Looking for some great apps for your new iPhone 5? Well our friends at ArchDaily just featured “The 10 Best Apps for Architects.” These apps are guaranteed to make your job a whole lot easier.

1.  Evernote- Organize your thoughts, notes and life with this great app.

2.  STEEL– Working with steel? This database has decades worth of steel shapes readily available.

3. Dropbox- Bring your work files with you with Dropbox.

4.  Instagram– Give your photos a retro look with this great application, not just architects.

5.  Sketchbook– Who needs a pad of paper and pen when you have Sketchbook?

What is your favorite app? Leave us a comment below and share which iPhone app you can’t live without.

Don’t let another ski season go by without a building your dream home in the Colorado mountains. A home in the mountains is a place for family and friends to gather while enjoying incredible views of nature.

One of the best ways to decorate your mountain home is with rustic furnishings.  Below are a few ways to achieve the rustic look in your home courtesy of Houzz:

• Consider the use of log accents in your mountain home.  For example, this log wood bunk bed featured in Houzz is perfect for accommodating guests at your mountain retreat.

Image via Houzz

• Mix and match weathered furnishings with modern and tailored pieces to give your home a rustic, yet sophisticated look

The Trilogy Partners team can help you to design and build the mountain home of your dreams.  Contact us today to discuss how we can make your dream a reality.

One of the best times of the year to live in Colorado is the fall with the cooler temperatures and incredible foliage.  There are a number of festivals that happen around the state throughout the fall season, but one worth mentioning is the upcoming Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival, which will be taking place the weekend of October 5th-7th.

The event will take place at Riverwalk Center, and festival-goers will get to enjoy a grand tasting of handcrafted spirits and vote for their favorite cocktail.  Admission is $20 and buys you craft cocktails, a complimentary tasting glass, and delicious appetizers.  Other highlights of the festival are outlined below:

• Poker Run
• Historic Saloon Walking Tour
• Breckenridge Distillery Tours
• Live concert by Honey Gitters (Bluegrass)
• Hangover Brunch and Brunch Drink Specials
• Local restaurants will be offering entrees for the historic rate of $18.59.

We are once again drawing inspiration from homes across the Atlantic. This time we take a closer look at this Dutch home, which is embedded in the moorland. Designed by Dutch architects, Denieuwegeneratie Architecten, this home is literally built halfway into the ground.

According to the Dutch architecture firm, “The thermal mass keeps this warmth and cools the house in the summer.” The glass facade allows natural night to filter in and also provides heat during the daylight hours.

Photo via Cush Design Studio

Photo via Cush Design Studio

This shelving unit gives new meaning to repurposing. The engine and roof were removed from this Jaguar to create the shelving.

Photo via Cush Design Studio

Skateboard stairs, another great job repurposing.

Photo via Cush Design Studio

We love the openness of this home.

Photo via Cush Design Studio

We’d love to hear what you think.

As builders of custom mountain homes in Colorado, we are always interested in seeing how the rest of the world creates homes that beautifully reflect their rugged landscape. This mountain retreat in Switzerland, featured on Architizer, is a contradiction between the traditional style exterior and its more modern interiors.

Photo via Architizer

According to Architizer, the mountain home’s exterior is a mix between concrete and wood, mimicking the nearby homes found in the village. Inside the home, the sliding walls allow homeowners to play with the floor plan.

Photo via Architizer

Photo via Architizer

This view is pretty incredible. We love the simplicity of the space with the mountain taking center stage.

Photo via Architizer

What do you think of this Swiss mountain home? Do you think it would fit in here in Colorado?

Looking to create your own mountain modern home? Give Trilogy Partners a call at 970-453-2230.

It appears that IKEA, the largest furniture retailer in the world, is venturing into the hotel business. The global retailer plans to build a budget-conscious hotel chain across Europe in hopes to offer travelers a way to travel in style without spending the big bucks.

Photo via Architizer

Although IKEA is behind the project, the 100 or so hotels will not bear the IKEA name. Why is IKEA getting into the hotel chain business? According to Harald Muller, senior executive at the property unit of Inter IKEA, “Budget designer hotels’ is today the fastest developing hotel segment.” He also states that the hotel will not feature any IKEA furniture.

The boutique style hotels will target IKEA’s existing fan base and will “mix high design with modest pricing.” Architizer writes that “IKEA also has plans to develop an 11-hectare site near London’s Olympic Park into a mixed-use residential/office/retail neighborhood. It would include several seven-to-eleven story buildings as well as a walkable main street.”

Would you stay at an IKEA hotel?

One of the major principles of modern architecture is that form follows function. Here is seems that form and function blend to create livable art.

Photo via dornob

What would you do if you could change the way the outside world views your home. One minute an abstract painting of sorts appears, a spectrum of colors.

Quickly the scene can change, the facade disappearing, and the inside of your home is put on display.

Your home is actually a livable work of art.

To learn more visit dornob.com.

As we move into the month of August, we realize that little time remains of summer here in Colorado. Now is the time to head outdoors and experience the beautiful temperate climate. If you are looking for some shade from the summer sun though, try installing an overhang or canopy.  A canopy or overhang not only offers protection from the blazing sun, but a little privacy as well.

Take shelter this summer with these outdoor canopy ideas.

Photo via Interior Holic

Photo via Houzz

Photo via Elle Decor

Photo via Interior Holic

Photo via Interior Holic

How do you escape the summer sun in your backyard?

Ever wanted to ask a trailblazer of the past questions regarding their work? What if that trailblazer is an innovator of Frank Lloyd Wright’s caliber? Jody Brown of Houzz composes several questions that he’d like to ask the renowned architect in “A Few Things I Would Like to Ask Frank Lloyd Wright.” From questions about his clothing choices to his affinity to low ceilings, Brown questions leaves us asking “What would you ask your design hero?”.

Photo via Houzz

Read Brown’s article at Houzz.com.