The Latest Lighting Trends for your Home or Business

Selecting lighting is a major decision when updating a home or office. With the many innovation choices in lighting and light sources available, homeowners and business owners have a plethora to choose from when it comes to assorted styles and sizes.

The Latest Lighting Trends for your Home or Business
Source: TAB Associates

For 2013, lighting trends focus on several areas of home decor, from color to energy efficient bulbs. The main trend for lighting is the finish with this year focused on polished nickel and chrome.

Energy efficiency is also a focus. Along with a decrease in any electric bill, halogen, xenon, fluorescent and LED lights provide more luminescence and efficiency than incandescent bulbs.

Recessed and track lighting primarily in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, dining room and family room are current trends. Track lighting offers flexibility in movement while recessed lighting adds a soft ambiance.

Light fixtures are abundant and designers want to make a statement with unique pieces such as chandeliers. The intricate and ornate design makes them a piece of artwork worthy of use in any room, including the kitchen.

Trends say standard lighting with no pizzazz in the kitchen is a no-go. Incorporate LED lights in dark areas.

TAB Associates has provided expert design and quality construction services for over 30 years. Whenever it’s time to redesign your home, call on TAB’s professional architects to fully outfit your home in style.

The Elegance of Wooden Ceilings

The Elegance of Wooden Ceilings
Wooden ceilings can add a homey elegance to any new home or property.

At TAB Associates, we like to keep up to date with the latest in architecture and design trends, and there’s one Colorado home design trend that’s really grabbing our attention — wooden ceilings.

Wood plank ceilings are a popular choice for a wide variety of reasons. They not only add an element of elegance to a home, they also are practical, can be sustainable and ecologically sound, and can go along with different design varieties. From the planked ceilings of a rustic log cabin, to the high gloss of a dramatic vaulted ceiling, wood is one of the best media to use in designing an interior.

Different types of paneling can add different textures and moods to a room — dark woods, light woods, and everything in between can help you create the atmosphere that you want the most in your home. From a rich dark wooden ceiling to create an intimate dining room, to a bright, high gloss wood to create an open and bright space in the living room, this material is ideal.

Consider using wooden ceilings for your next remodeling project — this is a Colorado home design trend that’s popular because combines form and function!

Image courtesy of TAB Associates

What’s Trending: 2013 Fall and Winter Interior Design Trends

Fall interior design trends for 2013 affect the choices of residential home owners, commercial businesses, resorts or any location that benefits from creating innovative interiors. The fall/winter trends of 2013 utilize a palette of colors with an infusion of individual attitude, ranging from bold to pastel.

What's Trending: 2013 Fall and Winter Interior Design Trends
Use these new, innovative interior design trends as the colder weather returns.

The four trends for the upcoming season are: Flint, Storm, Clash and Alpine.

Flint incorporates the rich colors of the earth’s soil, complimented by warm neutrals and rust. The trend blends bold with soft to generate a sophisticated environment, while retaining an edge.

Storm runs the gamut of color intensity, from hot to cold, using rich, deep blues and smokey shades to bright canary yellow and softer colors of salmon and sand. It is an expressive and light and airy theme.

Clash makes a statement using bold colors tempered with pastels, resulting in a positive and expressive interior. The elegant, bold and sophisticated theme works well in luxury environments.

Alpine is refreshing with its approach to warm reds and natural greens and brown. The trend is inviting and friendly, combining colors with natural materials such as wood and cork.

TAB Associates has more than 30 years of experience with in architecture services including development, planning and professional design services.

Image courtesy of TAB

Inside Scoop: How Do Rooms Get Their Names?

Inside Scoop: How Do Rooms Get Their Names?
Check out these neat reasons why certain rooms earned their name. Source: TAB

Have you ever wondered about how the rooms in your home received their name? To help you understand, we have broken down the meaning of the most popular rooms and where they get their name from in a recent post we published on the DCD Home website. Check it out for yourself:

What is in a name anyway? Great Room, the most misused room name today. A BIG Living Room is not a Great Room. It may be a GREAT room, but unless the Kitchen and Dining are part of the same space, it is just a plain old Living Room, maybe large nonetheless.

Colloquial terms are head scratchers too. In Florida, a room that started as a screened porch, then got jalousie windows, then finally awning windows was a Florida Room. It is just a renovated closed-in screen porch. And the screen porch here in Colorado is a Lanai. I think it is a Hawaiian name?!

The room next to the Kitchen, the one with the couch. No, not the Living Room. The less formal one. Some places it is a Family Room. Oh, not here in Colorado, it has a fireplace, so it must be the Hearth Room.

We once got a project from a developer, a lot in Beaver Creek, that had a set of design drawings with it. We threw them away, but in these drawings there was a foyer, then a hall named the Antebellum, then a cross axis hall. What in the hell is an Antebellum? We looked it up. It means “before the Civil War”. I guess it was a very OLD hall?! Why not Grand Hall? No, ‘Hall’ is negative, “that house has a lot of halls.” Wasted space. So we rename halls to friendly names, like Gallery. Yes, that is where we find art or sometimes just windows with plein art. Art is cultural. Culture is good. Gallery is good.

Office, Study, Library. Which is it? Can not be a Library unless it has lots of shelves and books. Lots of books. Is it a Study? What are we studying? It is probably an Office. But just part time.

Breakfast Nook? Is it really a nook? You can get six people and a turkey in there.

Mud Room. If you bring mud in there, Mom will whip your butt! Take your boots off in the Garage.

Awwww…. Powder Room. Not since the 80’s. It is not a half bath either. It has no bath, let alone a half of one. What should we call it? The Crapper? John D. was not fond of that one.

We need a Colorado Room. What do you think? A large dark room, with a nice bar, a pool table and a lot of dead animal heads on the walls, cigar smoke, and tequila. I like it. Feel free to use it. Or make up any other names that come to mind. We do, but we keep it in this century.

If you are looking to redesign your home or one of your rooms, please contact us at TAB Associates, Inc. We can be reached at 970-748-1470!

 

Explore the Latest Innovative Shower Fixtures from Kohler

Explore the Latest Innovative Shower Fixtures from Kohler
Check out these new showerheads being released by Kohler in 2013.

With TAB Associates, Inc. in charge of bathroom designs, customers can be assured the latest styles in innovative bath fixtures will be included in the project. Several new shower fixtures available from Kohler feature what customers envision when it comes to modern and upscale fixtures.

  • Moxie is a combination showerhead and wireless speaker ideal for enjoying a relaxing shower to the accompaniment of your favorite music or singing along to your favorite tunes. The speaker has 7 hours of battery time.
  • Awaken  provides three signature sprays. The wide range spray provides an overall thorough rinse. The intense showerhead features a more forceful and concentrated spray while the targeted spray has a powerful and focused water stream. The Awaken is available as a showerhead or handshower. Each allows easy movement between the spray types with a convenient lockable tab.
  • HydroRail is available for showers only or bath/shower combinations. The HydroRail shower column allows customization of a standard showerhead to an in-depth experience when choosing a handshower, rainhead or showerhead configuration. The HydroRail does not require any alternation of current in-wall plumbing and is easy to install.

Kohler has the sleek looking, easy-to-use and cutting edge fixtures you need for an extraordinary showering experience.

Vail Interior Designer Spotlight: Tracie Schumacher at Studio 80

Vail Interior Designer Spotlight: Tracie Schumacher at Studio 80
The right interior designer like Tracie Schumacher is an essential ingredient in designing the perfect home or property.

Vail interior designers are worth their weight in gold when it comes to putting a client’s vision into reality. One such Vail designer is Tracie Schumacher. With a team of talented designers with more than 50 years of experience collectively, Schumacher leads the Studio 80 team to the final goal of bringing a clients vision to fruition.

With a collaborative working environment that includes Architects, other design firms and contractors for private, residential and commercial projects, the end result by Studio 80 ensures the client is satisfied on all levels.

From renovations to luxury accommodations, Schumacher and company take on the task from start to finish providing project management, interior architecture and structural styling for specific designs such as fireplaces, custom designed furnishings as well as non-fixed furnishings.

Through visual presentations, clients see the project in progress through sketches and drawings that emphasize the lay out, space planning, special features, furniture placement and the overall style of the project. With clients as part of the team, it encourages a successful project will be achieved.

One of Schumacher’s latest projects is working with architectural firm, TAB Associates, Inc. ,on the Chen 3 Timber Springs project that focuses on open spaces and positive utilization of square footage to the maximum.

Mountain Home Material Trends: Natural Wood & Stone

Mountain Home Material Trends: Natural Wood & Stone
Natural wood adds texture and a roughen appeal that exemplifies a mountain home.

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.

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

Check Out the Latest Built-In Refrigerators from Sub-Zero
Built-In refrigerators provide a seamless quality to any modern kitchen.

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.

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.

Modern Trends: Open Floor Plans in Mountain Home Design

Chen 3 Timber Springs Bunk House will utilize a variety of styles on the way to becoming a dream log house.
Chen 3 Timber Springs Bunk House will utilize a variety of styles on the way to becoming a dream log house.

One of the best recent trends for building mountain homes is going with the homeowners’ likes and dislikes and individual preferences. Of course, with all the choices one has with architectural design, it can get overwhelming on just what to choose for dream log homes. Though, one steadfast trend we’ve noticed in log homes that should likely never get old is the use of wide open space.

Maximizing sun exposure with seamless transitions from outdoors to indoors leaves residents with a feeling of elegance and serenity all rolled into one simple and beautiful home project. If the space is used correctly, through consultation with your architect, the square footage doesn’t have to be enormous in order to get the open space look and feel.

Quality of space is often more preferable to quantity of space. The elegance provided lacks the stuffiness of formal dining and living areas, but still retains its grand stature and openness.

Our current project, Chen 3 Timber Springs, utilizes this philosophy of open spaces that are efficiently used, with quality outweighing quantity. If you are interested in learning more about how TAB Associates can make your dream mountain home become a reality, call us at 970.766.1470.

Image via Flickr

Fine Artist Spotlight: Nancy Cawdrey

Fine Artist Spotlight: Nancy Cawdrey
Nancy Cawdrey is popular known for her artistic works featuring the American West.

The spirit of the American West is alive and well today, embodied in the work of American artists such as the fine artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey.

Cawdrey brings a great deal of life into her work, dealing with all kinds of media — oils, acrylics, silk, watercolors, pastels, and mixed media — within her scope. Her most popular works include her western and western landscape pieces, done in vivid detail that makes each piece come alive to the viewer.

Currently, Nancy’s favorite media is dye on silk, as it brings out the richest colors, and her theme is Painting The West On Silk. Her love of creating fine art started 35 years ago, and her love of the West began 22 years ago with her move to Bigfork on Fox Creek Slough near Flathead Lake in Montana. She often visits the Southwest, as well, to inspire her work, and paints on-site rather than from memory.

TAB Associates has a great appreciation for American artists whose work embodies the spirit of the American West, and we believe that Cawdrey is one of the finest artists to represent that embodiment.