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Springhouse turned Garden Folly at Mears River Farm, which is featured on the 2022 Floyd Center for the Arts House and Garden Tour.
The pond and garden of the Fallon residence in downtown Floyd.
The Daiber living room featured the work of Floyd artists and one of the owners.
Historic estates, renovated ranches and energy-efficient homesteads will open to the public on Saturday, June 25, for the return of the Floyd Center for the Arts 2022 House and Garden Tour.
The five distinctive homes on the tour are set amid beautiful gardens, and two are on the Little River.
“We are inviting the public to see that Floyd County offers an array of homes,” said Fallon, FCA president.
Fallon’s own home in downtown Floyd will be on the tour.
Built in 2003, the house features a floor-to-ceiling two-story art gallery in the living room. The walls display paintings from five countries, collected by Fallon and her late husband, Ed.
The gardens, pond and patio of the Fallon home are also not to be missed.
The newest home on the tour is that of Paul and Ada Kitchen, built five years ago with the Little River running through its backyard. The focus of the construction was an efficient use of space and energy. Visitors will enjoy learning about the house’s thick walls, deep insulation and triple pane windows.
The Kitchens, who serve as volunteers with the National Park Service, also grow an impressive vegetable garden and walk delightful paths down to the river to enjoy the birds and wildlife.
One of the older homes on the tour is Oakdale, c. 1880, open to the public for the first time. The graceful residence of artist Susan Icove and retired emergency room physician David Lander, Oakdale is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitors will not only see the original bricks of the building, handmade on the premises, but also an extensive art collection, including Icove’s whimsical lamps throughout the home, guest house and studio. Tour-goers will enjoy learning about the extensive renovations the owners have made.
Mears River Farm, another 1800’s Floyd home, will welcome visitors. The site, along the Little River, includes the studios of Floyd glass artist Liz Mears and renowned luthier and musician Mike Mears, a former pilot who makes world class stringed instruments.
“The inside of this house and our studios are a celebration of human creativity in the arts,” said Liz. “The exterior celebrates the beauty of nature.”
Mears’s art collection includes a batik piece by Alice Walker of Floyd and a large ceramic wall piece by Washington D.C. artist Margaret Boozer.
A myriad of extensive gardens covers the grounds of Mears River Farm, containing both natives and cultivars.
Liz said she learned about “the flora and fauna of our beautiful Appalachian area” from the New River Valley Master Naturalists and the New River Valley Master Gardeners.
Many homes in Floyd County date from the 1950s to 1970s.
Michael and Rhonda Daiber have made impressive renovations to their ‘70s brick ranch house on the tour. They also delight in working on their beautiful grounds and colorful perennial beds.
The Daibers’s remodeled kitchen holds ceramic pieces from local potters Rick Hensley and Ellen Shankin.
Walls throughout the house are filled with work from other Floyd artists. Michael created several pieces in the home, including lamps from found objects, a backgammon tabletop, and a stained-glass window.
Tickets to the House and Garden Tour of Floyd County featuring these five homes may be purchased at www.FloydArtCenter.org for $30.
Admission includes a box lunch. Proceeds benefit the Floyd Center for the Arts.
The tickets are also available onsite at the Art Center located in a former barn at 220 Parkway Lane S. Regular open hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Tickets may be purchased by phone at (540) 745-2784.
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Springhouse turned Garden Folly at Mears River Farm, which is featured on the 2022 Floyd Center for the Arts House and Garden Tour.
The pond and garden of the Fallon residence in downtown Floyd.
The Daiber living room featured the work of Floyd artists and one of the owners.