It took Julia Miller and her husband, Mark, just one hour to decide on the split-level house in the Wessynton neighborhood the first time they drove up to it in July 2011.

A good friend whos a Realtor knew a house on the water was up for sale, Miller said. We went to look at it, fell in love and moved in.

Nestled in the hilly woodlands of southeastern Fairfax County, about half an hour from downtown, Wessynton is a neighborhood of 156 houses built in the late 1960s and early 70s on land that was once part of George Washingtons Mount Vernon estate.

Twenty-three of those mid-century modern houses are on Little Hunting Creek, a Potomac River tributary that provides all residents with access for fishing, boating and waterskiing. Wessynton Forest, covering much of the 20 acres of common property, runs through the community.

Centuries ago, the Doeg Indians hunted these woods along the Potomac. The land was eventually granted to an English family known by various names, including Wessynton, and the 500-acre Mount Vernon estate was built there.

The Mount Vernon Ladies Association took up the mantle of preserving the first presidents home and estate. In the late 1960s, it sold the 65-acre parcel that is now the Wessynton neighborhood to secure funds for its ongoing maintenance.

Houses blend into landscape: The developments architect, Nicholas A. Pappas, designed its houses to blend with the landscape they are set into the curve of the land along winding roads in the woods, providing seclusion. There are five designs Meadow, River, Forest, Garden and Manor all with large windows, open layouts, redwood ceilings and slate floors.

The architect used a palette of earth-tone colors sand, brown, beige, olive, pale yellow and the occasional muted salmon or rust-red door and today we try to stay within that color range, said Jim Clark, a former president of the homeowners association.

Roofs are the same brownish orange and mailboxes are a uniform brown wooden structure. We have someone in the community manufacture them for us, he said.

An architectural review panel ensures that the houses remain harmonious with nature and the original vision.

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Wessynton is Mount Vernons mid-century neighbor

From Wan Shahara Ahmad Ghazali

This last part of two articles on MARDI's role in developing Malaysia's agro industry focuses on the potential of aerobic rice farming.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- It takes 3,000 litres of water to put a kilogramme of rice on your table.

For a country with the staple food being rice, droughts and increasingly limited water resources can present a real challenge to its food security.

Fortunately, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) has ventured into the research on aerobic rice farming in Malaysia since 2005.

Aerobic rice is a high-yielding plant that can grow in dry irrigated land instead of the traditional flooded fields.

The variety developed by MARDI is known as the MRIA 1, and was launched on Aug 22 last year.

This is a paradigm shift for the rice farming industry and a move that is timely and apt particularly with rice being a food security crop for the nation.

PUTTING NEGLECTED LAND TO USE

MARDI Director, General Datuk Dr Sharif Haron saw the possibility of MRIA 1 being grown on abandoned private lands nationwide that cover up to 107,000 hectares.

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Aerobic Rice Set To Change Malaysia's Paddy Growing Landscape

Some artists are taking up space at the Wave Hill Garden and Cultural Center in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, creating masterpieces inspired by their surroundings. NY1's Stephanie Simon filed the following report.

Wave Hill Garden and Cultural Center is doing more than just giving artists studio space. It's allowing them to take what they need from the natural landscape to create new works of art.

"The 'Winter Workspace' program is a great way for an artist to come here and work onsite, and they are inspired by our gardens and our beautiful landscape, and the plants in our collection and the greenhouses," said Curator Gabriel de Guzman.

All of the artists are inspired by the nature around them but for some it's more literal.

"I was looking at the invasive plants growing inside the garden, kind of at the edges of the property kind of creeping in. So I was taking photographs of them, the trees of heaven kind of cutting it up and playing with it," said Artist Whitney Artell.

There are six artists in this year's "Winter Workspace" program, including Shanti Grumbine, who applies organic forms to newspaper. Some look like snowflakes, others like trees.

"So images of Syria, I'm actually literally carving branches. First I draw the branches into the image, then I carve away with the X-Acto knife to sort of bring together my world and what's going on abroad," Grumbine said.

This might seem like an unusual time of year to visit a public garden but folks at Wave Hill say for many people, winter is their favorite time to come.

"First of all, we have 28 acres of gardens and woodlands. When it snows, there's no better place to be than Wave Hill. We have beautiful views of the Palisades, you can come inside, you can see our greenhouses, which have incredible succulents, cactuses, tropical plants," De Guzman said.

The artists will open their studios to the public on March 30 to show their finished work and they will hold free art making workshops throughout March.

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Bronx Garden Becomes 'Winter Workspace' for Local Artists

Nashville Mobile Kitchen Remodeling Showroom I Kitchen Showroom 2 You
http://kitchenshowroom2you.com/ 615-800-7999 1229A Lakeview Dr. Franklin, TN (just off the I-65 Hwy 96 Exit) Let us bring the showroom to you!! Just one phon...

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Chicago Interior Designer Lauren Coburn - Working With Architects
Lauren Coburn discusses how and why she likes to work with architects early on in a project #39;s development.

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Chicago Interior Designer Lauren Coburn - Working With Architects - Video

Chicago Interior Designer Lauren Coburn No Markup on Furniture

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Chicago Interior Designer Lauren Coburn No Markup on Furniture - Video

Residendial lighting tips by :Sabrina Bitton Interior Designer
Residential lighting tips..

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Abercrombie Kent Villas, Villa Serena, Umbria
Set amongst its own magical estate of 117 acres, Villa Serena offers glamorous luxury in a setting of pure peace and tranquillity. This elegant 18th century ...

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Jenn-Air
http://productionforthepeople.com Matthew Smyth is an award-winning interior designer with a passion for detail. How he integrates kitchens into his high-end...

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Jenn-Air - Video

Winter Park, FL (PRWEB) February 21, 2014

Award winning design firm Beasley & Henley Interior Design is pleased to announce the appointment of Senior Interior Designer Kimberlee (Kim) Grimes to the Beasley & Henley design team.

Kim is a designer with 15 years of experience in creating interiors for builder models, private clients and commercial projects. She has won awards at the SEBC Aurora Awards and in the Parade of Homes. Educated in Interior Design and Graphic Design, Kim has a long track record of successful projects and happy clients.

We are very pleased to have Kim on our design team, says Design Principal Troy Beasley. "Her design aesthetic, skills and easy going personality make her a great asset to our talented team,"

At Beasley & Henley, Kim will be responsible for model interior design and specifications on a range of projects. Prior to joining Beasley & Henley, Kim was with Marc-Michaels Interior Design and Masterpiece Interiors.

Beasley & Henley is looking forward to hiring several additional employees over the next few months as the market continues to expand.

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Beasley & Henley Interior Design is a boutique design firm that believes in creating innovative and memorable interior spaces, uniquely suited to our clients needs and specific goals. As an industry leader, our team is composed of the best designers and staff, providing our clients with exceptional quality and exceeding their expectations. Please reach us at our Central Florida office at 407-629-7756, or at our Naples, FL office at 239-774-1005.

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Kim Grimes, Senior Interior Designer, Joins Beasley & Henley Interior Design