February 23, 2026, Edition #CreatingWherePeopleLive This weekly newsletter is created by and for those designing homes in North America. Its editorial staff is the American Institute of Building Design, Inc., the premier association of residential design professionals. Here's what you get: Field Notes Nuts & Bolts Highlights Workshops & Gatherings What We're Up To Amazing sponsors who help keep this newsletter free for the industry. Let's dive in. Email servers may truncate this newsletter...
1 day ago • 4 min read
As part of our participation in NAHB’s Leading Suppliers Council, AIBD attended a 2026 International Builders’ Show briefing by Dr. Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders. In that session, Dr. Dietz presented NAHB’s latest economic and housing market data, along with their forecast for the next several years. The short version is this: We are in a slower, more expensive, more complicated housing cycle, but one that still clearly needs what residential...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Congrats on surviving Monday and crushing Tuesday. Now, Wednesday beckons you to take a break and step into a pattern of discovery. Welcome to the Midweek Meander. Did someone forward this to you? Please consider subscribing. For many, sketching is difficult enough. Imagine doing it upside-down—and doing it exceptionally well. If you're not proficient at reading upside down, you just haven't done enough client presentations yet. You'll get there. But Paul R. Williams, known as...
6 days ago • 7 min read
We've got some fantastic live discussions coming up that you won't want to miss. Whether you're looking to level up your design skills, dive deeper into high-performance homes, or reconnect with your creative passion, we've got something perfect for you. High-Performance Homes Team: Cost, Trade-offs, and "How Far to Go" - 2/17/2026 at 2:00pm EST Join a fast-paced roundtable with fellow residential design professionals to discuss resilience, fire-hardening, and budgeting decisions. A great...
7 days ago • 1 min read
February 16, 2026, Edition #CreatingWherePeopleLive This weekly newsletter is created by and for those designing homes in North America. Its editorial staff is the American Institute of Building Design, Inc., the premier association of residential design professionals. Here's what you get: Field Notes Nuts & Bolts Workshops & Gatherings Training Events Amazing sponsors who help keep this newsletter free for the industry. Let's dive in. Email servers may truncate this newsletter because it is...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Can you name the exact window proportions for a Queen Anne without hunting through three different sources? Of course not. Nobody memorizes architectural minutiae—and yet every project demands it. You’ll spend hours tracking down grille patterns, color specifications, trim details, and hardware options specific to each era and style. Minutes add up. Days accumulate. Profit margins shrink. That’s changing right now. The Pattern Book Collection Continues With Andersen Windows & Doors, we’ve...
11 days ago • 1 min read
The January 2026 data points released yesterday by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest a mixed but generally resilient environment for small residential design firms. While “Residential Building Design” isn’t a standalone category in this summary, its primary driver—Construction—added 33,000 jobs in January. Growth in construction typically signals a pipeline of new projects, although the primary driver appears to be nonresidential specialty trade contractors. While the residential...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Congrats on surviving Monday and crushing Tuesday. Now, Wednesday beckons you to take a break and step into a pattern of discovery. Welcome to the Midweek Meander. Did someone forward this to you? Please consider subscribing. Practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes it permanent. That’s what my baseball coach, Bob Shaw, taught me. He used to say, “If you’re practicing it wrong, you’re only going to get good at doing it wrong” (or something like that). As I’ve gotten older, I’ve...
13 days ago • 6 min read
Join Us for Coffee with Bernie: Design Smarter Spaces We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming webinar featuring industry expert Bernie Kern, FAIBD. Event Details: Date: February 13, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM EST Duration: 1 hour Format: Virtual (with optional live participation)Your Investment: $25 for non-AIBD Members; AIBD Members get complimentary access. About This Webinar: In today’s market, big impact doesn’t require big square footage. This engaging session explores the art of “doing...
14 days ago • 1 min read
