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The Canadian Home Builders' Association - Calgary Region's annual SAM Awards finalist list was released yesterday. A huge congratulations to all of the finalists! 

We're very proud to have provided cabinets for a large number of award finalist homes and multi-family projects. We will of course be cheering for all of the finalists and winners (we're very proud of our industry and the homes it builds) at the gala in April, but we might be heard cheering just a bit louder for projects and homes we helped build.

Best Multi-Family Community

• Avi Urban - Prospect Rise, Kincora, Calgary

Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome up to 1,199 sq. ft.

• Avi Urban - Willow Iris
• Morrison Homes Multi-Family - The Boulevard
• Assured Developments Ltd. - Alex Courtyard Lofts, Uptown Unit 6 (the new sales center features cabinets by Classic)

Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome 1,200 sq. ft. and over

• Avi Urban - Willow Carmine

Best Town Home - up to $299,999

• Avi Urban - Edison at Walden, Jasmine D
• Morrison Homes Multi-Family - Smith Residence (Private)

Best Town Home - $300,000-$359,000

• Morrison Homes Multi-Family - Tharakan/Higgs Residence at Sonoma (Private)

Best Town Home - $360,000 and over

• Avi Urban - The Lance

Best Apartment-Style Condo - One Bedroom + Den

• Avi Urban - Sawyer Silverado, 1 Bedroom

Best New Home - $375,000 - $424,999

• Homes by Avi - The Rosedale, Walden
• Homes by Avi - The Mason, King's Heights

Best New Home - $620,000-$719,999

• Homes by Avi - 2014 Stampede Rotary Dream Home

The 2014 Calgary Stampede kicks off this week, which means this year's Stampede Rotary Dream Home by Homes by Avi will be open to the public!

We're proud to have been the cabinet supplier of choice for just about every Dream Home since 1989.

But we're especially proud of the cabinets we built and installed in this year's home. Homes by Avi's Dream Home designers asked us to pull out all the stops to help build a kitchen featuring framed kitchen cabinets with flush mounted doors (and latch hardware on upper glass doors) in a painted finish, thick floating shelves in the pantry area in a stained finish (matching the other pantry area cabinets and kitchen island), and custom bathroom cabinets with thick open shelved areas under the sinks.

Our team was up for the task and worked tirelessly for weeks, over many evenings and weekends, to bring their vision to reality.

We hope you agree that the final result is stunning:

Of course, it didn't start out looking like this.

Our journey in helping create this magnificent kitchen started back in January when the Dream Home designers met with us to discuss their vision for the cabinets throughout the home. We realized the only way to fulfill the incredible vision of the Design Team was with custom cabinetry that would be built on site. This is very different from a typical kitchen where modular cabinets are fully assembled in our factory and shipped to site for installation.

With a plan in hand (plus an approved cabinet prototype)—and with detailed site drawings, measurements, and notes from Sales & Design Manager Kelly Biggar—our team began working out how each section of cabinets would be built. Each section was then hand built in its entirety by our cabinetmakers, with custom-sized components and customized drill patterns to the exact specifications of the space.

The work in the shop involved many of our experts including all three of our custom cabinetmakers and our entire paintshop team. Site construction was handled by our Dream Team of Duncan Ritchie and Derek Biggar.

When all was said and done, our installer Dream Team could not have been more excited about how it all came together:

They were also probably really excited to meet Trail's Chef.

A huge thanks to our suppliers, who made this project possible, with special thanks to: Klaas Custom Woodworking (cabinet doors and drawer fronts), Marathon Fasteners & Hardware (hardware), and Multiwood (solid walnut butcher block) for their contributions to the project.

We'll have more pictures of the kitchen, pantry, and bathrooms on our facebook page soon. Check out Homes by Avi's fantastic Dream Home site for more on this year's dream home.

As we discussed on this blog a few weeks ago, our cabinets could be found in a number of homes and multi-family projects nominated as finalists for a 2013 SAM Award. The competition was, as always, fierce and only one of them won a prized goose statue.

The winner? Homes by Avi Urban's The Enclave at Castle Keep won the Best Multi-Family Community award.

A huge congratulations to all of the SAM Award winners. A full list of them (including finalists in order of finish) can be found here: 2013 SAM Awards Winners Announcement.

With only a couple of weeks left in the year, we thought we might get our in-house design experts to provide their thoughts on what kitchen design trends you can expect to see in 2014.

Candace Hunt, Calgary

• Lighter cabinetry (whites, off whites, grays) are going to be a key trend in 2014.
• Pops of colour - either coloured glass or led panels - will also be a key design feature. Bright and contrasting!
• Cabinetry will move towards natural and sustainable finishes, textures, and grains.
• LED lighting will be used to provide work lighting, highlight features, and serve as a feature as well in faucets, countertops, and backsplashes.
• A greater focus on maximizing the use of space: integrated appliances and storage; garbage/recycling centers; niche/built-in areas for storage and recharging stations; entertainment areas (wet bars, coffee bars, etc.); integrated dining tables off kitchen islands, and more!
• Bringing technology into the kitchen with built-in and concealed appliances with touch screens.
• Ornate details inspired by French Country (crown moulding details on top of simple shaker cabinetry for example).

Tom Crowell, Calgary

• Painted cabinets
• Man-made fibers and engineered finishes (NEXGEN™, Thermofoil, etc.) for durable lighter coloured kitchens
• Medium to lighter depth colours and 'grain infused' wood types
• Undermount sinks with laminate counter tops (counter seal, ring in board)
• People will be looking for grays
• HPL laminate faces may make a comeback

Vijay Singh, Edmonton

• White cabinets will continue their comeback.
• Two-tone kitchens are popular now, often mixing light perimeters with dark central features but also mixing dark perimeters with a white central focus.
• Our Charcoal stain colour will continue to be a best seller.
• With ceiling heights increasing to 9' and 10', stacked cabinets are going to remain popular if not become more common.

Jane Ly, Calgary

• Shaker door profiles will remain popular for their simplicity and finely crafted style.
• Wider rail shaker profiles, like our Savannah and Malaga, will take the stage in the coming years.
• Lighter and brighter kitchens will always be in style. Whites and off-whites are stunning and bring an elegant feel to the home.
• Whites and finishes with grays like our Ashwood, Charcoal, and Espresso will be favourites for the coming year.
• More focus will be placed on knobs and pulls to add interest to kitchens and bathrooms. They are the jewelry that finishes off and completes your dream kitchen and bathroom. Look for more polished chrome finishes here, because of the sparkle and sophistication they add to cabinetry.
• Accessories that add function and beauty will still be going strong.
• Built-in sleek and industrial looking appliances will remain popular for their dramatic effect.

Joe Colonna, Calgary

• I think you will see a trend continuing with two-tone kitchens, mainly a dark colour for the island with a white or cream perimeter.
• Self closing drawers are all the rage, and will continue to be.
• Trending away from wood cabinets to thermofoil or NEXGEN™ doors for a durable, cost-effective, and contemporary feel.
• Recessed light valances, which are built into the cabinets and hidden behind doors, will be popular in 2014.

Sameer Kanji, Calgary

• White or off-white cabinets are making a comeback! With a simple shaker style door, whites create a light and simple look in the kitchen. This will allow those hand crafted accent pieces to stand out!
• Storage inserts that are both very handy and increasingly customizable too! Drawer inserts are great for organizing cutlery, pots and pans, recycling, and garbage too.
• Maximizing your space! Floor to ceiling cabinets are perfect to maximize storage and avoid clutter on the counters.
• Creating an impact! With the revival of white cabinets will come the fun of adding bright colours. Painted glass or bright cabinet interiors will add some contrast.

Jim Blakely, Edmonton

• Tall upper cabinets to the ceiling with large styles, risers, and crowns will continue to be the trend into 2014.
• Built in appliances will remain popular.
• Dark colours will remain popular, with two tone kitchens gaining popularity.
• Kitchens will have an abundance of pot and pan drawers (more drawers, less doors) with soft closing drawers being popular.
• Straight lines, flat panels, and glass doors will continue to be the trend into 2014.