People who live in the south are said to be down-to-earth folks who care for each other and know their neighbors. You would think I would be on a first-name basis with the people who live in my backyard or across the street. Truthfully, however, I can’t remember their names or where they work. I’m [...]

The arrival of spring signals the beginning of home garden and market season. If we time it right, soon we’ll be buried in piles of fresh local fruits and vegetables. It sounds great on paper—until we have more than we can eat and things start to spoil! One way to extend the season is to [...]

It may be for only a brief few moments, but it is usually the kitchen where families seem to gather long enough to exchange their dreams, desires and to-do lists every day. In what is arguably the most functional room in the house, our lives become intertwined through the pulse of serving others. In this [...]

When the daffodils peek out, it’s time to turn grey winter thoughts toward spring. On that first warm day, don’t waste daylight hours scrambling for the bike helmets, only to discover the tires went flat over the winter. Where is that bike pump, anyway? Oh no! It’s probably in…(queue scary music)…The Garage…or…The Basement. Organizing these [...]

OK people, listen up. Full disclosure: the “House Mechanic” department of HOME magazine is dedicated to the hardworking parts of our homes that are, how shall we say, not so glamorous. In defense of our beloved department, this is the much-deserved place where we help you understand, maintain or upgrade the mechanical systems of your [...]

Southerners pride themselves in offering gracious hospitality to all who enter their homes. Experience Southern hospitality on a grand scale during Historic Garden Week—what host Garden Club of Virginia calls “America’s Largest Open House.” Every April, visitors are welcomed to more than 250 of Virginia’s most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks. The Lynchburg Historic Garden Day tour, sponsored [...]

When my husband and I bought our first home, the Cape Cod fixer-upper didn’t come with a refrigerator. There, on one wall of our 60-year-old galley kitchen, next to a harvest-gold stove, stood a gaping space. Needing something to keep milk and condiments cold, we bought a used refrigerator. It wasn’t a fancy fridge. Let’s [...]

Inspiration. You can find it just about anywhere…a beautiful sunset, your favorite blouse, the internet. Yes, the internet. When I first started planning my décor years ago, I perused decorating magazines, watched countless shows on HGTV, and even pilfered ideas from my friends’ homes—yet today a whole new home decorating world can be discovered with [...]