Wood adds natural warmth and texture to any room and it’s used extensively in kitchens and bathrooms by Trilogy Partners.

Wood countertops and butcher-block kitchen islands have always been interior design favorites.  Wood top kitchen islands can also be combined with stone or tile for versatility in food preparation.

Maple, cherry and other hardwoods need to be sealed and cleaned but they work well in areas where water and other liquids are used in food preparation and cleaning.

Wood countertops can be varnished to a high shine where water beads up on the surface.  They can be treated with various products that include tung oil, lemon oil, linseed oil and beeswax. An under-mounted sink in the bathroom or kitchen allows water to drain into the sink from the wood countertop.

The countertop can be smooth and elegant or rustic and weathered. A weathered countertop works well in a bathroom or wash area that is part of a mudroom.  The wood is actually recycled from a barn or other building.  It is sanded, smoothed and varnished or treated to avoid splinters.

Photo Source: Houzz

When you are considering having a deck built as a part of a home remodeling project, you have a choice between using wood or plastic decking. Both surfaces provide some advantages and disadvantages.

Example of a plastic deck

Wood is one of the most common materials to use when building a deck. It’s durable,, can be sustainable harvested,  and it is easy to work with. In hotter climates, wood is one of the best materials to work with, since it naturally absorbs the heat and dissipates it.

Plastics and composites are another choice when it comes to building decks.  They do tend to absorb heat, and can start sagging when they are used in areas that have very hot summers. Plastics and composites are more susceptible to mold and mildew, especially the lighter colored composite decking. This can easily be removed with some bleach and water and a scrub brush. Plastics and composite decking materials do tend to require a little bit more maintenance than your average wooden deck, since they require being treated 1-2 times a year in order to maintain their appearance.

Example of a wood deck

Both products can be produced in a sustainable, ecologically friendly manner. They make a valuable part of any home remodeling project.

Photo Source: Houzz

Our clients have always requested more durable and aesthetically pleasing bathroom design as they build or renovate their Colorado homes in the past. But now, more and more people — including Trilogy Partners — want sustainable, eco-friendly and energy-efficient bathroom areas in addition to a visually appealing space.

We want to work with our environment while saving money, and there are several ways to achieve this sustainable bathroom design:

• Multi-spray showers are so wasteful they are banned by the DOE (Department of Energy). For your shower, choose low-flow fixtures.
• Eliminate your bath tub to save water and space. But if a luxurious soak is one of your greatest pleasures, remember, less is more. Smaller, not spa-sized tubs are trending.
• Older toilets can use as much as 5 gallons of water per flush! Install water-saving toilets for your bathroom.
• As you design your new bathroom, choose natural materials. Other considerations include recycled material tile or post-consumer glass tiles. Avoid carpeting or hardwood flooring in your bath; waterproof materials and good sealing will save you repair costs 20 years from now.

We are designing and building now with consideration for the future. By specializing in sustainable/green design and materials, your home will have beauty today and energy savings for life.

Photo Source: Apartment Therapy

image via Flickr

Sustainable design has become popular among high-end architects for good reason. Eco-friendly furniture is good for the environment and also your health in the long run. Furniture designed with sustainable materials preserves forests by repurposing materials. Sustainable furniture design also avoids toxic chemicals used in most furniture today. Here are a few of our favorite furniture pieces from a new face in sustainable design.

New York-based designer Michael Robbins creates one of a kind handmade sustainable furniture from reclaimed wood. He got his start in New Mexico while building stools and chairs for his adobe home. Each piece of  furniture is handcrafted from his work studio, an old barn in the Hudson Valley. Robbins focuses on the art of form and simplicity in his design. His collection is quite new, and was just released in 2012.

Though Robbins designs and crafts each piece of furniture himself, every piece has its own unique feel. Some dark wood, some light wood, others are blends of dark and light or even painted neon green. More recently, he has added tables and lighting to his portfolio. Robbins take a classic twist on traditional furniture, by giving it the look and feel of abstract art.

Plan your next home remodeling project with the use of different levels to creatively differentiate your living spaces. Changing levels can better define and utilize your floor layout.

Adding a few steps to half a floor either up or down can enhance your innovative style, no matter if you have a one-story or multi-level home. Different effects can be achieved, depending on the number of steps you add.

Liven up your living area with open, closed or a combination of levels somewhere in between. The change can be dramatic or subtle, depending on the look you are seeking. Build an overlook area from the kitchen, a cozy, intimate dining space, or a stylish transitional zone between levels.

Choose an artistic flare in level remodeling that compliments the natural flow within your home. A loft space can be incorporated with a minimal addition of design-build that can utilize otherwise wasted space and break up high ceilings.
Even just a single step or two can create a soft flowing transition from the living room area to the kitchen or dining hall areas.

Contact Trilogy Partners today for help with all your home remodeling ideas. Email or call us today at 970-453-2230.

Almost everyday we hear news of depleting rainforests and the effects our actions have on the environment. An easy way to stay green in your home design is to use reclaimed lumber instead of virgin wood.

A few reasons why you should incorporate reclaimed wood into your sustainable design include:

• Keeping forests alive. Forests are responsible for turning carbon into oxygen helping, to an extent, to offset the carbon that is released into the atmosphere everyday. In addition, many ecosystems rely on these forests to stay alive.
• Reclaimed lumber can be up to 40 points stronger on the Janka scale than virgin wood. Most reclaimed lumber comes from older construction sites where older wood was used. In comparison, virgin wood is usually taken from first-generation forests.

Where to use reclaimed wood:

• Remodeled bathroom. While builders warn against using virgin wood in bathrooms, reclaimed lumber can withstand moisture levels and is suitable for furniture or veneer panels.
• Wood floors. Reclaimed wood floors look identical to those made from virgin wood. They are highly attractive, durable, and easy to maintain in comparison to carpet, which retains to dirt and moisture.

Contact us at Trilogy Partners for support in creating and building a sustainable design using reclaimed wood.

Image: houzz

The 2013 New American Home design is all about creating open and nature-embracing living spaces. In addition to the great energy efficiency features we’ve already discussed, the New American Home has many other interesting and inspiring features.

2013 New American Home

This year’s sits on a 0.66 acre lot south of Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. It’s four levels and 6,721 square feet, containing an impressive 3 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, enclosed and open-air basements, a home theater, a library and a home office.

The designers kept the huge home feeling comfortable by weaving aspects of nature into almost every living space. From canals of water running through the house to the open air foyer to the zero-edge pools which line the sunken outdoor living area, there are relaxing sights and sounds of nature everywhere.

The New American Home design is complex, creating a home with so many visible layered spaces defined by more natural objects than walls was difficult. But, it’s been done in Henderson in a cleaver and breath-taking way, and it can be done in the Breckenridge area as well.

Contact our team at Trilogy Partners for more information about custom chome design trends and incorporating them into your home.

Source: Builder Magazine

As the New Year approaches, you are probably wondering what kind of design trends are going to develop throughout next year. One design trend that is sure to continue is the use of sustainable design. Both commercial and private buildings will continue to use green design elements in their construction to help limit the amount of damage they do to the environment as well as to help be as energy efficient as possible.

The value of green building has become more obvious to both homeowners and commercial building owners. In 2005, green building was worth around $10 billion. This number has grown to an estimated $85 billion over the last year and is projected to rise to around $98 to $106 billion. People understand the value of being green. Not only are they benefiting the environment, but they are becoming more energy efficient. This allows them to save on energy costs. According to the Dodge Construction Green Outlook report conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction, 44% of all of next year’s construction is expected to use sustainable design.

The use of sustainable design will continue to grow in popularity over the next year due to the associated environmental friendliness and energy savings.

Source: Construction.com, Google Images

Most young kids have a hard time understanding the importance of being energy efficient. Yes, we teach them to put their containers in the recycle bin instead of the trash can, but turning off the lights is a harder message to convey. For some reason when it comes to reducing the consumption of electricity in the homes, kids are missing the mark.

Designer Danny Taylor hopes to help conserve energy in the home with his “Dimmer Switch.”  According to Taylor, “This simple ‘dimmer switch’ humanises an ordinarily ubiquitous object to help the child form a relationship which they will want to participate with and affect. The act of turning the light on creates a ‘sad’ face, and turning it off contrastingly makes the character ‘happy’.”

So next time your kids leave the room without turning out the lights, tell them to turn the frown upside down.

How do you teach your kids about the importance of sustainability?

Photos via Danny Taylor.

Saturday, September 8th, British industrial designer, William Moggridge, who designed the Grid Compass, the first portable computer, died at age 69.

Photo via Dezeen

Moggridge’s foldable design, created in 1982, revolutionized the way we use our computers. Up until the Grid Compass, portable computers weighed close to 20 pounds and were about the size of a sewing machine.

Photo via Dezeen

Bill also co-founded IDEO, the award-winning global design firm and was director of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York.

Caroline Baumann, associate director of the museum said in a statement, “Beloved by the museum staff and the design community at large, Bill touched the lives of so many through his wise council, boundary-pushing ideas and cheerful camaraderie.” He will be missed.