photo by iStock/jana rodic

I finally have it! The perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s perfectly cheesy. Perfectly creamy. And, well, perfectly delicious.

Baked, I say, is always the way to go when it comes to mac and cheese (although I’ve tasted some yummy slow cooker versions too). It takes the dish to a whole new level, melting the sharp cheddar evenly throughout the noodles and creating a golden crust of cheesy goodness on top.

My version also features ground mustard, a spice that gives the flavor a warm, tangy boost. Milk and an egg help create a thick and creamy sauce that complements the cheese and just melts in your mouth. Overall, this is my ultimate comfort food. Surprising since I have such a sweet tooth. Those who know me may think it would be gooey brownies or a big bowl of ice cream. But as winter settles in, this macaroni and cheese warms my soul.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
8 oz. elbow noodles
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg
1 cup milk
1½ tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 Tbl. hot water
1 Tbl. butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, boil the noodles according to package directions.
• Drain and put in large mixing bowl. Stir in butter, egg and pepper.
• Mix the salt and mustard with the hot water until dissolved. Stir into macaroni. Add two cups of cheese.
• Pour contents into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top. Pour milk over the top. Bake for 45 minutes.

What’s your favorite comfort food? Tell us below or share it with us on facebook!

If there’s one thing all Roanokers can agree on, it’s that the valley is great place to live. Here are six families that remind us why:

Cindy Shrader: North County Convenience

Cindy Shrader’s Gidget, 13, still loves a walk. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon)

Cindy Shrader likes history, mountain views and a friendly neighborhood and says she found them all 15 years ago in a North Roanoke County community near Hollins University. Spacious ranch homes on generous lots provide a rural feeling, “but not too rural,” she says.

From her home on Hunters Trail, she enjoys a view of Read Mountain, convenient travel routes to everywhere in the Roanoke Valley and neighbors who like to walk their dogs as much as she likes to give Gidget an outing.

Gidget came to her 13 years ago, first so that she could socialize the pup, found in a Dumpster, and for the League for Animal Protection where she then volunteered. The pup won her heart and stayed.

“I’ve always liked this part of Roanoke County. It has beautiful scenery, little congestion and in a matter of minutes I can get anywhere,” she says.

The ease of travel is important to Shrader, who since retiring two years ago as a sales and marketing officer with BB&T bank, has taken on two part-time jobs and many more activities. She works at Gold’s Gym where she is also a backup instructor for its Silver Sneaker program, and she has a part-time job with Total Peace of Mind, a company that assists with estate settlement.

Shrader works out at Green Ridge Recreation Center, the county’s new facility that opened in 2010 near the Roanoke Regional Airport. She attends Elderscholar Programs at Roanoke College, often driving the scenic Loch Haven Drive, which parallels I-81, to get to Salem.

“But I do use I-81; I am only 10 minutes from it,” she says.

Convenience to recreation, restaurants and even Northside High School are important for her. She dines out at Coach & Four, Lew’s Restaurant, Hollywood’s Restaurant and Bakery on Williamson Road, at Cracker Barrel at Troutville, and at El Rodeo on Plantation Road. Traveling to events at Northside, where her niece is in the band, is easy. Her church, Melrose Baptist Church on Peters Creek Road, is also convenient.

Recycle bins are nearby.

Throw in a bit of history, and Shrader considers her home spot ideal.

“There is so much history here, such as Black Horse Tavern, what’s left of it.” The tavern, built in 1782 on what was the old Carolina Road and now Old Mountain Road, is being restored by private owners.

A Civil War Cemetery is on private property, just off Hunter’s Trail, and before the Bellevue Gardens subdivision was fully developed, a man on a horse who appeared to be looking for someone was spied by residents, Shrader says.

“I guess he got crowded out.”

Wes and Elizabeth Wilmer: Botetourt’s Best of Both Worlds

Wes, Elizabeth and Ashley Wilmer like serenity. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon)

Wes and Elizabeth Wilmer were living in Roanoke’s Raleigh Court with an infant daughter when Wes was smitten by a photo of a 100-year-old house in Botetourt County.

“We liked where we lived. The city was extremely convenient,”  recalls Wes, an agent with Century 21 – Gold Key Realtors in Roanoke. Elizabeth is dean of the Liberal Arts and Social Studies division at Virginia Western Community College.

They had talked about moving eventually to get more room, but were “just looking” when he found “what our dream house would be.”

“I fell in love with it, too,” Elizabeth says.

The house on Trinity Road near Fincastle is a classic with a wraparound porch and outbuildings that include a large barn, a chicken coop and a garden shed. Wood from the property was used to build the house. On a clear day, the Peaks of Otter can be seen.

Once a much larger property, the bulk of its acreage was sold for part of the Ashley Plantation golf community in the county.

The house was for sale with seven acres, however.

“It was almost a carbon copy of my great-grandparents’ house in Canton, Mississippi,” Elizabeth recalls. She has incorporated many of the furnishings from her great-grandparents’ residence into her home.

Elizabeth was drawn to rural life because of her experiences growing up in Mississippi where her main sport was horseback riding.

“Taking care of a horse taught me life lessons and responsibilities that have served me well, and I wanted Ashley to have those experiences,” Elizabeth says. “She has turned into a little farm girl.”

Wes, more of a city dweller, loves the location, too. He is president of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club and can hop on his bike for short rides from the road in front of the house, which connects U.S. 220 (Roanoke Road) with U.S. 11 at Troutville.

They purchased the house in the summer of 2007. Two dozen chickens now contribute a dozen eggs a day. A border collie and two cats roam the grounds. The family expects pygmy goats to soon join the family. Elizabeth rides at a stable on Brugh’s Mill Road, five minutes from her house.

“I like the serenity of the country; it has the best of both worlds,” she says. “I also love gardening, and living here is an ideal opportunity to play with that . . . and it’s all play.

Keith & Karena Clinton:  Southeast is “15 Minutes From Everything”

Patrick Clinton likes Southeast’s Jackson Park. (Photo by Barry Brooks)

A plaque hanging in Keith and Karena Clinton’s living room in Southeast Roanoke has the words: “Home is where your story begins” superimposed over “Roanoke.” For these natives of Queens, N.Y., it says everything.

While still dating, they relocated to Roanoke to be near his parents, who had moved to the Moneta area of Smith Mountain Lake. Keith, a professional chef, took a position with a local hotel; Karena worked in banking. They lived in an apartment complex in Southwest Roanoke County while looking for a house and getting married.

Southeast Roanoke city had the most appeal of the areas that best suited their budget, especially after they saw the two-story brick house on Pechin Avenue. On the day they first visited, houses on the street appeared well cared for and the atmosphere was quiet, except when a few dogs bayed at a siren sounding in the distance as an ambulance made its way to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital only a few blocks away.

“Just that little bit of noise was nice,” Karena says.

The view from the front porch shows a mountain in the distance on the left and an in-your-face view of Mill Mountain to the right. The back yard looks into Jackson Park. Elementary and middle schools are within an easy walk, and the Clintons were pleased with the schools’ test scores when they checked them out before buying. A branch library is a short walk.

Their neighborhood is a lot like the blue-collar neighborhood where they used to live, Keith says. Even better, there is just enough noise to satisfy his interest in transportation. Norfolk Southern tracks are just over the hill and one of the flight paths to the Roanoke Regional Airport goes right by Mill Mountain.

Now, just over five years after buying the house with one of the city’s special purchase plans, the family has expanded to include Patrick, 3, and Abigail, 1, and Karena’s mother, Mary Cushion. A Yorkie, a Shih Tzu and a Basset hound complete the picture.

“We’re 15 minutes from everything,” Keith says.

Pechin connects to 9th Street Southeast, which makes it convenient traveling to both of their jobs and to visit family at Smith Mountain Lake.

Keith works in the meat and seafood department at Fresh Market at Towers Shopping Center, easily reached via (Riverland Road) through the Mill Mountain and South Roanoke communities. Visiting Keith’s parents in Moneta means hopping on Virginia 116 in the opposite direction, toward Mount Pleasant. Karena often commutes to her job with Woodforest National Bank at Wal-Mart on U.S. 220 via the Fishburn Parkway and Blue Ridge Parkway. They can walk to downtown Roanoke, and also have quick access to shops and markets in Vinton in Roanoke County.

And, always they can see the Mill Mountain star; “That star is magic,” says Keith.

“I like the open environment,” says Karena, who has planted grapevines and joins Keith in growing a garden each year.

Chad and Shelley Braby: Grandin Village is Raleigh Court’s Anchor

The Braby Bunch loves their “real neighborhood” where Chad heads the Raleigh Court Civic League. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon)

Isabel and Eliza Braby, ages 6 and 4, often ride their bikes on the sidewalk in front of their southwest Roanoke City home as the parents watch from the porch. “The kids can ride four or five houses down,” says Chad. “We also walk in the neighborhood a lot.”

On a recent Friday night, Chad and his oldest daughter walked to a football game at nearby Patrick Henry High School. The neighborhood has a great sense of family, Chad says.

He and Shelley had their own places on Woods and Walnut avenues in Old Southwest in 1997 and 1998, and then moved as a couple to Greensboro, N.C. When they returned in 2004, they had ideas about what they expected in a neighborhood.

“We knew we wanted a real neighborhood feel with sidewalks and where neighbors all get together. We wanted a front porch where we could see people walking by,” says Shelley. They looked in the Wasena and Old Southwest neighborhoods in the city, both of which appealed to them, before settling on a 90-year-old traditional foursquare house on Laburnum.

The foursquare is typical of houses in this part of the city.

“One nice thing about the neighborhood is that Grandin Village acts as an anchor,” Chad says. They walk to the community market in summer and year round to the Grandin Theatre.  Pops Ice Cream and Soda Bar in the village is a favorite family stop.

Grandin Village has boomed with restaurants in recent years and is home to the valley’s only food co-op, the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. It boasts a used bookstore and an upscale furniture store and is centrally located for access to other city neighborhoods.

Chad and Shelley like biking, too, and are frequent users of the city’s greenways. Chad taught Isabel to ride in Smith Park along the Roanoke River.

A civil engineer, Chad is regional manager for a general contractor and also serves as president of the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League.

Living where they do is a trade-off, Chad says. They could probably have a larger yard in southwest Roanoke County, for example.

Both Chad and Shelley are keen on environmental concerns and are active in the Cool Cities Coalition where Chad is a member of the board of directors.

Bo & Libby Blankenship: Sports in Southwest Roanoke County

The Blankenships (Tyler, Bo,Libby, Lucas) are all near work and school. (Barry Brooks)

Family involvement, sports and the outdoors are important to the family of Bo and Libby Blankenship, and they found that their Southwest Roanoke County home delivers it all.

“We feel like we could not have chosen a better place,” says Bo of their Wexford subdivision, one of several new communities developed in the county in the past decade. The area, just off U.S. 221, has good views and is within five minutes of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Bo, managing director of Greystone Financial Group, grew up in southeast Roanoke where his mother still lives. He went to city schools, making a name for himself in football at Patrick Henry High School and winning a football scholarship to Virginia Tech. He met Libby, who is from New Jersey, at Tech. After their marriage, they settled in Raleigh Court in southwest Roanoke city.

Raleigh Court was a good location, they say. Libby and the children enjoyed going to the Food Court in the downtown Market Building. “Lucas [now 14] loved trains, and we would watch them from the Hotel Roanoke walkway and go to the Transportation Museum,” she says.

They still go downtown for dinner and to events in Elmwood Park, but they were attracted to southwest County partly because of the enthusiasm of the parents who support school events and the sports opportunities for their sons. Tyler, 17, is a junior at Hidden Valley High School where Lucas is a freshman.

They also wanted to be near where both of them worked. Libby has been a part-time instructor at the Roanoke Athletic Club since 1989. They relocated when their oldest son was in kindergarten.

“The homes here were beautiful with space between them. It was not far from schools, and we already knew some neighbors,” says Libby. “It was just right. We had privacy in a cozy neighborhood with cul-de-sacs; it was safe for kids to go from one house to another.”

Their two-story home with a walk-out basement offers a great view to downtown.

“I like how much parents are involved in the area,” says Bo, who coached both of his sons in basketball, soccer and baseball in Little League.

Both boys play soccer with the Valley AFC Express travel program. Tyler also plays tuba in the school’s marching band, and Lucas is trying out for junior varsity basketball. Bo is an avid golfer and all of the family enjoys hiking.

Libby owns Xterra Fit, which does group outdoor training for women. Her group exercises outside three days a week all year long, using local parks and mountain trails. “We mix up locations,” she says. “There are lots of trails with the mountains. Mount Chestnut and Sugarloaf Mountain, both nearby, are ‘great hills.’

Sarah & Arthur Grubb: Salem Keeps Calling

Arthur and Sarah Grubb love Salem’s Karen Hills. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon)

Sarah Grubb just cannot stay out of Salem.

“It’s where all of my memories are,” she says. “I am a born and bred Salemite. Daddy built our home in Salem in 1948.” Sarah’s mother’s side of the family, the Mowles family, has its name on the city’s Mowles Spring Park.

Sarah and her husband Arthur had their first apartment and their first house in Salem.

They then moved to southwest Roanoke County’s Cave Spring area. Arthur is from the county, and they liked their time there too, Sarah says. Within five years, however, the family, then including two sons, was back in Salem so the oldest son could begin school in the system his mother grew up in.

Years later, as empty nesters, Sarah and Arthur returned to Roanoke County where they bought a patio home in the Garst Mill Park area. They also loved that location. Sarah’s commute to Virginia Western Community College where she is an administrative assistant was only 10 minutes. Arthur works for the Virginia Lottery.

But Salem kept calling, especially when the couple decided they had been premature to leave their home city and a traditional neighborhood.

Two years ago, Sarah and Arthur decided to return to Salem. They wanted a medium-priced home with a yard sufficient for Arthur to do landscaping. They ended up in Karen Hills, an established community developed in the 1970s, and only two blocks from where they used to live.

Their oldest son and his family, including a granddaughter, also now live in Salem.

Our tour of neighborhoods in the Roanoke Valley begins to the north, in Botetourt County, and then swings south and west into Roanoke City, Salem and beyond. Plus, meet some people who live there.

Why do we live where we do?

We love the house style. We want our children in specific schools. We want to recreate a cherished childhood setting. Or, we like walking to the movies or the convenience of the interstate highway nearby.

The reasons why we choose our homesites are as varied as our interests, and we are fortunate in the Roanoke Valley that there are many communities to satisfy any one and all of these yearnings.

Botetourt County

Botetourt County is an enviable mix of historic properties and new imposing structures that dot what used to be open farmland. The area of the county from Fincastle, its county seat, to the Roanoke city and county lines has become a bedroom community especially attractive to newcomers looking for a strong mix of nature and convenience.

Ashley Plantation and the Botetourt Golf and Swim Club have public golf courses. Health care facilities are rapidly expanding in the area with the new Carilion Clinic and a new LewisGale imaging center and physician practice at Daleville.

Among the county’s newest housing is the Daleville Town Center, a combination of a traditional neighborhood featuring EarthCraft-certified houses in what is to be a 300-unit residential village. Retail and office space are available in the village center and nearby are other developments that include a grocery and pharmacy. At least nine new home developments have taken place in the county since 2000.

The Daleville Town Center custom homes start at $350,000; model homes are priced in the upper $400,000s to around $700,000. At Santillane, also one of the newer developments, colonials and ranches sell at an average of $450,000. Ashley Plantation properties range from $250,000+.

Botetourt County also provides a wealth of outdoor opportunities from the 120 square miles of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests to the Appalachian Trail that travels through parts of the county and attracts hikers to the Troutville exit of I-81.

At its southern edge, near the line with Roanoke County and City, the Carvins Cove Natural Reserve includes an 800-acre lake for fishing and canoeing, plus 40 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.

The James River is another attraction in the county as is the county’s new sports complex on 125 acres in Greenfield Recreation Park. The complex attracts sporting events from the valley and outside of it and includes a paved walking track and a one-mile accessible trail that connects to a five-mile cross country walking trail.

Interstate 81, with exits at Troutville, makes travel north and south convenient for residents. Also from Troutville, it is easy to move into north Roanoke County and City by way of U.S. 11 or connect to U.S. 460 at Blue Ridge by way of U.S. 220 alternate.

North & East Roanoke

Moving south from Botetourt County into North and East Roanoke County and North Roanoke City, there is a broad variety of housing, mostly low-density residential development since the 1960s and 1970s.

Nearby, Valley View Mall is a regional retail destination with scores of stores and restaurants. Carvins Cove Natural Reserve straddles the Botetourt County line and is the second largest municipal park in the U.S. at 12,700 acres and a primary regional recreation destination. Northwest Roanoke City is an area of commercial and residential development. Orange Avenue and Melrose Avenue form a major east-west corridor and are intersected by Peters Creek Parkway running north and south.

North Roanoke County begins north of Salem, meanders along Interstate 81 to Exit 150, then turns south along the U.S. 220 South extension to the Town of Vinton. This area is well developed with residential and business development. North county includes the North Lakes development with its older homes around $150,000 and at two newer developments, Greenridge Court bi-levels, ranches and colonials and Village Green townhomes start at $134,950. A villa project in the county, Cottages at Stonelyn, range from $240,000 upward. The Williamson Road Area leads from Botetourt County to Downtown Roanoke. Along its edges are several older neighborhoods with moderately-priced homes, often three bedrooms for under $100,000. The area is undergoing renovation in many locations. Both Valley View and Crossroads malls are within easy reach.

Southeast (including Vinton and Garden City and the Va. 116 Lake Corridor):

Garden City’s development began with the opening of the American Viscose Plant beside the Roanoke River in 1917; it was annexed by Roanoke City in 1949 and began to suburbanize. River scenery and an extensive greenway make for a serene atmosphere.

Modest older homes have been joined by newer developments, such as Loblolly Hills custom homes with lots starting at more than $100,000. A Va. 116 development near Roanoke, Windy Gap, has lots starting at $150,000.

The Town of Vinton has moderately-priced homes amid a small-town atmosphere with exceptional amenities nearby in Roanoke and the surrounding area. A sign of civic pride is the Vinton War Memorial, an event center that attracts groups from all over.

Along with Mt. Pleasant, these communities offer moderately-priced older homes ($75,000-$125,000) as well as newer developments with large lots in secluded settings outside Vinton (up to $250,000). Moving east from Roanoke toward Bedford County is plenty of open space with housing and lot prices at all sizes. Bedford County helps form the eastern border of Smith Mountain Lake.

A winding, well-maintained two-lane highway travels through a semi-rural landscape of varied topography from Roanoke City to Smith Mountain Lake. Working farmlands, small businesses and several subdivisions that provide a range of housing selections are along this route, with lots of room for more development. The lake, a pristine beauty with 500 miles of scenic shoreline, is considered a national treasure as a striped bass fishing hotspot. Lake development includes a variety of housing communities and condo projects along with retail centers.

At the lake as of November, some 1,900 properties were on the market with lots starting around $25,000 and properties, including waterfront homes and townhomes, ranging from under $100,000 to several million. Luxury townhomes at The Grande Villas at The Water’s Edge gated community were listed for from $1.45 million up.

South Roanoke/Southwest city

South Roanoke is known for stately homes, fine landscaping and tree-lined streets. (Photo by David Hungate.)

Annexed into Roanoke City in 1915, South Roanoke remains mostly intact as originally developed. It is an established bastion of large, quality housing on large lots with broad tree-shaded streets, an elementary school and access to community shopping, yet only minutes from downtown Roanoke. Smaller amounts of high-quality, upscale rental housing in new condominium and townhome projects, and older, meticulously maintained apartment buildings are found here. This is an affluent, long-established neighborhood and especially well-maintained.

The Coach Homes of Southwood, a newer development in South Roanoke, has homes that start in the mid-$500,000s.

Interstates 581 and 81 are easily reached from this part of the city. Nearby are the new Carilion Clinic, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, and the Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine & Research Institute. Adjacent to the hospital complexes is a quaint South Roanoke village center with restaurants and several shops, plenty of banking choices and instant access to the Roanoke River Greenway and River’s Edge Sports Complex. The city’s new trolley bus travels every 20 minutes from the hospital to Downtown Roanoke with its wealth of condominiums, apartments and the recently renovated Patrick Henry Hotel with its restaurants and residential living opportunities.

Extending from Downtown Roanoke to the west and southwest is Southwest City with its numerous city parks. Old Southwest, the city’s only designated historic neighborhood, connects directly to downtown and is home to the city’s only dog park. Many of its turn-of-the-century homes are shown off at an annual Christmas homes tour.

Raleigh Court’s stock of good-value homes is highlighted by handsome brick foursquares. (Photo by David Hungate.)

Nearby are bungalows, Tudors and American foursquare houses in the Raleigh Court and Grandin Court neighborhoods. Grandin Court homes are mostly in the $100,000 to $150,000 range with some higher. Raleigh Court houses generally run in the mid-$200,000s upward. Grandin Village in Raleigh Court is one of the city’s cultural and shopping favorites, boasting an excellent health store and food cooperative, a dozen restaurants, plus retail shops and the historic Grandin Theatre.

Further west are Windsor Hills and Deyerle with a mix of colonial, traditional and contemporary styles.  At Maple Leaf Farms, a new development in southwest city, lots start at $135,000.

Southwest County

Moving southwest brings a visitor to Southwest County, with its many neighborhood developments found in every price range. Prominent is Hunting Hills, with long stretches of its golf course running along the quiet roads. A new county library with expansive computer and activities facilities was slated to open in January 2012 in the area, which is also accessible to U.S. 220 toward Franklin County and U.S. 221 toward Floyd County.

Shopping spots and restaurants continue to expand along the 419 corridor in Roanoke County from Tanglewood Mall to the intersection of U.S. 221 toward Bent Mountain. The 221 area has seen a tremendous amount of development of new large homes. Accessibility to the area is being improved with the widening of the road and two new bridges scheduled for completion in 2013.

Sugarloaf and Castle Rock are older, established communities enjoying popularity with properties in the low $100,000s to mid-$200,000s. Housing prices in such subdivisions as Hunting Hills, range from over $200,000 to over $1 million. At Strawberry Mountain, expansive homes range around $500,000. At Stoneridge on Bent Mountain, a five-bedroom home on three areas runs around $600,000; a lot of nearly seven acres has a listing price of $139,900.

Further south down U.S. 220 are Boones Mill and Rocky Mount in Franklin County. The county borders the western shore of Smith Mountain Lake. Here are many upscale developments and unlimited access to water activities, as well as some of the region’s best golf courses. For those who prefer solitude, Franklin County has an abundance of farms, settings of varied terrain and all the seclusion anyone could need.

Salem

Salem’s inventory of homes includes everything from historic mansions to new developments. (Photo by David Hungate.)

Founded in 1802, Salem still proudly retains an old-fashioned small town community character. Its housing mix includes pre-Civil War homes and upscale recent developments. Residents have a strong commitment to the past with many preserved homes.

Commuting convenience to other parts of the Valley and to the New River Valley can be found in the several new housing developments near Interstate 81, such as The Fairways at Hanging Rock with its patio homes on and off the Hanging Rock Golf Course ($289,950+), traditional ranches in Russlyn Farms ($240,000+) and the custom two-story homes at Riverland Vineyards at Green Hill Park ($230,00 and up).

Salem has a reputation for high-quality schools, winning athletic programs and a sense of community. LewisGale Medical Center is a prominent Salem healthcare complex. The Salem Civic Center is one of the area’s busiest facilities, and its sports complex is the summer home for the Class A farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The city surrounds Roanoke College, another local institution with a national reputation for excellence in education. Salem is the focus of numerous baseball, basketball and football tournament final competitions held in its vast and numerous sports facilities.

The city long ago marked an 11.2-mile bike route that begins at City Hall. The community connects to Roanoke through a Roanoke River greenway section on West Riverside Drive. In addition, it has the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail.

Want More?

Read about six families that love life in the valley.

At the Roanoke County home of Mark and Elizabeth Bower, Christmas is more than a special occasion; it is an abiding passion so strong that they’ll decorate the entire home twice this year.

Mark and Elizabeth Bower (from left) with daughters Helen and Griffin and bichon frise Coco (Chanel).

Holidays – like family togetherness – are paramount at the home of Mark and Elizabeth Bower, but what happens in their Roanoke County home at Christmas surpasses all other occasions.

One year, there were 16 trees. Even the walk-in closet gets decorated.

From top to bottom: 1. The white wooden tree made by Elizabeth Bower’s father brings a scene from her childhood to her family home. 2. & 3. Art, poinsettias and small trees greet visitors in the foyer as part of the welcoming and pervasive presence of the season throughout the home. 4. The stag centerpiece in the great room dining area was a lucky find in 1987. 5. Holiday floral designs make a bold statement in the formal dining room.

Betting that holiday touches added in this home would provide a wealth of ideas for others, we asked the family if they would be willing to decorate a room or two for a pre-holiday feature.

Elizabeth, a former president of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, did much better than that. With the help of Mark, group vice president-export, metallurgical & industrial coal marketing at Norfolk Southern, and their teen-age daughters, Helen and Griffin, she did the entire house.

“I love Christmas,” Elizabeth says. “Every room has a different theme.”

Garlands dance around bathroom vanity lights, Father Christmas sits over a wine bottle.

The house – six bedrooms, five baths and two family rooms on three levels – becomes a showroom of special “finds,” family items along with an extensive art collection. Some items come out only for the season, others are on permanent display.

And throughout the house are pieces with stories behind them, starting with the massive golden stag resting on the dining table in the great room. Mark spotted it on a table at a social gathering in 1987 and eventually was able to buy it.
The greater-than-life-size cherub head statue displayed on a pedestal in a corner of the dining room also has a history.

The dining room always gets a major Christmas display, often with the help of floral designer Billy Shepard, but the cherub remains year-round. Mark wanted the statue; Elizabeth bought it for him, but only tolerates it, and the daughters use it as a source of humor, often leaving a piece of fruit or a nut in its prominent lips.

Perhaps the most special holiday display is the wooden Christmas tree built by Elizabeth’s father and part of her growing-up holidays. Her mother would decorate it with pine branches. The tree folds up for easy storage.
This season, the tree will be an elegant centerpiece in the his-and-hers office.

Holiday trimmings at the Bowers’ home begin outdoors with a lighted live tree in the front yard and garlands on the rails of the front balcony where the view is to the mountains. The house does not have a front and back door, just two front doors. Near the back entrance, whimsical metal deer wearing red ribbons greet visitors. The view from here shows off the variety of roof lines that give the house’s modern architecture an Oriental touch.

Inside the wide entrance, a two-level foyer provides a perfect environment for displays. On permanent view is a small version of Betty Branch’s “Dancer” sculpture that is part of the permanent display at the Taubman Museum of Art. Poinsettias march up each side of the steps to the next level. The displays, plus the warm finish on the stairs and railing are an invitation to come in and feel welcome.

Despite the expansiveness of the house – where the Bowers have entertained as many as 250 people – the atmosphere is intimate and comfortable in its recognition of family. On the children’s level, the sitting area that divides the girls’ suites includes a display of family quilts, which get used when the girls have slumber parties.

“Sometimes you come down here and see girls curled up in quilts all over the place,” Mark Bower says.
Each Christmas, this room houses the girls’ tree, which includes Barbie Doll ornaments.

“Tradition is important to us,” says Elizabeth.

Once photographs were taken for The Roanoker, the family took down the decorations and placed them in their labeled storage boxes. Closer to the holiday, the displays will go up again, many featuring live greens. The process of decorating takes about a week, and each year it’s a bit different.

“I make it up every year,” Elizabeth says.

Top left: A Father Christmas wine bottle cozy speaks to the season. Top right: The family refers to the kitchen’s crystal and sterling tree as the “Miami tree.” Bottom left: A snow-tipped tree with bright ornaments adds a wintry touch to the living room. Bottom right: A cherub head has its own tree of mostly sterling collectibles, including many from Elizabeth’s family.

Peanut butter pinwheels (top) are easy to make and are best served chilled. Divinity candy (bottom) can be a little more challenging, but the result is worth the extra work. (Top photo by Hayleigh Phillips. Bottom photo by David Hungate.)

The holidays are my favorite time to cook. Not only does the food fill the house with comforting aromas, but it also conjures up memories of childhood Christmases.

I recently had the pleasure of experimenting with divinity candy for our sister publication Blue Ridge Country’s food column. According to the article, students of Ada Earnest’s home economics class at East Tennessee State College received the pure white and sugary treats as a special gift. I imagine the former students still reminisce about their teacher’s specialty.

Earnest’s recipe is titled “Never-Fail Divinity.” Unfortunately I failed twice. I’ll blame it on the humidity of my kitchen and a faulty candy thermometer. It was quite a challenge to get the candy to the perfect temperature and consistency, but after three batches, I ended up with more than a dozen pieces of divinity that I topped with pecan halves and candied cherries.

Making divinity reminded me of a less temperamental, yet equally sweet candy that is a staple among our Christmas goodies each year: peanut butter pinwheels. These easy-to-assemble swirls of sweetness consist of a dough made of confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese and milk – pure white like divinity – that’s rolled out like pie crust, filled with peanut butter, formed into logs and sliced to create the pinwheel shape.

Every time I take a bite, I’m taken back to my mom’s kitchen, the counter covered in confectioner’s sugar, and me and my brother stealing bites of any goodies within our reach. I just love the holidays!

Peanut Butter Pinwheels
3 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1tsp. vanilla flavoring
1/4 cup peanut butter

Mix first three ingredients with hands, adding the sugar in batches. Roll mixture into a rectangular shape. Divide it into two pieces. Spread a thin coat of peanut butter on top of each piece. Starting at the long side of rectangle, roll into a log. Chill for 1 hour, then cut the logs into about 1/2-inch thick pieces. Store wrapped in Saran wrap in the refrigerator.

Mrs. Earnest’s Never-Fail Divinity Candy
1⁄3 cup water
1 1⁄3 cups white sugar
1⁄3 cup white Karo syrup
1 egg white, stiffly beaten-
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts, coconut or candied cherries. Mrs. Earnest used green and red cherries at Christmastime. When she used nuts, it was usually pecans or black walnuts.

Cook together the water, sugar and Karo syrup until it spins a thread. (Some old candy thermometers have a marking for “Thread,” at around 230 degrees. The “thread” is a very thin, wispy filament that appears when you dip a spoonful of the mixture out of the pan.) Pour half the syrup over the stiffly beaten egg white, beating all the time. Cook the remaining syrup to the “crack” stage (300 degrees) when tested in cold water. Continue beating the first mixture while pouring the rest of the syrup into it. When it begins to hold its shape, add vanilla and nuts, coconut or cherries. Continue beating until it holds its shape well. If it should not hold its shape as desired, add a tablespoon of sifted powdered sugar, or 2 tablespoons, if needed. Drop from a teaspoon onto waxed paper. Store in an airtight box when it cools.

Robert and Angela Natt’s downtown-Roanoke condo combines convenience for both their jobs with whimsy and fun generated by both the condo and the pieces they’ve put in it.

A sense of humor and comfort set the tone for decorating at the downtown-Roanoke, 111 Campbell Avenue condo of Robert and Angela Natt.

A black tufted leather sofa, circa 1960s and given to them by Robert’s grandparents, provides a centerpiece for the living room. It rests in front of a wall that used to be the exterior of the building, which explains why it contains a 1907 advertisement from Coca-Cola: “Five Cents Relieves Fatigue.”

The exposed brick and concrete floors become part of the art in the 1,326-square-foot second floor residence. The “used look” of the wall makes it a perfect backdrop for the expansion dining table handmade by a family friend and given to the couple when they were first married. The table came with the marks of use, and the couple has left it that way.

“It’s naturally distressed,” Angela says. A finishing touch for this area is a small statue of Butler Henri holding a tray. It was given to the couple as a joke wedding present and now stands in a corner near the table.

Top: The downtown Roanoke condo came pre-decorated with a 1907 ad, on a living room wall that used to be an exterior wall. Bottom: Track lighting adds to the urban style of Robert and Angela Natt’s living-dining area.

The young couple, both natives of the Roanoke Valley who began dating as teens and married after studies at James Madison University, moved to downtown from a duplex in southwest city. Their priority was to get Robert’s commercial photography business established and to live as close to work as possible. He took the lead in planning their move with Angela’s blessing.

“He’s the artist in the family,” she says.

“My goal was to eliminate the daily commute and spend as much time at home as possible,” Robert says. He often returns from a shoot with photographs that will take hours to process, but much of that time does not require his full attention. He might spend 30 minutes doing color-correction on the computer and then have to wait more than an hour before he needs to push more buttons to complete the next phase of post-production. With the offices of Robert Natt Productions next door, the processing can continue while Robert and Angela spend time together at home.

Angela, a former youth minister, has a short walking commute to work as business manager for Blue 5 restaurant just up the block.

Robert Natt Productions fronts on Campbell Avenue with the street level serving as a studio. Robert accesses the loft level just down the hall from the front door of his second-floor condo. The building houses two commercial offices and six residences.

An extra-large lavatory counter adds space in the master bath.

Robert found the space while the building was still being developed, which meant he was able to help plan their quarters. What was to have been a one-bedroom, one and a half bath condo with a large living room and a large walk-in closet was redesigned into a two-bedroom home with two full baths. Robert also added a small music studio where he teaches private guitar and bass lessons.

Entrance to the condo is into a large living/dining-room that also features a kitchen separated from the rest of the room by a bar with seating. Under-cabinet lighting and track lighting that features decorative pendulum lights – all on dimmers – make it possible to match the amount of lighting in the room to the mood of the activities.

Except for the hand-me-downs from family, most of the other furnishings came from IKEA.

“We both have loved IKEA, and we needed affordable,” Angela says. They already owned several pieces from the Scandinavian manufacturer. As soon as they bought the condo, they made a trip to IKEA in northern Virginia where they looked at cabinets and tables and dressers and picked up a catalog to return home and measure for what they wanted to buy.

They settled on entertainment units, a coffee table and chairs for the living room, and a bedroom dresser, bookshelves, mirror and large dressing table for the master bedroom. Here too, sense of humor has played a part in decorating. The easy chair now placed under the back window beside the dressing table might work better in some other spot. Here, though, it provides access to the window for Scofield, the couple’s Schnauzer.

Scofield was not happy about urban living at first, they say, because he was used to being able to see outdoors. Now, with the chair strategically placed, downtown regulars refer to him as the “statue” in the back window.

Top: Scofield, the couple’s Schnauzer, likes the view to Salem Avenue from a master bedroom window. Bottom: Robert Natt teaches guitar and bass in a studio accessible from the living room.

Michelle Anderson has used her 1,100 square-foot space to put the bounty of magazine clips, show ideas and advice into motion to create a perfect living space.

With the addition of an ottoman, a reproduction antique vanity serves double duty as a computer desk or a dining spot in Michelle Anderson’s home, where touches such as the bathroom candle holder add interest throughout.

Michelle Anderson, a dentist with Carilion Pediatric Dental Clinic, has an avocation as strong as her profession. She loves interior design, and that is obvious in her 1,100-square-foot apartment at The Cotton Mill in downtown Roanoke.

Anderson is devoted to home makeover shows, home staging shows and decorating magazines such as Dwell. Through the years, she has collected decorating advice she put into action, starting with the apartment’s entrance.

The long, narrow foyer provides a perfect gallery for photographs she bought at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A shelf added underneath one of the photographs serves as a repository for keys so they will always be close at hand.

Michelle, a native of Toronto, moved to Roanoke from Boston after completing her residency in pediatric dentistry through Tufts School of Dental Medicine and New England Medical Center. She received her dental degree from Tufts School of Dental Medicine in Boston and has two undergraduate degrees from universities in New York. Because she was used to urban living, she was attracted to The Cotton Mill, a restored sewing factory across from the Jefferson Center.

The building was still being renovated when she put on a hard hat to see it and view a model of what the apartment space would look like.
“It was exciting,” she says. “It had a cosmopolitan feel.”

Anderson was one of the building’s first residents, arriving with a mattress, a chair, her laptop computer and some accessories she had collected over the years. She lived out of boxes for a month, until her mother arrived from Toronto and accompanied her on a shopping trip. But it was Anderson, not Mom, who made the decisions.

Although she is drawn to contemporary design in furnishings, her first purchase was a reproduction of an antique vanity, part of Lane Furniture’s National Geographic Collection. She ordered it through Grand Home Furnishings.

“I always wanted one antique,” she says. She didn’t like the ornate knobs on the drawer, however, so she switched them for a cleaner-looking knob found at Home Depot.

The vanity serves as a computer desk. A large ottoman is tucked underneath as seating. The spot can just as easily be used for dining, which is part of its appeal. Although the kitchen bar that separates the food preparation area from the living room has seating, Anderson prefers to eat at a table.

The entertainment unit is the centerpiece in the living room area which also accommodates a workout bike.

At the far end of the living area, a television unit with side bookcases houses a 55-inch television. Framed postcards from Ghana add interest in the shelving on one side of the TV while a display of differently shaped white vases draws the eye to the top of shelving on the other side.

Anderson clips and files decorating tips, such as: “Display vases in odd numbers and shapes to draw the eye’s attention to subtle details.”

The apartment has bright hardwood floors, which she complemented in the living area with a beige rug found as a remnant at a carpet store. The living room coffee table with curved glass top was the next purchase, but its lines blend perfectly with the sectional sofa, complete with chaise, ordered from Crate & Barrel. End tables for the couch were once part of a bedroom suite she spotted while shopping.

A contemporary leather chair from La-Z-Boy completes the living area furnishings.

Her apartment also includes a loft, reached by stairs along the left wall of the living room. The loft was intended to be a study or a den, but Anderson made it a second bedroom so that family members have their own spot when visiting.

The loft guest room is designed to give the flavor of a comfortable hotel.

“I wanted a hotel feel to it,” she explains. Anderson travels to continuing education courses and liked the arrangements of some of the hotel rooms she has enjoyed. Opposite the queen-size bed in the loft stand a table, a bit fanciful in design, and two chairs, covered in fabric she selected. Two slip-covered chairs from Crate & Barrel finish out the setting.

The master bedroom contrasts with the guest quarters. “It has a feminine flare, but it’s not overly done,” Anderson says.

The bedroom, located to the left of the apartment entrance, contains a high-back upholstered bed found at Haverty’s. It fits perfectly with the apartment’s 20-foot ceilings and has been teamed with an espresso-color dresser. A tulip canvas from Walmart adds interest over the bed.

Drawing on another decorating tip she read – to mix designs for bedside tables – Anderson chose a square table for one side and a petite round one with a lower shelf, found at Target, for the other. One more touch in this room – indicative of her attention to detail – is a slim mirror that covers the electrical panel access to the right of the room’s entrance.

The high-back bed in the master bedroom (bottom left) accents the 20-foot ceiling. Mixing side table designs in the guest bedroom (right) adds a custom touch to any room. A small shelf added underneath foyer art (top left) means keys are always at the ready.

Wayne and Joan Peppers wanted a home to accommodate their 17-member family; they got that and then some, with a LEED-certified home built even sooner than they’d planned.

The 7,600-square-foot home is the first LEED-certified at Smith Mountain Lake.

In the recreation room, a couple of youngsters are seated in front of a TV screen playing a Wii game, while a short space away the really young set has pulled dress-up clothes from a cabinet and are well into imaginary characters. Parents shoot pool at the table in the center of the room, or enjoy a game of cards at the game table nearby. All the while, the commercial popcorn popper pumps out its tasty treat.

The Peppers are in residence at their family gathering spot in the golf community of The Water’s Edge at Smith Mountain Lake.

Wayne and Joan Peppers set out to create a retirement home, but instead came up with an ultra “green” house (LEED-certified) that thrives on old-fashioned family gatherings.

The couple, who are retired from the federal government, still work as government contractors and live in northern Virginia. Most weekends, though, they can be found at the lake home entertaining family or friends.

Top: The dining room centerpiece painting by Joan's mother is one of 50 of her works in the home. Bottom: A main-level deck extends the length of the house and has stairs to the lower level's fire pit and dock or to the side yard, which features rainwater gardens.

Using the formal dining room, the kitchen bar and a breakfast table in the great room, 20 people can be seated for dining. That’s how it was planned. Counting adult children, spouses and grandchildren, Wayne and Joan have an immediate family of 17, all living nearby in the Baltimore-Washington area “so they can come down all the time.”

With three bedrooms and an array of Murphy beds, bunks and trundles, the family group can comfortably nap after a day on the water or the golf course.

“We built the house around that,” says Joan, an engineer who designed the house. “Initially, we weren’t thinking LEED … we didn’t know what it was. We wanted a very energy-efficient home with geothermal heat. We also wanted it to be handicapped-accessible, and we wanted to pay attention to indoor air quality.”

While Joan was fine-tuning her house plans, she had gotten to know Scott Stalker of Stonefield Homes in Greensboro, N.C., a former neighbor at The Water’s Edge where Wayne and Joan initially had a condominium. He persuaded the Peppers that what they really wanted was a LEED house. Once Wayne and Joan learned about the LEED certification, they agreed.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building certification system developed in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The program has established standards for measuring sustainability of a project, water and energy efficiency and strategies for use of natural light, encouraging the best possible indoor air quality and even viewscapes. Part of the LEED certification program also encourages businesses or homeowners who receive certification to promote the green building system.

Top: The backsplash in the wine cellar, as in the kitchen, was made from recycled wine-bottle glass. Bottom: The wine cellar, kept at 56 degrees, includes a working Hotpoint refrigerator that belonged to Joan's mother.

Joan did that with the creation of a website about the project. In addition, builder Stalker is NAHB Certified Green Professional-CGP and an Energy Star Certified builder, and Melinda Bell Dickey, the Greensboro designer  and former Roanoker, who shepherded the project from beginning to completion, is a LEED Accredited Professional.

“LEED does the things we are morally happy with doing,” Joan says. It also was compatible with the couple’s desire for a casual home.

Bamboo and tiles of recycled materials cover the floors. Plantation shutters have been used instead of window treatments. Built-ins were used for storage instead of open shelves.

Wayne and Joan had purchased their lake lot in 2004, planning to build years later when they were closer to a final retirement. The home rose sooner because they wanted to take advantage of a construction market in which building costs had dropped $50 to $75 a square foot.

When the builder said it was a good time to go ahead, they agreed. They moved into the completed house in late 2009, happy that they moved the project up a few years. They can be at the lake in four hours and have discovered that the excellent insulation throughout the house and the radiant heat in the lower level floor make it extremely comfortable year-round. The temperature variation in the attic is only a couple of degrees higher than the rest of the house, which Wayne credits to the blown-foam insulation used. The heating system has three zones, one for each floor.

Sliding doors in the grill room let chef Wayne Peppers chat with visitors as he works.

Top: A big screen in the master bath means long soaks. Bottom: An old-fashioned dresser highlights the guest room.

They paid attention to the tiniest detail when building. Some 50 artworks from Joan’s mother, in various media and styles, were reframed and used throughout the house. Her mother’s 1951 Hotpoint refrigerator has a special place in the room-size wine cellar, and photographs and other mementoes of the couple’s work travel are on display in their spacious two-desk office.

In Wayne’s grill room, sliding windows open to the porch so guests can sit and chat while he grills. He is the family chef; the couple joke that when they merged their families 18 years ago, everyone agreed Joan should not cook. Wayne grew up in a family-owned Peppers Café in Iowa and proudly displays the sign from it in his grill room.

The grill room is connected to the great room kitchen area by an energy-efficient door.

Wayne’s kitchen has the expected conveniences of a detailed cook: commercial refrigerator and freezer, stove with double ovens that have steam assist – great for baking artisan breads – and a whole prep area for the sous chefs. Visitors are encouraged to help with meals although specialties such as white chocolate waffles are left to Wayne.

Wayne is also the director in the room over the garage, a 40-foot wide space devoted to his model trains. When it is all set up, he expects he can run three trains at once.

That room was the only point of contention during the house planning process. “She wanted to take six inches out of it,” Wayne says.

He said no.

Who Built It?

Plantation shutters, shown in the master bedroom, are used throughout instead of window treatments.

Builder:
Scott Stalker
Stonefield Homes
Greensboro, NC
stonefieldhomes.com

Draftsperson:
Patricia McLemore
On Eagles’ Wings Design
pmclemore7@msn.com

Interior Design:
Melinda (Mel) Dickey, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP
SSI Design Group Inc.
Greensboro, NC
ssidesigngroup.com

Landscape Design:
Melissa Hodgkinson, CLA
Fiddlehead Landscape and
Garden Design, Roanoke
fiddleheadlandscape.com

Landscape Installation:
Galen Layman
Seven Oaks Landscaping
and Hardscape
Glade Hill sales@7oakslandscape.com
U.S. Green Building Council
usgbc.org

Joan Peppers’ website:
peppersgreenhome.com

Appliances, Lighting and Plumbing:
Ferguson Enterprises
Greensboro, NC

For two more stunning home profiles, pick up a copy of our September/October “Homes” issue – on newsstands now!

Here are links to some of the wonderful businesses that supported our September/October “Homes” issue. We encourage you to visit their websites soon – and tell them you saw them in The Roanoker!

Barnes and Associates/Ameriprise Financial

Brandon Oaks

Centra Health

Delta Dental of Virginia

Franklin Respiratory and Medical

Friendship Retirement Community

Gentle Shepherd Hospice

Hearing Health Associates

Lotz Funeral Homes

New York Life

Our Lady of the Valley

Richfield Retirement

Roanoke United Methodist Home

Salem Terrace at Harrogate

Sherwood Memorial Park

Skyline Door & Hardware

Solid Rock Enterprises

Sunnyside Communties/King’s Grant Retirement

The Center for the Arts

The Glebe

The Park-Oak Grove Retirement

The Summit

Valley Bank

Varsity Landscaping & Grounds

Virginia Veterans Care Center

Warm Hearth Village
   (Also www.woodsedgeblacksburg.com)

Westminster Canterbury

Start with a simple rule of (green) thumb: In the front yard, your plantings should play a secondary role to the front of the home; in the back yard, landscaping rules.

The Iroquois nation believed that before you make a decision, you should consider the effect of it seven generations out. Some version of this commitment certainly fits with planning a home landscape.

Thinking of planting a tree? If not seven generations out, then at least consider what that tree will be like 25, even 40, years from now. Most people think 10 years out, says landscape architect Dan Chitwood. He has a good example of this on his southwest Roanoke County property.

Trees that now provide privacy from neighboring homes were once planted together in a small bed near the house. If he had not moved them when he purchased the property, some, perhaps all, would have had to be cut down.

“It’s the puppy dog thing,” Chitwood explains. “The ultimate size of the plant is what counts, and be patient.”

Thinking of the future is not the only tip for sprucing up a landscaping. You need to consider the architecture of your house and the design of the lot when selecting plantings. In the front yard, the landscape should play “a supporting role” to the house. “The front door should be the focal point. Plantings and lines should all lead your eye to the front door.” Chitwood says. “In the back yard, the theory is reversed, and the landscape should be the star.”

Homeowners usually “butcher shrubs to accommodate the grass.” It is better to kill the grass and expand the mulch bed to accommodate the shrubs, Chitwood suggests.

Grass does not grow well under most trees, so why not use ground covers, such as vinca, under the trees, particularly effective if a growth circle is surrounded by stone. You do not want to have grass being cut close to a tree because of the possibility of damaging the tree.

At the Chitwood home, trees, shrubs and flowers enhance the front lawn, obscuring a neighbor’s driveway, adding texture to the view of the side of the house, inviting visitors to walk to the front door. Since this is a corner lot, the left side faces a street. On the right side, trees and shrubs have been arranged to create privacy and provide a meditation area. A dry-laid path of flagstones creates a route to the back yard and even includes a side trip to the electric box, a nice, whimsical touch.

In the backyard, no matter which way the eye turns, it lands on an area of interest. A koi pond serves as a centerpiece on the right side. Its burbling can be heard from the second-story deck. The deck also boasts a tiny pond built into a plant divider that provides privacy for the deck, but does not obscure the view that on a clear day reaches to the Peaks of Otter in Bedford County.

At ground level, a hammock has been tucked under the deck, while a grapevine secured to the deck has grown its way across the entire back.

Yards do not have to be high-maintenance.

Chitwood recycles his grass clippings by composting them with a bit of soil. This combination “cooks” nicely and provides mulch for the plantings. For the most part, his plantings are easy maintenance, he says. Trees develop best if you pay close attention to pruning in the early years. Once developed, they are more manageable.

The irises along his back yard need dividing every three years, and the few areas that feature annuals have to be replanted each year. And, the pond needs an annual mucking out, and the cattails thinned or they will take over.

Landscape Harmony and How To Achieve It

Here are some tips from landscape architect Dan Chitwood, which also are available on his website, danchitwood.com:

• The key to good design is balance.

• The show needs only one star. Avoid having competing elements in a composition. The goal is to create harmony.

• Think of the lawn as a large patio or lake. Treat the edge of the lawn as a thread. The thread should begin at a well-anchored point, meander through the site and reattach at another well-anchored point.

• Position flowers and focal points in the concave sections of mulch beds. The eye is naturally funneled into this area.

• Decide whether groundcovers will be uniform or diverse. Avoid mixing the two.

• The best designs occur when all elements in the composition reinforce each other.

• Avoid overcrowding of plants. Space plants at approximately 80 percent of their mature spread.

• Provide a landscape for all the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.

• Don’t forget about the diversity of plant material; evergreen, deciduous, trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, perennials, biennials, ferns, grasses, herbs, bulbs, annuals, water plants.

• Consider irrigation and lighting early in the design process.

• Establish a theme or design concept for each space and follow through.

• Simplify complexity. Use the “KISS” principle (keep it simple, stupid).

• Practice site choreography. Try to visualize yourself walking through the site and choreograph what that experience will be like.

• Avoid “dead on dead” conditions. An example is where a brick patio abuts the house. These corners are often cold and unattractive. Use plant material to soften the connections.

• Avoid creating “dead spaces.” Such areas that are cut off from the rest of the landscape are visually unattractive.

Photos by Brett Winter Lemon

Hafele hardware provides clever pull-outs that give access to items stored in what is usually “dead space” in the corner of a cabinet. The sturdy metal insets pull out and to the left.

A re-done kitchen-dining-study area brings a family close to each other and to the outdoors.

When architects Gregg and Jennifer Lewis bought a 1950s vintage home in 2006, they began to update it to better fit the lifestyle of a young couple with two active children. The ranch, in one of Salem’s older communities, had a back porch that ran the length of the house and overlooked the woods.

The kitchen, however, was small – about 150 square feet – and inadequate as a gathering place for the family, which includes Audrey, 11, Charles, 9, and two golden retrievers.

Jennifer, who has designed kitchens for many clients, took the lead on the project. The couple wanted to integrate the area with the outdoors. In doing so, they ended up with a kitchen-dining-crafts-homework area that connects to a three-season porch. The redone space also includes a small home office and a half-bath.

The design for the area was driven by the lines of an existing wall that included a large fireplace, special furniture the Lewises wanted to incorporate into the space, and the desire for a multi-use room.

The wall-containing fireplace that opens into the new space was built at a slight angle by the original contractor. That angle was continued on the wall between the kitchen area and the home office by the contractor for the kitchen project, Pittman Construction. The angled wall also informed the offset in the bookcase-counters in the dining area.

An alcove was added to house a custom hutch built by Gregg’s grandfather.

The writing height of the bookcase-counters in the dining area provides space for homework and craft projects. The bookcases also serve as a divider from the kitchen work space.

The dining area features four Stickley Craftsman chairs around a table that was built to match by Bowman Woodworking in Ferrum.

In the kitchen, awning windows by Marvin open to the outdoors. Light maple cabinets built by Bowman with Craftsman lines frame the microwave, oven, and refrigerator, and continue under the windows, giving an excellent view to outdoors for someone preparing food. Counter heights were varied to include a baking counter suited to rolling out dough and to enable the kids to participate in the kitchen-centered activities. Counter tops are Silestone quartz, which is manufactured from natural quartz and highly rated as scratch- and stain-resistant.

Flooring in the kitchen is porcelain tile. Pegged oak was used in the dining area to match the floors throughout the house. Wall colors were painted Gardenia and Harvest Gold.

Light maple cabinetry built by Bowman Woodworking in Ferrum includes a baking counter (left), which is the right height for rolling out dough and for children who want to help in the kitchen. Countertops are of Silestone quartz, which is highly rated as scratch- and stain-resistant. Awning windows that push out invite in sunlight and breezes.

Stacks of firewood serve as a fortress for what at first glance seems a modest vintage ranch in an established Salem neighborhood. The interior, however, nixes any idea that this is an ordinary place.

Through an energetic give-and-take between the homeowners and the staff at Structures, a design and build firm in Roanoke, this ranch tells the story of a home a family loved, but knew it had to change as the family did.

The occupants are an international couple who wanted a place that would accommodate their two children, a menagerie of pets, and a commitment to details and the environment.

The story begins with the mighty elm tree in the backyard. Although they did not buy the house because of this magnificent tree, “it was a type of hook” that clinched the deal, the husband confesses.

He and his wife, who prefer to not be identified because of family tradition and the husband’s profession, relocated to Salem from Alaska more than a decade ago. They searched for a place close to the heart of a community but still accessible to the outdoors, where they enjoy mountain biking and hiking. The wife especially liked the bones of the house, including the open kitchen with a skylight. The place felt contemporary, and especially appealing to her Austrian background.

The fireplace in the kitchen-great room is an ideal spot for one of the resident felines.

One drawback: There were only two bedrooms, fine for a couple, but not for a family. But they were totally settled into the property. The wife’s biologist-father from Austria even added plantings during his visits, basing his choices on the ecosystem of the area.

When it came time to expand the living quarters as the children grew older, the couple sought help from Structures’ designer Adam Cohen and project manager Rob Leonard. The husband and wife refer to the professionals as “house whisperers,” saying they made the family’s ideas a reality by listening and matching details to dreams.

The professionals also gently led the couple away from unworkable suggestions, such as a solar water system that would not have operated fully effectively due to shade from the elm tree.

“Retaining the health of the tree was a big driving force for the project,” says Leonard. “We had a series of meetings and really listened to what the owners wanted. They wanted to not impact the tree. They wanted to bring in as much light from the south as possible. They wanted to keep as many of the existing skylights as possible.”

A back deck was demolished and part of its foundation was kept as support for the addition, to eliminateas much excavation near the tree as possible.

The addition is cantilevered like an eyebrow, curved along the back of the house. The end project resulted in a first floor enlarged by some 748 square feet, with glass covering more than half of the exterior wall of the family room and master bedroom.

“This brought in the rear yard, which made it seem like they are living in the woods,” Leonard says.

Money saved by using the old foundation allowed other changes that enhanced the home’s livability, especially the replacement of aging cabinets with hospital-grade cabinets made of high pressure laminate. The homeowners worked directly with staff at Cabinetry with TLC in Roanoke on that part of the project.

The enhanced basement area created by the addition includes a guest bedroom and a large recreation room that can serve as a teenage gathering spot or a “man cave.” In addition, nearly 400 square feet of unfinished space was added in the basement for storage space and future expansion.

All original skylights stayed in place except for one where the old and new roof lines came together. Three solar tubes were added, however, two in the front bedroom and one in a bathroom.

After five months of planning, when the project was near startup, the couple had to move out during construction. A storage pod was placed on site and loaded with furnishings and items that needed to be stored in conditioned space, and the family of four slipped off into a nearby rental home.

During the construction, the family also took its standard summer trip to Austria, keeping in touch with the project through the internet. When the wife and children left for vacation before the wood flooring finish was selected, the husband packed samples of wood floor finishes in his suitcase for the wife to see and select from.

The homeowners rave about the thorough communication between them and Structures’ staff . They even sent what they called “texted postcards” from vacation.

On the exact date that the Structures contract called for completion, Leonard handed the keys to homeowners at 5:30 p.m.

The 78th Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia on April 23rd opens more than 250 homes and gardens, with the Roanoke Valley edition presenting five homes and one garden in Salem. Here’s an overview of the properties.

535 North Market Street

At 535 Market, the Georgian Revival style is immediately and elegantly evident.

Roanoke College President’s Home
STATELY GEORGIAN REVIVAL: Details include hipped roof capped by a decorative railing, elaborate front entrance, keystone lintels, quoins highlighting building corners, dental work under roof eaves and end chimneys. COUNTLESS TREASURES: Original works by Walter Biggs, a study by John Singer Sargent that served as a figure study for a ceiling mural in the Louvre, a small painting by Robert Vickrey (whose work can be found in the Whitney Museum in NYC) and additional works by local artists including Betty Branch and Harriett Stokes.
KITCHEN REDO: Custom glazed cabinetry, with a beautiful aged patina, was chosen to complement the kitchen floors recycled from a barn in upstate New York.
GARDEN MAGIC: New plantings and landscape designs; brick pavers were repositioned to accommodate an old millstone from an old mill in Hanging Rock.
Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Creed Maxey, residents.

527 North Market Street

Garden only.
SPECTACULAR SPECIMENS: Oakleaf hydrangea, boxwoods, azaleas, white cloud plum tree.
BRILLIANT IDEA: Edible “fence” inspired by a trip to France. Enchanted garden: Full of herbs, hostas, ferns, bulbs, ornamental trees with accent plantings of coral bells, euphorbia and lamb’s ear.
DON’T MISS: Perennial bed plan which incorporates both brilliant array of color and variety of texture.
Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. R. Franklin Hough, Jr., owners.

615 Academy Street

COTTAGE CHARM: 1937 Cape Cod with renovations.
CHEERFUL STYLE: Bright family room addition with unique curved wall. ANTIQUES TO DROOL OVER: Cherished family pieces from the 18th and 19th century and an assortment of rabbit figures from world travels.
UNIQUE GARDEN IDEAS: Chippendale railing made with tree branches, rustic handmade chairs.
VIEWS: Brick side terrace with a magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Mountains through flower beds.
ENVIRONMENTALIST: Informal, organic cottage-style garden in the process of certification as a wildlife habitat.
Open for the first time. Mrs. Bruce Howell Ogden, owner.

400 Academy Street

ART SO FINE: Extensive collection of original paintings by James Brewer, Mary Boxley Bullington, Ken Motley, Gari Stephenson, Harriett Stokes and more.
CREATIVE REMODELING IDEA: Addition to gourmet kitchen/family room transformed an existing exterior window into a light-filled display niche for collectible porcelain and pottery.
COLLECTIONS ABOUND: Collection of antiques, artwork, carpets and china from family and travels.
Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mark Smith, owners.

606 High Street

STRIKING CAPE COD: Built in 1953 on Salem’s most picturesque streets. PIECES TO ENVY: Treasured family pieces, including French furniture, antique silver and oil portrait.
OUTDOOR LIVING HIDEAWAY: Pick your luxury spot – gather on the gorgeous slate patio, lounge under the vine-covered Pergola, dip into a refreshing swimming pool.
ANOTHER CLEVER ANGLE: Charming kitchen with large corner brick fireplace provides welcoming hearth.
Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Joseph Curran, owners.

413 High Street

HISTORY: Post-civil war white clapboard, circa 1870.
COZY CORNER: Covered back porch with comfy outdoor furniture, stone fireplace with views.
TOO COOL: Sports-themed “man-cave.”
CUTE FOR KIDS: Adorable kids’ rooms provide ample space for family game night or birthday slumber parties.
REMARKABLE RENOVATION: Original space doubled while honoring the history of this 140-year old-home.
NEW TREND: Cork tile floor in new kitchen provides perfect transition from original heart pine floors.
Open for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Mark Pollock, Sr., owners.

When You Go

The 78th annual Roanoke Home and Garden Tour – “Southern Hospitality in Salem” on April 23 – is a self-guided tour of six homes and gardens in Salem.

TICKETS: Full ticket is $20; no single-house tickets. Tickets may be purchased on tour day at any of the houses on the tour. To pre-purchase tickets, please call the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs: 540-343-4519.

LUNCHEON: By reservation only. A gourmet box lunch by Roanoke College’s Executive Chef will be available at Roanoke College’s President’s Home, 535 North Market St. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $12. For lunch information, email: csleitch@cox.net.

REFRESHMENTS: Weather permitting, light refreshments will be served from 2-4 p.m. in the Smith Garden, 400 Academy St.

This Old House, one of the most respected home improvement authorities in America, has named Mountain View one of 2011’s “Best Old House Neighborhoods.”

Mountain View, located just southwest of downtown Roanoke, is being recognized for the crop of historic houses built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mountain View resident Valeria Alphin nominated the neighborhood and worked closely with the editors of This Old House to gather information.

The neighborhood contains mostly American Foursquare houses, designed as mansions for the railroad executives that flocked to Roanoke in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, along with some Queen Anne and bungalows.

According to the editors of This Old House, Mountain View is “perfectly located in every respect: It’s a cinch of a commute and enjoys stunning panoramas of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Roanoke River.”

Not only is it a beautiful neighborhood, but it’s a great place to live. Having some amazing views and soon two parks to enjoy, residents of this neighborhood tend to spend a lot of time outside.

Residents of the neighborhood can also receive a break on their taxes for renovating the old buildings. Should the idea catch your interest, numerous area contractors can help. Habitat for Humanity has also taken an interest in the neighborhood, with plans to build three new homes and repair several more according to the Mountain View neighborhood association.

For more information about Mountain View or to read the article from This Old House you can visit:

• This Old House
• Mountain View

No matter where you live in the Roanoke Valley, you are close to a mountain or gazing at one. Likely, too, a walking-biking trail or scenic highway is nearby.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, with their namesake blue haze, are significant in the skyline of this area. And thanks to efforts by local governments and outdoors enthusiasts, opportunities abound for a daily walking workout or a long bicycle outing on the TransAmerica Trail (Virginia Route 76). The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail are readily accessible, too, as is Interstate 81 for those who want to travel.

In fact, one of the ways to experience the area’s neighborhoods is to consider their proximity to roads, trails and the interstate. The metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the valley includes the cities of Roanoke and Salem, the Town of Vinton and the counties of Roanoke, Botetourt, Craig and Franklin.

Botetourt County
As I-81 moves south from Rockbridge County, it first touches Botetourt County where estate-like homes, and more modest ones, now march up hillsides that once boasted orchards.

Apples and peaches still grow in this county and old-style farmhouses can be found. However, new developments in the prominent golf community of Ashley Plantation, Santillane and Daleville Town Center, boast a variety of housing styles. Prices generally range $350,000 and up. All of these communities are accessible from U.S. 220, right off I-81.

Moving further into the Roanoke Valley, an easy connection exists by way of 220 Alternate (Cloverdale Road) between Botetourt and north and east Roanoke County. This area has attracted many young families who snapped up homes and provided audiences for retail and service establishments and a new library branch, built jointly by Roanoke city and county. This area also offers patio home living in several communities, including Altamira in Cloverdale in Botetourt ($235,000 to low $300,000s) and Carriage Park ($300,000-plus) just off I-81 in north Roanoke County.

North Roanoke City
As I-81 moves through Botetourt and into Roanoke County, travelers can exit on I-581 into Roanoke City or continue through Roanoke County and on to Salem.

Moving toward Roanoke City, you pass by Roanoke County’s new Greenridge Recreation Center near the city border. The Center, located to accommodate the growing suburbs in that area, is open to non-county residents also.

William Fleming, one of the city’s two high schools – new within the past year – is nearby. The north side of the city includes a long-established residential and commercial center that follows Williamson Road, which eventually becomes U.S. 11. Route 11 is this area’s nostalgic equivalent of U.S. Route 66.

Modest, well-maintained brick homes, (under $200,000) define this area, making it attractive to young families as well as those who have stayed for generations. North Roanoke City is home to the Roanoke Regional Airport and its largest shopping mall, Valley View. The mall area is also the northern starting point for the Lick Run Greenway that connects the area to the heart of downtown and eventually to Salem.

Downtown Roanoke
Not to be outdone by the city’s residential communities and the suburbs, Downtown Roanoke has experienced a housing revival in the form of condos, townhomes and apartments. Condo prices start under $200,000 and go upward. The latest apartment project is planned in the historic Patrick Henry Hotel, now under renovation.

From downtown, The Mill Mountain and Roanoke River greenways enhance access to the remainder of the city and adjacent Roanoke County and Salem.

Old Southwest
The first encounter as you leave downtown is with the city’s Historic Old Southwest, which has emerged as proof that caring homeowners can take back a community. Once filled with deteriorating homes that were divided into rental apartments, this community of Victorian and foursquare houses won the 2010 Best Neighborhood Organization of the Year for its annual Holiday Parlor Tour. Prices here go from $200,000 upward; new townhomes start at $274,950.

South Roanoke
Also adjacent to downtown is the settled South Roanoke community, which is anchored by Carilion Clinic, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute and other associated healthcare facilities.

South Roanoke dates to the early 1900s and long reigned as the valley’s premiere residential area until new development competed. The community is heavily family-oriented and has a thriving community center. Housing in this area consists of wooded hillside estates and more modest Georgians and Colonials on tree-lined streets. In recent years, new upscale patio homes and similar retirement structures have popped up on remaining land in this community. They include Southmont, where prices begin in the mid-$300,000s and go toward $600,000.

Next door to South Roanoke, the Mill Mountain area provides a mix of modest and imposing structures, and can be seen along the Mill Mountain Greenway. Nearby is Loblolly Mill Estates in the Garden City area, one to six-acres lots with 3,000-square-foot minimum structures.

A Blue Ridge Parkway spur runs through this area.

Greater Raleigh Court
A new section of the Roanoke River Greenway, which travels through South Roanoke, crosses the river over a new bridge to connect the new Vic Thomas Park and the city’s most full-service community, Raleigh Court.

This area has a feel of D.C.’s Georgetown with it bustling retail shops, restaurants, a historic movie theater and the Natural Foods Coop on Grandin Road. This part of the city is also home to Patrick Henry High School. Houses here include some very large ones, but the most predominant style is the foursquare with porch. This area has attracted many young families.

Housing prices in Greater Raleigh Court start above $200,000. Nearby communities offer some homes at more modest prices. They include Grandin Court ($100,000-$150,000) and Rosalind Hills (some houses under $100,000).

In the nearby Greater Deyerle neighborhood, construction continues in Maple Leaf Farms, a community of custom houses on Grandin Road Extension. Prices are $500,000 and up.

South Roanoke County
When suburbs grew in the Roanoke Valley, they first developed in south Roanoke County, along U.S. 220, 221 and Va. 419. One of the more established communities is Hunting Hills, which includes Hunting Hills Country Club.

Hunting Hills is near the Blue Ridge Parkway, as is a new development of more modest houses, Faircrest, on Buck Mountain Road. Houses here start at $249,950.

Along 419 near LewisGale Medical Center, The Townes at Hidden Valley, near the county’s boundary with Salem, has townhomes for $319,000 and up.

Salem
The City of Salem, home to LewisGale and to Roanoke College, dates to 1804 and has a population of just under 25,000. It has a municipal golf course, the Salem Civic Center and a sports arena that is home to the Boston Red Sox’s Class A baseball farm team.

The city has a marked, 11.2-mile bike route that begins at City Hall. The community also connects to Roanoke through a Roanoke River greenway section on West Riverside Drive. In addition, it has the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail.

Much of the new construction in Salem has been near I-81 in communities such as The Hill, The Lawn, and Winston Woods. Home prices generally range from $250,000 upward. Fairways at Hanging Rock II has homes at $289,950+. Riverland Vineyards near Green Hill Park houses start at $240,000 and go to $350,000+.