Aging in Place vs. Universal Design

Is Universal Design the Same as Aging in Place?

Aging in Place means “being able to remain in your own home during your later years of life, rather than transitioning to a smaller home, assisted living, or retirement community.” Universal design refers to “design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their...

Baby Boomer Influence On Home Design

With a population of 75+ million homeowners, baby boomers command a strong influence on current home design. Like the millennial generation, they have specific lifestyle needs that can be incorporated in home design by architects, interior designers and builders alike. By analyzing current trends and predicting future needs, home design professionals can create homes for their clients that accommodate their...

Retiring in Asheville

What makes Asheville and Western North Carolina so appealing to retirees? Asheville, as well as other Western North Carolina towns, ha​s constantly topped the “Best of” lists, including ​one of the best places to retire. Our area is ideal for retirees, providing a great atmosphere and community​, as well as​ offering favorable year-round weather, good air quality, low crime rates, easy accessibility to...

Aging in Place & Universal Design

Home Design Centered Around Aging in Place and Universal Design Guidelines For years, the topics of aging in place and universal design have become common terminology and best practice when designing homes. These design considerations apply not only for those with disabilities and older generations, but also for a larger slice of the population, the baby boomers, who plan to stay in their homes as...

Historic Renovations and Tax Credits in NC

In ​our city ​of​ Asheville, NC, we are fortunate to have many historic properties intact, contributing to the uniqueness of our town and culture. ​ ​Making the decision to purchase and renovate rather than ​build new can be difficult, with many factors​ to consider​, such as location, cost, and schedule​. ​ For those who simply love older homes, r​ehabilitating ​the​ structure...

Western North Carolina Magazine, March 2016 COVER

WNC Magazine: “Remarkable Revamps” featuring ACM Design Project

[caption id="attachment_6728" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] New Kitchen in Historic Grove Park Home[/caption] Fairy Tale Cottage WRITER: Melissa Reardon PHOTOGRAPHER: Heather Radford ILLUSTRATOR: WNC Staff When architect Amy Conner-Murphy and her team from ACM Design took up the task of renovating the adorable North Asheville cottage of Doug and Wendy Banks, they gave it a fitting nickname: The Sleeping Beauty Project. “It was a diamond in the...

What Makes ACM Design Unique?

Getting to know Asheville Architect, Amy Conner-Murphy, of ACM Design Behind every home that is built​, you will find a design. ​Behind every home design, you will likely find a design professional ​that ​has envisioned the home and drafted it ​into existence through drawings. At their most basic level, these drawings will include ​floor​ ​plans showing how the rooms work together,...

Are you Planning to
Design and Build a Mountain Home?

If you’ve ever driven the Blue Ridge Parkway and dreamt of living in the Smoky Mountains or the Southern Appalachians, we’ve compiled a series of complimentary guides rich with information about designing a mountain home. Informed by our decades of experience as mountain home architects, we share expert advice about topics like building on steep slopes, terrain-specific building costs, and materials suited for withstanding the mountain weather. Our passion for creating personalized and heartfelt homes is apparent in all of our work and it is our pleasure to share our expertise with you in these free and informative guides.