Tag

floor plan

Designing Custom Homes: An Intricate Puzzle with a Few Surprises


The exterior rendering of a large home with grand entrance, stone work, and wooden shutters.

Author, Kerry Hansen by Kerry Hansen

Karen Hamilton has been a Chief Architect Home Designer customer since the early 1990s, designing custom homes in the greater Houston and Upper Texas coast since 1978. Recently, Karen won an international design contest, and her tool of choice is Home Designer Professional.

(more…)

Feng Shui Basics for the Home


A kitchen rendering designed using the principles of feng shui. The white stone countertops are kept clear of gadgets. There are white cabinets and wooden accents. The dining room can be seen in the background.

Author, Kerry Hansen by Kerry Hansen

Feng shui is a tradition that originated in ancient China. It is the practice of being mindful of the spaces in the home to create a more peaceful and nourishing life.

Feng shui is a tradition that originated in ancient China. It is the practice of being mindful of the spaces in the home to create a more peaceful and nourishing life. The goal is to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment through spatial arrangement and orientation to optimize the flow of energy. Energy flow, also known as Chi is the life force that runs through each individual and their space. Chi means energy or air. In feng shui, ensure that the five elements, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood interact in harmony with each other and maintain the flow of energy. Chi, like all energy, is constantly evolving, shifting, and flowing. It cannot be created or destroyed and should be able to flow freely around and through the home.

(more…)

Stylized Home Designs Offer Options for Paradise, CA Residents


Farmhouse with front porch, dormers, and gullwing roof.

Author's portrait By Adrean Stephenson

An Idea

Allen Tatomer, of Blue Collar Builders TV, has an idea. He plans to use his experience in construction project management, and his history as a home show TV producer, to provide rebuilding options to property owners devastated by last year’s Camp Fire in Paradise, CA.

(more…)

Sarah Rickard Places 1st with Her Dream Home


One story home design with walkout basement, covered deck, pool and pool house.

By Emily Black

Sarah placed 1st in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! She is a home design hobbyist, but you can see her eye for design shine through in her winning home design.

 

Sarah Rickard & Her Husband

Sarah was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and now calls the Dayton, Ohio area home with her husband.

(more…)

Leila Laskujarvi places 3rd with her basement remodel design


This Airbnb is located in a basement that used to be very small and dark in a residential home that had previously been a rooming house (5 kitchens, anyone). The home is located in a trendy part of Toronto, close to several large film studios, upscale restaurants and boutiques. I had to plan a layout for an awkward space since there was a support pillar in the middle of the main area, as well as one in the bathroom and several levels of bulkheads. The homeowners wanted this to be a relatively affordable renovation since they plan to renovate the entire house a few years down the road. I had to make space for a welcoming entry area with storage, revamp the kitchenette (to which I added a 2 seater bar), create a dining area that was separate from the main living area and create a space for a double bed that wasn't the first thing you saw when you entered the space. The bathroom was revamped a little as well, with a new shower, flooring, toilet and vanity.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

Leila Laskujarvi places 3rd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest. Her creative and caring personality translated directly into her beautiful and authentic design for her clients.

“I’m Leila Laskujarvi, a designer, artist, amateur photographer and all around crafty girl! I currently live in Toronto, Canada with my husband Mike. I first moved here to go to art school at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University), where I studied commercial design (advertising/graphic design). I then freelanced at some ad agencies in Toronto and got a job as a junior art director in Helsinki, Finland. Eventually, I came back to Canada and started working in graphic design, working for The Financial Post newspaper and Rogers Publishing (at Canadian Business, MoneySense and PROFIT magazines), both in the Creative Services department. I really enjoyed the creativity and teamwork and I actually met a lot of my friends at work.

“When it first came on television, I got totally hooked on watching HGTV shows about interior design. Then the idea struck me, I could learn to do it myself. We had recently bought a house, that needed work (the bathroom was totally scary) and I was feeling like I needed a change in my career, so I decided to go back to school for 4 (very long) years. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, but I have no regrets. I got my Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Ryerson University, a top-rated school here in Canada. I’ve been working independently for several years doing mainly residential design and occasionally collaborating on projects with an architect friend of mine. I’m thinking of branching out into hospitality design since I’d love to design a restaurant! But, first, I’ll have to take a crack at the building code books. (more…)

William M. Woody wins 1st place with his Log Cabin Design


This cabin is a stacked 6x12 log on log featuring two bedrooms, a large centered fireplace in the great room, an upstairs open loft, heavy timber beams, and heavy timber rafters. Finished with hand hewing, this rustic cabin will nestle in nicely in the Great Smoky Mountains, and look as if it has been there for over a century. Adorned with rounded cedar tree posts on the porches, this home will have wonderful mountain views from those porches, and be a relaxing place to sit and watch the sunset. This home is replacing one destroyed in the Cobbly Nob area, just outside of Gatlinburg, TN burned by the wildfire's that ravaged the town late in 2016, transforming the landscape forever. The production and manufacture of this home has already begun as the rebuilding continues for one more of these home owners. Logs where modeled in Cadwork. Chief Architect X9 was used to complete the plans, add textures, and finish the model. Lumion 7 was used for the final rendering.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

William M. Woody won 1st place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest. William uses his vast experience in the Residential Design Business as well as his skills with Chief Architect Software to create exceptional plans and renderings for his clients.

(more…)

Ciara Cuddihy-Hernandez won 2nd with her complete home remodel in Portland, Oregon


This remodel is for a home in Portland, Oregon. Our client actually grew up in this home and wants to do a complete remodel. We are adding an addition to the front on the house to gain extra space for a larger master bedroom with en suite master bath. We are also opening up the main floor completely to have an open plan kitchen and living space. Finally, we are changing the roof style from flat to a shed roof with vaulted ceilings in the living/kitchen area to add a greater sense of space and utilize the natural light as these rooms are south facing.

Ciara won 2nd in the Chief Architect Remodel-Addition Design Contest! Originally from Ireland, she is now the project designer for John Webb Construction & Design in Eugene, Oregon.

 

“I am originally from Ireland and moved to Eugene, Oregon 5 year ago. I started designing in school and attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland where I received a Bachelor of Design specializing in glass.  I started interior design about a year ago and have been working for John Webb Construction and Design since June of 2017.

“I have been using Chief Architect for 3 months. Our company decided to start using Chief Architect because of the great features it has.” (more…)

Robin Rigby Fisher – Featured NKBA Study Guide Designer


Natural spa bathroom with steps wrapped around freestanding tub

Author's portrait By Adrean Stephenson

 

When you have been designing Kitchens and Baths for 32 years and teaching the process to others for 14 more, it is next to impossible to not know your stuff. Robin Rigby Fisher is no exception, and it shows in the Large Bath she submitted for 2017’s NKBA Design Competition.

“I teach part-time at Portland Community College, an NKBA Accredited College. One of the reasons I continue to teach is to make sure that I stay at the top of my game. I want my drawings to be as meticulous as possible because I expect that from my students.  I think they are synonyms. I’m at the top of my game because my students are at the top of theirs. They are highly desirable, highly regarded. They are easy to hire. That’s what I like about teaching.

(more…)

Danielle Burger – Featured NKBA Study Guide Designer


Double sink with blue wall, oak floor, and white backsplash

Author's portrait By Adrean Stephenson

 

It felt a little like cheating when I opened up Danielle Burger’s winning Small Bath plan and began transitioning it for our NKBA Study Guide project.

 

Danielle has been using Chief Architect since 2015 and made beautiful work of her bath design using the software. I simply asked to start from the plan file and then made some edits that matched her drawings to the drafting style of the other designs in our project.

View NKBA Study Guide Small Bath in Chief Architect’s 360° Panorama Viewer.

 

(more…)

Lori Carroll – Featured NKBA Study Guide Designer


Warm colored teak wall tile and cool stainless steel of a vanity base are brought together with lively natural stone.

Author's portrait By Adrean Stephenson

The little room that won 1st place for the Powder Room category in 2017’s NKBA Design Competition is big on character! Lori Carroll’s take leverages a vaulted ceiling and the use of light and texture to make this Powder Room a space to remember.

 

“For this client, luxury is a state of mind; something that goes beyond the ordinary amenities and accommodations.  Wanting their guests to experience something special, the design concept for this powder room didn’t have to be extravagant or opulent; just beautifully simple.  When visualizing aesthetics for this project, a softer, more natural look conveyed the feel the client hoped for. The combination of stone, metal and wood creates a unified design in this powder room.”

(more…)