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.

The man who changed the way we do hair, Vidal Sassoon, passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Sassoon, who gave Mia Farrow her signature look for “Rosemary’s Baby”, credited the Bauhaus movement for his “geometric style.”

“My whole work, beginning in the late 1950s, came from the Bauhaus,” explains Vidal. “It was all about studying the bone structure of the face, to bring out the character. I hated the prettiness that was in fashion at that time.

Sassoon told Architectural Digest that “Architects have always been my heroes.” His Richard Neutra house in Bel Air was featured in the magazine last spring.

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

To see more of Vidal Sassoon’s home visit www.architecturaldigest.com.

Library ladders have been showing up in almost every room in the home. From kitchens to living rooms, you’ll find ladders are used as an easy way to reach those top shelves. We love how versatile a library ladder is, it can function as a decorative element and as a functional part of the space. Take a look at how these library ladders are used throughout the home.

The Kitchen:

Photo via Casa Bella Decor

The Bedroom:

Photo via Caribbean Living Blog

A Little Nook:

Photo via Apartment Therary

The Mud Room:

Photo via Pinterest

The Living Room:

Photo via Pinterest

Add some interest to your home by bringing in a library ladder for those hard to reach places.

Saturday was Cinco De Mayo, a holiday that many Americans celebrate, but don’t really know the significance of the day.  Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. According to Houzz, “The French intervention in Mexico lasted only six years — from 1861 to 1867 — but the influence of the French on Mexican culture was more far reaching.” Houzz examines the impact the French colonial and baroque styles had on Mexican architecture.

Take a look at 5 ways the French influenced Mexican architecture and design, via Houzz.

1. “Large windows and French doors”

Photo via Houzz

2. “Gilded Accents”

Photo via Houzz

3. “Large Staircases”

Photo via Houzz

4. “New facade materials”

Photo via Houzz

5. “Door Reliefs”

Photo via Houzz

We were pleasantly surprised to see Adam Levine’s, the Maroon 5 front man and a judge on the hit NBC show The Voice, affinity for mid-century modern. His 1940s Hollywood Hills home, which was featured in Architectural Digest, is a mix between vintage and contemporary style pieces.

In the home a Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg portrait shares the space with a 1960s sideboard by Arturo Pani.

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

Photo via Architectural Digest

Levine tells Architectural Digest that “Furnishing a home is no different than going into the studio and making music. You want to make sure you’ve pared down all the extra details so that in the end, every stitch has a context uniquely yours.”

To see more of Adam Levine’s home visit www.architecturaldigest.com.

Trilogy Partners’ Steamboat House project was featured in Architectural Digest. To view the article click here.

With the success of ABC’s latest primetime show Pan Am, aviation-inspired design has become the latest trend to hit the home furnishings industry. These furniture designs have taken flight and are becoming more popular in today’s homes. Even Restoration Hardware has delved into this aviation-themed realm. Their new line Aviator features hand-crafted designs made with antiqued leather, stainless steel and aluminum.

Photo via Restoration Hardware

Photo via Restoration Hardware

These looks were inspired by the “streamlined modernity of the Golden Age of aviation.”

A more modern take on aviation is from the creative minds at Skypak. Their redesign of original airline trolleys is both fashionable and functional.

Photo via Skypak

These repurposed airline trolleys can be used as storage for your CD collection or to hold your vintage wine collection.

Photo via Skypak

It can also double as an espresso machine holder.

Photo via Skypak

Since the turn of the century we have been inspired by aviation and now your home can be transformed with these great designs.

Countertops are becoming increasingly  more important in today’s kitchens and with a multitude of styles and colors it is becoming more difficult to find your home’s perfect match. Whether you are looking for a sleek, clean look or something with a little more texture, your countertops can set the tone for the rest of the kitchen. Natural stone such as granite, marble, soapstone and slate still reign supreme in most kitchens. They tend to be more durable and resistant to scratches, not to mention their beauty can help enhance the aesthetic of the kitchen.

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Some kitchens will mix different surface areas. The countertops are natural stone and the island might be a butcher block. Whichever type of material you decide to use make sure you do your research to determine which will work best in your kitchen.

The importance of energy modeling in zero net energy home design cannot be overstated. Energy modeling is an early design phase analysis used to determine the projected energy needs of the structure to be designed.

Michael Rath, a Breckenridge, Colorado zero net energy home builder and managing partner at Trilogy Partners, says, “One of the most important aspects of creating the ZNE structure is energy modeling. This takes place early in the design phase. It’s important to estimate accurately the energy requirements of the finished structure. An energy census is completed and sophisticated computer modeling is employed. Once the energy needs of the structure are estimated, systems can then be employed to provide enough energy to the structure so that it consumes no more than it produces and can indeed be called a ZNE building.”

Energy modeling analysis utilizes a proposed building program to define and quantify the energy demand, and to establish design criteria that are technically feasible and economically realistic. It takes into account all of the environmental data, and physical and programmatic information about the proposed net zero energy building.

Trilogy Partners was the first to build a zero net energy home in Breckenridge, Colorado in 2010. Contact us for information on building a home in the Breckenridge, Colorado area that emphasizes sustainability and zero net energy by visiting the Trilogy Partners website or calling 970-453-2230. Trilogy Partners of Breckenridge, CO “Design smart. Build beautiful.”

As the “baby boomer” generation ages one of the growing concerns for homeowners is universal design, or aging in place. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 25% of America’s population were born between 1946-1964. “Aging in place is a major issue,” said Stephen Melman, Director of Economic Services at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in D.C.. “Ninety percent of households say they want to age in place, but only 20 percent have done anything about it.”

One of the trends we are seeing in regards to universal design is ground level entrances and masters on the main level. We are also designing homes with wider interior doors, hallways and turn around space. Lever handles are replacing knobs, for they are easier to open and more task lighting, which makes it easier to see.

Bathrooms are becoming equipped with grab bars as well as stepless shower bases. For those who enjoy outdoor living we are finding more requests for zero-entry swimming pool.

If you are interested in learning more about universal design or aging in place please give us a call at 970-453-2230.

Trilogy Partners is committed to sustainable and energy efficient custom home design, incorporating passive solar technologies, renewable energy resources and solar orientation in the design of custom Colorado mountain homes. Site selection and building placement is critical to the successful energy efficient passive solar home.

When a family is planning to build a new custom home, it is advantageous to include the custom home designer very early in the site selection and home design phase in order to plan ahead for passive solar technology. Passive solar is based on the orientation of the building relative to the sun at different seasons of the year.

A few of the more common solar energy design tools are the use of natural daylighting to light interior spaces, cool air flow through the house at night to modify temperatures, thermal heat storage in masonry walls, thermal insulation, and proper solar orientation for north and south facing facades.

One of the most beneficial and aesthetically pleasing solar technology design strategies is to use large south facing windows for custom homes in seasonally cold climates. An example of this form of passive solar design is utilized by Trilogy Partners in the custom Colorado mountain home, shown to the right. For additional information about passive solar design in custom Colorado mountain homes, contact Trilogy Partners by calling 970.453.2230 or visiting the Trilogy Partners Website. Trilogy Partners is located in Breckenridge, Colorado.