Monday, January 9th, 2023
Scandinavian design centers on clean lines, simplicity, comfort, light, and a strong connection to nature. By virtue of the location and climate of Scandinavian countries, the people spend a lot of time inside and cherish a minimal approach which combines function, beauty and comfort. Natural materials, an open floor plan, white or neutral color palettes,
Friday, November 18th, 2022
You know what they say, “when one door closes … go ahead and decorate it!” (They do say that, right?) At the pinnacle of symbolism, a door is a passageway, a transition threshold, where visitors leave one...
Friday, November 18th, 2022
Roya Gharavi had many advantages when designing her Blacksburg house. She and husband Floyd Merryman both embraced a mountain contemporary design which utilizes natural materials and capitalizes on large windows and beautiful views. “It made it easy...
Friday, September 23rd, 2022
In the late spring of 1982, The Holiness Tabernacle Church, on a whisker under half an acre in Blacksburg, sold for $500. It is uncertain from there when it was transformed from a small house of worship...
Friday, July 29th, 2022
When Dublin native Trish Hale married Dublin native Steve Hale, just shy of 50 years ago, she packed a suitcase, said her vows and went to Steve’s childhood home to set up housekeeping. “We moved into Steve’s...
Wednesday, May 11th, 2022
Moms sometimes get to do what they want on Mother’s Day, and Kim Mann’s idea of a great day in 2021 was driving around Blacksburg looking at houses. “We went through several neighborhoods before parking in front...
Monday, March 21st, 2022
It was simple curiosity, along with a career in the housing industry, that brought Cassidy Jones and her family to their unusual home. “We actually lived down the street when this house came on the market,” she...
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Google “real estate photography classes,” and you will find 2.8 million results. “Real estate photography courses” will net you 1.5 billion results (yes, that is billion!) Why the huge interest in taking pictures of real estate? The...
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Mary Kate Gaines’ first bedroom style makeover occurred when she was in first grade. “My bedroom was my happy place,” she recalls, “and even at a young age I had an opinion of what I wanted it...
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Some trees are famous enough to be named. There’s the “Keffer Oak,” commanding a section of the Appalachian Trail just east of Route 42 in Newport. Virginia Tech maintains a Big Tree Registry, documenting the largest trees...