All homes start with good design. And it touches every facet of home building — whether you’re in single family, custom building, multifamily, remodeling, or sales and marketing. That’s why, for the past 40 years, NAHB has recognized, honored and promoted the importance of good design through its Best in American Living Awards (BALA) program.
Created in 1984, BALA was sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, Professional Builder magazine, and Better Homes and Gardens, and aimed to recognized builders who were designing and building homes that best met the needs of home buyers and inspiring those in the industry to take their design game to the next level. The program has since expanded to recognize design excellence in single family, multifamily, community, remodeling, and interior architecture and design. Through its rich history of celebrating creative, innovative, and remarkable designs that inspire others to continue to push the envelope of what good design can achieve, BALA has established itself as the premier residential design awards program in the country.
In its first year, the BALA judges selected seven homes that they believed were setting the standard for new homes across the country. Forty years later, 135 projects have garnered individual awards, with seven selected Best in Region and five will be receiving coveted “Of the Year” distinctions at the BALA ceremony that will take place on February 28, 2024. NAHB will recognize and honor those seven trailblazing homes and their design teams during the last two weeks of posting in this special section dedicated to BALA at 40, which will end on February 28.
