By Adrean Stephenson

The 2017-2018 NKBA Student Design Competition has been announced!

This year’s construction challenge partners with Habitat for Humanity and includes two separate entry opportunities; one for kitchen and one for bathroom.

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By Adrean Stephenson

When you have been designing Kitchens and Baths for 32 years and teaching the process to others for 14 more, it is next to impossible to not know your stuff. Robin Rigby Fisher is no exception, and it shows in the Large Bath she submitted for 2017’s NKBA Design Competition.

“I teach part-time at Portland Community College, an NKBA Accredited College. One of the reasons I continue to teach is to make sure that I stay at the top of my game. I want my drawings to be as meticulous as possible because I expect that from my students.  I think they are synonyms. I’m at the top of my game because my students are at the top of theirs. They are highly desirable, highly regarded. They are easy to hire. That’s what I like about teaching.

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By Adrean Stephenson

Over the years I’ve had a number of opportunities to leverage Chief Architect’s tools for projects with our friends in the industry. Not only is it exciting to mix up my regular routine, but I always get the extra benefit of coming away with newfound understanding of needs and details in these specialty areas; this latest project was no exception.

The Goal: Create examples of Kitchen and Bath projects that can be used as references for those studying for the CKBD examination.

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By Derek Pedersen

Have you ever wondered why you should go to that industry related seminar or evening social event with a guest speaker?

It’s because networking is an essential part of building a business.  Networking is an easy and often free strategy for marketing and sales opportunities, as well as connecting and building relationships with service providers for your business. (more…)

By Adrean Stephenson

Downloadable Sample Plans are a great resource for experiencing the features in Chief Architect’s software hands-on and in real-time. A variety of plans are available on both the Chief Architect and Home Designer websites. 

Now that the latest Home Designer product line has been released, we are excited to offer another set of great tools for DIY designers and Home Enthusiasts to showcase their talents. There are many new features offered in the product line that you can view here; however, today I want to share our process for creating new downloadable sample plans and shine a light on the sources of our inspiration.

With each new release of software, Chief Architect’s Art Department develops a new look for the products’ packaging. For the Home Designer product line, separately featuring 5 unique packages is no small feat! The goal this year was to utilize a photograph of a residential design that is well suited to the functionality available in the product. If you click on the images below, you can see that we create our version of the scene using the software and then display the rendering as an inlay on the product cover.

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By Adrean Stephenson

Custom furniture pieces like this coffee table are easy to create with Chief Architect’s modeling tools.

Additionally, 3D models from other sites can be imported into the program to create an endless selection of furnishings, accessories, and fixtures for your design projects. (more…)