
For the past four decades, NAHB’s Best in American Living Awards (BALA) have celebrated the value and importance of good home and community design.
Over the next several months, BALA will celebrate its significant 40-year milestone by showcasing memorable trends and award-winning projects, as well as celebrating its esteemed BALA Hall of Fame inductees who helped set the stage for today’s design creativity and innovation.
Although trends and best practices in home design have evolved through the years, NAHB’s commitment to driving innovation and improving the places where we live, work and play remains steadfast. NAHB is proud to once again recognize and honor the architects, builders and designers who have become part of the BALA community and made their mark in defining excellence in residential design.
Join us on our journey into the past, and celebrate the evolution of design!

BALA Recollections
1995 Home of the Year: 4,070-Square-Foot Custom Build
Judges found a beautiful marriage between the outside and the inside materials. By using the...
2007 BALA Design Trends
Every year, the BALA judges reflect on the applications and designs that they have poured...
2020 Home of the Year: The Crusader
With a mandate from the soon-to-be-retired builder to create a modernist piece of architecture as...
BALA Celebrates Inductees Christopher Homes, Dahlin Group & Dersin
Christopher Homes, Class of 2008 Founded in 1981 Christopher Homes is recognized both locally and...
2023 Awards
The Best in American Living™ Awards (BALA) is the building industry’s premier residential design awards program. BALA spotlights the most creative and talented building industry professionals who have redefined design excellence for homes and communities nationally and internationally. Winning projects showcase what building industry professionals need to know to set their product apart and hit the right mark with today’s highly educated and discerning home buyers.
The 2023 Awards cycle is Now Closed !