randy brown architects, omaha

The attention lavished on a fireplace and built-in television cabinet in this suburban remodel impressed the judges. "Someone spent a lot of time on that," they said. Architect Randy Brown actually tore a hole into the side of the house to line the TV up flush with the wall. "The challenge was to create one focal point for the space," he says. "The fireplace already existed. So we cantilevered the TV over the wall to get it as close to the fireplace as possible." The two pieces present a united front, drawing the eye to the entire composition rather than to just the TV or the fireplace.

The house's L-shaped floor plan inspired the detail's recurring design motif. The brushed stainless steel fireplace surround forms an "L," as do the maple mantelpiece, the slate-covered hearth, the Lumasite light fixture, and the drywall surrounding the TV cabinet.

project architect: Randy Brown, AIA, Randy Brown Architects
general contractor: Randy Brown, AIA, Randy Brown Architects
construction cost: $250 per square foot
photographer: Farshid Assassi