PATIO DADDY-O: Hard angles and sleek curves combine to create dynamic, open living spaces in the 2006 home of the year, a nod to mid-mod in Palm Springs, Calif.
PATIO DADDY-O: Hard angles and sleek curves combine to create dynamic, open living spaces in the 2006 home of the year, a nod to mid-mod in Palm Springs, Calif.

GOOD ARCHITECTURE IS CONTEXTUAL. So with the balmy climates of most of the West a consistent factor in the Gold Nugget Awards, there were plenty of stunning outdoor living spaces inciting floor plan envy in this, the competition's 43rd year. As usual, there was no shortage of Tuscan and Spanish colonial hideaways eliciting the notion that every day at home should be like a vacation. It's a promise that never gets old.

Appropriate though these perennial favorites may be for their sunny settings, there were some surprises to boot. The eight judges opted to reward revivals in a few other flavors—including some midcentury modernism (one a production plan at that).

Kudos also went to more than a handful of ethically minded little-projects-that-could—developments that went the extra mile to build green, promote public transit use, render affordability, straddle schizophrenic city zones, preserve nature, and generally put the brakes on sprawl.

With 676 entries hailing from 12 states and a host of international locales, there was something for everyone in this year's bounty. Write to us and let us know which projects are your favorites. And which ones surprised you.

2006 Gold Nugget Awards