Southern Living's 2025 Idea House Showcases Exquisite Landscaping Arrangements
Embracing the charm of Keswick, Virginia – just a quick ride from Charlottesville – our 2025 Idea House landscape has been a labor of love, taking its sweet time to bloom.
Landscape architect Eugene Ryang, along with colleagues Megan Taylor and Jessie Calder of Waterstreet Studio, were our design partners for this project. As Ryang elucidates, they aimed to create a "living, breathing ecosystem" that harmonized with the property's existing features.
Speaking of its natural beauty, the five-acre parcel serves as a miniature representation of the surrounding area, nestled in the shadow of the Blue Ridge and Southwest Mountains, part of Virginia's Piedmont region. Here, you'll find streams, a pond, wetland areas, pine forests, and riparian woodlands – all crammed together, offering a delightful mix of local topography.
Given the agricultural history of the region, it made perfect sense for the team to embrace the idea of a modern homestead. As Ryang puts it, the short, winding driveway leading up to the property is reminiscent of a typical country path, leading to a farmhouse. Instead of open fields and livestock, though, the "pastureland" here is nanoscale – orchard plantings.
These orchards, featuring juvenile sour cherry trees, will mature over time to become a charming addition to the landscape. Add in the native warm-season grass and wildflower meadow, cultivated to attract birds and pollinators, and you've got a design that delights in the passage of time. "It's about what it will become," Ryang says, stressing the importance of patience over instant gratification.
Explore Our Idea House
Keep an eye out for tour announcements for our 2025 Idea House! The house will be open to the public from August to December, Thursdays through Sundays. Thursdays through Saturdays will have hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Sundays will run from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The house will be closed on Thanksgiving Day for tours.
Stay tuned to Southern Living’s official platforms or local Charlottesville event listings for updates on when you can catch a peek of this beautiful design come to life.
- The landscape of our 2025 Idea House was a collaborative effort by Eugene Ryang, Waterstreet Studio, and the homeowners, aiming to create a living, breathing ecosystem that harmonized with the property's existing features.
- The team behind the 2025 Idea House project, influenced by the region's agricultural history, has designed a modern homestead, with a short, winding driveway reminiscent of a country path leading to a farmhouse.
- The 2025 Idea House landscape includes a miniature representation of the surrounding area, featuring streams, a pond, wetland areas, pine forests, and riparian woodlands.
- The orchards in the 2025 Idea House, filled with juvenile sour cherry trees, will mature over time, becoming a charming addition to the landscape.
- The native warm-season grass and wildflower meadow in the 2025 Idea House have been cultivated to attract birds and pollinators, offering a delightful mix of local topography.
- Landscape architect Eugene Ryang emphasizes the importance of patience over instant gratification in the design of the 2025 Idea House, as the project is about what it will become in the future.
- To catch a glimpse of this beautiful design come to life, keep an eye on Southern Living's official platforms or local Charlottesville event listings for updates on tour announcements for the 2025 Idea House, open to the public from August to December.
