2018-2019 Designer of the Year: New Construction

Winner: Goddard Design Group, Goddard Design Group, Arkansas 

This Northwest Arkansas home celebrates place and site through an emphasis on natural materials, horizontality, and integration with the landscape. Local stone, natural pine, geodes, and petrified wood were used in the design of the interior to celebrate Arkansas and create an Ozark Vernacular within the spaces.

This is the fourth project Goddard Design Group has done with this client, the first being very traditional and the second being a luxury bridal salon. It was a challenge to create a new, modern look for the client and reinvent their style. 

1st Runner Up: Heather Wood, Mountainwood Homes, Oregon 

The initial home design for the picturesque lot overlooking the Oregon Coast was drawn on a napkin while the homeowners were on an airplane. This home was designed to be a relaxing oasis for the homeowners and was built to take full advantage of the coastal views from every room and provide main-floor living. 

We carefully analyzed each wall to make key decisions including built-in niches, switch and outlet placement and specialty lighting. Soothing Northwest colors create a calm and serene palette design to not take away from the views and to show off their eclectic art collection.

Building on the coast presented its own challenges. The designer initially selected commercial style windows but changed to a Milgard product since it had better performance for the beach. With limited choice on color, exterior selections to work with the new window color options had to be selected. The active homeowners’ association of Cape Cod has strict architectural requirements and so design approval was mandatory. The vaulted ceilings needed to be dropped down to hide the vent but still draw air. The homeowners wanted everything to be floating which was challenging because thicker countertops and floating cabinets limited the usable storage space. Another challenge was that the design team was asked to create a curved wall with fireplace and TV in the great room.