Photos of this house in isolation do not hint that it is sited on a heavily trafficked street. Nor is it immediately evident that beyond the passive design technique using large overhangs to shade west-facing glass, the house is Certified Net Zero, LEED Platinum and Florida Green Coalition Platinum. Designed for indoor-outdoor living, the house is a creation of concrete slabs and 45-degree angles, ponds and pools, and indoor gardens. Although the house appears horizontally stressed, there are visible vertical supports throughout that seem to secure the “floating” horizontal slabs.

Home remains the most significant architectural place we experience throughout our lives. It represents safety, ownership, privacy, stability and personality. As we continue to investigate the role that homes play in our daily lives, the annual SRQ Magazine Home of the Year Competition invites local architects, builders, interior designers and landscape artists to present us with new notions of home environments by submi!ing their recent residential projects. Year a"er year, the competition redefines the spaces where we live and thrive—broadening the discussion of what a home represents and what it can ultimately be with today’s building strategies, renovation techniques and regional trends. From seaside to streetside, inside and out, these award-winning domains celebrate and contribute to a growing legacy of innovative home design.

Step inside the 2.0 version of a Hillview highlight, formerly known as Libby's Cafe + Bar.

Welcome back to the neighborhood, ol’ gal. With a breath of fresh air, Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie is back, revived and with a new persona—not to mention upgraded machinery, a remodeled floorplan, enlivened menus and a modern makeover for the beloved Hillview staple.

Showcasing immaculate spatial synergies and breathtaking views while employing smart renovation techniques and building strategies, the architects, builders, interior designers and landscape artists who won in this year’s SRQ Magazine Home of the Year competition collaborated to bring these incredibly stunning Gulf Coast residential spaces to life. From seaside to street-side, inside and out, these exemplars of the local built environment celebrate and contribute to an impressive legacy of award-winning architecture.

Extraordinary waterside properties with crystal-blue views that stun. From beach homes, lakeside retreats, ocean properties, or a home with an amazing pool, these are a breathtaking water-rich oasis.

From serene water features to breathtaking and green building techniques, the architects, builders and landscape artists that won in this year’s Home of the Year competition pulled out all the stops. Flip through and marvel at the stunning spaces being modeled along the Gulf Coast.

Punit Patel and Chris Leader met over ten years ago while working together at another local architecture firm. Upon deciding to branch out into their own respective firms—Patel as Sawa Design Studio and Leader as Leader Design Studio—they found clarity in combining their kindred visions to create inspired and customized homes that live in conversation with their surrounding neighborhood.

The combined vision of architects, builders, interior designers and landscape professionals creates residential spaces with striking character. Our annual Home of the Year competition recognizes the best of the best. Discover how creativity, integrity, form and function converge to bring these treasured homes to life.

Elegant & sustainable design in Sarasota.

Top talent in Southwest Florida’s home sector was honored at the annual SRQ Home of The Year reception at SRQ Media Group’s corporate headquarters, where architect Guy Peterson led the way in awards with an unprecedented sweep of the Best Overall Home—Over $2 Million category. “It is rewarding just to have other professionals view your work and determine its merits,” said Peterson, who also won the Platinum Award in the Best Overall Home Under $2 Million category. “This is more than just a beauty contest.”

Trophies at the event were given out to architects, contractors, designers and other professionals in the field. The event was sponsored by Tempus Pro Systems, a home systems integrity installing everything from security to entertainment and lighting systems. “Tempus Pro is interested in supporting all the new home-building that is going on,” said Michael Stelzen, director of sales for the company.

Professionals in attendance said the awards were a good chance to spotlight the top-in-field work being done through the region and learn what was most impressive to the jury of out-of-market professionals. “This is about work we are doing in modern design,” said Punit Patel, principal at Sawa Design, which won a Gold Award for Best Renovation.

The event, emceed by SRQ Media Group Publisher Wes Roberts, provided a chance for professionals around the region to network together. Winners of Platinum, Gold and Silver Awards in seven categories were invited to the reception. “This is a wonderful event to acknowledge good design, and it’s important to the community,” said David Young, owner of DWY Landscape Architects. His company won a Platinum Award for Best Landscaping. 

Plenty of homeowners have commissioned an interior by Sawa Design Studio or a renovation by Leader Design Studio, but the businesses themselves have always been in rented digs. But that changes this fall when respective owners Punit Patel and Christopher Leader officially reopen the Historic Waterworks building in Sarasota’s Rosemary District. The pair of business owners, whose firms have worked jointly on a number of projects throughout town, bought the building to provide a permanent home for their own companies, complete with a shared showroom and including extra office space to grow into or rent out as they see fit.