Traditional charm, modern simplicity and an intentional combination of the two are on-trend for 2025 based on the big winners of the just-released 2024 Best in American Living Awards.
Each year, the National Association of Home Builders highlights homes that demonstrate craftsmanship, innovation and excellence in remodeling. This year, many winning homes contained timeless features, modern styling and in many cases, both.
Cottage-style exteriors
Homes with charming, asymmetrical architecture and cozy exterior details scored well.
Design elements like gable pediments, covered porches and quirky front doors showed up repeatedly on winning homes like Shapiro & Company Architects’ Midtown Modern Tudor located in Memphis, Tennessee, and Boxwood Cottage by Lew Oliver in Lone Tree, Colorado — both Gold Award winners in their categories.
Midtown Modern Tudor Shapiro & Company Architects
Photo Credit: Lensman Photography
Stained glass detailing on Midtown Modern Tudor by Shapiro & Company Architects
Photo credit: Shapiro & Company Architects
Boxwood Cottage by Lew Oliver
Photo Credit: Lew Oliver
Monochrome interiors
Color-themed spaces dominated in the interior design category.
KGT Builder’s Pelican Marsh kitchen remodel in Naples, Florida, included crisp white cabinetry, white and off-white tiling and a striking all-white ceiling feature. The project took home the Gold Award for best remodeled kitchen in the $75,000–$125,000 range.
Pelican Marsh kitchen remodel by KGT Builders
Photo Credit: La Casa Tour
The Overbrook Library at River Oaks in Houston followed the monochrome trend with an exclusively beige and brown palette. The room, built by Fifty Seventh & 7th Luxury Homes, featured wood-paneled walls and built-in bookshelves.
The Overbrook Library at River Oaks by Fifty Seventh & 7th Luxury Homes
Photo Credit: TK images
Blended balance
Winterthur by Vincent Longo Custom Builders won the Gold Award for best remodeling of an entire home over $750,000. Located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, the Georgian colonial contained both traditional and modern design elements.
The home featured a trending monochrome bathroom complete with wood paneling and a living area that contrasted traditional design elements like moulded wall paneling with modern features like industrial-look chandeliers and clean black window panes.
Caption: Bathroom in Winterthur by Vincent Longo
Photo Credit: Emily Followill
Living Space in Winterthur by Vincent Longo
Photo Credit: Emily Followill