PB Design Awards: 20 award-winning projects that reflect today’s buyers

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - PLATINUM AWARD

Secluded Canyon Residence
Tucson, Ariz.

Architect Ron Robinette’s clients approached him with a serious case of buyer’s remorse after purchasing a secluded lot in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains, outside of Tucson, Ariz. The retired couple fell in love with the overall setting, with its large rock outcroppings, expansive desert landscape, and desert wash nearby, but they were concerned that the lot sat too low to take advantage of the area’s breathtaking views.

“One of the first things I did was take them to the lot with a ladder, had them climb up, and asked them to look around,” says Robinette, who has specialized in Tucson-area residential architecture since 1984. “They said ‘Oh my gosh, we have the best lot in the neighborhood!’ That was a fun experience for them to find out that they hadn’t goofed.”

Robinette’s design solution was to raise the pad of the house approximately 6 feet so that the main living areas would have spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. He then arranged the plan into three wings — the living area, master wing, and garage/guest wing — to maximize openness and views from the public spaces while offering privacy in the bedroom areas. The centerpiece of the home is a 16-foot-tall, barrel-vaulted ceiling that “floats” above the main living area and is enclosed in glass walls and sliding glass doors to offer plenty of natural light, views of the desert scenery, and outdoor entertaining.

In honoring the project with a Platinum Award, the judges noted the home’s site placement and creative use of materials. Robinette says material choices like aged steel panels in the master wing and real stacked adobe throughout the main living areas were made with an eye toward the clients’ contemporary style while reflecting the conditions and qualities of the special site.

Submitter: Robinette Architects, Inc. (architect)
Builder: SK Builders
Interior designer: Lori Carroll and Associates
Photographer: William Lesch Photography

Size: 4,540 sf
Completion date: May 2011

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - GOLD AWARD

Guest Pavilion
Sullivan’s Island, S.C.

The clients wanted to add a guest house and outdoor-living space to their existing property, but not in the traditional beach-house design of their main house. Architect Stephen Yablon responded with a modern interpretation of a typical Charleston, S.C., house that places a 1,500-square-foot, two-floor guest pavilion along side a 66-foot-long infinity pool. The narrow structure is elevated above hurricane floor level and finished beneath to provide shaded living and entertainment spaces.

The pavilion’s primary design focal point, the pool-side façade, is comprised of a low-e glass wall shaded with decorative wood louvers. The rear façade is clad in standing-seam metal, a popular roofing and siding material in the area.

Inside, an open plan design incorporates entertainment and work spaces on the first floor and guest bedrooms on the upper floor; living and dining spaces are on the pool deck level. Concealed pocket doors allow guests to divide the spaces for privacy. The interior design scheme uses a simple, minimal palette of colors and materials to emphasize the views and activities outside.

Submitter: Stephen Yablon Architect (architect, interior designer)
Builder: NBM Construction Co.
Landscape architect: Wertimer and Associates
Photographer: Michael Moran Photography

Size: 1,500 sf
Hard cost (excluding land): $655/sf (enclosed); $237/sf (outdoor living)
Completion: September 2010

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - SILVER AWARD

La Belle
Winter Park, Fla.

Built on a lakefront lot for clients who operate their business out of the home, this project features two formal entrances off a front courtyard adorned with an inviting water feature. The architecture was inspired by French West Indies design, with contemporary interiors, views from nearly every living area, and indoor-outdoor connections throughout. The home features master suites on both levels, with elevator access, and an open-plan first floor that incorporates a dining area, kitchen, breakfast nook, hidden pantry, and lanai/pool area with an outdoor kitchen.

Submitter: Phil Kean Designs, Inc. (architect, builder)
Interior designer: CRT Studio
Photographer: Harvey Smith Photography

Size: 5,394 sf
Hard cost (excluding land): $376/sf
Sale price: $3.53 million
Completion: April 2011

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - SILVER AWARD

Miwa
Winter Park, Fla.

Designed for an empty-nester couple with long-term guests, this contemporary home artfully ties together the main home with an existing guest house on the property. The design solution was to create a center garden and illuminated step walkway that mimics the main home’s entrance. The garden features a fountain, fire pit, pool, and outdoor dining area to create an inviting outdoor living and entertaining space. Inside the main house, there are master suites on both levels and elevator access to accommodate aging in place. The judges commended the team for its clean, sleek design, grand outdoor-living scheme, and creative solution for connecting the two homes.

Submitter: Phil Kean Designs, Inc. (architect, builder)
Interior designer: CRT Studio
Photographer: Harvey Smith Photography

Size: 4,728 sf
Hard cost (excluding land): $427/sf
Sale price: $3.02 million
Completion: April 2011

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - BRONZE AWARD

Beechwood home at Summerhouse Cottages at The Pinehills
Plymouth, Mass.

Inspired by the summer cottages on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, this move-up home is designed to look and feel as if it had been added to over time, with various “additions” throughout — including a third-floor tower that houses private loft space and a large master bath that juts out from the rear of the home. The main living space is organized as an open plan, which unifies the kitchen, dining, and living areas with wood floors, a real fieldstone fireplace, and bead board ceilings. The wraparound porch extends to a patio and sliding barn doors that open to a custom-built grilling area with an outdoor kitchen for entertaining.

Submitter: Pinehills, LLC (developer)
Builder: MacKenzie Brothers
Architect/designer: Forest Studio, Yarosh Associates
Interior designer: TS Hudson Interiors
Photographer: Midcoast Studio

Size: 2,100 sf
Hard cost (excluding land): $256/sf
Sale price: $750,000
Completion: April 2010

ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOMES - MERIT AWARD

Eagle Chain Timber Home
Eagle River, Wis.

In honoring the Eagle Chain Timber Home with a special Merit Award, the PB Design Awards judges specifically pointed out the builder’s exquisite detail in executing the mountain architecture desired by the clients, including the use of timber beams, columns, purlins, and splays. Other exterior details include fluted masonry columns, heavy textured cedar siding, stainless-steel railings, ipe decking and railings, and stone walkways. The judges also recognized the team for creating a structure that, while quite large at almost 5,500 square feet, blends seamlessly in size and scale with the site and surrounding environment.

Submitter: Design/Build by Visner (design-builder)
Interior designer: Victoria Dyer Interior Design
Photographer: Eyes For Your Interior

Size: 5,458 sf
Completion date: July 2011
Hard cost (excluding land): $1,950,000
Sales price: $2,100,000