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The 2014 Custom Home Design Awards

2 MIN READ

By Bruce D. Snider, Shelley D. Hutchins, Cheryl Weber, Jennifer Goodman and Amy Albert

October 10, 2014

From a competitive pool of entries, clear trends stood out among this year’s Grand Award winners, which are featured on the following pages. • As we build at higher density, designer/builders are finding clever ways to deliver comfort that’s cozy but not cramped—what one juror termed “a richness at being nearby.” • Picking winners amid rehabs and renovations was particularly tough thanks to a consistent level of impressive problem-solving. • As footprints are shrinking, we’re building up, designing higher ceilings and making full use of the rooftop as living space, especially in urban areas. • Energy-efficient is simply the way we build now—it’s assumed, with sustainable being, as one juror put it, a “normal part of the home’s CV.” • The high quality of modular entries made the panel’s job a difficult one, too; many of the entries, the jurors said, were “spectacular and didn’t look prefab at all.” • Again this year, outdoor spaces remain a top priority, whether in warm climates or cold, from opened-up fourth walls to courtyards.

Project of the Year

Truro Dune House
This unbuilt vacation house takes that approach to a sublime extreme, nestling into the dune as if tucking itself into bed and pulling up the covers.