Excellence in design and energy efficiency has long been the M.O. for architects based in the Pacific Northwest. Year after year, the region produces some of the  most innovative homes which feature sustainable materials and generous use of natural elements.

For that very reason, we sent some questions along to Eric Drivdahl, a Seattle-based architect who specializes in custom residential design, historic buildings and religious facilities. Drivdahl is a senior project manager for Gelotte Hommas Architecture.

What’s your favorite design trend right now? 
While the work in our office has historically been very diverse in style, I am seeing a larger trend in both the production and semi-custom markets towards a greater diversity in style. Here in the Pacific Northwest, craftsman style spec homes have been extremely popular. However, that seems to be changing.

I’ve seen several projects in the last 24 months locally that have branched out and have included other traditional and contemporary styles such as traditional farm house, Santa Barbara/Mediterranean, English Tudor and other historical reinterpretations as well as what we affectionately refer to here in Seattle as Northwest Contemporary. Consumers are seeking out great design in the things they buy, and I’ve observed this trend is impacting housing as well.

The floor plan for modern homes continues to open up each year and designated rooms are going the way of the dinosaur. As an architect, how do you feel about creating more livable homes with multifunctional spaces? Do you miss designated rooms? 
I think designing in flexibility to a home is essential. A home generally far outlasts the initial family it is built for. Some homes live on long beyond the third, fourth or fifth family that occupies the brick and mortar structure. It’s interesting that, historically, designated rooms were really the result of the common person trying to imitate the elite. Drawing rooms, libraries, studies…all were initially developed for the well-to-do aristocracy in Europe. When we started building homes for the middle class in America, we somehow thought adding these rooms would elevate the status of the common man…and perhaps it did in the eyes of the world. Winston Churchill even said, “We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.” However, the reality of the family today is that we rarely have the leisure time to ‘draw away’ to the drawing room for a good long sit or to spend our time studying linguistics in the study.

Modern families live busy lives of activity and generally want the most out of their time. Therefore, it makes sense that the ‘great room’ with the kitchen/living/dining/study all combined has caught on as a most popular design feature. All of these activities can happen at once and there is a sense of togetherness a family can share as well, even if the individual members of the family are engaged in the separate activities of cooking, resting or working on projects from work or school.

When budget and space allow, there are still good reasons to have designated spaces to keep either messy or intrusive activities from impinging on a family’s ability to enjoy the shared space. Exercise rooms, laundry rooms, and the like come to mind. However, when designing a new project, architects and builders should view even those spaces with an eye toward flexibility. Could the exercise room function as a guest room? Could the laundry be used as an art studio? While a client may not explicitly ask for this level of future flexibility, the one thing we ought to remember is what we design and build will eventually outlast the initial use for which it was designed.

A section of the Gelotte Hommas website explains the six components of quality design, including beauty, form, light, materials and rhythm. Perhaps this is like picking favorite child, but what do you see as the single most important component? Why? 
Truly magnificent design and architecture indeed incorporates all of these components. Can you imagine the Pantheon without its oculus casting radiant light into its perfectly proportioned floor plan? Or Fallingwater without its dramatic cantilevered materials cascading down the slope in delightful rhythm? If a client held a gun to my head and demanded to know which was most important, I suppose my architectural career would necessarily come to a speedy end. “Go ahead and shoot me…I just can’t decide…”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview originally appeared on the Builder Blog from Integrity Windows and Doors.

5 kitchen design trends for 2012
Housing Zone
“Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) surveys its members to identify the latest design and specification trends in kitchen and bath design. This year, 350 NKBA members took part in the survey. Here are five emerging kitchen trends they identified.”

The Psychology of Colour in the Home
Home Renovation Guide
“Given the bold hues chosen by the likes of Pantone (Tangerine Tango) and the Color Marketing Group (Boyz-N-Berry) as the 2012 Colours of the Year, some people will naturally question the impact of colour within their home and how it effects mood. Though there are differences of opinion based on things like culture and geography, there are general rules of thumb regarding colour’s psychological impact. Let’s begin with the Colours of the Year, and their more muted counterparts.”

Kitchen Workbook: 15 Elements of a Traditional Kitchen
Houzz.com
“Traditional kitchens are defined by their details, and creating eye-catching detail is not just as simple as putting legs on an island. But whether they’re Old World or Mediterranean flavor, traditional kitchens all share the same basic elements. Here are 15 details that help you create traditional kitchen style.”

Hardwood Floors for Every Mood
Home Design Find
An article full of eye-candy photos, this piece from HDF should give any hardwood-floor hunter what she’s looking for.

Each year, around the time of the International Builders Show, Marvin Windows and Doors compiles a list of the top trends in home building and design. These compilations tend to be among the more popular posts we share throughout the year, so without further ado, here are our top 10 home trends for 2012.

1. Energy efficiency: Americans are looking for superior energy efficiency in every important feature of their home. ENERGYSTAR-rated windows, high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners, quality attic insulation – they’ll all save money and make the home more comfortable year-round. Marvin offers more energy-efficient window options than any other manufacturer, including a new Tripane with Krypton gas option. It’s our most energy-efficient solution.
2. High quality, high function: Today’s homeowners want items that not only look good, but perform flawlessly. Fit, finish and smooth operation are essential – whether it’s a refrigerator, a sofa or
   a window. Consumers want both beauty and practicality. Marvin’s new Ultimate Glider is a complete re-engineering of a classic window style that combines elegant simplicity with tough performance.
3. Not-so-big living: Architect Sarah Susanka first proposed this idea more than a decade ago, and it’s been spreading ever since. The not-so-big house is carefully planned for the owner’s needs, not designed to impress others. Investing in high-quality components and finishes for the home offers more lasting value than paying for poorly used square footage.
4. Renovation nation: Americans are putting down roots; we’re moving less than at any time since World War II. Instead of moving, we’re staying in our homes longer and renovating the living spaces to fit our lifestyle. New kitchens, new windows, reconfigured living spaces – they’re all part of creating a home “built around you.”
5. Let the sunshine in: Screened porches, sun rooms and window walls – they’re all
   geared toward bringing the outdoors in. And with modern, energy-efficient windows and patio doors, there’s no penalty in comfort or energy efficiency.
6. Keeping it simple: Clean, simple lines are the order of the day.
   Furniture, tile, moldings, backsplashes, appliances – the less fussy, the better.
7. Make room for family: With multiple generations living under one roof more often these days, more Americans are making the house accommodate the extended family. In-law suites, bedroom additions and basement makeovers (including egress windows) are becoming more popular.
8. Aging in place and universal design: Older Americans not living with their children want to maintain their independence for as long as possible. That means universal design that allows them to age in place. Easy-opening windows, large showers with benches and grab bars, lower countertops – all help make homes more accessible and comfortable for older residents.
9. Indoor/outdoor living: Americans love the easygoing back-and-forth between
   their kitchen and a deck or patio. It makes entertaining easier and makes the house live larger. A quality patio
   door is a must for these high-traffic areas.
10. Lighter and brighter: Lighter colors and natural light make a home feel cheerful and energizing. “Daylighting” – using windows to bring in as much natural light as possible – also can help lower energy bills.

As the current recession turns in to years, the homes we live in are changing and the effects of this could very well influence home building for decades to come. The Wall Street Journal recently covered some trends they’re seeing, as well as things that are fading by the wayside.

• The end of the closed-off, one-purpose living room is coming to an end. What people want now is a large living space, with living, kitchen and dining rooms spilling in to each other.
• Older homes used to have a grand staircase in the front of the home, with a much simpler, utilitarian one in the back. But with the coming “silver tsunami” that secondstaircase is making way for an elevator. When people are too ill or infirm to take the stairs, it doesn’t matter that there are two sets.
• Instead of an office or library, a new trend is for a multipurpose room that can be used for working, doing homework, reading, paying bills, etc.
• A Jacuzzi in the bathroom can be wonderful, but how often is it really used? Most people use a shower for their cleaning purposes, so there are going to be more enhancements to that, such as steam.
• As the Wall Street Journal notes, “As the kitchen has opened up into the dining room, there’s less need for a separate, small table for breakfast.” What to do with that extra space? The sky is the limit but builders are seeing a desire for more outdoor space.

Now here’s a project to get you excited about the future of home building.

Students at the University of Tennessee have paired with manufacturer Clayton Homes to build the New Norris House, a real-life testing ground for the next generation of builders. According to Builder.com:

…The project acts as a living lab for energy-efficient and green concepts and systems, employing everything from a super insulated shell to a multi-split heating and cooling system to see what it takes to build — as well as live in — a super-efficient home.

The building team has pulled out all the stops in creating the most energy efficient home possible. It’s not the cheapest prototype, but the New Norris House is all about experimentation and thinking big.

Beginning with a modular shell from Clayton Homes, which worked closely with the students to develop the design, the home is as highly insulated as you might expect such a project to be. Using 2×6 advanced framing, the team reduced lumber use by 17 percent to reduce thermal breaks and replaced the wood with a 17 percent increase in insulation. An active rainwater system is used to operate the toilets, washing machine, and an external hose. The home’s water is heated by a solar system, that is backed up by electricity. And the home is heated and cooled by a Mitsubishi multi-split air-source heat pump that uses refrigerant lines that run through the walls and under the house, but that does not require ducts.

Over the course of a year, the New Norris House is occupied by Ken McCown, chair of the Landscape Architecture program at Tennessee, and Mary Leverance, a graduate student who’s completing courses online while working part-time. The couple are keeping a blog of their experiences to capture life inside the futuristic home.

[photo by Ken McCown]

Via HousingZone.com, a leading news website for home-building and remodeling professionals, we learned of the Sherwin-Williams Colormix 2012 forecast, which presents a range of 40 colors the company’s “color experts” foresee being popular, trendy or just downright cool in the year ahead.

So what do we learn from this new Colormix forecast? “The 40 hues highlighted in colormix 2012 stay close to home with earth-inspired, color family groupings: Reds, Blues, Greens and Neutrals.” More specifically, Sherwin William’s Jackie Jordan says:

Colors that are analogous, or adjacent on the color wheel, are a dominant trend. We discover a fresh array of combinations within color families ― be it fiery reds, watery blues, grassy greens or organic neutrals. … Just hone in on a color you love and the ideal, natural complement will be right nearby.

See the colors in all their glory here. Anything you see inspire you?

Consumers’ needs have made remodeling a bright spot in the homebuilding and design industry, and a recent report by the Harvard Center for Joint Housing Studies suggests that the long-term trend will continue to be favorable.

Several factors are converging to produce the positive outlook. First, as Baby Boomers age, the turnover of their homes will generate remodeling activity. About three-quarters of home sales by people over 55 are made to people under 55. The homes of older sellers are generally older and generate immediate and significant spending on renovation.

A younger person buying from an older seller can be expected to spend about $5,000 annually on renovation, the report concludes. In addition, the median age of the existing U.S. housing stock grew from 29 years in 1997 to 32 years in 2007 — also indicating that future renovation and remodeling are more likely.

These and other factors cited in the report suggest that the long-term prospects for the remodeling market are favorable for architects and others in the building industry. These trends were a topic of discussion at the recent American Institute of Architects convention in New Orleans, where Marvin had several innovative products on display, such as the Ultimate Replacement Casement, the Ultimate Glider and the Ultimate Lift and Slide.

We’ve long been a fan of architect Sarah Susanka and her “Not So Big House” philosophy. And it seems we keep seeing more evidence that a significant number of American homeowners are more interested in craftsmanship, quality and fine design than they are in raw square footage.

Affluent, mature homeowners especially fit this profile. The more money older homeowners have, the less they demand maximum square footage. Among Americans age 45 and up planning to spend $400,000 or more on a home, only 28 percent say they want as much space as their money will buy. By contrast, 46 percent of those planning to spend less than $150,000 say they want maximum square footage for the money.

That information comes from Margaret A. Wylde’s useful and insightful book, “Right House, Right Place, Right Time,” which looks at trends in the over-45 housing market.

It’s just one more indication that many affluent, mature Americans are interested in quality design and features, not just raw space.

Marvin can help  meet the needs of these premium customers with beautiful, innovative products like our Ultimate Casement, Ultimate Sliding French Door and Ultimate French Casement. If you happen to be an architect attending the AIA Convention in New Orleans, come visit us at booth 1453 to see all the latest products that will help you give your clients the home of their dreams.

Do you dream about having a gorgeous new kitchen that’s both aesthetically pleasing and practical? Maybe something like these dreamy kitchens recently featured on Curbly.com? Well, we have some tips that might help you get to that place or, at least, take a few steps in that direction.

AOL’s DIYLife blog recently shared some great kitchen remodeling ideas for any budget, whether you’re looking to spend $50 or $10,000 sprucing up what is probably the most-used room in your home. Among their tips on the lower end of the budget spectrum:

• a careful paint job with some timeless, stylish colors
• organizers for your pantry, cupboards, drawers and the like
• upgrades or enhancements to your kitchen’s lighting, including possibly installing under-cabinet lighting

On the higher end, about $1,000 and up, they mention:

• replacing your sink, faucet and countertops
• buying a complete “recycled kitchen,” which sounds a lot like getting a good deal at a classy second-hand store
• installing entirely new cabinetry

The article shares all sorts of ideas for projects in between the simple and the superior, as well.

When you’re thinking about making improvements to your kitchen, consider this trend as outlined by a home reporter for the Wall Street Journal: hiding appliances and other kitchen clutter while making the space much more comfortable and livable. What exactly do they mean?

For years, kitchen designers have been treating high-end appliances like trophies, making a stainless-steel-and-glass refrigerator, or a range in a shiny color finish, into the room’s focal point. Now, more homeowners are veering in the opposite direction, hiding kitchen bling behind wood panels or underneath countertops. The resulting look—streamlined, uncluttered, often with LED lighting and a mix of stone and wood finishes—marks the next phase in the kitchen’s evolution from cooking-and-eating hub to flexible multitasking space.

Many new kitchen designs feature adjacent seating areas with sofas or armchairs, instead of a kitchen table or high counter with chairs. The designs build in more storage and keep countertops empty, with sliding panels or doors hiding equipment.

Read more at WSJ.com.

What do you really need a permit for?
Home Construction and Improvement
A confusing, troubling issue for some homeowners as they start out on a remodeling project. “Though permit requirements vary from city to city (and by the size and scope of your plan) generally you’ll need a permit for major structural or electrical projects. Here are some of the projects you really need a permit for, though you are still encouraged to double-check with your individual city board.”

12 top remodeling trends for 2011
Moneywatch
“The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) conducted an exclusive poll of their top builders and developers for us and found that while most people are not starting major renovation projects due to the economy, now is the time to take care of the smaller jobs around your home. Call it the over-arching remodeling trend for 2011: Tackling small projects while you wait to do the really big remodeling project that’s on your list.”

Recapping the 2011 International Builders’ Show
Marvin Windows Media Room
Yes, we’re linking to ourselves here. This post is our round-up of news and information from the homebuilding industry’s largest convention. It features the new products Marvin unveiled, new products from other leading home product manufacturers, some great interviews, and more.

How to prepare your home and household for a remodel
Charles & Hudson
“Even if you aren’t doing the job yourself, you should take steps to prepare your home and household before a major renovation begins. Once contractors start running around your home and the demo starts, it’s often too late to lay the groundwork for an efficient remodel. Here are some steps you can take to prepare your home & household for a remodel.”

Get the lighting right: 8 mistakes to avoid
Houzz.com
“Interior designers are often called upon to give input about lighting in residential environments. In trying to tackle a lighting dilemma, many fixtures get specified in living areas, kitchens and baths that waste energy and do not get light where it is needed most. These ineffective specifications are often repeated as homeowners are unsure of lighting solutions and tricks of the trade. But sometimes, knowing what not to do can help make you look like a pro. Below I list 8 common lighting mistakes to avoid, and how to do it right, as demonstrated by Houzz designers.”