DFW Scores Big in 2015 Houzz Awards

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Karen Eubank of Eubank Staging and Design is one of many locals who won a Houzz award this year. Photo: Shoot2Sell.

Karen Eubank of Eubank Staging and Design (and a Candy’s Dirt contributor) is one of many locals who won a Houzz award this year. Photo: Shoot2Sell.

We love to boast about how ingenious and imaginative the housing construction and design pros are in North Texas. So when Houzz announced their winners of “Best Of Houzz 2015” awards, it was no surprise that Dallas-Fort Worth made quite a splash.

Houzz is an online home remodeling and design site that showcases the work of architects, homebuilders, interior designers, landscape pros, and other residential remodeling professionals. Their Best Of Houzz awards come in two categories: customer service and design. Customer service honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews from 2014. Design winners’ work ranked most popular among the more than 25 million monthly users on the site.

I’ve spent the better part of the last five days combing through the champs, savoring the superb photos, and picking a few of my favorites to share with you today. Candy already mentioned Tatum Brown Custom Homes’ win yesterday, but I’ve got a few others that caught my eye.

First, all five of the designers I wrote about at the beginning of the month in 5 Dallas Interior Designers to Watch in 2015 were Houzz winners (bam!), so a huge shout-out to these five:

Here are seven other DFW Houzz winners that will impress you with their discerning style and exquisite work.

 

1. CAROLINA V. GENTRY, RID: DESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Photo courtesy Kevin Dotolo

Carolina V. Gentry is a principal interior designer at Pulp Design Studios in East Dallas and her aesthetic is fluid and elegant. What I loved most about her interior designs was the clean, almost architectural feel, and details that feel high-end without being fussy. Many of the photos in her Houzz portfolio feature mirrored or silver accents that lend a midcentury vibe to the overall modern look.

But there’s nothing sterile about her the contemporary ambience—her work is warm and welcoming. She has more than one hundred photos on Houzz that will inspire you. Jump to read about six more winners!

 

2. THOMAS DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION: DESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Photo courtesy Shoot2Sell

Photo courtesy Shoot2Sell

Thomas Development and Construction

Thomas Development and Construction

Dallas-based Matthew Thomas is passionate about working with his hands and crafting or remodeling luxury custom homes for his clients. He started Thomas Development and Construction in 2008 after years after working years for a large national builder and later a commercial company.

His Houzz portfolio has 130 photos that are full of surprising, thoughtful details—be sure to check out the Munger Place photos, in particular. You’ll see pocket French doors discreetly dividing open spaces, bay windows surrounding a charming breakfast space, and eye-catching wall angles.

 

3. ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE CONCEPTS, INC: SERVICE AWARD

Original Landscape Concepts

Original Landscape Concepts

Original Landscape Concepts

Michael Dickerson and Dave Hunchik specialize in the design and construction of “destination gardens” at Original Landscape Concepts. These are the kind of spaces that make you want to stay outside long past the witching hour.

Their 33 projects featured on Houzz are a delight and quite a mix of styles. Among the photos, there are lush, tropical oases, a French formal estate, and a modern urban ranch that stuns with its minimal beauty and mix of fire, water, air, and earth elements.

 

4. IBB DESIGN FINE FURNISHINGSDESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Photo courtesy Nathan Whitney

Photo courtesy Nathan Whitney

IBB Design

IBB Design

The 28 designers at Frisco-based IBB Design Fine Furnishings collectively won both awards from Houzz, and three of their designers also won individual service awards: Shannon Gidney, Susan Medlin, and Kevin Twitty (he was also one of the people I wrote about in 5 Dallas Interior Designers to Watch in 2015).

Their 14 featured projects on Houzz are pure pleasure to view. They manage to span styles from a super-glam home office to a whimsical child’s room with a Barbie-framed mirror. The overarching theme is attention to what works for a client’s lifestyle, whether that’s rustic blended with chic particulars or soft modern with from-the-wild accessories.

 

5. POOL ENVIRONMENTS, INC.: DESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Bill Bibb, Designer, Archiverde Landscape, built by Pool Environments

Bill Bibb, Designer, Archiverde Landscape, built by Pool Environments

Pool Environments

Pool Environments

Earlier this month, we wrote about Five Reasons Why Right Now is a Great Time to Start Building Your Pool, so we’ve been tuned into pool designers that offer creative, relaxing outdoor areas.

The Houzz portfolio of Plano-based Pool Environments and owner Tom Rozell is huge, with 50 projects and over 200 photos. Rozell is adroit at interpreting a yard and making the water work with the space. His work was featured on HGTV’s Amazing Water Homes, and those examples are in there, along with a Grecian indoor pool, a negative-edge stunner with fire pit, and one particularly impressive project where he built onto an existing pool to create an upper spa area with gorgeous blue tiling.

 

6. ELLEN GRASSO & SONS, LLC: DESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Architectural design by Charles Isreal. Photo courtesy Dan Piassick.

Architectural design by Charles Isreal. Photo courtesy Dan Piassick.

House designed by Charles Isreal. Photo courtesy Danny Piassick.

House designed by Charles Isreal. Photo courtesy Danny Piassick.

Photo courtesy Danny Piassick

Photo courtesy Danny Piassick

Ellen Grasso and her two sons Clay and Rob run Dallas-based (and aptly named) Ellen Grasso & Sons, which does custom home construction and remodeling.

Their 17 projects and almost 150 photos featured on Houzz include lots of Park Cities beauties, and the interiors are as spectacular as the exteriors. The kitchen pictured above has such an excellent use of space and storage, and that marble selection with the white cabinets and stainless steel appliances is divine. Throughout their portfolio, I was impressed by use of material, inspired layouts (especially in the bathrooms), and oversize details that make a room, like a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace or a two-story built-in wood bookcase.

 

7. A. GRUPPO ARCHITECTS—DALLAS: DESIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Photo courtesy Craig Kuhner Architectural Photography

Last but certainly not least, Dallas-based A. GRUPPO Architects won design and service awards from Houzz, and their portfolio on Houzz is pure eye candy.

Andrew Nance and Thad Reeves started the firm in 2005 and specialize in Specializing in modern and contemporary architecture and their 12 Houzz projects are an adventure in open spaces, and a perfect marriage of organic elements and clean lines. Their staircases, in particular, are art in themselves.

So what do you think of my seven picks from the Best of Houzz 2015 winners? Do you have a favorite from my list, or of your own? Leave us a comment!

 

 

 

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Leah Shafer is a content and social media specialist, as well as a Dallas native, who lives in Richardson with her family. In her sixth-grade yearbook, Leah listed "interior designer" as her future profession. Now she writes about them, as well as all things real estate, for CandysDirt.com.

1 Comment

  1. Barbara Gilbert on January 30, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Thanks once again, Candy, for the mention in your awesome blog. My team and I are thrilled to be honored with the Best of Houzz award. We love what we do!

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