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Vianney Baltazar wins 1st with her kitchen design


This bachelor’s kitchen remodel consists of multiple points of interest throughout the space. Details such as the wine cabinet, coffee shelf bar, glass doors, and even island on casters truly make the design come to life. By opening up a few walls we transformed this small kitchen into a coastal dream.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

Vianney Baltazar wins 1st place in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. She has a skill for bringing her clients’ visions to life, as seen in this bachelor’s kitchen remodel.

“Personal touches make our design process incredibly moving for clients and create excitement for the next steps in their home remodel” – Vianney Baltazar

“A career in home design has been an obvious choice for me from my childhood. My parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States, and I grew up in the small border town of Calexico, California. Growing up, my father worked full-time while my mother and I planned our dream home. We would watch design shows together, completely fascinated by all the details contributing to the showcased design. Eventually, my parents purchased our own home, where all my sketches, boards, and space planning was put into use! As time passed, I realized first-hand how much I enjoyed the design process and the effect an interior space can have on a homeowner.

“I then moved to the closest city near me and graduated from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accredited Interior Design program at the Design Institute of San Diego. I have been working in the interior design industry for almost five years now, and as technology progressed, so did my yearning for knowledge of the best way to communicate a design. I’ve previously worked with other 3D building modeling programs, but by far, Chief Architect is the most user-friendly I have come across. Chief Architect has all the tools to help you succeed in creating the most personalized design. The program has challenged me to get as creative as possible when bringing a client’s vision to life. Chief Architect has been the perfect fit for what our company stands for. (more…)

Robert Padgett brings his home design sketches to life


Robert Padgett's hand drawn elevation view of a home design.

Dani's Profile Image By Dani Forbush

Residential Designer, Robert Padgett, shares how he takes his design process from hand sketches to 3D renderings. Learn more about Robert’s story and why he chose Chief Architect to help his customers visualize their projects.

“I am a residential designer located in the Metro Atlanta area. I do a lot of work for builders – almost like a design-build situation.  A typical project would be 4,000-5,000 square feet, in the $880k to $1.2 million range. Our area is also experiencing a lot of remodeling projects. (more…)

Students at State University of New York Delhi take first


SUNY New Delhi wins first at the NAHB Student Competition

By Emily Black

A team of five students earns first place in the Residential Construction Management Competition.

The NAHB student competition was held at the 2018 International Builders’ Show in Orland, FL. The opportunity to apply the lessons from the classroom to the real world of residential design drew 56 teams from across the country to participate. Each team had to follow strict guidelines from the design criteria through to the final working drawings and estimates. The residential design projects were presented in front of a panel of judges who were residential building industry professionals.

“Chief Architect gave us the competitive advantage that we were looking for and we were crowned National Champions,” says Alan Smith, the associate professor/program director for the State University of New York at Delhi‘s Residential Construction program. (more…)

Leila Laskujarvi places 3rd with her basement remodel design


This Airbnb is located in a basement that used to be very small and dark in a residential home that had previously been a rooming house (5 kitchens, anyone). The home is located in a trendy part of Toronto, close to several large film studios, upscale restaurants and boutiques. I had to plan a layout for an awkward space since there was a support pillar in the middle of the main area, as well as one in the bathroom and several levels of bulkheads. The homeowners wanted this to be a relatively affordable renovation since they plan to renovate the entire house a few years down the road. I had to make space for a welcoming entry area with storage, revamp the kitchenette (to which I added a 2 seater bar), create a dining area that was separate from the main living area and create a space for a double bed that wasn't the first thing you saw when you entered the space. The bathroom was revamped a little as well, with a new shower, flooring, toilet and vanity.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

Leila Laskujarvi places 3rd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest. Her creative and caring personality translated directly into her beautiful and authentic design for her clients.

“I’m Leila Laskujarvi, a designer, artist, amateur photographer and all around crafty girl! I currently live in Toronto, Canada with my husband Mike. I first moved here to go to art school at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University), where I studied commercial design (advertising/graphic design). I then freelanced at some ad agencies in Toronto and got a job as a junior art director in Helsinki, Finland. Eventually, I came back to Canada and started working in graphic design, working for The Financial Post newspaper and Rogers Publishing (at Canadian Business, MoneySense and PROFIT magazines), both in the Creative Services department. I really enjoyed the creativity and teamwork and I actually met a lot of my friends at work.

“When it first came on television, I got totally hooked on watching HGTV shows about interior design. Then the idea struck me, I could learn to do it myself. We had recently bought a house, that needed work (the bathroom was totally scary) and I was feeling like I needed a change in my career, so I decided to go back to school for 4 (very long) years. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, but I have no regrets. I got my Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Ryerson University, a top-rated school here in Canada. I’ve been working independently for several years doing mainly residential design and occasionally collaborating on projects with an architect friend of mine. I’m thinking of branching out into hospitality design since I’d love to design a restaurant! But, first, I’ll have to take a crack at the building code books. (more…)

Featured Student – Jennifer Allen


2017 NKBA Student Competition. Jennifer Allen Elevation for her 3rd Place design.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

Jennifer Allen won 3rd place for her kitchen design at the 2017 NKBA Student Design Competition. Jennifer studied Computer Aided Drafting and Design at Front Range Community College and used the Chief Architect Student License to complete her design.

Jennifer was born and raised in the town of Boulder, the heart of Colorado’s Front Range. For much of the 2000’s, she lived in Arizona where she raised three amazing stepchildren and had a daughter of her own. After moving back to Colorado in 2012 she decided to go back to school while continuing to raise her children. She graduated in December 2017 with an Associates of Applied Science in Computer Aided Drafting & Design, a Certificate in Kitchen and Bath Design, a Certificate in Fundamentals of Interior Design, and a 3.8 GPA.  She also took several architecture classes and was able to participate in a design and build class constructing a tiny house which was auctioned off with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association recently awarded her 3rd place kitchen for the 2017 Student Design Competition awarded at the 2018 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Florida. Her winning design is showcased below.

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Amanda Clutter places 3rd with her 1920’s Farmhouse Kitchen Design


This project was based on a home purchased by my husband and I. It’s a 1920’s farm house. The house needs completely remodeled and we are looking forward to getting started once our loan closes. One of the most important things I try to tell all my customers when they are planning a kitchen remodel is “What is important to you about this remodel? Who is going to be doing the majority of the cooking in the kitchen? Will it be one, two or multiple cooks? Will it be a place for socializing and guests to gather? What items do you currently have in your current kitchen and where will they go in the new one?” There are so many questions to ask so that we can make sure our customer’s new kitchen is truly a dream come true once it’s complete. In this remodel my husband and I hope to keep the classic farm house feel but give it a more updated, open plan.

Pamela Tamaddon places 2nd with her Traditional Kitchen design


The kitchen was designed by Glen Head Kitchens & Baths for Anray Custom Builders, Inc. And yes the homeowner had a Labrador retriever. We are a Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry/ Brookhaven Dealer on the North Shore of Long Island NY, specializing in Custom Kitchens and Baths, as well as offering Interior Design-Space Planning services. We have been using Chief Architect starting with X6, this traditional kitchen design project was executed in X9 Interiors.

Karen Hamilton places 3rd with her Craftsman-Style Home Design


This home is to be constructed in Wisconsin. The client wanted a Craftsman-style residence with two owner's suites, a home theater, wine room, two utility rooms, and a total of five bedrooms.

Steve McCloskey places 2nd with his Clerestory Home Design


This house was designed from the ground up using Chief Architect X9. Our customer was looking for a modern style home with a lot of windows and open space. They wanted to take advantage of the sloped site and the mountainous views around them.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

Steve McCloskey placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest. His dedication to the business shows through in the realistic detail of his designs.

“I am from Altoona, PA. Our company, McCloskey Builders, is currently celebrating 30 years in business.  We specialize in custom homes and also commercial construction.  About 10 years ago we started to incorporate a design process into our way of doing business. (more…)

William M. Woody wins 1st place with his Log Cabin Design


This cabin is a stacked 6x12 log on log featuring two bedrooms, a large centered fireplace in the great room, an upstairs open loft, heavy timber beams, and heavy timber rafters. Finished with hand hewing, this rustic cabin will nestle in nicely in the Great Smoky Mountains, and look as if it has been there for over a century. Adorned with rounded cedar tree posts on the porches, this home will have wonderful mountain views from those porches, and be a relaxing place to sit and watch the sunset. This home is replacing one destroyed in the Cobbly Nob area, just outside of Gatlinburg, TN burned by the wildfire's that ravaged the town late in 2016, transforming the landscape forever. The production and manufacture of this home has already begun as the rebuilding continues for one more of these home owners. Logs where modeled in Cadwork. Chief Architect X9 was used to complete the plans, add textures, and finish the model. Lumion 7 was used for the final rendering.

Author's PortraitBy Kendra Dorosh

William M. Woody won 1st place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest. William uses his vast experience in the Residential Design Business as well as his skills with Chief Architect Software to create exceptional plans and renderings for his clients.

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