Taking that first step out of your comfort zone is always the most difficult. But once you do, a whole new world opens up. Spring is the best time to do it. Look outside, draw inspiration from nature and bring it indoors.

Challenge yourself to be creative. If you are one of those who would rather chew on tin foil than experiment with a home improvement project, start simple. Pick a room or two and give it a quick punch of color with a new accessory, piece of furniture or fresh coat of paint.

That is exactly what I did after a recent week at the High Point Home Furnishings Market in North Carolina. I was inspired to bring some of the bold colors I saw back home to defy Kansas City’s “Tan Town” image.

Our clients frequently ask about color and trends they see in Elle Décor, Veranda and other shelter magazines, but so often they are are unable to make the first step. I am a big believer in change, but not in trends — especially in home interiors, where colors should be a reflection of décor and personal attitude.

I repainted the showrooms in our furniture and design boutique with the vibrant Sassy Green by Sherwin-Williams. It felt strong and lifelike, picking up so many wonderful complements from nature, bringing what we love about the outdoors in. Clean, sharp whites, coppery browns, silver and even deep reds were enlivened against this strong new backdrop. Existing and new furniture and décor pieces took on fresh dimensions.

Afraid you can’t pull off vivid color in an entire room? Try painting an accent wall: A jolt of color can add drama and style to any ordinary space. With the neutral or tan shades that are prevalent in most homes, options for an accent wall are endless.

Try something fresh. Take your mind to South Beach and experiment with a citrus color, such as Sherwin-Williams’ Mango. I used this vibrant color on an accent wall to give the room an amazing new vibe. The artwork came to life, and the lamps and accessories took on an entirely different feel. Painting an accent wall not only gives the room new verve, it also offers a canvas for creative expression.

In addition to color inspiration, Mother Nature is a wonderful — and free — resource for reinvigorating your interiors. For example, I gathered fallen tree branches, spray-painted them white, tied them to small tacks with clear fishing wire and hung them against a lilac-colored wall to create an indoor forest. Artificial flowers added to the branches gave it color, texture and a softer appearance.

The indoor forest can be easily moved to other areas indoors or out on the patio, enhanced with fresh flowers or colorful votive candles for a summer dinner party. You might adapt it to a child’s room for a wonderful splash of fun. Play with putting lights woven in the branches or use colored clothespins to attach photographs to the branches. Involve your children in the process. It is so important for kids to be fed spoonfuls of creative opportunities. Let them feel the power of being creative.

Spring is the perfect time to check out of “Tan Town” and go for the bold. Crack open the window to the outdoors and let the creativity in during the most beautiful and transformative season.

Source: Kansascity.com

Reach Patrick Madden, a partner at Madden-McFarland Furniture & Design Boutique, 1903 W. 135th St. in Leawood, at pat@maddenmcfarland.com.

This mountain modern home located at the foot of the Gore Range in Three Peaks. Dubbed “Raven’s Nest” the home is a tight design collaboration between Mark Hogan at bhh Partners and Michael Rath at Trilogy Partners with plenty of insight and opportunity provided by the owners. Lots of glass on the south and west mountain facing sides, this 4000 square foot home is a legacy home for a young family that adores the outdoors. The home features a 30 foot high barrel vault ceiling at the entry, a custom water feature and massive chandeliers designed by Trilogy Partners. This was a BIM project, modeling, interiors, and materials selections by Trilogy Partners.

From the homeowner:  “It was while standing in a gallery in Hanoi one day last year that I learned to appreciate the true power of Trilogy’s 3D modeling technology. We had been searching for paintings for our new home in Summit County, but were having difficulty selecting individual pieces, uncertain how they would mesh with the planned design. The stress was increased by the fact that I was shopping alone, 8000 miles away from my wife in Colorado, and desperately afraid of making a mistake! Seeking advice, I sent a series of iPhone photos to Michael. Within hours, both of us received screenshots displaying the artwork as it would actually look in place, along with lighting, finishes, and furniture. This made our decision process so much easier, and it was amazing how closely the depictions in the model matched the finished product!

As we contemplated building our first custom home, we heard plenty of horror stories from friends and relatives. Our experience with Trilogy, however, belied all such expectations. Michael made the design process exciting and fun as we saw our ideas gradually take shape in the model. The computerized, online process made it easy to test out even small design changes and also allowed us to meet remotely when we didn’t have time to travel to Frisco. The software was incredibly detailed and powerful, allowing Michael to design even custom elements such as lighting fixtures and a water feature. Once we began construction, we found Trilogy to be good partners. They were transparent in their accounting and treated us with honesty and fairness at all times. When our home was finished we were dazzled, but not surprised, because it was just like the model! We found the build quality to be excellent; when problems have come up, Michael and our project manager Bill Ashley have been very responsive in addressing them, even long after the project was complete. They take great pride in their work and are not satisfied until everything is perfect. I have no reservations recommending Michael Rath and his team to anyone planning to build in the Colorado mountains, or anywhere else for that matter!”

Take the virtual tour of a Trilogy home in Silverthorne, Colorado.

Desktop Computer or Laptop– Click the link and allow the page to load. To start the Guided Tour, use your mouse to click the “play” button in the bottom left corner of the screen. You can pause the Guided Tour at any time by pressing the space bar, and resume the tour by again pressing play. To move through the space, use your arrow keys. To look up or down,  click & drag with your mouse. Moving up and down stairs is usually easier by clicking your mouse on one of the clear circles. Click on the dollhouse icon in the bottom right of the screen to view the entire space at once in either dollhouse or floorplan view.

On a phone, tablet or touchscreen– Once the page loads, press the play button for the Guided Tour, tap the screen to pause and explore the space, then press play again to resume tour. To move freely through the space, tap on the screen where you want to go. Drag your finger across the screen to look up, down, left or right. Tap the dollhouse icon in the bottom right to view the entire space at once in either dollhouse or floorplan view.

Going green doesn’t have to cost more. Experts at the NAHB Research Center have identified design and construction tactics that builders have used to minimize the cost premium for green.

Constructing a green home does come with some added costs, but a lot of builders find that green practices can actually reduce their construction costs and enhance the quality of the homes they build. Many green practices also result in operational and maintenance savings for homeowners.

Using a combination of input from builders participating in the National Green Building Certification Program and results from recent research we did for HUD on the costs and benefits of green affordable housing, the NAHB Research Center has identified seven beneficial practices to consider when building green for the affordable market.

1. Work closely with your suppliers

If you’re new to green building in general or to building green homes with a lower price point, you may want to start your journey by talking with your product suppliers.

Richmond, Va.-based First Richmond Associates has been building quality workforce housing for nearly two decades. Recently, the builder decided that going green with its homes would provide even greater value to customers and set its product apart from the competition. Susan Hadder, president of First Richmond, admits the company didn’t know much about green building, so she let her suppliers know about the new direction they were taking and asked for their help.

“A lot of them were as new to green as we were,” says Hadder, “but they were excited to help us find the best product options available from various manufacturers. It was kind of fun for everyone to discover something new.”

Hadder says she got very quick responses from all her product reps, along with some incentives, which helped her identify what the company needed to get its new green homes certified to the National Green Building Standard (ICC 700). She was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the green product options that would garner points for the home in the certification process were actually an even swap for her in terms of price.

Specifically with flooring options, she found that recycled-content carpet and padding, engineered hardwood flooring, and recycled tile for the bathrooms were all competitively priced with the products she traditionally used — some a few pennies more per unit, some a few pennies less. First Richmond now has two of their Earth-Friendly workforce homes (sales prices range from the $170,000’s to low $200,000’s) Green Certified to ICC 700 by the NAHB Research Center, and the company has plans for more.

2. Look for two-for-one green product benefits

To maximize green benefits while keeping construction costs low, use products or practices with multiple green features. For example, when specifying cabinets or cabinet materials, look for those that have low- or no-formaldehyde content and are made of recycled material. That way, you may be able to gain green certification points for both indoor environmental quality and resource efficiency. While most green rating systems won’t allow for “double dipping” on points (i.e., claiming points in more than one area for the same green attribute in the same product or practice), most will allow for multiple green attributes in the same product to be counted across multiple point categories.

3. Don’t forget about water efficiency

In our work with HUD, we found that water efficiency improvements for both new and renovated affordable projects are commonly overlooked even though they offer a quantifiable benefit to homeowners for little to no additional construction cost. Be sure not to discount the cost benefits for affordable clients of low-flow faucets, toilets, and showerheads, as well as rated water-saving appliances.

As for finding the products at an affordable price, there is a much wider array of low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads on the market today than even five years ago, and the most basic models are cost neutral with comparable non-low-flow fixtures. Most major plumbing product manufacturers now offer these products, eliminating the need for costly special orders, in most cases. With bathroom sink faucets, even if your manufacturer of choice doesn’t make a low-flow version, you can buy replacement aerators that satisfy the requirements of most national green rating systems for around $2 a piece.

New construction on the Goose Pasture Tarn in Blue River, Colorado outside of Breckenridge.

 

4. Consider alternative framing techniques

Some changes in your framing materials or techniques might provide both cost/time savings and a means to an end in securing points toward green certification. For instance, consider using panels or trusses in lieu of site-built systems. These techniques are labor and resource efficient, resulting in less on-site waste and possibly lower labor and materials cost overall. Fabricated systems often create greater thermal efficiency over stick frames. Many green rating systems, including the National Green Building Standard, also award points for use of panels and trusses.

If you want to continue framing totally on site, there are several optimum value engineering (OVE) techniques that can save on material or labor costs, and can generate green points at the same time. Look into options like:

• Ladder blocking — uses less wood; provides more room for insulation; gets green points
• Two-stud corners — at least one less stud at each corner; allows for more fully insulated corner; gets green points
• Switch from 2x4s at 16 inches on center to 2x6s at 24 inches on center — may result in small increase in incremental cost initially, but gets a lot of green bang for your buck.

5. Explore low-cost strategies with design

Green, at any price point, is not accomplished through product selection alone. Many of the other “ingredients” for a green home involve strategies that can cost very little or nothing at all. For example, depending on the orientation and size of your lot, flipping a house plan is a very low-cost, low-effort activity that can result in green benefits like positioning the majority of windows on the south side of a home for passive solar and natural lighting gains.

6. Pay attention to placement and sizing of hvac and plumbing systems

Optimize your duct runs and centrally locate your mechanical room for material cost savings and increased energy efficiency. Even for smaller homes, be sure not to have more ducts or longer duct runs than you need in any part of the house. Using a central return also reduces material costs and is a simple system that can provide adequate circulation and cost savings to both you and your buyers.

Placing all your HVAC equipment, including ducts, in conditioned space within the home is also beneficial. In addition to creating significant energy savings for homeowners, this practice may also allow you to spec smaller, less-expensive HVAC equipment and limit or eliminate the need for additional insulation for the duct system. Many homes today, even those that may be otherwise energy and resource efficient, have oversized HVAC equipment. As the building envelope of your homes becomes tighter and more energy efficient, the HVAC burden is significantly reduced. A smaller system obviously costs less and could offset other green upgrades you’re making in your homes.

For your plumbing system, make sure you have chosen the most efficient design for your purposes. For multi-story homes, consider a stacked system, which will probably require shorter plumbing runs, less piping, and possibly less labor time from your plumbing contractor. Also consider centrally locating your water heater, as a central location makes the average of every run shorter, thereby reducing material costs.

7. Rely on green design professionals

Green homes often require a higher degree of precision in their design and construction to ensure that the finished product works the way it was designed to work, as a whole house relying on interdependent systems for its optimum efficiency and homeowner comfort. Having experts well versed in green products, practices, and protocols can save you thousands of dollars in trial-and-error and callbacks in the long run.

That being said, there are different ways to go about creating your design team. One way is to seek out experts in areas such as mechanical systems, plumbing design, and landscape architecture, with specific expertise in green building practices. Another tactic is to rally those with whom you already work to the pursuit of greener, more efficient homes. Similar to the enthusiasm and excitement Susan Hadder generated with her suppliers when First Richmond began seeking green solutions, you may generate the same kind of interest with your existing construction partners to learn all they can and contribute. Either way, it’s important to get everyone in your construction chain on the same page with what you’re trying to accomplish. Contractors and suppliers that are not informed can create inadvertent barriers to your ultimate success.

More information and technical detail about these techniques can be found on the Research Center’s technical website,www.ToolBase.org.

Created in 1964, the NAHB Research Center (www.nahbrc.com) is a full-service product commercialization company that strives to make housing more durable, affordable, and efficient. The Research Center provides public and private clients with an unrivaled depth of understanding of the housing industry and access to its business leaders.

Source : Professional Builder

Extreme remodel on the Goose Pasture Tarn in Blue River, Colorado

Source: Better Homes and Gardens bhg.com

A mantle can be the centerpiece of your holiday decorations and a chance to showcase traditional holiday decorations, or customize it to show off your own personal style.

Use these tips to create a mantel masterpiece for the holidays:

• Sometimes, a subtle touch is better than something that stands out. Consider using a combination of muted colors and minimalist elements to make the seasonal decorations blend in with their normal counterparts. This saves you the trouble of having to remove your normal decorations, making the transformation both easier and less time-consuming.
• Rustic elements are a time-tested method with which to decorate your mantel for the holidays. However, if you want a touch of sophistication, consider using glass and a little metallic trim.
• Boldly colored candles can make a powerful statement if you are interested in something more artistic. For safety purposes you may want to use electronic candles.
• Think out of the box and repurpose items around the house (such as the martini glasses below or simple ornaments in similar shades of color) to be the centerpieces of your mantle.
• Festive boughs and wreathes are always popular.

Happy holidays to you and yours from Trilogy Partners!

Red is a color that has the ability to convey complex emotions, including feelings of vibrancy and warmth. When it comes to using red in home decor, we can turn to nature colors for inspiration.

In the fall, leaves on trees begin to turn red. Generally, this is a warm shade of red with a touch of orange undertones. These red leaves look most stunning against overcast skies that are grayish blue in color. We can pair these two contrasting colors — orange-red and blue-gray — together in home decor to create a vivid, yet warming atmosphere.

Artwork selected in Vietnam by the homeowner brings vibrant colors into the design.

Throughout spring and summer, red appears in nature as the color of flowers. From roses to petunias, red blooms tend to be brighter shades. They convey a sense of youth and creativity, especially when enjoyed next to other bright shades such as the bright green of fresh grass. In the same way, pairing bright shades of red with fresh, grass green and even the bright blue of a summer sky creates a home design that awakens the mind.

When it comes to using red in the home, Trilogy designers love replicating color combinations as seen in nature. It is the perfect way to create beautiful spaces and bring the outside in.

Explore some of our projects where red was incorporated into the design:

Asian Modern Fusion in Silverthorne Three Peaks

Riverhouse in Breckenridge Warrior Mark

Preston Way in the Breckenridge Highlands 

There is an unfortunate misconception amongst homeowners that a professional designer isn’t necessary. That it is a luxury most people can’t afford. This is simply not true – in fact, a professional designer can help you to avoid making costly mistakes, and thereby actually save you money!

The Top 3 reasons why you should consider hiring a professional designer for your next project:

They will help you figure out your vision – Putting together your interior design can be a bigger task than you might think. Choosing a couch you want may not be difficult, but making sure all the elements of your design complement each other can be.

They will collaborate with you – In addition to helping you achieve your vision, a professional designer will help you improve upon it with suggestions. By collaborating, you’ll have a much better chance at putting something special together.

They will prevent your budget from exploding – Professional designers can help you find good bargains due to their connections and will help keep you from making serious design errors that can cost a lot of money to fix.

Trilogy Partner’s unique Project Management Modeling (PMM) process employs a professional interior designer as part of the virtual 3D modeling process. See the interior design come to life in a highly detailed model before construction begins. For more interior design advice or more information about PMM, contact us at Trilogy Partners today.

Designing your kitchen space is something that you shouldn’t take lightly. More than any other space in the house, the kitchen has to be as functional as possible in order to be effective. A poor kitchen layout will result in a kitchen that is difficult and frustrating to use. This is why you should work with a kitchen designer.

The following are a few tips for working with kitchen designers:

Know the difference – Some kitchen designers work for certain kitchen product manufacturers, which means that they won’t be as objective about the materials they suggest you use since they work for a particular brand. The way you’re charged may be different as well.

Know the pros and cons of your kitchen – When renovating your kitchen, you’ll want to know what it is you like and don’t like about the space. This way your kitchen designer can help you fix what you don’t like while keeping what you like as it is.

Have a budget – Create a budget so that your designer knows what they have to work with in terms of materials and appliances.

Keep these tips in mind and contact us at Trilogy Partners for more professional design advice.

A smart, well-planned design makes your home not only more attractive, but also easier to live in. Trilogy Partners has been designing and building custom homes in the Colorado mountains since 1998, and we’d love to help you create the home of your dreams, too.

We take a team approach. Working closely with our design and build partners, we are involved in every step along the way, from your initial design to the finishing touches. You won’t find yourself making endless phone calls to builders and contractors — we keep everyone organized for you.

We work with your land. Trilogy Partners has created many beautiful homes and landscapes that integrate with the surrounding land features, rather than against them. We’ll create a space that accentuates the natural beauty all around you.

We’re experts on materials. As professionals, we have worked with many materials and can suggest the ones that are best for your home. We know where to get the best of everything, from stone to sustainable wood.

We employ advanced 3D Design Technology and Project Management Modeling throughout the design and build process. This allows everyone involved, from Architects to Framers, to have a better understanding of what the finished home will look like. And how it should be built.

Our clients recommend us because we stand behind our product. Completely.

If you’re looking for a Colorado builder and designer to tackle your project, contact Trilogy Partners today. Our team of talented experts is dedicated to designing stunning mountain homes for customers like you.

When it comes to designing your own home, having a clear budget is incredibly important. Without a detailed budget,
you may end up overspending and digging yourself into a financial hole. The following are a few home building budget tips to keep in mind:

Determine the type of project – You’ll budget differently for a renovation or remodel than you will for a new home construction. If you’re building a new project, then you can use a per square foot cost method for budgeting. This, however, won’t work for something like a kitchen remodel.

Determine additional costs – The construction isn’t going to be the only cost. Remember that you may have to pay for legal fees, land costs, landscaping, permit costs, financing costs, architectural fees, decorating and even the cost of moving.

Know what you want – Don’t budget for a standard oven if you know that you’re going to end up wanting a high-end stove. Know what you’re going to want and budget for that.

Choose Design Build + Project Management Modeling – Truly the best combination of process and technology available to bring your home project in on budget.

Involve a builder early in the Design Process even if you hire the architect first. Builders know what things cost. Designing without a builder’s practical guidance is a sure way to go over budget.

These are a few tips to keep in mind when budgeting for a project. Be sure to contact us at Trilogy Partners for more information and advice concerning your home design budget.

Here are some design tips to help you make your home accessible and safe for children and seniors. Source: Houzz

One of the things that we suggest you keep in mind when planning your home interior design is how it will function for every member of your household and not just you. This means making your home accessible and safe for children and seniors. The following are a few tips for doing this:

• Unique shapes – Don’t feel like you have to adhere to the traditional solid-surface rectangular shapes, which can be difficult for seniors to lean over as well as dangerous for children if they bump into them. Use curves and rounded edges to improve safety and accessibility and to provide a unique aesthetic.
• Kneespace areas – Not everything has to be at the same height either. A kneespace area in the bathroom makes it easy for children to use the counter space and for those in wheelchairs to roll up.
•  Lever faucets – Lever faucets are easier for children to use as well as individuals with arthritis.
•  Layer lights – Lighting is important, especially since we need more of it as we age. Use layered lighting by implementing natural lighting, accent lighting and dimmers.

Use these design tips and contact us at Trilogy Partners today for additional home interior design advice.