We've had a lot to celebrate at EYA communities across the DMV this summer—from park and playground openings to community completions and more. Not only do we love to gather with our homeowners to celebrate these milestones, but it is also important to us that we offer opportunities for residents to come together, meet new neighbors and forge the ties that create strong communities. Below is a snapshot of some recent events at EYA neighborhoods.

On Friday, thousands of DMV residents celebrated Bike to Work Day by ditching their cars and opting for a greener, healthier commute. A number of our EYA team members are dedicated bike (or scooter!) commuters themselves and regularly take the trails to work. Below is a snapshot of some EYA folks living EYA's motto of life within walking distance (or biking or scootering), and why they choose these alternative commuting options.

When searching for a new place to call home, it is often not only the home that one takes into consideration, but also the community that you become a part of. Well-designed neighborhoods with outdoor amenities and green spaces can impact happiness and help to bring people together. Thoughtful community visioning integrates design elements and open spaces to connect residents with each other and their surrounding area. Amenities may include neighborhood parks, walking paths, plazas, playgrounds and seating areas to facilitate interactions among neighbors. A well-planned landscape design not only connects residents with nature and creates a visual sense of harmony, but also offers highly sought after amenities and supports community engagement. To learn more about how landscape design can foster community, EYA's approach to neighborhood planning and features you may not have previously considered to look for in your new community, read our Q&A below with EYA's longtime landscape architect Gabriela Cañamar Clark, a partner at LandDesign.

Whether you’re moving into your first home or just looking to refresh your furnishings, there are many unique and creative ways to switch up your current home decor to feel fresh in the new year without breaking the bank. Read on for an updated post featuring a Q&A with one of our favorite designers, Holly Polgreen, President and Co-founder of Carlyn & Company Interiors + Design, for the best tips on how to repurpose, reorganize, and redesign your home decor.

As we welcome a New Year at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, many of us see the calendar starting again as a chance to instill our own new beginnings. An annual time to reassess and realign our goals, it’s also a chance to recharge, reset, and reflect on our habits, mindsets, and lifestyle. At the heart of most resolutions lists is a hope to find an overall healthier and happier lifestyle. Often this can be achieved by incorporating and practicing wellness in our daily lives. Hygge (pronounced hue-gah), a Danish inspired design trend, aims to do just that. This 18th century concept focuses on enjoying life’s simplest pleasures through contentment, warmth, and togetherness.

At EYA, we take great pride in not only creating beautiful living spaces, but also designing neighborhoods that bring people together. This may be done in various ways from creating new parks and playgrounds where kids can meet new friends to designing welcoming front porches where neighbors can greet and get to know each other. For many, being part of a community is an important factor in wellbeing and happiness and neighborhood communities are among the most important ways that people find lasting personal connections. What's it like to live in an EYA neighborhood? Watch the video below to hear from our homeowners about how they not only found a new home, but a new community.