With much of the nation experiencing a drought, it is a good long-term investment to plant drought-resistant plants. There is more information and more options available than ever before. Here are some beautiful and hearty plants that don’t require a lot of water.

• Blanket flower. This drought-tolerant perennial, whose official name is gaillardia, blooms all summer and into fall. Colorado State University represents this flower for Colorado.

Image via Better Homes and Gardens

• Sugar Maple. A Colorado NBC affiliate states that the sugar maple is both colorful and drought-tolerant. It also looks great year ’round!
• Succulents. Perhaps the best known of drought-tolerant plants, succulents require very little water. Their waxy leaves also make for an interesting contrast when juxtaposed with other types of plantings. According to an article in The Denver Post, echevaria are popular in Colorado.

The most important thing is that a drought-tolerant plant is appropriate for its site. If you are looking for a custom home built by an architect who respects the landscape, consider Trilogy Partners.

It is nearing the end of the year, a year that we at Trilogy Partners feel was a successful year for not only us, but for our clients as well. As a reminder of that success, we want to share our favorite blogs of 2012 with you:

Photo via the LA Times

• Mad Men – The immense popularity of what was one of the most popular shows in the last few years influenced this post about a home completely inspired by the many mid-century style apartments showcased in the series.

• The Perfect Entrance – A fantastic post about creating a lasting impression the moment you set foot through the entrance of a home.

• A Sustainable Olympics– A very informing article about the London Olympics and what sustainable building practices they used in preparing for the summer games.

• iPhone Apps – There’s nothing more pleasing than fooling around with new iPhone apps, and this post details five apps that help with home design.

As the saying goes, we should learn from the past, so why not peruse through some of our best blog posts for additional luxury homes design knowledge? Be sure to share your favorite post of last year with us as well!

A fresh mountain house, featured in Architectural Digest, holds lessons for those wanting a rustic residence that is updated and individualistic. The space, by Michael S. Smith, is shown in the images below. Here’s what we like about the mountain home:

• A zone for each activity. The dining table is set in its own space, with its own access to the outdoors. Though the home has no formal dining room, it clearly indicates which activity is to be performed where. A rectangular light fixture and rectangular rug further define the dining zone and echo the shape of the dining table.

Image via Architectural Digest. Photo: Roger Davies.

• No clutter. A mountain home should be focused on the notable terrain, with clear views and copious daylight. Clutter is a distraction.

Image via Architectural Digest. Photo: Roger Davies.

• Natural materials. A mountain home can compliment its surroundings with natural materials. This lesson applies to both traditional and modern mountain homes.

Image via Architectural Digest. Photo: Roger Davies.

This isn’t the only fresh mountain house that Architectural Digest has written about. Click here to read the AD article about a Steamboat home by Trilogy Partners!

There was a big announcement today at the Greenbuild conference, the world’s largest conference dedicated to green building, which is taking place in San Francisco this week. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Google awarded them a $3 million grant in “an effort to transform the building materials industry and accelerate the creation of healthier indoor environments.”

“Healthy, non-toxic building materials are a critical component in green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. “Fostering awareness of the materials we put into our buildings is of paramount importance, since many materials can link to a host of environmental and health issues. Working with Google enables us to broaden our efforts in the materials industry as we prepare for the next version of the LEED green building program, LEED v4. This updated rating system will paint a more complete picture of materials and products, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions.”

“The idea for this project emerged from our own work at Google, where we’re committed to creating the healthiest work environments possible that help employees perform at their best,” said Anthony Ravitz, Google’s Green Team Lead. “USGBC has a deep background in spearheading research, developing a rating system spanning the globe and engaging with the many stakeholders in the building industry, making them the perfect partner to help spur real change on the healthy materials front.”

According to Archdaily, “The new initiatives will be developed over the next two years.”

Our hearts go out to everyone on the Northeastern seaboard who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. The devastation caused by Sandy is unfathomable. Many are still without electricity and worse, their homes. As they prepare for the onslaught of another storm, we are left wondering what we can do to help.

One particular town, Seaside Heights, sustained some of the worst damage. It has been reported that close to 80-90% of all properties in Seaside Heights has been affected by the hurricane. The boardwalk, a town favorite, has been completely destroyed.

Photo via the Examiner

One organization helping to make a difference is Architecture for Humanity. Working with the Borough of Seaside Heights, Architecture for Humanity will be helping to rebuild this seaside town and boardwalk. You can help as well by donating to their Hurricane Sandy Reconstruction Fund and  “Restore the Shore” fund.

Breckenridge might be over 1900 miles away from the destruction caused by Sandy, but we can still make a difference in the lives of those affected.

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.

Tonight is the night, the 2012 London Olympics begins this evening. Here in Colorado we tend to be bigger fans of the Winter Games, but we are still excited to watch some of the events like swimming, soccer and Cycling- BMX, which makes it’s second appearance in the Olympic Games in London.

So with all the recent talk we’ve done with the Olympic venues, we thought we’d take a look today at British style and architecture as a whole. Houzz has recently highlighted the “Secrets of a Quintessential English Home” and we wanted to share some of their findings.

Throughout the next two weeks we’ll highlight one particular style and help you achieve that look in your home.

First up is “English high style.” Think a modern day Downtown Abbey. Antiques, heirlooms, that sort of thing.

As you can see muted tones and statement lighting is a must.

Photo via Remodelista

Photo via Remodelista

Photo via Remodelista

Now this kitchen is lacking some of today’s necessities, but it is still quite charming.

Photo via Remodelista

Stay tuned as we explore the look of the English Country Cottage.

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.