Photo of Punit Patel of SAWA Design and his team, taken by Wyatt Kostygan.

Each year, the Home of the Year Awards Competition recognizes the superior local talent in design and construction along the Gulf Coast. “Since our magazine is devoted to living local, it is only fitting that we celebrate and showcase some of the region’s most jaw-dropping residences,” said SRQ Executive Publisher Wes Roberts. “It is meaningful for the residents of our community – and it adds to the beauty right here in our own backyard.” This year, we received 49 impressive entries. With submitted projects evaluated by a three-judge panel of experts from New York City, Naples and Miami, categories ranged from Best Sustainable/Green Home, Best Bathroom, Best Kitchen, Best Remodel/Renovation, Best Landscape Design, a new category added this year of Best Interior Design, and three culminating categories of Best Overall Home, divided by budget. Each judge received a blind presentation of all the entries and scored them based on design concept, use of space, innovation and integrity of function. “Our panel of judges were thoroughly blown away by the impressive work represented in each submission,” said Roberts. 

Results were announced amongst colleagues, friends, admirers and family last night at the 16th annual Home of the Year Awards Ceremony, hosted at SRQ Media’s studio. Leading architects, contractors, interior designers and all their fans showed up for an evening to celebrate each other's most distinguishable and recent work — seeing multiple honors bestowed for local projects from the past year that continue to keep Sarasota on the map with laudable architecture and exemplary design. 

When it came to time to reveal award-winners for the Best Overall Home categories, SAWA Design Studio/Leader Design Studio and Nautilus Homes proved the big winners of the ceremony, each taking home trophies in four different categories. Other winners of the night included Borden Landscape Design, Perrone Construction, Seibert Architects, Voigt Brothers Construction, Murray Homes, Josh Wynne Construction, Sweet Sparkman Architects and DSDG Architects. 

"It's a true privilege to work with excellent builders, and most of all, wonderful clients," says Principal Architect Chris Leader of Leader Design Studio. "We are humbled that the Bayview House and Citrus House were acknowledged among a strong group of projects by some of our region's best design firms, contractors and industry leaders." 

We thank all the participants who submitted their projects in SRQ’s 2020 Home of the Year Competition. To see and read about the homes that made a statement in HOTY, keep an eye out for a special feature coming in the March issue of SRQ Magazine.

Photo of Punit Patel of SAWA Design and his team, taken by Wyatt Kostygan.