin?

It all begins with the site. One of the things I really enjoy doing is walking the site with a client and listening to them talk about the house they have in their mind. We discuss the approach to the house site and how to create that sense of arrival. Views, connection to the outdoors, massing and orientation are all critical in the early planning. Since many of my clients have never built a house and struggle with visualizing three-dimensional spaces, I make sure to carry a roll of tracing paper with me. Never underestimate the power of a quick, hand-drawn sketch as an effective tool.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by my clients’ enthusiasm at the start of a new project, the natural beauty of their property and seeing the house completed. It’s the challenge of designing something new, often in a place where no one has lived before, that inspires me to create unique, energy-efficient homes for my clients, which I hope inspires their daily lives in return. Architecturally, I admire the modern vernacular work of Sam Mockbee, David Salmela and other regionalists. Since college, I have drawn inspiration from the Usonian and prairie-style residential work of Frank Lloyd Wright, architect Malcolm Wells, who pioneered earth-sheltered design, and the Endless House concept by architect Frederick Kiesler.

basic palette,” says Element’s Justin Walton, “[with] reclaimed wood, concrete and steel.” All the materials repeat multiple times throughout the room, and they all play a role in the bar, where beer and beer-drinkers come together. The concrete floor is echoed in the poured concrete bartop. A steel frame and cold-rolled steel panels make up the vertical section, while I-beam columns anchor the corners, just like the ones that hold up the roof.

And, in homage to the property’s history as the King Lumber Company, reclaimed wood is used for benches, wall panels, trim and furniture. Log slices from enormous trees top coffee tables.

They’re a play on the brewery’s logo, which is rendered with another log slice above the front door.

Lighting works to delineate different zones: barn lights over the tables, single-bulb pendant lights (like stars against the dark-blue “sky” of the ceiling) over the biergarten and spotlights on the brew tanks to show them at their best.

The Random Row folks are mostly parents of young kids, and wanted to create a familyfriendly destination. “I have three boys, and a sit-down restaurant is a nonstarter for us,” says Kipp. Here, kids can move about, play cornhole or make art on the huge chalkboard wall across from the bar.

Along with tasty beverages, the building is meant to draw people in. “We wanted to make this inviting and educational,” Kipp says.

Currently I am working on two new residential projects at Bundoran Farm in Albemarle County. One of the houses is next to the airstrip, which is still in use, and it will have a large photovoltaic array, effectively making the house “net zero.”

The other is going to be a small traditional farmhouse on a hill with breathtaking views to the north. Like most of my clients, the owners of both projects are from out of town and have decided to retire in the Charlottesville area.

STEPHEN BARLING

What are you working on now?

Element Construction helped give Random Row brewery a palette that incorporates reclaimed wood, concrete and steel.

ABODE 15

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FROM THE A-SCHOOL

Authenticity vs. evocation When imitation diminishes design

By Lindsey Luria

this demand, we try to distill what is meaningful to a place and find ways to evoke it. But where is the line between evocation and imitation?

What is the extent to which the charm of oldness can be replicated in new materials and designs, and when is the appeal diminished by falseness?

In Charlottesville, or at least on Grounds, there is an overarching partiality for Jeffersonian architecture: red brick with white columns. While contemporary buildings of this style recall the university’s legacy, it could also be argued that they undermine the singularity of the original campus. Rather than complementing the his-

Lindsey Luria is pursuing a master of landscape architecture degree and certificate of historic preservation at UVA’s School of Architecture.

JACK LOONEY

E

very new restaurant looks like a factory.

Or, so says a recent NPR article. Reclaimed wood, brick walls and exposed beams, the piece asserted, have become so popular in interior design that new furniture is being treated to look weathered, and new apartments are being built loft-style with “factory” windows.

Where does this preference for things that look old—even if they are, in fact, new—come from?

The manufactured appearance of age and wear is not unique to modern fashion. Nineteenth century English gardens featured artificial Roman ruins and today, denim is sold pre-torn.

In both examples, the components suggesting age and history lend the designs character, an air of authenticity that is perennially perceived as missing from everyday life.

In the UVA School of Architecture, a seminar entitled Landscapes of (In)authenticity is compelling students to contemplate the centuriesold impulse to flee urban life and the abstract spaces of corporate capitalism for a return to simplicity and truth. We have considered the notions of pastoralism in 17th century European landscape arts, ideologies of country life during the Enlightenment and 18th century discourses of sincerity and the natural world as presented in the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau; we will continue to trace the impulse through the appearance of faux farms and dairies in landscape gardens, utopian communities in 19th century America and the counterculture landscapes of the 1960s and 1970s.

The widespread intrigue in sites that are neglected or recycled—or look as though they are—is part of a long and ongoing effort to find meaning in our environment and the ways we interact with it. In designing to accommodate

toric structures, many of these buildings have been designed to appear as if they were constructed contemporaneously with the Rotunda, conflating the old with the new. For some, they carry an identity throughout the architecture of the city, but are they authentic? In this case, as with Roman ruins in gardens and torn denim on models, it seems that genuine, historic origin is less important than the evocation of a romanticized past.

The completion of UVA’s Darden School of Business in 1996 took Jefferson’s vision to the extreme by copying the Academical Village, complete with a smaller, stockier Rotunda and its own version of the Lawn.

Where is the line between evocation and imitation? What is the extent to which the charm of oldness can be replicated in new materials and designs, and when is the appeal diminished by falseness?

ABODE 17

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FINISHES

Hot spot

Fire pits add style and comfort as temps ease lower

By Shea Gibbs

MATTHEW COX

A

verage high temperatures in Charlottesville don’t dip below 50 until well into December. So what do you need to enjoy the outdoors right up to the holidays? Nothing more than a small, well-built fire pit.

“It’ll certainly keep you warm, especially if you’re standing around it,” says Matthew Cox, owner of Crozet’s Appalachian Landscapes, which is doing more and more outdoor fireplaces these days. “The heat depends on the size—some are more rustic and more like a boulder fire pit—and it could be bonfire size, so the sky’s the limit on how big you want to go with this.”

Installing a permanent fire pit (as opposed to a movable, standalone unit) shouldn’t take more than a few weeks, depending on the hardscaping you might be doing around it. So make four quick decisions about your pit and you’ll be warming up to fall air in no time.

This outdoor fireplace in the city was inspired by those the homeowner had seen at local restaurants like La Taza and Fry’s Spring Station.

probably worth the additional couple hundred dollars.

“You also have to consider how close is your gas hookup and all the permits involved with tapping into that,” he says. “Then there’s the maintenance—a cover to protect it from the elements, having a pilot light that is constantly lit.”

Rettig says a wood-burning fire pit made sense for his family because they already have a woodburning stove. But for another of Cox’s clients, who lives off Locust Avenue in C’ville proper, the set-it-and-forget-it nature of gas won the day.

“We did consider wood but we just wanted the peace of mind knowing we could turn it off and it would be off instantly. There’d be no fire in the coals from wood overnight and so forth,” he says.

little fire pits,” Cox says. “You just need to be careful and watch it.”

You’d be wiser to put your fire pit in a less flammable space, and if you have the dough, you’d be wisest to build a stone or concrete surround. “The area around it is almost as important as the fire pit,” Cox says. Homeowners can purchase preassembled fire pit kits and customize them with a stone backdrop—think concrete pavers, flagstone or gravel.

Rettig’s pit, which is about 6' in diameter on the outer ring, was built alongside a series of retaining walls. Around the pit is a circular patio about 18' from end to end.

Gas or wood?

What’ll you put around it?

If you’ve ever purchased a grill, you know the dilemma. Is the convenience of gas worth the price? Cox says if you’re going to use the pit often and “don’t want to smell like smoke,” it’s

You can put a fire pit just about anywhere—even a wood deck—particularly if it’s of the nonpermanent variety. “Wood...is not ideal but could be done, especially with chimeneas or

Now for the fun part. Your fire pit can either be just a warming and hangout space, or you can use it for cooking, from toasting marshmallows for s’mores to throwing a grill over top.

“We live out in the country and love being outdoors,” Rettig says. “It’s a family gathering place, for our grandkids, for family when they’re home or when we have guests over.”

Where should you put it?

Cox says you should first consider the safety of your pit location, then move to issues like whether it’s in a place you’ll likely use it, if you’ll ever want to cook on it and how much space you’ll need.

For Michael Rettig, who recently installed a wood-burning fireplace behind his country home, the most important issue was having it in an open area where winds wouldn’t blow sparks into flammable material. “It’s about 75, maybe 100 feet from our house,” he says. “And although we can put a pretty good size fire in there, I’ve had bonfires on my property that were a bit scary, and I don’t think this is scary at all.”

How will you use it?

“The heat depends on the size,” says Matthew Cox, owner of Crozet’s Appalachian Landscapes.

“Some are more rustic and more like a boulder fire pit—and it could be bonfire size, so the sky’s the limit on how big you want to go with this.”

ABODE 19

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20 ABODE

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Stunning custom renovated city residence and gardens. The home boasts an unparalleled attention to detail. Light-filled w/ gleaming wood floors, high ceilings, elegant mouldings, custom built-ins, white Carerrra marble. Kithchen w/48in Wolf stove, Subzero & Viking. Landscaped gardens, mature boxwoods.

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22 ABODE

This exceptional one-of-a-kind home with a one bedroom apartment has been completely restored and renovated. Custom cabinetry, soapstone counter tops, stainless appliances. New 4 zone HVAC, electric, plumbing. Gleaming wood floors, 2 firesplaces, beautiful staircase. City and mountain views.

Allen Persinger, Jr., REALTOR RE/MAX Advantage 413 N. Coalter Street Staunton, Virginia 24401

Discover the home of

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ABODE 23

MITCHELL

юБо

AR CHITECTS

M AT T H E W S &

PL ANNERS

BEFORE

charlottesville, va (434) 979 - 7550

24 ABODE

THE NEW

RUSTIC In Keswick, a traditional structure reimagined—inside and out

BY ERIKA HOWSARE ARCHITECTURE

JOHN RHETT OF RHETT ARCHITECTS INTERIOR DESIGN

JAY JENKINS OF JENKINS BAER ASSOCIATES PHOTOGRAPHY

RON BLUNT ABODE 25

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR HOME IN 2017?

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26 ABODE

outlaw design company

Ruth Ellen Outlaw, designing for families since 1999

T

here are upsides and downsides to having a barn as the starting point for a house.

Upside: that great barn shape. In the case of the Red Barn project, on the grounds of Castle Hill Cidery in Keswick, that form makes for an iconic and historic statement in the landscape.

Downside: Iconic and historic barns are a bit short on windows.

“Inherently, there’s not a tremendous amount of light that penetrates the core of the building,” says Jay Jenkins, whose firm, Jenkins Baer Associates, handled interior design for the project. The task, then, was to choose materials and furnishings that would max out the daylight that did exist.

Before those decisions could be made, though, architect John Rhett and construction firm Ilex had to reimagine the structure, originally built in the early 19th century to house hogs, as a sophisticated threestory weekend residence. Ilex elevated the barn to demolish and rebuild its foundation. Rhett designed rooms to feature existing beams, with the dining room having a high vaulted ceiling that takes in the full spaciousness of the barn’s peaked roof.

He also specified a stone chimney in the center of the building—a new feature that looks as though it could be original, and is, in a sense: The stone was mined onsite. This edifice anchors many of the spaces, from bedrooms to the main-level open kitchen/dining room.

These natural materials—stone and wood—set the tone. As a weekend home for clients with a rather formal main residence, says Jenkins, the Red Barn needed to stay “on the simple side. This being a compact little dwelling, everything needed to be as neutral as possible.”

Neutral, but not without character. The design team settled on horizontal planks of limed knotty cedar as a wall surface throughout the dwelling. “It fit the whole barn aesthetic,” says Jenkins. Kitchen and bathroom cabinet facings are made from the same material, allowing them to blend with the surrounding spaces and increase the sense of cohesion throughout.

Floors are made of dark walnut-toned reclaimed wood, while ceilings are Japanese plaster—“another simple texture, not just painted drywall,” says Jenkins.

“It also has great acoustical properties.”

Aesthetic coherence aside, within a relatively small footprint, the Red Barn includes spaces of very different personalities. The dining room is vertically expansive, with dramatic roof framing and a large metal chandelier, while the nearby living room has a low ceiling under heavy exposed beams. The furnishings in this very enclosed space were chosen to feel cozy but not oppressive.

“We did a really beautiful rug in the living room,” says Jenkins, “with a warm ivory-colored design and a dark underground. The light color has reflectivity, but it’s not a busy rug.” This piece, from J.D. Staron, set a color palette of linen, camel and gray tones that, says Jenkins, allow “the artwork, which has great color to it, to really sing.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

BACK TO BASICS

Within the relatively small space, each room has its own personality—from the vertically expansive dining room and kitchen area, to a cozy living room nearby. A clean palette ties them all together. “This being a compact little dwelling, everything needed to be as neutral as possible,” says interior designer Jay Jenkins.

ABODE 27

BACK TO BASICS

The breakdown 3,735 square feet Structural system: Post and beam Exterior material: Clapboard Interior finishes: 1x8 cedar shiplap Roof materials: Standing seam copper Window system: Loewen casements Mechanical systems: Geothermal heat pump General contractor: Ilex Construction & Woodworking

28 ABODE

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THE MILLHOUSE WOOLEN MILLS/ALBEMARLE COUNTY

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30 ABODE

10/19/16 12:44 PM

BACK TO BASICS

Furnishings were chosen to create a feeling of tradition, without heaviness. “The intention was that they had a sense of age to them,” says Jenkins.

Dennis & Leen and Rose Tarlow supplied key pieces of seating, while the clients’ antique mirror is a focal point in the dining room.

The kitchen, almost totally open to the dining room, had to coordinate perfectly while asserting its own identity. Three barstools and a row of pendant lights over the island help delineate the cooking zone.

Quartzite countertops “blend with the color of the cabinetry itself,” says Jenkins, which gets dressed up with white bronze hardware. Quartzite also forms the backsplash, while a mirrorfinish stainless steel hood runs overhead—a “cool modern feature inside of this rustic, traditionalfeeling building,” says Jenkins.

Custom built-in bathroom cabinetry, a wine cellar and a graceful modern bathtub are some of the details that add luxury and help to achieve just the right balance of contemporary and traditional touches in the interior.

Meanwhile, outside, things are kept blissfully simple. The barn’s deep red color, its mostly symmetrical windows and a circular pea-gravel parking area could hardly be more stripped-down and elemental. Within the rolling grounds of Castle Hill, the Red Barn makes for a stunning and timehonored landmark.

MEDIA ROOM

BEDROOM

Ground Floor

KITCHEN

BEDROOM LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM

First Floor

LOFT

Loft

Shape shift A ‘rural loft’ in a reimagined horse stable

STEPHEN BARLING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

This one-time stable-turned-guest apartment floods with light in the daytime, due in part to the polycarbonate exterior.

By Erika Howsare

T

he farm was inspiring, in part because of what wasn’t there anymore. Roxanne Sherbeck and Jon Jackson bought a 19acre property near Charlottesville in 2010, and as they got to know it, they started to realize that it was dotted with the decomposing stumps and logs of oak trees. The absence of those trees—or the presence of their remains—supplied the name for their farm: Ghost Oaks.

The couple are architects who recently retired from practice in Pittsburgh. When they first bought Ghost Oaks, they thought they’d turn the original farmhouse into a guest house and build their own residence a bit down the hill, on the site of a horse stable whose exterior siding was decaying from the ground up.

But when the time came to start designing, they decided to renovate the old house for themselves, while making a guest apartment and studio out of the existing stable. “This view is too good to give to horses,” says Sherbeck. And the stable, she and Jackson felt, was worth saving.

With 14 stalls on either side of a center aisle, its metal roof was supported by pressure-treated columns, and it featured rough-sawn planking on the stalls. Sherbeck saw it as a chance to

try out a few ideas she’d been mulling for a long while.

For one thing, the stable had more square footage than the guest apartment would require.

“I had an idea to make an energy-efficient ‘keep’”—as in a castle’s fortified inner sanctum—“inside the outer envelope,” she says.

The scheme that developed has the guest apartment sitting more or less in the center of the building’s footprint, surrounded on four sides by transitional spaces that buffer it from the exterior walls. Translucent sliding barn doors, fabricated by contractor Lithic Construction, can close off the keep in very hot or cold weather, but much of the year, the barn doors can stay open so that the apartment enjoys maximum spaciousness.

The notion of a “keep” dovetailed nicely with another longtime desire of Sherbeck’s: “I’ve always wanted to do a polycarbonate exterior.”

Polycarbonate is a clear synthetic resin that’s fire resistant, strong and insulating, and won’t yellow over time. In this case, it also allows sunlight to pour into the building, and offers a poetic connection to the oak trees that aren’t there: These are the walls that partially disappear. “It’s a little like a Japanese house, with paper screens,” says Jackson.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 33 ABODE 31

Curb Appeal

434-974-7295 Please visit us at www.caseyconcrete.com A Virginia Class “A” Contractor 32 ABODE

Casey Concrete, Inc. Charlottesville, VA

BACK TO BASICS

What wood you do?

Reclaimed wood has been a hot item for years now. Most people are familiar with the idea of giving old wood, from barns or other sources, new life. Most often, the salvaged stuff ends up as flooring, though cabinetry, furniture and ceilings are also big. But the folks at Mountain Lumber, the Ruckersville company that’s been sourcing and selling reclaimed wood since 1974, have seen a few projects over the years that were really inventive.

One customer bought long-leaf heart pine floor joists to use in making an electric guitar. Another constructed a floor medallion using wood from the oaken vats used by a cidery in England. Wood from the outside of the casks has different tones than the wood that lined their interiors, where the cider itself stained the oak. “Colors ranged from light reddish browns to deep purple,” says Mountain Lumber’s John Williams. In this fancy floor, darks and lights alternate to make a sunburst pattern, with end-grain reclaimed maple in the center, laser-etched with the image of ferns.

Sometimes the apple falls close to the tree. Company founder Willie Drake “was on a bicycling trip in France years ago, and he saw these wine barrels,” says Williams. The barrels were tall enough to walk into—and sure enough, “A guy bought a barrel and he made it into the entry for his wine cellar.”—E.H.

Reuse, recycle, repeat When Becky Seager started her business, Reclaimed Goods, in early 2015, she hoped to solve furniture problems. “What I found with all the places I lived was, you can’t find exactly the right thing,” she says. A dining table or desk from a major retailer might be quite nice, but not exactly suited to the quirks of real rooms in real houses. Sourcing salvaged wood from far-flung places, and working with a local builder to create high-quality custom furniture, she aims to give clients furniture that really fits.

Cal Financial, a firm with offices off Preston Avenue, asked Seager to design a reception desk that would allow a worker to sit or stand, plus offer space for outgoing mail and files—all while looking sharp. Salvaged old-growth pine barn wood gave it a rustic tone, balanced with “a modern edge,” says Seager. And she added an aged zinc top for durability.

Seager says the response to her business has been “overwhelming,” and she’s adding more interior decorating work to her plate these days, too. “I just like to make spaces look pretty,” she says.—E.H.

BECKY SEAGER

STEPHEN BARLING

Sherbeck points out that traditional barn construction involves spacing the exterior siding boards a bit to allow some light and airflow. “It’s really a screen wall,” she says. Partly in homage, she designed a screen composed of vertical and diagonal cedar boards, tucked against the outside of the polycarbonate on the southwestern wall. “It’s a functional sun screen,” says Jackson—and the design loosely mimics the branching pattern of trees.

The building, then, has walls that are partly opaque but mostly transparent, allowing daylight to enter but also creating an enchanting effect at night, when light leaks out from within.

“The whole idea was to do something rustic, not perfect,” says Jackson. “It has this sense of being settled in the landscape.” Salvaged materials from the original stable helped preserve this feeling—barn door hardware for the sliding apartment doors, cedar for the sun screen and the rough-sawn wood that once enclosed the stables, now put to work as siding for the central apartment portion of the building. “We lightly sanded it,” says Jackson—“not to obliterate the original saw marks but just pull them up.”

The apartment itself is a simple space with white-stained plywood floors, soapstone counters on the Ikea kitchen cabinets and industrialstyle lighting. “I bought the fans from an agricultural supply company,” says Sherbeck.

A small front porch and a big back porch sandwich the indoor space, and the kitchen has a serving window opening into the studio, which the couple envisions doing double duty as an event space. Mostly it’ll serve as Sherbeck’s art studio, making this a kind of “rural loft,” as Jackson puts it—living space and creative space under one roof.

If there is a big party in here, guests may get to eat off a table built from very local wood: an ancient oak tree near the farmhouse, killed by lightning after the couple bought the property and then sawn into 2" thick, 20"-wide planks.

“That’s another ghost oak,” Sherbeck says.

HANK EILEK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

ABODE 33

Inspiration, Information, Installation

The 22nd Annual

Artisans Studio Tour November 12 & 13, 2016

•

10 am – 5 pm

Forty-two artisans will showcase their work in 23 studios in Charlottesville and surrounding counties with local refreshments in all studios.

Experience fine craft • Witness the process Free, self-guided tour director@artisanstudiotour.com • 434-973-6846

Visit www.artisanstudiotour.com for information and maps.

34 ABODE

711 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 434.245.5216 | www.wainwrighttile.com |

Mud Dauber Pottery OPEN HOUSE & STUDIO TOUR November 12 & 13 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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ABODE 1

ORGANIZATION

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R E A L E S TAT E

ON THE MARKET

Down by the river Sweet details in an old part of town

W

PHOTOS: JOHN WADE

e don’t know about you, but when we hear the not-too-charming term “condo,” we tend to conjure images of dwellings that are longer on convenience than character. You know—concrete balconies, underground parking, stacked washer/dryer, that sort of thing.

Well, along comes a condo that shatters the stereotype. Let’s start by considering the neighborhood. We all know Charlottesville is dripping with history, but Woolen Mills—that unique, somewhat isolated zone at the east end of town—has a historical ambience all its own. It’s more intimately connected with the Rivanna River than any other neighborhood, with the railroad tracks supplying a poetic element. The housing stock is thoroughly mixed, with a generous helping of modern showpieces among older, sometimes humble, abodes.

And, of course, the mills that give the area its name add an industrial tone that, because it’s so well-weathered, ends up being deeply appealing.

Much of that is due to the fact that so many of the old buildings associated with the mills (workers’ housing, a chapel and so forth) have been loved and kept happily functional over the years.

The Millhouse, a three-story building that was originally a mill office, is a prime example. Built in the 1880s, it spent some years as a six-unit apartment building before being gracefully converted to three condos in the early 1980s. The one currently for sale, #1, is on the ground floor and shares with its neighbors the signature feature of the Millhouse: a dramatic entry foyer that includes a huge natural rock outcropping.

Compared to that, the condo itself has a quieter charm, but make no mistake—there is a lot to fall in love with here. The narrow-plank pine floors, well-seasoned by more than a century of

This ground-floor spot in Woolen Mills turns the condo concept on its head.

use, provide a warm, lived-in bass functional place to cook. A real dinnote to the rooms (an open kitchen/ ing room table will steal space from living room, then a hallway leading the living room, so think on it careto two bedrooms and a single bath). fully if you’re a dinner party person.

The windows are nicely sized and Address: 1915 E. Market Limited storage would probably regularly spaced, with nice old wood- St. #1, Charlottesville be the other major drawback here— en shutters, and on our visit were just MLS#: 551884 though a creative type could add lots Year built: Approx. 1850 about to be upgraded. more shelving to the laundry room, which features more of the rock outIf carefully furnished, this will be Bedrooms: 2 a warm and lovely nest. The bath- Baths: 1 cropping visible in the foyer. room is a charmer, with diagonally Square footage: 1,023 A few other assorted things to laid floor tile and a clawfoot tub near Extras: Fireplace, patio know: The building enjoys its own the window. A bowl sink and marble List price: $275,000 well water. The property actually sits countertop complete a vanity made in Albemarle County, not the City of Charlottesville. There is a cute little brick pafrom a repurposed chest. tio outside that’s designated for unit #1, and The bigger of the bedrooms has a small closet, but also offers built-in storage under the you’ll have access to six parking spots that are windows (shoe shelves and chests). As for the shared amongst the three condos in the building. second bedroom, it’s pretty tiny—fine for a More important than anything, though, is the guest, but don’t count on getting a roommate to setting. Nearly all the condo’s windows face tohelp out with the mortgage. ward the Rivanna (that is, northeast), and in The kitchen/living room is, of course, the winter you’ll actually be looking at the water; heart of the home, and doesn’t disappoint. Disyou can hardly see another nearby building. tressed-finish white cabinets wrap around the All in all, we’re thinking it’s a lucky person kitchen in a U shape, with black granite counwho’ll call this place home. And oh—how could tertops that form a bar on the living room. we forget?—there is indeed a stacked washer/ dryer.—Erika Howsare Though not enormous, it seems like quite a

The breakdown

ABODE 37

ABODE

IN PROGRESS

Stable condition

One of two Jefferson-era buildings undergoing restoration as part of the estate’s Mountaintop Project, the Stone Stable at Mulberry Row will have a stronger foundation and a more periodappropriate roof (according to TJ’s specifications) once it’s completed this fall. The structure has been in almost continuous use since it was built in 1809, when it housed Peggy Waffington, Fitzpartner, Assaragoa and other of Jefferson’s riding horses. Once open, the exhibit will share the stories of Jupiter Evans and Wormley Hughes, two enslaved men who tended to the horses.

The restoration of Jefferson’s stable was generously supported by a gift from the Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation.

PHOTO: VIRGINIA HAMRICK

38 ABODE

Ann Hay Hardy 202.297.0228 ahhardy@frankhardy.com

C O U N T RY L I V I N G I N V I RG I N IA D UCE

RED

FRANKHARDY.COM

CE PR I

HUNT COUNTRY LANE Custom built Prairie style home on 21 aces w/ a 6 acre stocked pond. Elegantly landscaped and private. Brick home features an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, arched entryways and carved wood railings. 1st floor master suite and full finished basement with home office and dark room. Kitchen features granite island, custom colored birch cabinets and Viking range. MLS 530802 $1,380,000

SLAM GATE ROAD - Exceptionally built home by Shelter Associates with panoramic mountain views in Western Albemarle. Over 60 pastoral acres with a bold creek running through. The 5000 s.f., 4 bedroom farm house has a classic design with cedar shake roof. Superior craftsmanship is evident in every room with features such as white oak flooring, crown molding and wall trim.

Log guest house, workshop and other outbuildings. MLS 543646 $1,795,000

LINDEN RIDGE - An exceptional 70 acre property with a prime location in the Keswick Hunt. This meticulously maintained home has had numerous recent improvements. Acreage features lovely perennial gardens, rolling pastures, and two bold streams. The 4 bedroom home includes an expansive 1st floor master suite with attached sunroom, gourmet kitchen, stone patio for outdoor entertaining.

Guest cottage, entertainment barn and stable. MLS 541181 $2,950,000

D UCE

RED

BLANDEMAR FARM ESTATES - Sitting on 42 acres, this french inspired manor has water and mountain views. A home with both indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, complete with Bluestone porches, pool and covered loggia with outdoor fireplace. Built by Alexander Nicholson, no expense was spared with features like copper guttering, slate roof and mahogany doors. 1st floor master. Open gourmet kitchen. MLS 540501 $4,250,000 Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

CE PR I

LUXOR TERRACE - Outstanding mountain and water views. Great location in Western Albemarle, near wineries, parks and breweries. 23.6 divisbile acres.

Two stocked ponds and two streams. Exquisite brick home has many high end finishes. Impressive great room with cathedral ceilings, gourmet kitchen, master bedroom suite, finished basement and rec room. MLS 542228 $1,850,000

434.977.4005 lwoodriff@loringwoodriff.com

401 Park Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 LOVELY INTERIORS IN WEST LEIGH

PARK-LIKE SETTING IN EARLYSVILLE

2540 Williston Drive $649,000 Handsomely renovated brick Colonial with traditional architectural appeal and an ideal balance of formal and informal living spaces.

Light-filled kitchen with granite counters. Large family room with built-in bookshelves, woodburning fireplace. Terrace with pergola & level backyard. Formal living & dining rooms off front hall. 1.7 acre lot features privacy, mature trees & a newly installed fire pit with seating area.

Annie Izard (434) 242-1240. MLS# 552259

520 TANAGER WOODS COURT • $559,900 Beautiful home in mint condition on private corner lot on 2.13 acres. Gorgeous kitchen w/ rich cherry cabinets, granite counters & to-of-the-line stainless appliances. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, finished basement. Large master w/ attached spa-like bathroom. Angela Dotson (434) 981-6302. MLS# 552425

2 ACRES IN MURRAY SCHOOL DISTRICT

LOVELY COLONIAL IN SYCAMORE SQUARE

CLAREMONT AT CARRIAGE HILL

11 LANGFORD PLACE • $569,000 This lovely property offers a welcoming front porch & large deck overlooking the fully fenced rear yard. Flexible floor plan w/ mix of formal & casual spaces. 2 master suites, open eat-in kitchen, 5 bedrooms, new hardwood throughout. Close to Downtown, UVA Hosp & Grounds. Sally Neill (434) 531-9941. MLS# 552262

41 ROBINS COURT • $236,900 Lovely Colonial upgraded with hardwood on the 1st floor, large dining room bump out, tiled showers, & gas fireplace. Potential for expansion in the full unfinished, walk-out basement.

Beautiful fenced rear yard features gardens, shed, stone patio, & large deck. Sally Neill (434) 531-9941. MLS# 552230

935 DORCHESTER PLACE • $234,900 One of the most desirable floorplans in the community. Large 2 bedrooms, huge closets, built-ins, wood burning fireplace, open floorplan, breakfast area, balcony, dining room with bay window, mountain views, & two-car garage! Close to MJH, I-64, Pantops, & Downtown. Inessa Telefus (434) 989-1559. MLS# 552778

PRISTINE CONDO ON HISTORIC COURT SQUARE

SOLID BUILT RANCH IN FREE UNION

NEW HOME BY EVERGREEN IN WESTLAKE

QUEEN CHARLOTTE • $549,000 Stunning 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo renovated top to bottom. Eatin kitchen w/ Terra Cotta floor, custom cabinets & pantry, double oven & warming drawer, granite counter tops. Walled garden & patio. Two blocks to Downtown Mall. Punkie Feil (434) 9625222 or Elizabeth Feil Matthews (434) 284-2105. MLS# 552898

6270 FREE UNION ROAD • $349,000 Brick ranch in Meriwether Lewis school district offers 1-level living, full terrace w/ built-in garage, plus storage outbuilding.

Additional features incl’ hardwood floors, solid doors, wood burning fireplace, light-filled den, & front porch. Additional land can be purchased. Lindsay Milby (434) 962-9148. MLS# 552213

5961 WESTHALL DRIVE • $765,000 5 BR, 5 bath beautiful home offers light-filled open plan including a gourmet kitchen w/ huge quartz center island, Wolfe commercial range & Sub-Zero refrigerator, great room w/ fireplace, luxurious master suite & covered rear porch overlooking the gently rolling corner lot & lake. Lindsay Milby (434) 962-9148. MLS# 547451

PEAK HOME CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN

200 Garrett st #601 $1,045,000

1510 KENDRA STREET • $819,000 Peak masterpiece: Character-rich finishes & handsome architectural details define this light & airy 4,000+ sqft home on 1 acre. Chef ’s kitchen, master w/ spa bath, lovely outdoor living, vaulted great room & functional mudroom, laundry & pantry. Whittington.

Kristin Cummings Streed (434) 409-5619. MLS# 546913

DOWNTOWN PENTHOUSE REDUCED $100K

6th floor penthouse end unit offers city & mountain views. Open floor plan features wonderful natural light, bamboo floors & striking contemporary touches like poured concrete & stainless counters in the kitchen, a remarkable poured concrete vanity in the powder room, & a large terrace overlooking the views. Corner room off the main living space with excellent views could be a den, office, or 3rd bedroom. 2 parking spaces. MLS# 552214

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