Featuring both historic and modern architecture and a wide array of home-decorating styles and furnishings, the Clifton Homes Tour is always a highlight of spring. And this year's tour will be held Thursday, May 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Clifton Community Woman's Club puts on the tour each year, and proceeds go toward local charities and scholarships. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the tour and are available at Antiques of Clifton, Baskets and Boughs, the Heart in Hand restaurant and Cottage Art in Clifton; and at Temptations in the Colonnade at Union Mill shopping center.
"The five homes on tour have been selected to portray the diverse lifestyles of those who call Clifton home," said event spokeswoman Dini White. "There's so much to delight you in each of these homes."
Also part of the event will be a boutique and silent auction in the Clifton Town Meeting Hall at 12641 Chapel Road. Boutique hours are Wednesday, May 19, from 6-8 p.m., and Thursday, May 20, from 9:30-5 p.m. Silent auction hours are May 19, from 6-8 p.m., and May 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
New this year is a local Women's Art Exhibit at the Clifton Primitive Baptist Church at Chestnut and Main streets. And at the Fairfax Station Museum, visitors will be able to buy gently used books and other items and obtain information from the Women in Business table.
Reservations for lunch will be taken at the Heart in Hand and the Hermitage Inn. The Clifton Store will be selling lunch, too. For more homes tour information, call 703-803-1425. Highlights of the homes on display are as follows:
* The Robertson Home — Ron and Debi Robertson live in Clifton Hunt, and their library has a collection of African and Peruvian art. Artifacts from around the world, as well as many Virginia antiques, also grace this home. Furnishings range from a dinner wagon from England to a drop-leaf desk from Belize.
* The Moulton House — Home to James and Donna Moulton, was patterned after Drayton Hall, built in Charleston, S.C., in 1743. Each room has a spectacular view, and the walls are adorned with lovely floral paintings done by Donna's grandmother and framed by her husband. The home is rich in architectural detail, and French doors in the front bedrooms upstairs open to the second-story veranda and a peaceful, wooded vista.
* The Peterson House — Tom Peterson's home was built in 1876 by Lewis Quigg and later restored and modernized by local architect Jim Hricko. It's furnished with 19th-century antiques, including an old Singer sewing machine. The mahogany staircase railing and pinewood floors are original. A baseball fan, Peterson also has a collection of baseball memorabilia.
* The Mills House — Home to Peter and Mary Mills, this house has come alive with color, thanks to the interior-design talents of Mary Mills. This 130-year-old home on Main Street boasts a red-wallpapered dining room and kitchen. Added in the 1990s, the family room features a mix of cheerful fabrics and patterns.
* The Berg House — Owned by Michael and Lisa Berg, this unique and unusual home in Fairfax Station is a real treat for the eye. Designed and built by local architect Jack Willmore, it contains an eclectic array of art, furniture and crafts collected from all over the world. The huge foyer has a glass wall, koi pond, rippling fountain and four paintings. And the glass, fireplace mantles give the illusion of water just starting to flow over the falls.