RDS Recognized with Three 2026 American Residential Design Awards

Residential Designed Solutions is proud to announce three honors from the 2026 American Residential Design Awards (ARDA), presented by the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD). 

This year's recognition includes two awards for The Asbury House, designed by Dominic Luppino, CPBD: an ARDA Award in Custom Homes (Built) and the Global Choice Award. The European Veranda Retreat, designed by Joshua Brashear, also received an ARDA (American Residential Design Award) for Working Drawings. 

The three awards recognize different aspects of residential design. The Custom Homes award celebrates the design of a completed residence, while the Working Drawings award recognizes the precision and clarity behind the documentation that makes a complex design possible to build. Global Choice offers another perspective, recognizing a completed project selected through voting by the public and AIBD Professional members. 

Together, they reflect two important parts of the work we do at RDS: developing ideas that respond to how people want to live and translating those ideas into plans that can be successfully brought to life. 

About the American Residential Design Awards 

The American Residential Design Awards are the American Institute of Building Design's premier program recognizing excellence in residential design. 

The program highlights creative and innovative work from residential designers, builders, remodelers, architects, developers, land planners, and interior designers across the country. Awards span a wide range of project types, including custom homes, builder models, pre-designed homes, multifamily projects, remodeling, working drawings, and projects still on the boards. 

Unlike a traditional design competition, ARDA entries are judged on the quality of the individual submission rather than against projects of similar size or value. A panel of residential design and construction professionals evaluates each entry based on its merits. 

The Global Choice Award adds a different dimension to the program. Completed projects entered in this category are presented for public viewing, where the general public and AIBD professional members are invited to vote for their favorite design. 

For RDS, receiving recognition through both the professional judging process and the Global Choice vote makes this year's honors especially meaningful. 

Two Honors for the Asbury House 

Designed by: Dominic Luppino, CPBD

The Asbury House received two distinct honors in this year's ARDA program: an ARDA Award in Custom Homes (Built) and the Global Choice Award. 
 
The Custom Homes category recognizes completed residences for qualities including craftsmanship, innovation and creativity, contextual integration, and overall impact. The Global Choice Award gave the project an opportunity to connect with a broader audience, with the winning design selected through votes from the public and AIBD Professional members. 

Receiving recognition through both avenues is an exciting honor for a home that was designed from the beginning around the needs and priorities of the people who would call it home. 

The Asbury House was designed for a lifestyle that moves easily between everyday living and entertaining.

The two-story contemporary home includes six bedrooms and six-and-a-half baths, but its generous size is balanced by a focus on purposeful spaces and clear connections throughout the home. 

From the front entrance, views carry through the home to the backyard and pool, connecting the interior spaces with the outdoors.  

The main level brings the kitchen, dining, and living spaces together while maintaining enough definition for each area to function independently. 

At the center of the home, the kitchen serves as both a gathering space and a hub for entertaining. A walk-in pantry provides additional preparation and storage space while keeping cleanup and food prep out of view. 

Large openings at the rear of the home connect the interior living spaces to the pool terrace. Lounge areas and an outdoor shower extend the home's functionality outside, allowing the space to accommodate everything from a quiet afternoon to a large gathering with family and friends. 

 The home's organization continues upstairs and down. The owner's suite is located on the main level for privacy and convenience, with direct access to the outdoors. Each upper-level bedroom includes its own bathroom, giving family members and guests a private space of their own. The lower level has a media room, bar, and workout space, creating another area for activities to happen independently of the main living spaces. 

Some of the home's most practical features are also among its most personal. A family foyer includes a built-in dog wash, while ample storage and efficient circulation help keep everyday routines organized. 

This home is designed to accommodate the many ways it may be used, without requiring the homeowners to change the way they live when the house is full of guests. 

Working Drawings: European Veranda Retreat 

Designed by: Joshua Brashear

The European Veranda Retreat was recognized in the Working Drawings category, highlighting the detailed documentation behind a design. 
 
This European-inspired custom home is represented through a comprehensive set of plans, sections, elevations, and details that communicate its architectural character, material relationships, and building assemblies. 

The drawing set demonstrates the importance of balancing design intent with constructability. Complex roof forms, material transitions, and interior trim details are documented with precision to provide clarity for pricing, coordination, inspections, and field execution. 

Rather than focusing only on the overall appearance of the home, the drawings address the many individual decisions that need to come together during construction. Dimensions, annotations, and detail callouts are carefully coordinated to establish a clear framework for the contractor and trades. 

Recognition in the Working Drawings category is a reminder that successful residential design extends well beyond the finished photograph. Clear, comprehensive documentation is an important part of turning a concept into a home that can be accurately priced, coordinated, and built. 

Three Awards, One Approach to Design 

The Asbury House and European Veranda Retreat represent different aspects of residential design, but all three honors demonstrate the importance of looking beyond the surface. 

Good design considers how a home will be used, how spaces connect, how details work together, and how the finished design will translate into construction. 

For nearly four decades, RDS has approached residential design with that perspective. Whether developing a custom home, rethinking an existing space, or preparing detailed construction documents, our goal is to create designs that balance creativity with the realities of how homes are built and lived in. 

We are honored to have our work recognized through the 2026 American Residential Design Awards and grateful to the clients, builders, and industry partners who help bring these designs from ideas on paper to completed homes.