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Featured Artist Spotlight: JD Challenger

A house is a structure that doesn’t become a home until you adorn it in the styles and artistic expressions that reflect your personality. Here in the Rockies, we have a number of talented artists that would be honored to have their masterpieces displayed in your home.

native american artists to hang in your home — Source: TAB Associates’ Website

Among them, JD Challenger stands out as one of the most prominent painters of Native American culture in the country. His paintings, pottery, and sculptures offer a window into the people and heritage that can still be felt throughout our state.

While Challenger’s work is diverse and well recognized, he is most famous for his focus on the Ghost Dance period which defined a large number of the Plains tribes and the experiences they had in the late 1800’s. Indeed, the imagery and stories JD Challenger captures in his paintings show how this religious movement spread across Native American tribes. He also does a masterful job of showing how the ritual itself evolved and was used to unite and unify the many tribes.

For more details about the many American artists who are eager to help decorate your home with unique works of art, contact us at TAB Associates, Inc.

Building a Home? Find Space for a Workout Room

If you have an extra room in your house that you aren’t using, transform it to a room that meets your lifestyle needs. One way to do this is to create a home gym.

Add a workout space to your home — Source: TAB Associates

A home workout room doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as moving the treadmill from the middle of the living room to an unused extra room and adding a few finishing touches. Here are a few spaces that you can transform to a workout room:

Two-car garage. If you are very health conscious and have a lot of workout equipment, it’s highly likely that your garage would be the ideal gym. Installing a floor-to-ceiling mirror, new doors and attractive wood panel flooring could easily transform your gym space.

Sunroom. The sunroom is ideal for yoga workouts, with minimal equipment or weights.

Bonus Room. If you’re an empty nester or you don’t want to fill your bonus room with toys, transform it into a wellness space. Put free weights and balance balls in one corner, a stationary bike in another, and some yoga mats and blocks for stretching.

If you are designing a home with a workout room, contact us at TAB Associates.

Architect’s Toolbox: Creating In-Between Spaces

At TAB Associates, we love the creativity that goes into our work. Unique, traditional, and modern ideas are what bring our projects to life. One of the architectural design trends great for homes is an in-between space. It is an area that bridges the indoors and outdoors for a place to relax and enjoy the scenery.

bridging indoor and outdoor spaces — Source: TAB Associates’ Website

A patio or balcony is the perfect spot to create an in-between space. The photos show how opening or sliding doors create the walkway. With a table and chairs, you can sit take in amazing views of surrounding nature.

In-between spaces are most ideal in the bedroom because they create a peaceful entry to take in the outdoors.

An in-between space doesn’t have to be large. A small area with just a few feet will do. Something that is simple, yet elegant, can be just the space you need to create a relaxing spot for a good read to simply enjoy nature’s beauty.

Creating an in-between space for a home is a terrific addition, bringing style and comfort. For more information on TAB Associates, contact us online.

Elements of Architecture: the Tudor Style Home

It’s been a long time, but the Tudor dynasty is still going strong and can be seen in neighborhoods across America. Originating in the 1600’s, the architectural styles of the Tudor home still exude a sense of elegant refinement.

tudor home style — Source: Tab Associates’ Website

The Tudor home stands out with its exposed beams, white stucco walls, and either stone or brick facades supporting the structure. Steep rooflines and dormer windows highlight the outside appearance to create a genuinely classy home.

Tudor homes are also well known for their incorporation of casement windows and elegant chimneys that provide unique accents and decoration to the home. However, it is the entryway that is the most often noticed feature as it is often arched and embellished with medieval-appearing hardware and hinges that make you feel as if you are entering a castle.

Finishing the look is of course the landscaping that often incorporates simple brick or stone patios beneath tall trees that provide a perfect place for relaxation and entertaining guests on a lazy afternoon.

For more information about the latest architectural styles and how to incorporate them into your structure, contact us at TAB Associates, Inc today.

Distinguishing Modern and Contemporary Architecture

Architectural styles are constantly changing and evolving. Many times, it can be difficult to determine whether a style is modern or contemporary because they are so similar in their appearance. In fact, their differences really come down to semantics.

Contemporary

Contemporary architecture is essentially architecture that is being produced right now. Its lines and features are typically common and can trace their roots all the way back to the Industrial Revolution when the American home began to change and evolve. Contemporary homes are often simple designs with square lines, white stucco walls, and few adornments.

Modern

Comparatively, modern homes may feature these elements, but they’re also not afraid to break from tradition. Hence, they will often feature more glass and more open space. They may or may not be whitewashed, and are designed to challenge the traditional notions of design. Most importantly, modern homes take great care to incorporate the very latest advances in engineering and material design within the structure.

For more information about the latest architectural styles and how you can incorporate them into your designs, contact us at TAB Associates and we will be happy to go over some ideas with you.

How to Properly Utilize Scale and Proportion

With the mountains in the background and the wide open sky above our heads here in Colorado, finding the right scale and proportion for your new home can be a bit tricky. Getting both right will not only help your home blend into the landscape, but it will make it a much more comfortable place to live.

golden rule in architecture — Source: TAB Associates Portfolio

As architects, we use the golden ratio when designing a home. This system is applied to everything from the rafters to the light switches and makes it possible for all the pieces of the home to fit together in an aesthetically pleasing and functional manner.

To establish the right dimensions for a home, we use everything from different finishes to trim, moldings, stone, and brick to provide depth where it is needed, and to scale areas to create proportions that are spacious and comfortable, yet not overwhelming. The end result is a home that is built around a “human” scale that will leave everyone who enters your home content and thrilled.

When you are ready to begin designing a home here in the Rocky Mountains, be sure to contact TAB Associates, Inc. by sending us a message.

How to Work With a High Ceiling

As the ceiling in your home reaches for the sky it can be difficult to determine the proper way to decorate it, and make all the pieces in the room fit together to create a comfortable ambiance. When working with high ceilings, you should consider the following tips:

Working with high ceilings — Source: TAB Associates

To make the room feel cozier, bring elements down from up high. Long curtains, chandeliers and hanging lights should be used to fill the space so that it doesn’t feel empty.

Splurge on carpentry and decorative features. These provide texture and a sense of balance to the room. They also help to break up the space and make it more inviting. Integrating exposed beams, arches, trusses and other elements into the home design is a fantastic way to accentuate your personal style and complete the space. These also bring the virtual ceiling down to a more intimate level.

Use colors carefully. Darker colors nearer the ceiling will provide a sense of depth to the room, while floor to ceiling coloring can be used to create a contrast that gives the room definition.

For the finest home design services in Colorado, be sure to contact us at TAB Associates, Inc. today.

Three Tips for a Successful Basement Renovation

Renovating a basement is an exciting project that can transform the space into a comfortable retreat from the world outside. Here are three tips that will help make the process easier and will all but guarantee the basement of your dreams:

tips for basement design — Source: TAB Associate’s Portofilio

Give the basement some height. By making sure you have enough headroom in your basement, you’ll help open the space up and keep it from feeling like a cave. If this isn’t structurally possible, then use tricks such as lighting and exposed beams to create an artificial sense of height. If you can, add high windows or transoms to the exterior to get deep penetrating light into the space.

Style and Features. Choose a style and features that fit into your lifestyle and will accentuate the space. Basements are fabulous places to install everything from spare bedrooms to pool rooms and home theaters. Decide which elements you would like to add and plan accordingly.

Get creative. Pipes, columns, ductwork, and other structural elements are both unsightly and take up space that can close your basement in. Don’t be afraid to rework these elements and hide them so that they don’t detract from the appearance of the basement.

For more basement renovation tips and suggestions, contact us at TAB Associates, Inc. and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Considerations When Designing a New Home

Planning a new home is a task that may seem daunting, but is worth your time. One of the most important things to remember, especially if it will be completed in stages, is that all the construction needs to be cohesive. You don’t want to ruin a good home design by not having everything fit together.

tips to improve home design — Source: TAB Associate’s Portfolio

Always use a master plan. This helps save a lot of time and ensure better results, because you’ll be dealing with your home as a whole. You won’t need to worry about whether the master bedroom blends with the loft, or whether the staircase will look good in the entry area.

Make sure you keep the entire home site in mind during the planning phase. Issues such as whether you intend to add a pool or guesthouse at a later date need to be considered to avoid further troubles.

Know which parts of planning a new home need to come first in your case. Handling the most pressing parts of the construction first will make the rest of it go more smoothly.

TAB offers the planning services you need for a great home, contact us to learn more.

Keys to Designing a Small Bathroom

A small bathroom space can be challenging. There are a variety of ways to make your small space seem bigger.

Traditional Bathroom by Edwards Architects & Designers TAB ASSOCIATES INC via Houzz

When it comes to small bathroom designs windows are an option, if your willing to use heavily frosted glass. However, if your bathroom is located on the top floor, you should look into having a skylight installed. The skylight provides you with natural light and creates the illusion of space. If the skylight is operable, even better. This is the best way to get rid of shower mist. If it faces south it is a great way to get some free heat from direct solar gain. This is especially beneficial during the winter months; otherwise, it may need a shade on it.

If a skylight isn’t an option, you should consider the possibility of having a coffered/tray ceiling placed over the space. This type of ceiling makes the room feel bigger and helps with air flow, if the tray is vented to the attic.

When working with small bathroom designs, resist the impulse to place the bathroom sink right in the middle of your counter space. By utilizing a corner sink, the bathroom will feel less cramped and more counter space will be created. The best sinks will be ones that have deep basin and plenty of under cabinet storage.

When it comes to tiling the tub/shower space, glass tile is your best choice. These tiles make the space look bigger and brighter than it actually is.