Winning Home Design With the Perfect Southern Porch

June 3, 2020

Cottage home with white pillars, a blue front door and a wrap-around porch.

“Front porches are where memories are made!”

Bobby McFadden, a photographer from South Carolina, won 1^st place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest. His grand front porch design is truly an extension of the home, showcasing Bobby’s passion for indoor-outdoor Southern living.

Bobby McFadden of Ridgeway, South Carolina is a photographer by trade. To Bobby, residential design is a hobby that he picked up about 20 years ago when, as a teen, he bought a copy of Chief Architect’s Home Designer Software at his local hardware store. He recalls the feeling of possibility that owning this software offered him: a feeling that he carries with him today.

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Featured Customers, Professional, Residential Home Design

Michael Rust, Organic Architecture at its Finest

May 20, 2020

The Hinshaw Residence, another example of Organic Architecture designed by Michael Rust. The house flows organically and becomes one with the natural contouring of the land.

Author, Kerry Hansen by Kerry Hansen

“Architecture is not just about buildings,
but about nourishing the lives of those within them.”

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

If you haven’t yet heard of Michael Rust, you will be glad you took the time to learn a little about him and his work. Michael, an architect based out of Chandler, AZ, first sparked our interest when his organic, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design was entered in the Chief Architect Residential Design contest. Located in Webb City, MO, this incredible home was designed in harmony with its steeply sloping lot. This posed challenges during the design phase but, with Rust as the architect, those challenges inevitably inspired its magnificent lines, grand exterior staircase, cantilevered awnings, and towering windows that let the views of nature climb right inside.

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Featured Customers, Professional, Residential Home Design

Love of Place is at the Heart of Lake + Land Studio’s Craft

May 18, 2020

Filled with nostalgic detail, this Island Contemporary style home was designed for Crane Island, a Southern Living Community located in Florida.

by Anne Smith

A design studio in Hattiesburg, MS achieves success in a surprising variety of projects by focusing on harmony with surroundings and a respect for history.

We first got to know the team at Lake + Land Studio back in October when they won first place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest, and discovered their involvement in a number of impressive projects – including HGTV’s series, ‘Home Town’. As ‘Home Town’ celebrates its 4^th season, we checked in with them to learn more about the various projects they are involved in and the challenges of designing for a t.v. show.

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Interior Design, Professional, Residential Home Design, Tips & Techniques

8 Ways to Be a Boss at Working From Home

April 28, 2020

An elegant home office, designed and rendered in Chief Architect.

Author, Kerry Hansen by Kerry Hansen

Whether an architect, interior designer, draftsperson or design-builder, working from home is a key strategy for many. Carving out a personal work space for yourself can serve as an essential resource and is one of the keys to success and productivity when working from home. Here are a few tips to get going.

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Contest Winners, Professional, Residential Home Design

April’s Residential Design Contest Winners

April 22, 2020

Chief Architect Design Contest with a technical illustration of a home design.

Congratulations to the three Chief Architect Residential Design Contest Winners!

Thank you all for sharing your designs with us and our community.

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Interior Design, Kitchen Design, Professional, Residential Home Design, Stories

The value of hiring a Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP) for your next design

April 1, 2020

Kitchen Elevation showing accessible grab bars.

Author's Portrait by Kendra Dorosh

Did you know that a person aged 60 needs three times the light as a 20-year-old?

That may seem like a drastic amount, but Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP) Adam Gibson explains the reasoning behind this statement: people over 60, “need more light, and everyone needs a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) to best reveal the colors of various objects. It’s no fun going outside in your black socks only to realize they’re blue. One solution? Light-colored walls washed in light provide more ambient light than the same quantity of recessed lights pointing toward the floor.”

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Featured Customers, Professional, Residential Home Design, Stories

The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture: Through the Eyes of an Apprentice

March 30, 2020

Michael Rust in 1987 enrolled in the Taliesin Fellowship at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

Author, Kerry Hansen by Kerry Hansen

Like many, when we learned that after nearly 90 years, the iconic School of Architecture at Taliesin would be closing its doors later this year, our hearts skipped a beat. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the founding visionaries of Modernist architecture and a towering figure in American culture. For a first-hand perspective on the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin West, we turned to Michael Rust, an architect based out of Chandler, Arizona. Rust, a member of the Taliesin Fellowship for over a decade, was the recipient of the third Master of Architecture degree ever issued by the prestigious school. Michael’s architecture is featured on the cover of Chief Architect Premier X11 and X12, and atop our booth at the International Builders’ Show.

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Contest Winners, Professional, Residential Home Design

Sean Bulman Wins First Place with his Award-Winning Modern Prairie Style Design

February 10, 2020

modern prairie style home surrounded by a golf course, desert hills and multiple views to Kamloops Lake

By Dani Walker

Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Sean Bulman uses Chief Architect to integrate a client’s inspirations into a design that suits both their needs and budget.

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Contest Winners, Professional, Residential Home Design

Form follows function in Residential design from Robert Smith

January 30, 2020

Front perspective of farmhouse style home with columned entry and gable accents

by Ariana Beaudry

Robert Smith embraces fresh design concepts to meet clients’ needs.

Our Second place Residential Design Contest winner, Robert Smith, was encouraged at a young age to start on his design path. When he mentioned that he enjoyed working with wood, his high school counselor suggested, “Why not draw houses?” to fill an elective. He proceeded to study Architectural Drafting all 4 years of high School, earned a degree in Architectural Design and Drafting from York Technical Institute, and has been an avid student of design ever since.

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3D Library, Bathroom Design, Interior Design, Kitchen Design, Professional, Remodel-Addition, Residential Home Design, Tips & Techniques

Using Advanced Custom Materials to Improve Your Renderings

January 14, 2020

How to create and use custom materials to improve your renderings.

By Dustin Cruz

“But what will it look like?”

In the Home Design Game, this may be the paramount question, and one of the best ways to capture your clients’ hearts and loyalty. Show them what it will look like and they will become committed to the vision.

11 Comments

About Chief Architect

Chief Architect Software is a leading developer and publisher of 3D Architectural home design software for builders, designers, architects and home DIY enthusiasts.
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Nebraska Handyman
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PJH Design
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Satterberg Desonier Dumo Interior Design, Inc.
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William Haigh Design
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- May’s Remodel/Addition Design Contest Winners May 20, 2020
- Design Contest – Kitchen/Bath & Interiors May 20, 2020
- Michael Rust, Organic Architecture at its Finest May 20, 2020
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Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest Entry

Design by Greyson Lohrey of J. Hall Homes, Inc. using Chief Architect Premier X11.

Please select "like" to vote for this submission.

“This submission features the Ashleigh Home Plan by J. Hall Homes, Inc. The Modern Farmhouse design boasts of exposed brick throughout, an antique pantry door, and Agreeable Gray shiplap on the ceiling. Contrast and detail surround this open floor plan and creates the perfect atmosphere for family and friends to gather. As a custom home builder, J. Hall Homes allows for our client's style and personality to shine in their home and this space certainly achieves that.”

Connect with Greyson:
J. Hall Homes, Inc.
Jhallhomes.com
(540) 972-3100

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Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest Entry

Design by Madison Stevens using Home Designer Architectural 2021.

Please select "like" to vote for this submission.

“I had an idea for a long kitchen island even in this a large and kind of quirky space, and I went for it and it turned out well. The light walls make the kitchen feel clean and open, and at the same time, the dark cabinetry and hardwood floors make it feel cozy and like home.”

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Discover how to make jaw-dropping virtual tours in Chief Architect software to bring your designs to life and help your clients visualize.

Join us next Thursday, June 11th for the 3D Walkthroughs Webinar hosted by Dustin Cruz.

Register here: bit.ly/3DWalkthroughsWebinar

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