Aurora Award Winners

A spectacular custom home by Phil Kean Designs in Winter Park earned one of the homebuilding industry’s highest honors when it captured the coveted Golden Aurora Award in the 2011 Aurora Awards design competition, presented at the 33rd annual Southeast Building Conference. The nationally recognized awards honor builders, planners, architects, developers, designers, interior merchandisers and other housing-related professionals in a 12-state region stretching from Texas to Virginia, plus the Eastern Caribbean. Following are the Central Florida companies that won Aurora Awards. In addition to Kean, there were numerous Central Florida winners in the competition. Orlando Home & Leisure salutes the top-notch professionals locally who brought home awards.

GOLDEN AURORA AWARD

Phil Kean Designs, Residential Construction, Custom Home (One of a Kind), Over $3,000,001: Miwa, Winter Park. Team members – Evergreen Consulting, CRT Studio, Cabinetry Creations, Harvey Smith Photography

GRAND AURORA AWARDS

Cabinetry Creations, Kitchen, Over $3,000,001: Miwa, Winter Park. Team members –  Evergreen Consulting, CRT Studios, Harvey Smith Photography

Continental Homes and Interiors, Custom Home (One of a Kind), $2,000,001-$3,000,000: The New American Home 2011, Orlando. Team members – Donnelly Architecture, Bowyer-Singleton & Associates, Redmon Design Company, Furniture Brands; UNEEK

KB Home of Central Florida, Best Energy-Efficient Home: KB Home Greenhouse/An Idea Home Created with Martha Stewart, Windermere. Team members – Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Lawrence Custom Builders, Bathroom, Over $3,000,001: The Gallagher Residence, Winter Park. Team members – Ewseychik Rice & Miller, Lynn Conte Design, Michael Lowry Photography

Marc-Michael Interior Design, Interior Detailing, Over $2,000,001: Costa, Boca Raton. Team members – Frankel Estate Homes, Carlos Martin Architects, IBI Designs

Phil Kean Designs: (see Golden Aurora Award)

R. Nursey Development, Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historical Restoration, Whole-House Renovation, Over $100,000: Richbourg Residence, Orlando. Team members – Home Accessibilities, FDS Engineering Associates, Frank Joseph Brooks, KJR Interiors, Everett & Soulé

AURORA AWARDS

Cabinetry Creations, Interior Merchandising/Design, Kitchen, Over $3,000,001: Miwa, Winter Park. Team members – Phil Kean Designs, Evergreen Consulting, CRT Studios

Central Kitchen & Bath, Residential Construction, Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historical Restoration, Kitchen Remodel, Over $50,000: The Greenovation of Terra Verde, Umatilla. Team members – Lucia Custom Home Designers, Kay Green Design

Continental Homes and Interiors, Residential Construction, Custom Home (One of a Kind), $2,000,001-$3,000,000: (See Grand Aurora Award)

CRT Studio, Interior Merchandising/Design, Over $3,000,001: Miwa, Winter Park. Team members – Phil Kean Designs

Evergreen Consulting, Environmental Design, Landscape/Pool Design, Custom Home (One of a Kind): The Retreat, Winter Park. Team member – CRT Studio

Lamar Design, Residential Construction, Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historical Restoration, Whole-House Renovation, Over $100,000: Chelsea Street, Orlando. Team member – Basso Homes & Remodels

Lawrence Custom Builders, Interior Merchandising/Design, Bathroom, Over $3,000,001: Villa Lugano, Winter Park. Team members – Ewseychik Rice & Miller, Lynn Conte Design

Lawrence Custom Builders, Residential Construction, Custom Home (One of a Kind), $1,000,001-$1,500,000: (See Grand Aurora Award)

Lucia Custom Home Designers, Interior Merchandising/Design, Kitchen, $500,001-$1,000,000: The Shakespeare, Ormond Beach.Team members – Luxury Builders, Rare Earth Landscaping, Design Studio A

Masterpiece Design Group, Interior Merchandising Design, $750,000-$1,000,001: Casa Cortile, Waterstone, Windermere.

Musgrave Building & Restorations, Residential Construction, Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historical restoration, Whole-House Renovation, Over $100,000: American Craftsman Revival, Orlando. Team members – Lucia Custom Home Designers, Conceptual Interior Planning

Pam Niemann Interiors, Interior Merchandising/Design, $1,500,000-$2,000,000: Charmant Maison, Lake Mary.

Phil Kean Designs, (see Golden Aurora Award)

R. Nursey Development, Residential Construction, Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historical Restoration, Whole-House Renovation, Over $100,000: Richbourg Residence, Orlando. Team members – Home Accessibilities, FDS Engineering Associates, Frank Joseph Brooks, KJR Interiors

Signature Landscape Contractors, Environmental Design, Landscape/Pool Design, Custom Home (One of a Kind): Oasis, Winter Park. Team member – Swanson Custom Homes

Signature Landscape Contractors, Environmental Design, Landscape/Pool Design, Single-Family or Detached Home: Stirling, Winter Park. Team member – Swanson Custom Homes

BEST OF STATE

Phil Kean Designs: (see Golden Aurora Award)

Spotlights

MIWA NAMED THE BEST OF THE BEST

Phil Kean Designs earned the coveted Golden Aurora Award for “Miwa,” a 4,728-square-foot, $4 million luxury home. A team of independent judges deemed the Kean project to be the best of more than 200 entries. This contemporary stunner features clean lines, extensive details and large indoor/outdoor living areas on both levels. The entrance of the home showcases steps that appear to float over moving water. Through the lush garden, a pathway that mimics the entrance connects the main house with the guest house. Beneath the steps, LED lights provide dramatic illumination. Aging-in-place features include master suites on both levels, as well as an elevator and a garage entrance. The great room and kitchen open onto the lanai, summer kitchen and garden via folding and pocketing glass doors. Miwa also has a theater room, library and office/workshop with a Murphy bed. Partners in the project included CRT Studio and Cabinetry Creations. In addition to the Golden Aurora, the Miwa home won Grand Auroras for Best of State, Best Kitchen and Best Custom Home as well as Interior Detailing  and Interior Merchandising.
Phil Kean Designs, Inc., 963 Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL, 32789; (407) 599-3922. philkeandesigns.com

HOME DESIGNS WITH A SPLASH OF GREEN

Jim Lucia, owner of Lucia Custom Home Designers, has emerged as one of the region’s leading “green” residential designers. That expertise has earned him a number of high-profile assignments, including several Aurora Award winners. Lucia designed Greenovation of Terra Verde in Lake County, which won a Grand Aurora as Best Water-Wise Home. The project is actually a net-zero structure, which means that it produces more energy than it uses. “That means the meter actually runs backwards,” says Lucia of the home, which has earned Platinum Certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition. Another Lucia design, the Shakespeare in Ormond Beach, won an Aurora for Interior Merchandising/Kitchen. That project, which was also the Showcase Home for the Volusia County Building Industry Association’s 2011 Parade of Homes, is another model of sustainability and energy-efficient technology, earning Gold Certification from FGBC. A third Lucia-designed project took home an Aurora in the Remodeling, Rehabilitation or Historic Restoration category. The American Craftsman Revival in Orlando charmed the judges with its authenticity and detailing. Check out Lucia’s projects on Facebook at Lucia Custom Home Designers.
Lucia Custom Home Designers, Inc., (407) 629-7001; luciadesigns.com

IN THE KITCHEN, IT’S ABOUT ZEN

Cabinetry Creations won a Grand Aurora Award for the unique and tranquil “Zen” kitchen in Miwa, the Winter Park custom home that won the competition’s Golden Aurora Award. The kitchen, which combines clean-line cabinetry with exotic materials, is a masterpiece of function and beauty. The ambience is enhanced by accents of stainless steel, dark Caesarstone and glass with an embossed leather hood. The refrigerator and freezer are hidden behind sycamore and walnut panels. Other features include a speed oven, steam oven, coffee machine, prep station, cleanup station and menu-planning desk. There’s also a full walk-in pantry and connecting laundry room. The dining room table is incorporated into the island to ensure that every guest feels included. In a nod to nature, all exterior doors surrounding the kitchen completely pocket, and open onto the lanai and summer kitchen. Cabinetry Creations is one of the most respected cabinet providers in the entire Orlando area. Whether you’re building a multimillion-dollar custom home or remodeling a vintage classic, you’ll get one-on-one, personal attention from Cabinetry Creations’ design and installation teams. 
Cabinetry Creations, 538 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL, 32803; (407) 897-8988. cabinetrycreationsinc.com