By Kendra Dorosh

Interior Planning and Design student Gisela Weissman-Everhard’s attention to detail and commitment to learning are driving factors in her early successes.

As a student at American River College in Sacramento, CA, Gisela seized the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest as a learning opportunity:

“I wanted to really push myself to grow. With previous projects, I had been focused on the interior structure and aesthetics of designs. The ‘Melrose Place’ design was going to be really challenging – how was I going to build an open area that overlooks the pool? I was also nervous about the complexity of the roof, with how it opens up in the middle. This is an apartment, not a house, so I had to build multiple apartment spaces. I watched many Chief Architect tutorials over and over again. I felt really good when it was completed, I learned so much in the process.”

-Gisela Weissman-Everhard

By Kerry Hansen

“Front porches are where memories are made!”

Bobby McFadden, a photographer from South Carolina, won 1^st place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest. His grand front porch design is truly an extension of the home, showcasing Bobby’s passion for indoor-outdoor Southern living.

Bobby McFadden of Ridgeway, South Carolina is a photographer by trade. To Bobby, residential design is a hobby that he picked up about 20 years ago when, as a teen, he bought a copy of Chief Architect’s Home Designer Software at his local hardware store. He recalls the feeling of possibility that owning this software offered him: a feeling that he carries with him today.

By Kerry Hansen

Whether an architect, interior designer, draftsperson or design-builder, working from home is a key strategy for many. Carving out a personal work space for yourself can serve as an essential resource and is one of the keys to success and productivity when working from home. Here are a few tips to get going.

By Kendra Dorosh

Did you know that a person aged 60 needs three times the light as a 20-year-old?

That may seem like a drastic amount, but Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP) Adam Gibson explains the reasoning behind this statement: people over 60, “need more light, and everyone needs a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) to best reveal the colors of various objects. It’s no fun going outside in your black socks only to realize they’re blue. One solution? Light-colored walls washed in light provide more ambient light than the same quantity of recessed lights pointing toward the floor.”

Congratulations to the three Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest Winners!

Thank you all for sharing your designs with us and our community.

By Kerry Hansen

The maximalist interior of the Mondrian Doha Hotel’s rooftop pool.

“There are three responses to a
piece of design – yes, no, and WOW!
Wow is the one to aim for!”

Milton Glaser

By Jake Murray

Congratulations to Nathan, who has won the Chief Architect Design of the Year Contest for two years running! What will he design next?

In 2018, Nathan placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest in September and won the 2018 Design of the Year Contest in December with his backyard getaway. Nathan wasted no time and entered into the Kitchen/Bath and Interior Design Contest in June of 2019 where he took 1st place with his Kitchen design. Nathan then went on to win the 2020 Design of the Year Contest in December. He’s certainly on a roll and we look forward to seeing what he’ll submit next year!

By Ariana Beaudry

Second Place Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest winner Cindy Baker has put relationships at the center of her nearly 30 years in the design field.

Cindy Baker has always forged her own path, taking guidance and inspiration from her relationships along the way. Growing up, her father’s home improvement projects fascinated her. In school, a well-known designer personally encouraged her to make design her career. And after earning a degree in Interior Design at Oklahoma State University, she sold her car and moved to London where she, “opened up a phone book and started making calls.” She recalls, “I was blessed to find a prominent designer who took me under her wing and into her world.”

By Dani Forbush

Jennifer Collins with Inviting Interiors places 3rd in our Kitchen, Bath, and Interiors design contest with her timeless, versatile kitchen.

By Dani Forbush

We met two sisters at our yearly Chief Academy and were impressed with the business they’ve built, with family roots, just 90 miles from our headquarters.