Reston HomeLifeStyle

Reston HomeLifeStyle

Subscribe

Tease photo

Home Tour Celebrates Simon’s Vision

Annual tour gives glimpse of variety of Reston homes.

Danielle Harrison has lived in Reston for 10 years. She has attended a few events at the Reston Museum, is excited for Reston founder Robert Simon’s 100th birthday next April and considers herself very knowledgeable when it comes to Reston history.

Reston Home Sales: September, 2013

In September 2013, 81 Reston homes sold between $1,165,000-$169,300.

Reston Home Sales: September, 2013

Tease photo

Decorating for Fall

Local designers offer suggestions for bringing the harvest into your home.

The colors of autumn are all around as pumpkins and squash fill produce stands and leaves change from green to orange, red and yellow before falling from their branches. Local designers and tastemakers are unveiling home accents that bring the warm hues of the season into the home. Whether using pillows, throws or flowers, adding the colors and textures of fall requires less effort than one might expect. “Emerald green, orange and turquoise are three of the biggest color trends we’re seeing,” said Marcus Browning of European Country Living in Old Town Alexandria. “Throws and pillows are a given, but you can also tie in traditional and modern accessories with rugs, stained glass lamps with modern or intricate designs.” Small trays provide a canvas for highlighting color and adding functionality to a room, says Marika Meyer of Marika Meyer Interiors in Bethesda, Md. “Color and pattern are in right now,” she said. “I just purchased the C. Wonder (http://www.cwonder.com) navy and white chevron tray for my home. It adds a punch of color and freshness to a room. Preppy is back in a big way, too, offering lots of patterns.”

Reston Home Sales: August, 2013

In August 2013, 104 Reston homes sold between $1,100,000-$140,000.

Reston Home Sales: August, 2013

Tease photo

Big Ideas for Small Spaces

Local designers offer ideas for decorating small rooms.

Whether one is sprucing up a small powder room or decorating a studio apartment, space limitations often pose a design challenge. However, local designers say that no matter how a small space’s square footage or how awkward the layout, there are plenty of decorative cures for small spaces. Whether one is sprucing up a small powder room or decorating a studio apartment, space limitations often pose a design challenge. However, local designers say that no matter how a small space’s square footage or how awkward the layout, there are plenty of decorative cures for small spaces.

Tease photo

Like Magic

New plan in built-out 1940s colonial gains vital square footage as young family looks ahead.

In the end, a skillful spatial reconfiguration is like a deft magician's trick — you've seen it with your own eyes, but you still can't figure out how they did it. “Really, I don't know how this plan created so much more usable space,” Alexandria resident Alice Goulet said, discussing a recent reconfiguration to several rooms in the family's 1,800-square-foot center-hall Colonial.

Reston Home Sales: July, 2013

In July 2013, 128 Reston homes sold between $1,310,000-$105,000.

Reston Home Sales: July, 2013

Tease photo

Is Your Home Ready for Back to School?

Local designers offer tips for creating functional and stylish homework spaces.

Summer will soon come to an end, and children everywhere will be heading back to school and coming home with homework. To keep students engaged and excited, some local designers offer suggestions for creating a space so fun and inviting that your children will want to hang out there — even if that means doing homework.

Tease photo

Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology

A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.

If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.

Keeping Pets Safe

Veterinary experts say common household items can harm animals.

Did you know that a bowl of grapes sitting on your counter can be fatal to your dog or that a bouquet of fragrant lilies could be lethal to a cat? Were you aware that a stick of gum might cause a life-threatening canine emergency? Veterinary experts say that while pet hazards are lurking around almost every home, many pet owners are unaware of them. From favorite foods to over-the-counter-pain relievers, a number of common household items are dangerous to family pets.

Unlocking the Door to Affordable Housing

County considers establishment of residential studio option to assist with housing affordability.

Like most areas that have seen explosive growth in the past 30 years, Fairfax County’s stock of affordable housing has dwindled as it’s grown into one of the nation’s wealthiest counties.

Tease photo

Quilt Show Displays ‘Sacred Threads’

Some 231 handmade quilts exploring themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing were displayed during the biennial Sacred Threads exhibition, July 10-28, at Floris United Methodist Church in Oak Hill.

Tease photo

Local Real Estate: May 2013 Top Sales in Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Oak Hill and Herndon

In May 2013, 140 homes sold between $1,600,000-$197,000 in the Vienna and Oakton area. 148 Reston homes sold between $1,655,000-$110,733 and 148 homes sold between $1,330,000-$150,000 in the Herndon

Local Real Estate: May 2013 Top Sales in Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Oak Hill and Herndon

Reston Home Sales: June, 2013

In June 2013, 149 Reston homes sold between $1,558,000-$110,000.

Reston Home Sales: June, 2013

Tease photo

Reston Nature House Hosts Energy Fair

Alternative energy on display at Reston fair.

Environmental enthusiasts from Reston and beyond gathered at the Walker Nature Education Center Sunday, July 14, for the first Reston Energy Fair.