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Contest Winners

Bathroom Design, Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Interior Design, Professional

Lori Places 2nd with Her Modern Farmhouse Bathroom.

April 10, 2019
Winning Modern Farmhouse Bathroom Design

By Jake Murray

Lori Schrock places second in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. After designing her own home, Lori decided to pursue her ambition and start a design firm, LKDesignco.

Profile picture of Lori Shrock.
Lori Shrock

“I’m currently from Burr Oak, Michigan but a native of Phoenix, Arizona. After having the luxury of not working out of the home for most of my life, about a year ago my husband really encouraged me to pursue my dreams of designing homes. We built a home in Florida together in 2015 that I designed and actually drew in an online software program that I found at the time. Of course, we took it to an actual architect who made the prints official before the build. This really fueled my passion for design. Its been a “hobby” and ambition of mine for as long as I can remember to design and draw homes, I had just never pursued it; being a busy mom and raising kids.

Florida beach house rendered in Chief Architect
Florida Home Designed by Lori

“I launched LKDesignco just over a year ago, primarily intending to design interiors for people in 3D and help them through the entire design process, choosing finishes, and seeing their remodel or new build through to the end. I tailor my services to each client, learning exactly what they need from me. It’s my passion to make home building fun as it should be!

“My cousin from Arizona told me about Chief Architect when I asked her for advice for a great 3D design software. Her father, my uncle, is an architect and they have built custom homes for over 30 years in Phoenix and surrounding areas. Needless to say, after I took a look at your software, I loved every bit of it. I am not a trained architect or draftsman but the software is extremely user-friendly, not to mention perfect for 3D design. 

“I purchased Chief Architect and got going, learning as I went. The coolest part is the fact that the software produces blueprints. I have found that in this area, builders are very happy with the prints produced and they work with me to get it just right. The ability to produce the blueprint has been a big bonus for me that I didn’t see coming. 

“My little business is really catching on and growing quickly. I’m currently working on my 4th complete home and a local doctor’s office. “

I am extremely blessed and a little overwhelmed at what I am able to produce, all because of this amazing software.

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Contest Winners, Design Contest, Featured Customers, Professional, Residential Home Design

Jeff Burns is the 2018 Residential Design of the Year Contest Winner

March 22, 2019
2018 Design of Year Contest Winnning Design: Residential Category

By Jake Murray

Congratulations Jeff for taking 1st place in our Design of Year Contest – Residential Category! Jeff was also a finisher in our Residential Design Contest back in July.

Jeff and his wife Julie
Jeff and his wife Julie

“I am a father of 4 awesome children Jacob, Jordan, Jackson, and Jude, and I married my high school sweetheart Julie. And yes, we are all J’s!! “The girls are J.A.B’s and the boys are all J.R.B’s which does get tricky at times! I was born in Fort Walton Beach Florida, being in a military family we moved several times before settling back in Alexandria, Louisiana where I reside today.

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Contest Winners, Professional, Remodel-Addition

Nathan Ensminger is the 2018 Remodel/Addition Design of the Year Contest Winner

March 14, 2019
Nathan's 2018 Remodel/Addition Design of the Year Contest Entry.

By Jake Murray

Congratulations to Nathan placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest in September and won the Remodel/Addition Design of the Year Contest in December with his backyard getaway.

Nathan and his family at the beach

“My name is Nathan Ensminger from Wichita Kansas. Back as far as I can remember I watched and mimicked my father as he designed interiors for Lear jet.

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Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Kitchen Design, Professional

Tahani Places First with Her Kitchen Inspired by a Custom 52″ Range.

January 29, 2019
Our designer used the range as the centerpiece, opened up the kitchen to the adjacent sunroom, and selected cabinetry, appliances, and fittings and fixtures that would create interest and variety as the kitchen is viewed from different angles.

By Jake Murray

Tahani Share places first in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. She has a background in CAD and now uses Chief Architect as her go-to software for kitchen and bath remodels.

Tahani Share places first in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest with her kitchen design.

“My work at Landis Architects/ Builders involves designing additions to existing structures and remodeling interior and exterior spaces in existing homes. Almost every project requires redesigning a kitchen and at least one bathroom. We started using 3D software four years ago. I am part of a team of 5 designers with architectural backgrounds. We now use Chief Architect, AutoCAD Architecture, Sketchup, and Revit. When I design a kitchen or a bathroom, my go-to software is Chief Architect. It’s easy to use, make changes and develop detailed construction drawings. The 3D visualizations are beautiful, clear and quite convincing. They allow me to present my designs efficiently and get faster feedback from the clients. But that’s not all. Designing in 3D changed the whole design process. It also changed my approach to design. I now not only think about the space and form in 3D. I think about every little detail in 3D. Chief helps me explore the size, scale, proportion, color and texture of these details.”

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Contest Winners

2018 Chief Architect Design of the Year Contest Winners

January 9, 2019
Design of the Year Winners 2019

Congratulations to the 2018 Chief Architect Design of the Year winners!

Throughout 2018, Chief Architect held a monthly design contest for our customers to showcase their work. This year, we had over 175 renderings submitted for our Residential, Remodeling, and Kitchen/Bath/Interiors Design Contests.

Each month our Facebook fans were asked to vote for their favorite design. The winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) were entered into our year-end Design of the Year contest in December. Voting was open until January 9th and we are pleased to announce the winners! Discover more about the contestants through our Featured Contest Winner stories.


Grand Winners

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Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Professional, Residential Home Design

Edgar Pena Places Third with His Spanish Style Texas Home

December 11, 2018
Layout page featuring Edgar's winning spanish style residental design

By Jake Murray

Edgar places third in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! Edgar’s achievements have led to his own business, Pena’s Drafting & Design, located in his hometown.

“I am from McAllen, a small town in south Texas, where I started technical drafting in High School. I obtained my Architectural Drafting Associates Degree at South Texas Community College and have designed homes since 2003. After months of planning and researching, I decided to go with Chief Architect. I have been using Chief Architect since 2013, and am glad I made the right choice. Besides customers being amazed to see their home in 3D, I love being able to do a preliminary floor plan in just hours instead of days. Now I can complete a full set of construction drawings in two to three days.” Continue reading…

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Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Kitchen Design, Student

Alexis McDaniel Places 2nd with her Contemporary Kitchen

December 7, 2018
Interior rendering of a contemporary kitchen with a waterfall island and white cabinetry.

By Kendra Dorosh

Alexis places 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen, Bath, and Interior Design Contest! She is a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice who has found her passion in interior design.

Alexis McDaniel, Chief Architect Certified Apprentice

Alexis McDaniel, Chief Architect Certified Apprentice

“I’m a senior at Klein Collins High School in Spring Texas, who at a young age fell in love with interior design. My high school has a class where we can design living and commercial spaces using Chief Architect software. It has truly ignited the flame in me to design. I gain so much joy and pleasure from what I do. I have been using Chief Architect for around 3 years, and plan to continue using it. I prefer Chief Architect over other software products because it’s easy to use, and the renderings make a design really come to life.

“I, along with my fellow classmates Mary and Krystina, became a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice last year, which is a huge accomplishment to me. I would also like to mention my teacher Mrs. Mock, who has pushed us to be our best in what we do and has helped in my realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Continue reading…

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Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Kitchen Design, Professional

Paul Machado Wins 3rd with His Open Concept Kitchen Design!

November 29, 2018
I had free reigns on this design. Done with a few hours of Ray Trace.

By Emily Black

Paul placed third in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interiors Design Contest. He has been using CAD programs since his architectural drafting shop days at the local vocational school.

Chief Architect customer, Paul Machado., standing in front of his finished kitchen design

Paul Machado, Design Manager at Southcoast Kitchen Designs

“I have been in the kitchen industry for just over six years using the same software all my other competitors were using. I started my career in 2012 at a big box store as a kitchen design salesperson, then got more into the technical end of it in the more recent years.

“I currently transitioned to a team with similar long-term aspirations to become a premier Massachusetts Design Build Firm. I knew that making the switch of software to Chief Architect would be essential for our growth. Not just because the scope of the work we were about to take on required much more detailed plans to achieve smooth project flow, but also to separate ourselves from any competitors. Continue reading…

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Contest Winners, Featured Customers, Residential Home Design

Thomas Kretz Wins Second Place with His Custom Home Design, BrückenHaus, Featuring Bridges and Cantilevers.

November 29, 2018

By Jake Murray

Thomas placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! After retiring as a Production Art Manager, Thomas continues to showcase his design abilities through a remodel and custom home design.

Thomas pictured on his recent wedding day.

“I grew up on the farm my family settled in 1852 in the small town of Cedar Lake, Indiana. I had always gravitated towards art and drafting in high-school, but it was a field trip to Chicago that truly inspired my fascination with architecture. So much so, I broke with family tradition and spent the summers of my Junior and Senior year working as an artist for a graphics company. I then attended Ball State University for the first year of their Architecture program. Continue reading…

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