by Alyssa Tidwell
AFM Fave! Best Architect/Architecture Firm: Drewett Works
Blending the old with the new, Scottsdale-based Drewett Works uses hand-drawn renderings, 3D computer modeling and even virtual reality to create truly exceptional architecture that reflects the individual personalities of each of their clients. After all, home is where the heart is. The celebrated DW team specializes in luxury residential design, clubhouses and boutique commercial projects and has worked within the high-end communities of Estancia, Silverleaf and Mirabel, to name a few. drewettworks.com.
Best Design Firm/Store: Inner Mix Interior Design
Mother-daughter team Gayle and Jacqueline Davis run Inner Mix Interior Design, a business that blends the traditional American perspective with modern sensibilities in the home space. With a wide range of styles in design and overall ambience, the duo strives to reconstruct drab living spaces into dwellings full of life and character. Inner Mix Interior Design was founded by Gayle 25 years ago and operates out of Chandler. innermixdesign.com. Also a 2017 winner!
Best Flooring Company: OneSource Flooring & Interiors
Offering both material and installation, OneSource Flooring & Interiors specializes in custom home building projects for premier industry clientele including Salcito Custom Homes, Santorini Homes and the Residences at Ritz-Carlton. Known for its superb customer service and highly detailed tile installations, OneSource also allows clients to personally view the company’s wide selection of marble, quartz and granite countertops as well as natural stone, laminate, vinyl, hardwood and tile flooring and more. onesourceone.com. Also a 2017 winner!
Best Pool Company: Mossman Brothers Pools, Inc.
For more than 25 years, brothers Mike and Jeff have been designing and building dazzling custom pools, all suited to the unique details of each home. Mossman Brothers Pools, Inc. has won multiple awards for its work on both a national and local level. Clients can transform their backyards into a mini resort or relaxing oasis, keeping it laidback with a small, modest pool or living large with expansive waterscapes and exotic features. mossmanbrotherspools.com.
AFM Fave! Best New Community: Toll Brothers at Adero Canyon
Located in picture-perfect Fountain Hills, Toll Brothers at Adero Canyon is a private, gated neighborhood
of 61 single-family homes that boasts modern architecture and a peaceful desert setting surrounded by mountains. Spacious and sprawling, home sites average a half-acre and floor plans range from 3,200 to 4,700 square feet. Single- and two-story homes are available, each taking in panoramic mountain and city light views. Those who desire to see the mountains even closer up will enjoy the gated access to nearby trail heads. tollbrothersfountainhills.com.
Best Furniture/Home Store and Best Home Accessory Store: Buffalo Collection
Unprecedented in its strength, durability and plushness, American Buffalo leather furniture is basically the best you can get, and Old Town Scottsdale- based Buffalo Collection provides the world’s finest of this high-grade material. The furniture is expertly crafted with hardwood framing, down-topped cushions and eight-way hand-tied springs, each piece created to last a lifetime. Customers can browse Buffalo Collection for all kinds of furniture and home accessories like sofas, loveseats, chairs, ottomans, bed frames, headboards, tables, lighting, fine art, antiques—the list goes on. Each product is created with supreme attention to detail, from handmade knots, braiding and lacing to appliqué and ribbing. buffalocollection.com.
AFM Fave! Best Custom Home Builder: Salcito Custom Homes
Salcito Custom Homes is the industry gold standard for luxury custom home building, including design-build, interior design, construction and property management and much more—and has been since it was founded in 1978. Salcito’s Southwest-chic designs blend beautifully with the desert terrain of Arizona, creating an air of unbridled quality and sophistication. To date, Salcito Custom Homes has completed 350-plus jaw-dropping projects Valley-wide. Check out the Scottsdale-based builder’s luxe latest and greatest projects on its Instagram account, @salcitocustomhomes. salcito.com.
Best Rug Company: Azadi Fine Rugs
Expert artisans at Azadi Fine Rugs have been crafting ornate, hand-woven area rugs for literally centuries. Providing expertise on the highest quality rugs and extensive knowledge of the rug market, Azadi Fine Rugs assures customers they’re getting the best of the best, choosing from the Fine Rugs Collection, the Contemporary Collection or the Antique Rug Collection. Even better: AZADI is internationally recognized and certified as a child-labor free rug company. azadifinerugs.com. Also a 2017 winner!
Best Interior Designer/Firm: Suzanne Biers Harrington
When it comes to creating dwellings that are rich, inviting and easy on the eyes, renowned interior designer Susie Biers brings her A-game. She has more than 20 years of industry experience, leading a full-service design firm, specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects across the country. Her elegant yet easygoing designs have made their mark upon some of the most illustrious golf communities and desert properties in the Valley. sbiers.com.
Best Luxury Management Company: Alliance Residential
Alliance Residential, based in Phoenix, has 35 offices across the country and is the second largest multifamily developer and seventh largest multifamily manager in the nation. As one of the largest private apartment owners, this real estate company focuses primarily on the development, construction, management and purchasing of residential and mixed-use communities with more than 102,000 units in 33 metropolitan markets. allresco.com. Also a 2017 winner!
Best Outdoor Furniture Store: Brown Jordan
Brown Jordan is the leader in meticulously crafted, fine outdoor furniture and accessories. For the past 70 years, Brown Jordan has cultivated its craft and gained a prestigious reputation for its products and professionalism. With sleek, memorable, award-winning designs and superb standards, they deliver the best in refined, luxurious outdoor living with a multitude of different themes and styles to suit each customer’s individual tastes. brownjordan.com.
Best Architect/ Architecture Firm: Candelaria Design Associates, LLC
From Old World to contemporary to Spanish Colonial to Rural Mediterranean, Candelaria Design Associates design some of the most elegant homes throughout Arizona and across the country. The interior as well as exterior aesthetics of a Candelaria-designed residence is simply stunning, and no matter the style, each home elevates it to the Nth degree. Founded in 1999, Candelaria approaches home design as a collaborative effort between the team and their clients, keeping them involved from the design phase all the way through the construction and completion of their home. Candelaria Design had the honor of being chosen as the architect for the Scottsdale-based HGTV Smart Home 2017. candelariadesign.com.
Best Custom Home Builder: A Finer Touch Construction
With more than 100 years of combined industry experience, A Finer Touch Construction prides itself on craftsmanship of the highest caliber, precise attention to detail and individualized service for every client. As one of the premier construction firms in the Arizona region, AFT Construction stays ahead of the game through its extremely competitive prices, social media, vast subcontractor base and material purchase power. Along with stellar prices and quality, AFT Construction is known for its relentless professionalism and communication with their clients, who are never out of the loop. aftconstruction.com.
AFM Fave! Best Pre-Designed Custom Homes: Forte Homes
In the early 90’s, John Perkins and John Cochran joined forces to create Forte Homes, the Chandler- based custom home builder. The duo started in Ahwatukee with a vision to deliver a unique product with luxury quality at fair market pricing—and Forte Homes has since completed more than 500 high-end homes across the Valley. The company has found success by offering knowledge and integrity, as well as a trusted reputation. Working with some of the Valley’s top architects, Forte Homes has completed projects in a wide variety of desirable styles, from Southwest to Mediterranean to Craftsman. fortehomes.com.
Best Arizona-Based Home Building Company: Rosewood Homes
Rosewood Homes founder David Kitnick and his six-member senior management team have been recognized locally, regionally and nationally for their excellence in construction quality, land planning, architectural design and customer service. Scottsdale-based Rosewood Homes’ superior standards in home building has earned them dozens of awards including the Eliant “Homebuyers Choice Award,” and the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona’s “Small Volume Builder of the Year,” received in 2017, among many others. Rosewood Homes is currently developing North Scottsdale’s newest gated luxury neighborhood of well-detailed residences on large lots with mountain views. Pre-sales at Rosewood Ranch Estates are expected to start Spring 2018 with a model grand opening estimated in early 2019. rosewoodhomes.com.
Best Luxury Rentals: Broadstone Arts District
Just as the name implies, Alliance Residential’s Broadstone Arts District is a luxury apartment complex located in the heart of Phoenix’s culturally vibrant art community (next to Phoenix Art Museum and near Heard Museum). Residents at the community can catch all the gallery-going action, go museum- hopping or kick back at a local coffee cafe in one of the most exciting areas in Phoenix, then come home to an upscale studio, one- or two-bedroom apartment. And with colorful, chic art and décor, Broadstone Arts District is a work of art itself. Canvas @ Broadstone is a flex space that can be used for art gallery displays, community events and resident classes and workshops. broadstonearts.com.
Fast Favorites
Best Appliance Store: Sub-Zero Wolf, subzero-wolf.com.
Best Condo Development: The Arris (formerly Chateau on Central), thearris.com, also a 2017 winner!
Best Home Theatre: Dennis Sage Home Entertainment, dshe.net.
Best Retirement/ Senior Living Community: PebbleCreek, a Robson Resort Community, robson.com/communities/pebblecreek.
Best Nursery: TIE between The Bosque, thebosque.life and Whitfill Nursery, whitfillnursery.com.
Best Landscaping: TIE between Xerophytic Design, Inc., xero.pro and Berghoff Design Group, berghoffdesign.com, also a 2017 winner!
