By Dani Forbush

Residential Designer, Robert Padgett, shares how he takes his design process from hand sketches to 3D renderings. Learn more about Robert’s story and why he chose Chief Architect to help his customers visualize their projects.

“I am a residential designer located in the Metro Atlanta area. I do a lot of work for builders – almost like a design-build situation.  A typical project would be 4,000-5,000 square feet, in the $880k to $1.2 million range. Our area is also experiencing a lot of remodeling projects. (more…)

By Emily Black

A team of five students earns first place in the Residential Construction Management Competition.

The NAHB student competition was held at the 2018 International Builders’ Show in Orland, FL. The opportunity to apply the lessons from the classroom to the real world of residential design drew 56 teams from across the country to participate. Each team had to follow strict guidelines from the design criteria through to the final working drawings and estimates. The residential design projects were presented in front of a panel of judges who were residential building industry professionals.

“Chief Architect gave us the competitive advantage that we were looking for and we were crowned National Champions,” says Alan Smith, the associate professor/program director for the State University of New York at Delhi‘s Residential Construction program. (more…)

By Kendra Dorosh

Leila Laskujarvi places 3rd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest. Her creative and caring personality translated directly into her beautiful and authentic design for her clients.

“I’m Leila Laskujarvi, a designer, artist, amateur photographer and all around crafty girl! I currently live in Toronto, Canada with my husband Mike. I first moved here to go to art school at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University), where I studied commercial design (advertising/graphic design). I then freelanced at some ad agencies in Toronto and got a job as a junior art director in Helsinki, Finland. Eventually, I came back to Canada and started working in graphic design, working for The Financial Post newspaper and Rogers Publishing (at Canadian Business, MoneySense and PROFIT magazines), both in the Creative Services department. I really enjoyed the creativity and teamwork and I actually met a lot of my friends at work.

“When it first came on television, I got totally hooked on watching HGTV shows about interior design. Then the idea struck me, I could learn to do it myself. We had recently bought a house, that needed work (the bathroom was totally scary) and I was feeling like I needed a change in my career, so I decided to go back to school for 4 (very long) years. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, but I have no regrets. I got my Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Ryerson University, a top-rated school here in Canada. I’ve been working independently for several years doing mainly residential design and occasionally collaborating on projects with an architect friend of mine. I’m thinking of branching out into hospitality design since I’d love to design a restaurant! But, first, I’ll have to take a crack at the building code books. (more…)

Congratulations to our three Chief Architect Design Contest – Remodel/Addition winners!

Thank you all for sharing your designs with us and our community.

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Congratulations to our four Chief Architect Design Contest – Kitchen/Bath & Interiors winners!

Thank you all for sharing your designs with us and our community.

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By Adrean Stephenson

January’s KBIS event marked another success on the books. This year, in addition to manning our booth and hosting the annual User Breakfast, our team was delighted to contribute to one of the favorite KBIS announcements: the 2018 NKBA Design Awards! See the full spread of winners and project information in the January/February issue of NKBA Innovation + Inspiration.

We used Chief Architect’s 3D Modeling, Rendering, and Video Walkthrough Recording tools to replicate the winning designs, then recorded animations that virtually explore the spaces.

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By Kendra Dorosh

Jennifer Allen won 3rd place for her kitchen design at the 2017 NKBA Student Design Competition. Jennifer studied Computer Aided Drafting and Design at Front Range Community College and used the Chief Architect Student License to complete her design.

Jennifer was born and raised in the town of Boulder, the heart of Colorado’s Front Range. For much of the 2000’s, she lived in Arizona where she raised three amazing stepchildren and had a daughter of her own. After moving back to Colorado in 2012 she decided to go back to school while continuing to raise her children. She graduated in December 2017 with an Associates of Applied Science in Computer Aided Drafting & Design, a Certificate in Kitchen and Bath Design, a Certificate in Fundamentals of Interior Design, and a 3.8 GPA.  She also took several architecture classes and was able to participate in a design and build class constructing a tiny house which was auctioned off with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association recently awarded her 3^rd place kitchen for the 2017 Student Design Competition awarded at the 2018 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Florida. Her winning design is showcased below.

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Congratulations to the 2017 Chief Architect Design of the Year winners!

Throughout 2017, Chief Architect has held monthly design contests for our customers to showcase their work. Over 140 renderings were submitted into our Kitchen/Bath/Interiors, Residential, and Remodeling Design Contests.

Each month our Facebook fans were asked to vote for their favorite design. The winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) were entered into our year-end Design of the Year contest in December. Voting was open until January 9th and we are pleased to announce the winners! (more…)

By Kendra Dorosh

Amanda wins 3rd in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. Surrounded by design enthusiasts her entire life, Amanda was destined to find her own passion for interior design and 3D art.

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By Kendra Dorosh

Pamela Tamaddon placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. Her vast knowledge of interior design and an eye for 3D renderings come together seamlessly in her projects.

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