The Tour de France is still going on on the other side of the Atlantic, but we are already thinking ahead to Colorado’s version of the Tour de France, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The most demanding bike race on U.S. soil, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge pits the racers not only against each other, but they have to battle Colorado’s tough mountain terrain. With high altitudes and steep downhill peaks, the Colorado Rocky Mountains are a whole new competitor for the racers to combat.

Stage 1 of the race begins in Durango and Telluride on Monday, August 20th. With over 683 miles to cover the bike race concludes in Denver on Sunday, August 26th. Breckenridge will be host to Stage 5 as the racers summit Hoosier Pass at 11,500 feet.

“After winning the Tour de France last year and seeing the enthusiasm of the fans, I didn’t think anything could match it, but then I came to Colorado,”says  reigning Tour de France champion Cadel Evans. “Seeing the huge crowds that were along the route supporting us at the USA Pro Challenge was remarkable.”

Will you be there cheering on the racers? For more information about USA Pro Cycling Challenge visit usaprocyclingchallenge.com.

One design trend that appears to be on the rise for affluent homeowners is home libraries. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Affluent homeowners are buying quality books in quantity to amass collections for private personal libraries.”

Photo via WSJ

One thing that sets apart today’s home libraries is their functionality. Although the walls are still paneled with shelves of books, the interior spaces are designed for more than a place to kick back and curl up with your favorite book. These libraries house a dining table, where guests can discuss their current read over dinner; a “playroom library”, where kids can immerse themselves with books instead of electronics; and custom bound books to match the aesthetic of the space.

Photo via WSJ

Looking to build a library in your home? Give Trilogy Partners a call at 970-453-2230

Planning on doing some traveling this 4th of July? Travel in style like actor Matthew McConaughey does in his customized Airstream. Now, most Americans travel by either planes, trains or automobiles, but a select few prefer to see the open road via their own personal Airstream trailer.

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

This Airstream was redesigned by Matthew Hofmann, founder of Hofmann Architecture.

Photo via CubeMe

Photo via CubeMe

This vintage Airstream features custom-built furnishings, great for a small scale space.

Photo via MoCo Loco

Photo via MoCo Loco

Photo via MoCo Loco

So hit the road this 4th of July in style.

Photo via Pinterest

Traditional Japanese architecture was greatly influenced by Chinese and Asian style, but because of the climate, the choice of materials used varied. In Japanese architecture, wood is the predominant choice of material. Typically the structure is wooden, slightly elevated with tiled or thatched roofs. One of our favorite elements of Japanese architecture is the way the walls, both the interior and exterior, are fluid. Walls can be removed or slightly modified by the use of screens or movable paper walls.

Photo via La Dolce Vita

When designing our “Steamboat House”, we looked to traditional Japanese architecture for inspiration. We wanted to fuse together design elements found in Japan and the American West. This Steamboat Springs residence features Japanese antiques from the mid-19th century and a 700 square foot tea house with authentic Shoji rice paper doors.

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

The master bathroom comes complete with a Japanese soaking tub set in sand.

Trilogy Partners

If you are looking to incorporate traditional Japanese architecture into your home please give Trilogy Partners a call at 970-453-2230 or visit us online at trilogybuilds.com.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced “that more than 20,000 homes across the U.S. have earned certification through the LEED for Homes program.” The LEED for Homes program “provides guidance and verification that homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.” This is quite an accomplishment for sustainable design. According to USGBC, “since the launch of LEED for Homes in 2008, more
than 20,000 residential units have certified with nearly 79,000 additional units in the pipeline. Over half of all LEED-certified homes are in the affordable housing category.”

Nate Kredich, Vice President of Residential Market Development, USGBC says, “LEED for Homes is moving the residential market further and faster towards high-performing, healthy homes that save residents money.”

To learn more about LEED-certified homes visit usgbc.org.

Trilogy believes that “a sustainable home not only nourishes the planet, it nourishes the soul.”

If you are interested in sustainable building give Trilogy Partners a call at 970-453-2230 or visit us online at trilogybuilds.com.

The Breck Film Festival is Colorado’s answer to the Cannes Film Festival. One of the oldest film festivals in the country, the Breckenridge Film Festival celebrates our independent filmmakers. From June 7-10th, the town of Breckenridge will host slew of actors and filmmakers. In the past the festival has hosted guests such as James Earl Jones, Sydney Pollack, Donald Sutherland, Jon Voight and Alan Arkin.

This year’s lineup includes Open Road with Camilla Belle, Colin Egglesfield, Juliette Lewis and Andy Garcia; Above the Ashes, an award-winning documentary about the devastation left by the Fourmile fire; and Raid of the Rainbow Lounge,  which recounts the controversial 2009 police raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar that resulted in multiple arrests and serious injuries.

Purchase your tickets today and experience a touch of Hollywood here in Breckenridge. Currently Trilogy Partners has (exclusive) 2 for 1 Breck Film Festival Tickets (regular box office price $10) available. For more information call 970-453-2230 or email info@trilogybuilds.com. You can also pick up tickets at Trilogy located at  233 South Ridge Street, before 5 pm on Friday, June 8th. There is a  limit of 10 tickets per order.

To see a list of films www.breckfilmfest.com.

We were inspired by the Bay Area home featured on California Home + Design. This open-air floor plan allows the homeowners to become one with the environment around them. According to CA Home+Design, “The layout of the home followed the pattern of the sun, with the day’s earliest rays filtering into the master bedroom, the midday glare hitting the pool deck and the sunset playing out dramatically in the windows of the dining room.”

Take a look at this dramatic home below.

Photo via Ca Home + Design

Photo via Ca Home + Design

The concrete-block walls were used for their thermal massing.

Photo via Ca Home + Design

Photo via Ca Home + Design

Photo via Ca Home + Design

Skylights in the bathroom give the illusion of being outdoors.

To read more about this residence head over to California Home + Design.

How would you like a camera based off the popular Instagram App that allowed you to post your photo directly to the app and print out a copy for yourself as a keepsake? It seems that the brilliant minds at ADR Studio are trying to work out the logistics behind just that.

Photo via ADR Studio

Called the Instagram Socialmatic Camera, ADR Studio combines today’s social media with the Polaroid camera of the past. Now you can give all your photos the Instagram treatment.

Here are some of the features from ADR Studio:

• 16 GB mass storage.
• Wifi and Bluetooth.
• 4:3 touchscreen.
• 2 main lens, first for main capture, second for 3D filters, webcam applications and QR Code capturing.
• Optical zoom.
• LED Flash.
• Internal printer to make your Instagram photos real.
• Paper cartridge with Instagram Paper Sheets.
• Dedicated 4 colors ink tanks.
• InstaOs 1.0, which put together Facebook and Instagram App feature.

Instagram already has powers that be of Facebook behind them. We’d love to see this camera become a reality.

This month Architectural Digest steps inside the New York headquarters of cosmetic heiress Aerin Lauder.

Photo via Architectural Digest

And while we are impressed by the beautiful decor above, we find that Aerin’s Aspen retreat is much more in-line with Trilogy’s mountain style.

Photo via Vogue

To see more of Aerin’s Aspen home visit www.vogue.com.

If you are looking for some help designing your Colorado mountain home give Trilogy Partners a call 970-453-2230.

We’ve always been fascinated by the disappearance of architect, fabric maker and CIA operative Jim Thompson. While vacationing in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia in 1967, Thompson vanished and despite a  massive search was never to be seen or heard from again.

Thompson was responsible for revitalizing the Thai silk industry in the 1950s with the founding of the Thai Silk Company. He partnered with Broadway in 1951 for the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I, which he provided the fabric for.

Designer Vicente Wolf explores Jim Thompson’s Bangkok home in the Wall Street Journal article “In the Mood for Thai”. Wolf  tells the WSJ that “When I first visited the house, about 30 years ago, I was blown away by how wonderfully traditional and Thai it feels..Now that I have a better understanding of the culture, I realize that it’s in no way traditional, and in no way Thai; it’s an infusion of many elements.”

Take a look at the Jim Thompson House below.

Photo via WSJ

For more information visit jimthompsonhouse.com.