We love mixing styles to create memorable spaces.  Pairing antique furnishings with contemporary lines can really enhance the aesthetic look of a room, but if done improperly it can upset the balance.

CasaSugar has provided some tips you should keep in mind when bringing these two very different design styles together.

• Give them something in common. Qualities like a similar silhouette, texture or material can bridge the gap between two very different items.
• Think about proportion. If a piece is very bold, either place it alongside less showy items to let it make a statement; or harmonize with similarly-proportioned pieces.
• Add context. Details matter…from the right-hued frame for artwork to the color of the wall behind it. Getting these little things right makes a surprisingly big difference.

What do you think about mixing styles? Share your thoughts below.

It seems that JFK’s iconic Terminal 6, designed by the brilliant architect I.M. Pei, will be destined to the same unfortunate fate as many other important buildings before it here in the United States.  Terminal 6 was built in 1970 as the National Airlines Sundrome. It’s most recent occupant was JetBlue Airways, which vacated the building back in 2008.

For years the once famous terminal sat empty, waiting for the day that the Port Authority would begin its demolition. It seems that the time is finally here. Despite pleas from both the design community and preservationists, I.M. Pei’s Terminal 6 is becoming a thing of the past.

Henry Cobb, a colleague of Pei, recently told the New York Times that the terminal was still “structurally sound and has proved highly adaptable to changing demands throughout four decades of use.” He even pleaded with David Barger, president and chief executive of JetBlue, for a “reversal of this death sentence.” He further went on to write that by saving Terminal 6 it would “further strengthen the distinctive identity of JetBlue as a sponsor of design excellence and an effective advocate for a sustainable future. ”

Another advocate for saving the terminal is Geoffrey Arend, founder and editor of the trade publication Air Cargo News. He recently said that “It represents an era of aviation.”

Already the concourses and boarding gates of Terminal 6 have been destroyed and it looks like the main pavilion will soon come to the same fate.

Photo via New York Times

Today Copper and Keystone mountain opened for ski season and like many in the Breck area, we know what we will be doing this weekend! Always two of the first mountains to open in Colorado, Copper and Keystone are great places to stretch your legs before the opening of Breckenridge, which is a week away. With 55% of our runs on Breck classified as black, you’ll want to put your best foot forward.

This ski season Breckenridge will celebrate its 50th anniversary, it’s actual birthday falling on Friday, December 16th. In its 50th year existence Breckenridge has become one of the world’s most popular ski destinations. That’s right, we said world’s.

The town of Breckenridge has put together some interesting facts on their first 50 years that we wanted to share with you.

• Breck has received approximately 17,500 inches of snow (1,416 feet) since the resort opened in 1961.
• Breck has welcomed visitors from all 50 US states and over 60 different countries, cementing the resort as truly a global destination.
• Breck has hosted approximately 39 million skiers and snowboarders since 1961 (the first season featured around 17,000 total skier visits, as compared to 1.63 million in 2010/11)
• Breck was the first ski resort in North America to install a high speed quad chairlift, in 1981.
• Breck became the first ski resort to allow snowboarding in Colorado, in 1984.
• Breck installed the Quicksilver Super 6, the first and only double loading chairlift in the USA, in 1996.
• Breck built the highest high-speed quad chairlift in the world, the Imperial Express Superchair, topping out at an elevation of 12,840 ft. in 2005

We love working and living in the Breckenridge area! Let’s hope that this year is another record breaking ski season!

Gardening is a favorite hobby of many homeowners. Now that cooler weather is starting to invade Colorado, soon many gardeners will be taking their precious potted plants in before the winter weather arrives. But instead of tending to those plants in a drafty garage or shed, wouldn’t a lovely garden room be a much nicer environment to continue caring for the plants? A garden room is a great sustainable room for your home if you love caring for your own garden and potted plants. The room itself is ‘green’ in nature because it is a safe place where you can care for your home’s plant life.

When you are taking care of your plants indoors, you need space. Plenty of room to move around in so you can take time to prune, plant and arrange all your potted plants for safe indoor keeping during the frigid winter. Take a look at a few garden rooms that provide plenty of room to get creative and maintain your home’s plant life.

Photo Credit: Howard Puckett via My Home Ideas

Southern Accents via My Home Ideas

Photo Credit: Andrew Bordwin via thisoldhouse.com

Are you looking for more sustainable home design ideas for your new Colorado home? Contact Trilogy Partners if you need home builders who know sustainable home design.

Now that the nation is finally embracing sustainable living spaces, many homeowners are researching more ways they can make their new home or new renovation more sustainable. A great place to start is with the floors. Cork is an excellent material for your new sustainable home for 5 great reasons.

1. Cork floors are made from recycled cork (pre-consumer) that is left over from the production of cork stoppers.

2. Because cork floors have air pockets, they make a very efficient non-conductor of heat, meaning they reduce heat loss in rooms and reflect heat back through the feet, retaining body heat.

3. By nature, cork is hypo-allergenic and anti-static.

4. Cork is resistant to mold and bacteria growth which make it a great choice for families that suffer from allergies and asthma.

5. Cork flooring absorbs impact so noise of dropped items and walking feet are contained in the room.

For information on building a sustainable mountain home in the Breckenridge, Colorado area, please give us a call at 970-453-2230 or visit us online at works.trilogybuilds.com.

Source: www.realcorkfloors.com, Photo:myatlantaflooring.com

Many homeowners are under the impression that a sustainable home can not be a luxury home. That could not be farther from the truth. To have a sustainable home simply means that the home will have minimal negative effects on the environment. There are plenty of luxury healthy materials available on the market today to build your luxury mountain home. There are also healthy finishes and furnishings available that make efficient use of resources.

Having your own custom sustainable home designed and built just for you and your family is a great luxury within itself, because the house will be designed to cater to your family’s lifestyle in addition to causing minimal harm to the environs.

Trilogy Partners

Photo via Interiors Digital Magazine

Photo via Interiors Digital Magazine

For information on building a sustainable luxury mountain home in the Breckenridge, Colorado area, please give us a call at 970-453-2230 or visit us online at works.trilogybuilds.com.

Boiler Room with Geothermal Heat Exchange System

From earlier writings we described the environmental commitment of Breckenridge homeowner Kyle M. to build an 8,000 sq. ft. luxury zero energy home. We continue today with the inside story of this net zero home. This writing focuses on the renewable energy systems chosen including solar electric and geo-exchange, along with an integrated lighting and electronics program that dually functions as an energy management system. Once Ambient Energy produced the energy modeling for the 8,000 sq. ft. home, the engineering and building team went to work to choose materials that would conserve as much energy as possible. Step one: Design and build a tight well-insulated energy-efficient home. Step two: Incorporate renewable energy and smart-home control systems geared to energy conservation.

The environmental heating and cooling solutions for the Breckenridge Timber Trail home demonstrate a high degree of integration among experienced professionals not unlike the workings of a well trained sports team. This team’s goal: design and install an efficient geo exchange heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system to provide 100 percent of the home’s space heating needs with a natural gas boiler backing up system. First up to bat was Barry Engleman of George T. Sanders Companyof Silverthorne. George T. Sanders did the heat calculations for the home to determine how much radiant floor tubing was needed to keep the house warming properly even down to 20 degrees below zero. Engleman designed the layout and Tekmar control systems that control the radiant floor hydronic system. Next to bat was Eric Atcheson of E.W.A. Mechanical Inc. based in Silverthorne. E.W.A worked closely with Engleman, and was responsible for the home’s plumbing, heating, and automated Tekmar control systems. Following Engleman’s layout and his own expertise, Atcheson installed the plumbing system for domestic hot water production, radiant floor heat tubes to supply heating for the home, and the optional snowmelt system for the driveway. The house received two high efficiency boilers that integrate with the ground source heat pumps and ensure the home’s comfort on the coldest of Breckenridge nights. Our third and fourth batters were Jim Dexter from Summit Professionals of Silverthorne and Bob Major of Major Heating and Cooling in Wheat Ridge. The two companies managed the installation and integration of the ground source geo exchange heating and cooling system, heat pumps, air handling and humidification. Summit Professionals designed systems and duct work to provide a fresh supply of air to the home and comfortable environment. Dexter installed an integrated air handling, humidification and Energy Recovery Ventilator which gives the homeowner complete control over the indoor environment. The Breckenridge home receives 100 percent of its space heating and summer cooling from a geothermal heat pump system. Geo exchange uses the constant 50 to 55 degree temperature of the earth to warm the home when it is cold outside and to cool the home on hot days. Before excavation of the home, the geo exchange wells were drilled. Major Heating and Geothermal in conjunction with Can-America Drilling Inc., installs a closed loop system consisting of 19 boreholes, each 300 ft deep, around the foundation and under the driveway.

Solar PV System

Photovoltaic Panels

SolSource, Inc., a solar engineering and installation firm based in Denver, was engaged to design and install the solar photovoltaic system, through their partnership with Breckenridge-based Colorado Building Company.

The Making of Breckenridge’s First Custom Net Zero Home

Dave Lyskawa, Sol-Source VP of Residential Sales, met the homeowner’s goal of designing a solar electric system that provides 100 percent of the home’s electrical needs. For phase one, SolSource installed a 9.89 kW solar PV array. The solar energy installation consists of 43 SolarWorld 230-watt panels with black frames. SolarWorld modules are 100 percent manufactured in the U.S. The solar panels are connected to Enphase micro inverters and an Enphase energy management unit which provides 24/7 system monitoring. Enphase increased the energy production of the solar array by maximizing the energy generated by each individual solar panel. SolSource also selected Enphase to allow for system expandability and is pre-wiring the home for an additional 7 kW system in phase two. The energy produced by the 9.89 kW array prevents an estimated 29,907 pounds of C02 from entering the atmosphere every year.

Lighting and Energy Management Systems

A final component to creating Breckenridge’s first custom net zero home was integrated lighting, energy management, and whole house automation system. Players were Chad Ballard of Paradigm Systems, Inc. based in Denver using the Vantage Control system and Daniel Stern with Electronics by Design in Broomfield. All lighting fixtures installed were evaluated for functionality and energy efficiency. “We focus on correct color, intensity, dimming and usage of the lights required in a luxury residence, while ensuring that the house is performing at the minimum energy consumption,” said Ballard. The Vantage system was chosen for its ability to provide automated and remote control of the home’s lights, HVAC, shades, fans, audio/ video and home theater distribution systems, security through sensors, timers, keypads and energy consumption meters. Lights in high use rooms were programmed with occupancy sensors that turn on when some one enters the room at a set intensity and turn off when motion is no longer detected after a set time interval. This simple house-wide lighting/motion sensor system enables the homeowner to masterfully manage the home’s electricity usage and significantly conserve energy. This Breckenridge residence is likely the “smartest home” in town. If homeowner Kyle wants to, he can press a button on his cell phone as he is driving up to his mountain chateau and engage a “Welcome” mode. With one button the lights turn on, the blinds go up, the garage door opens, and music begins to play.