May 1, 2013 | TAB Associates Blog

Mountain Home Material Trends: Natural Wood & Stone

Incorporating mountain home trends involves the use of natural wood and stone. Both materials are available in a wide range of styles, textures and colors and add the perfect touch in creating an atmosphere to reflect a client’s individual taste and vision for a mountain home.

Exterior: Natural materials make up the list of options for exteriors and include wood, stone, concrete, stucco, metal panels, timber and recycled wood. A modern upgrade is the use of glass sliding doors versus the traditional rustic style wood doors. Another option that focuses on melding the indoors with the outdoors is creating a design with more glass areas throughout the home.

Interior: Wood and stone are equally important in the interior where colors, hues and textures are blended using a variety of materials. From antique wood, quarried stone or polished concrete for floors to concrete slab kitchen countertops and hand textured walls, the possibilities in design are nearly endless. The combination of the outside materials incorporated into the interior design orchestrates a smooth and natural blending of the two.

As an authority on custom mountain and log home design, TAB Associates, Inc. can turn your vision into reality. For more information about our services, please call (970) 766-1470.

TAB Philanthropy: Habitat for Humanity of Eagle & Lake Counties

TAB Associates, Inc. has played and continues to play a significant role in Vail community service projects. Since 2004, the company has been a part of the planning and construction projects for Habitat for Humanity in both Eagle and Lake County!

Providing complimentary services in all areas of architectural planning and design, the company has become a long standing partner, along with other individual and corporate businesses and organizations, in supporting Habitat for Humanity’s vision in building quality homes.

Through donations of time, materials, labor and money and a long list of dedicated partners, Habitat for Humanity continues to forge forward with help from its professional partners like TAB Associates, Inc.

TAB provides volunteers and support to cover a broad spectrum of needs among the community. Along with architectural services for planning and design, the company has also provided support for retail construction, renovations for accessibility, recreational center and park design and initiated a scholarship program for students of Eagle County elementary schools.

Through the generous donation of time and a hands-on commitment to Lake and Eagle County, Habitat for Humanity, along with TAB Associates and many other outstanding partners, will continue to make a positive impact on the community and its residents.

Current TAB Project: Avery Parsons Elementary School Addition

At TAB Associates, our Colorado architects don’t just provide people with the plans for the home of their dreams, we offer institutional dream projects, too.

One of our current projects we’re working on is the Avery Parsons Elementary School addition. This school, located in Buena Vista, is adding on a wing for pre-kindergarten through second grade. This will replace the pre-kindergarten’s separate building.

One of the best parts is that though the design and features of the 17,800 square-foot addition will be similar to the 1997 structure, the day-lighting scheme will be different. This a great enhancement over the current structure, which is subtle enough so that it flows well with what is already standing. The teachers should not even need the electric lighting in their classrooms which will be automatically adjusted by daylight sensors.

Additionally, we will be adding a bit of site work, designing and implementing a new playground and pre-kindergarten playground. Possible additional funding may be provided by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO).

If you’ve got a project you’d like to see come true, our Colorado architects can help with every step of the process. Please contact us at 970-766-1470.

Modern Trends: Creating Flex Space in Mountain Homes

One of the important aspects of architectural design is paying attention to mountain home trends (especially since we consider that one of our specialties). We’ve noticed that there is an increasing trend toward ‘flex space’ in mountain homes, and there are plenty of good reasons for this trend to keep on going.

By using a single space for multiple purposes, flex space emphasizes quality of space over quantity of space. There are almost limitless examples of flex space. From the home office that doubles as a guest room to a living-dining area, flex space can open a house and give plenty of breathing room without being a sprawling waste of under-utilized space.

With drop down screens and a projector, as well as the help of an automated window covering, a family room is instantly transformed into a media room. This is another great example of flex space.

To get the most out of flex space, it’s vital for thorough planning during the design process, with architects working with clients to determine their lifestyle needs, listen closely, and design accordingly.

At TAB Associates, our philosophy is to keep those mountain home trends in mind, but to work with our clients to fulfill their every need. If you’d like to learn more about how our philosophy can work for you, please take a moment to contact us.

TAB Project In the Works: Dando Residence

Here at TAB Associates, we take great joy in helping people build their comfort zone — a place to call home. One of the projects our architecture planning services are being used for, right now, is the Dando Residence.

This residence, situated in a very private Aspen forest, in the gated community of Colorow, is a timber and stone structure of 8,200 square feet. It is in the works to be outdoor living friendly, which shows in the design of the large exterior, with at grade and raised patios.

The patios are covered and uncovered. This will allow for outdoor living and entertainment all year round, with phenomenal views of the surrounding National Forest and the Cordillera golf course. The home itself will include four bedrooms, five bathrooms, powder room, living room, kitchen, dining, office, family, and exercise rooms.

Features and amenities of the Dando Residence include a water feature, pool, hot tub, three-car garage, and tractor storage.

If you’d like to be part of the process of building your dream home, contact our architecture planning services today at 970-766-1470.

Check Out the Latest Built-In Refrigerators from Sub-Zero

When our clients are looking for innovative kitchen appliances, we’ve noticed they turn to Sub-Zero for their needs. In fact, Sub-Zero is the popular brand for those who are building their ideal gourmet kitchen. It’s easy to see why, with all the choices they have for built-in refrigerators. Here are our top three favorites:

The BI-48SID Side-by-Side: This is the perfect solution for people who love to have ice and chilled water at their fingertips, but don’t like the appearance of having it on the outside of the refrigerator. Sub-Zero is the first in the industry to put the on-demand system inside the refrigerator.

The 736TR All Refrigerator: If you want your kitchen decor to have a seamless look, opt for this model because it has two distinct temperature zones and integrates with your cabinetry.

The 736TFI All Freezer: This freezer is 36 inches wide tall and also fully integrates with your cabinetry.

At TAB Associates, we do all kinds of projects using these and more innovative kitchen appliances, tailored to meet the needs of our clients. If you’ve got a project you’d like to get started, or have questions, please take a moment to visit us.