Leading the way are faux-wood tiles. Made of ceramics, they mimic the tones and grains of natural wood without the splinters, and with the added benefit of being watertight.

Further, you can select the wood look that you find most appealing. You can choose teak or weathered wood to create a seaside appearance, or you can go with a deep oak finish or lighter pine to soften the appearance of your rooms. Best of all, none of these options will ever scratch, fade, or need a regular oiling.

In addition to the appearance of the individual tile, you can use them to easily create everything from herringbone patterns to parquet. This makes them a diverse, and solid foundation that can be easily blended with your desired decor. You can even select different sized tiles to create a more natural, earthy appearance that’s sure to be noticed and appreciated.

Do you have questions regarding the latest tile design trends? Contact Tab Associates and we’ll be happy to lay them out for you.

The post Creating a Natural Wood Finish with Modern Tile appeared first on TAB Associates.

Architecture should be beautiful, but that beauty should come from the remarkable feelings of balance one experiences when looking at or walking through a space. That is not to say there is not room for personalization. Once balance is achieved with the larger elements, the little details of the architectural design are often used to give it some character. These details can be used to evoke the architect’s personal tastes or the preferences of the client.

Often, the zen-like balance of notable architectural designs comes from their simplicity. There are so many different forms of simplicity. From flowing, natural-looking structures to ones made from rigid geometric forms, each achieves balance in its own way. Often, it’s about experiencing that piece in its context, not as a solo work of art.

To learn more about zen and balance in architecture, contact TAB Associates. We aim to create designs that capture their function and the client’s essence.

The post The Zen and Balance of Architectural Design appeared first on TAB Associates.

• American house styles grew from a blend of British, French, and Spanish styles that were brought over by settlers. Homes started off small, and as the nation grew, home sizes increased. Regional differences also developed, with Northeastern homes being great forts to block out winter weather and Southern homes featuring tall windows to capture cooler breeze.
• In the 18th century, the Greek Revival style brought pillars to the American home design, and in the later 19th century, the Shingle style introduced banded, horizontal elements and larger openings between rooms. Frank Lloyd Wright brought the Craftsman style to the forefront of American architecture, paving the way for the use of natural materials.
• Now, modern American homes are becoming more geometrical and minimalist in design. However, many homeowners still built on the classic designs of the 18th, 19th, and 20th century to create their own, updated versions of these truly American homes.

If you’re ready to start designing your American home, contact TAB Associates to discuss your project today.

The post Contemporary American Home Design Across the Years appeared first on TAB Associates.

Obviously, not every home design will work in an all black exterior coating. For it to really work, you’ll want to get rid of exterior design elements that would distract from the boldness of the black color, such as the coordinating trim color. This will help provide the home’s structure with a minimalist and clean look that will have a powerful effect.

If cloaking your entire home in black seems a little excessive to you, you can help add a bit of visual levity by using white trim as a strong contrast that’s just as bold as the choice of black. Add a splash of color by choosing a brightly hued entrance door, such as one in a red color. You can also choose to balance the black exterior using frosted glass windows instead – this is an effect that works just as well.

Consider a black exterior design and be sure to contact us at Tab Associates for more home design information and advice today.

The post Black Is a Bold Exterior Color That May Surprise You appeared first on TAB Associates.

• Know your budget going in. This makes it easier to choose materials that you can reasonably afford throughout the project, rather than leaving you on a tight budget and forcing you to skimp at the end.
• Pay attention to measurements. Sometimes, it’s not possible to fit everything in a space without it feeling overly cluttered, so prioritize and know what you’re willing to do without.
• Think about the lighting scheme. With the wrong lighting, an otherwise beautiful place can look dull.

TAB Associates recently partook in a remodeling project at a huge log home in Bachelor Gulch. We added extra bathrooms, a workout space, and a theater to the space, and we also completely remodeled the master bathroom. In the process, we and the building’s owners payed close attention to the tips above, which ensured that everything came out beautifully and the home flowed well upon completion.

Contact us to learn more about this and our other projects.

The post What You Should Know Before Embarking on a Remodeling Journey appeared first on TAB Associates.

Consider, for instance, a home with a very minimalist exterior — clean lines, only two materials, and parallel geometry. You would expect the interior of the home to have the same elements, and if it does, the building would be said to feel authentic. On the other hand, if the home’s interior were cluttered with complex patterns and the use of multiple materials, the space would not feel authentic.

Another good example would be a children’s room that is decorated with bright colors and geometric patterns. If the window frames were painted bright red or blue, this would feel authentic. On the other hand, carefully hewn wooden, rustic window frames would not have an authentic feel. Authenticity in architecture is similar to the concept of unity — everything should have the same “character.”

If you’re thinking of building a home with architectural authenticity, then contact TAB Associates to learn more about our design services.

The post Authenticity in Architecture appeared first on TAB Associates.

A large portal may consist of floors, walls and ceilings that extend past an exterior wall to create a sort of porch for residents to spend time on.

One of the most stunning architectural trends that is popping up in homes across the country is portals. Put simply, portals are exterior elements, such as walls and floors, that extend past the exterior walls of the home to encapsulate pockets or frames.

A large portal may consist of floors, walls and ceilings that extend past an exterior wall to create a sort of porch for residents to spend time on. In some cases, a large portal may wrap around the corner of a home, creating substantial outdoor living space.

Portals can also be integrated as balconies. A middle floor can be extended, along with a roof, to create a projection of an upper floor. Add a railing, and you have a comfortable outdoor space.

Of course, some portals are small. A little wooden portal on the back of a home can serve as a miniature garden, where you can house potted plants and a few patio chairs. Extending just the floor and walls, but not the roof, results in an open-air design.

The experts at TAB Associates can help you integrate the latest architectural trends into your space. Contact us to learn more about our services.

The post Modernist Architectural Trends: Portals appeared first on TAB Associates.

The Craftsman style honors the use of natural materials and handmade elements, such as wood, stone, and brick.

Some architectural styles come and go, but others stay stylish forever. The Craftsman style is here to stay, and if you’re looking to create a timeless home that will look just as appealing in a few decades as it does today, Craftsman is a good choice.

The Craftsman style honors the use of natural materials and handmade elements. Traditionally, Craftsman homes are designed from mixed natural materials — typically wood, stone and brick.

Exterior elements of a Craftsman home include a low-pitched roof, overhangs supported by tapered pillars, a large front porch, and partially paned doors. Windows on Craftsman homes typically feature four or six panes up top, and a single pane on the bottom. The rafter tails are often exposed. and foundations are generally made from exposed brick, stone, or a combination of both.

Interior elements of a Craftsman home include an open floor plan, use of plenty of natural wood to create crown molding and wide baseboards, and double wooden doors that swing widely into rooms. Tall ceilings are also common.

Contact TAB Associates to start discussing your Craftsman home today. We’d love to tell you more about our design services.

The post Craftsman Style Architecture Is a Timeless Trend appeared first on TAB Associates.

Darker floors, neutral colors, and having large focal point pieces can help to compliment the rustic qualities of your home.

There’s nothing more comfortable and cozy than a log home. However, while the style of a log home will certainly provide an inviting and comfortable atmosphere on its own, you’ll want to decorate it in a way that compliments its rustic qualities for a balanced interior design. The following are a few rustic design tips for your log home:

• Design darker floors – Add some contrast to your wood log walls and ceiling by staining the floor a darker brown. This helps add a sophisticated balance in addition to providing some visual weight to the space.
• Use neutral colors – Neutral colors throughout your interior will help create a more cohesive overall look. Gray palettes tend to calm down interiors and help modernize your design a little bit in addition to softening your interior.
• Large focal point pieces – If you have tall ceilings, which many log homes do, consider hanging a big light fixture that stands up to the scale of the room. A big art piece can also help create a focal point and add visual interest.

Use these decorating tips to design your log home. For more advice on enhancing your log home design, contact us at TAB Associates today.

The post Refining the Look of Your Log Home appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some luminous lighting tips to help you establish the perfect lighting for your home.

The right interior lighting can make a well-designed home look even more stunning. Follow these lighting tips to ensure your home is perfectly lit.

• Place mirrors cleverly throughout the room to reflect light that comes in the windows. Mirrored table tops are even more stunning.
• A filter for natural light, placed over the windows, can make it appear even airier.
• The color of a lampshade affects the color of the light that shines through it. Look for white lampshades made from organic material for the most vivid light.
• Interior doors with glass panes can make interior rooms with few windows seem brighter and larger.
• For rooms where you want dimmer, more ambient lighting, use 20 or 40-watt bulbs overhead. For rooms that must be brighter, 75-watt bulbs are the best choice.
• A dimmer switch is perfect for the living room or dining room overhead light, but it also works well for table side lamps, since you can turn them down for ambiance or up for reading purposes.

If you’re working on your interior design and need more help choosing the right lighting scheme, contact the experts at TAB Associates today.

The post Light Your Home Up With These Tips appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some of our favorite “eco-friendly” projects that we’ve worked on.

Green building is more than just a trend, it’s the right way to build for the health of the planet. At TAB Associates, we’ve created many beautiful green properties, including:

The Bonidy Residence

This 3,000 square foot home has stunning views of the Sawatch Range. We used blown urethane insulation, an 80% effective air-to-air heat exchanger, and a passive solar system to keep energy use down. Radiant in-floor heating is supplemented by a wood-burning stove.

Holzworth

Spanning more than 8,000 square feet, this timber home has 6 bedrooms, 7 1/2 bathrooms, a 3-car garage, a hearth room, a ski room, and more. It’s located on a ski-in, ski-out lot. The photovoltaic panels and evacuated solar panels green up the design.

Madison Partners P.U.D.

With 112 condominium-style homes, this resort is situated on 21 acres in Avon, CO. It is still being planned and developed, but we are focused on attaining a LEED certification through the use of green building products. The homes stretch across the base of a mountain.

To learn more about our commitment to green building, contact TAB Associates today. We’d love to share our latest project and design ideas with you.

The post TAB Goes Green With These Beautiful Properties appeared first on TAB Associates.

The Navarro-Wear Residence boasts a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, meaning that it’s an eco-friendly home.

TAB Architects is proud to introduced the Navarro-Wear Residence, a 5.900 square foot home with a wood frame and wood accents. Earning its LEED Gold Certification, the home is energy-efficient and sustainably built.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. It’s a green-building certification program through which building projects that meet environmental and energy-efficiency standards are given ratings. The Gold Certification is certainly one to be proud of.

This home is not just eco-friendly, it is also stunning. With 5 bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms, it incorporates unique timber accents. Solar collectors provide heat supplemental heat, and all of the insulation is polyurethane spray foam. Air exchangers provide continuous circulation of fresh air. Set amongst the hills and surrounded by gorgeous landscaping, the exterior of the home stands out with its wooden and stone finish and unique, multi-level roofing design. There are even several balconies from which residents can enjoy the outdoors.

Learn more about this LEED Gold Certified home and our other projects by contacting TAB Associates. We’d love to help you design a beautiful, environmentally friendly residence, too.

The post Our LEED Gold Residence is Beautiful & Eco-Friendly! appeared first on TAB Associates.

The rustic designs of log cabins, farmhouses, and country cottages are becoming more and more popular in today’s design world.

Log cabins, farmhouses, and country cottages — they’re coming back today with a more modern twist. Rustic designs are increasing in popularity, but where do their beginnings lie?

Cabin homes, made mostly from natural lumber, were originally built by stacking notched logs. The logs tended to warp and expand over time, so early settlers would seal them together with a mixture of mud or clay, mixed with straw.

Cottages can be traced back to several origins. Early cottages were built along beaches in America and in Victorian England. The features they shared were bright, airy interiors, small size, and clapboard siding. Often vacation homes, cottages were designed for seasonal use.

Farmhouses were usually constructed from a variety of natural materials — whatever was available at the time. Wide plank flooring, fieldstone fire places, and roughly hewn ceiling beams were elements still used in farmhouses today. Farmhouses had big porches as these originally served as places to kick boots off and enjoy a view of the fields.

Are you ready to adopt today’s rustic look as your own? Contact TAB Associates to learn more about the rustic cabins, cottages and farmhouses we have built for prior clients and can also build for you.

The post The Genesis of Today’s Rustic Aesthetic appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some handy tips for updating your kitchen countertops with granite, stainless steel, and wood.

The countertops take up a lot of visual space in your kitchen. Additionally, they take a decent amount of abuse considering the how often you probably use them. This means that if you’ve had your kitchen countertops for more than a few years and they are looking outdated or beginning to show signs of wear, you may want to update them. The following are a few ideas for updating your countertops:

• Granite – Granite is a beautiful option that gives the kitchen a natural look. It’s also very durable and is resistant to both scratches and heat, not to mention easy to clean – both of which are an advantage for the kitchen space!
• Stainless Steel – Stainless steel is a good option for a more contemporary or modern kitchen space, especially if you already have stainless steel appliances. It’s non-porous, which means it’s easy to keep clean and naturally antibacterial – perfect for food prep.
• Wood – Wood is another excellent choice, one that comes in numerous types, from oak or maple to cherry. This is particularly nice in an island.

These are just a few kitchen countertop ideas that you should consider using. Be sure to contact us at TAB Associates today for more kitchen updating advice.

The post Tips to Updating Your Kitchen Countertops appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some tips to help you create the perfect dining room for both everyday use and for dinner parties.

Would you like your home to have a comfortable, welcoming appeal? These decorating ideas for cozy living spaces will allow you to create a living room and dining room that show off your sense of style.

• Pillars in the entryway leading from the dining room to the living room can give both spaces traditional appeal. A matching fireplace, in the same color and material as the pillars, complete the look.
• To make a large living room cozier, place an area rug on one portion of the floor. Center a coffee table on top of the rug, and arrange a few recliners around it. This makes the space feel smaller and more intimate.
• Natural wood adds plenty of coziness to a dining room. Focus on choosing a natural wood table that matches your hardwood floor and woodwork. Crown molding makes for a traditional space.

Are you thinking of remodeling your living room or dining room? Let the experts at TAB Associates help. Contact us to discuss your project and design ideas today.

The post Create a Cozy Dining and Living Room appeared first on TAB Associates.

Your master bathroom should be a relaxing environment as well as a luxurious one.

It’s okay for the bathroom in your downstairs hallway to be designed mostly with basic function in mind, but you should want something more out of your master bathroom. This is your bathroom after all! It should be relaxing and comfortable and maybe even a little bit luxurious. You should get pleasure out of using your master bathroom. So how exactly do you do this? By turning it into a retreat!

First of all, if the bathroom is decorated with old wallpaper, get rid of this and give the space a fresh coat of paint. Then work on the floor. Consider adding heated flooring in order to make your bathroom as comfortable as possible – especially during those cooler winter months.

Install windows if possible that allow more natural light to flow in. If it’s not possible, think about installing a skylight. Go with a frameless glass shower enclosure in order to keep the bathroom spacious and to add a bit of elegance. When it comes to the color schemes, we recommend calm and refreshing colors, such as watery greens.

Use these tips to turn your master bathroom into a retreat. Contact us at TAB Associates for more bathroom design advice.

The post How to Make Your Master Bathroom Into a Retreat appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some transitional design tips to help you create the quintessential living room for your home.

Transitional design combined classic and modern design elements to create spaces that are both relaxing and sophisticated. If you love transitional style, consider implementing some of these living room designs into your home.

• Try pairing a more traditional color, such as beige, with a more modern pattern, such as thick stripes or criss-cross patterns. For example, an area rug in beige and cream offers perfect transitional appeal.
• Lamps add a warm, special touch to a living room. Give your space a transitional, modern look by choosing artistic lamps in bold colors like red or cobalt blue.
• Large windows allow light to shine into the room. For transitional designs, choose wide windows that extend almost, but not all of the way, to the floor.
• Built-in shelves and bookcases are a theme in more traditional styles. You can make them more modern or traditional by keeping them simple with geometric designs. Natural wood is a classic choice that coordinates with most any decor.

When you’re ready to update your living room in a more transitional style, contact TAB Associates. We’ll be happy to create a space that accentuates your own unique style.

The post How to Design and Elegant and Transitional Living Room appeared first on TAB Associates.

While it may not be as exciting as the designing portion, budgeting is just as important when it comes to your home remodeling project.

One of the first steps in remodeling your home is setting a budget, but even that can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start. Here are a few tips for setting a home remodeling budget that will allow you to create a suitable space, and also avoid being blindsided by unexpected costs.

• Establish your budget before you begin working with contractors and designers. This way, you can let the people you’re working with know your budget up front, so you don’t end up falling in love with designs you can’t afford.
• Talk to others in your area who have had home remodels, and check with a few companies to make sure your budget is realistic. You might find that you have to settle for remodeling one room rather than two in order to stick with your budget, or that you can make more changes than you originally planned.
• Always understand what you’re paying for when hiring designers or contractors. Does your contract include materials and labor? Does it cover the plan sketch?

If you’re looking for responsible, reasonable architects to orchestrate your next remodel, contact TAB Associates today.

The post Everything You Should Know About Budgeting for Your Home Remodel appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are some handy design tips to help you through the process of remodeling your bathroom.

Bathroom remodeling can be very satisfying. You’ll love getting ready for the day in your new space! Before you jump into this project, however, you have a little planning to do. Here are some tips to ensure this stage goes smoothly, so you can move on to the actual remodeling.

• Make sure you leave adequate space around your fixtures. Too many bathrooms have cramped toilet spaces or sinks too close to the toilets because of poor planning.
• If your bathroom size allows for it, try not to make the toilet the first thing you see when you step inside the bathroom. The sink or a lovely vanity make for a much more pleasant greeting.
• Consider keeping some of the current bathroom in place. Perhaps you still like the floor, the shower stall or the vanity. Remember you don’t necessarily have to replace everything.
• Set a budget, so you can give this to contractors and designers up-front and protect yourself from surprise costs.
• Pick a few high-end materials to splurge on, whether it be tile or a fancy sink. It only takes a few to give your bathroom high-end appeal.
• Consider replacing cabinet drawer faces and doors instead of removing the entire vanity.  This will save both time and money.
• Consider adding roll-out shelves in the bottom of sink bases and cabinets to reach the stuff in the back of the cabinet.

Contact TAB Associates to discuss your bathroom remodeling plans today.

The post Planning a Bathroom Remodel? Don’t Forget These Important Design Tips! appeared first on TAB Associates.

Here are a series of several small remodeling tips that can make a big impact on your next home remodeling project.

Sometimes it doesn’t take a full remodel to give your home a new and exciting look. These small remodeling ideas can make a big difference with little time and effort.

• Under-cabinet lighting can make your whole kitchen seem more welcoming and open. It also makes tasks like chopping onions and preparing late-night coffee easier.
• A dimmer switch can allow you to change the mood in your living and dining room with just a touch of the hand. Set the light low for a romantic evening, or turn it up for an exciting board game night.
• A motion-activated porch light is a great choice if you’re always fumbling for your keys in the dark. You’ll feel safe and secure, even when you get home late at night.
• Soft-close cabinets and drawers are a great addition to your kitchen. No more fighting with stuck drawers or knocking your head on cabinets that got left open.
• A built-in soap dispenser decreases the amount of clutter on your kitchen counter top, giving it a neater appearance.

If you’re interested in making these or other remodeling changes, contact TAB Associates to discuss your plans today.

The post Small Remodeling Touches That Can Make a Big Difference appeared first on TAB Associates.