Architizer is thrilled to announce the winners of the eighth Annual Better of LaCantina Design competitors!
This season introduced ahead a brand new wave of visionary residential and industrial initiatives — every demonstrating how well-designed door and window methods can redefine the connection between structure and the encompassing surroundings. From cliffside hideaways to winery tasting rooms, the 2025 winners showcase how LaCantina’s methods improve the livability of each area they body.
Topping this yr’s record is Break up Cabin by Syndicate Smith, winner of the celebrated Finest in Present award. Tucked within the woods of Lake Wenatchee, Washington, this modest but masterfully composed retreat makes use of LaCantina sliding doorways to create a totally immersive mountain basecamp — one which’s as refined in its particulars as it’s related to its environment. As a part of their prize, Syndicate Smith will obtain an all-expenses-paid journey to the 2026 AIA Convention in San Diego and can be featured in a reside Architizer panel later this yr.
Scroll on to discover the complete record of winners from the 2025 Better of LaCantina competitors, every providing a compelling case examine in how nice design can open up totally new methods of dwelling.
Finest in Present: Break up Cabin by Syndicate Smith, Lake Wenatchee, Washington Contractor: Carlisle Basic Houses; Structural Engineer: BTL Engineering
Picture by Will Austin
Picture by Will Austin
Picture by Will Austin
Set deep within the woods of Lake Wenatchee, Break up Cabin by Syndicate Smith is a minimalist weekend retreat designed for out of doors lovers. Organized into two compact volumes — one for sleeping, one for dwelling — and joined by a coated out of doors patio, the cabin encourages engagement with its environment whereas offering a quiet refuge year-round.
Central to the cabin’s design are LaCantina’s aluminum wooden sliding doorways, which open the interiors to panoramic forest views and flood the dwelling areas with pure mild. “We selected LaCantina Doorways as a result of their slim profiles maximize panoramic views whereas sustaining the cabin’s minimalist aesthetic,” says the agency. “Their smooth-operating methods create seamless indoor-outdoor stream,” permitting the patio to perform as an extension of the house.
LaCantina’s efficiency additionally supported the mission’s high-altitude context. “They supply the vitality effectivity wanted for year-round consolation in a mountain local weather,” notes the crew, whereas sturdy {hardware} ensures low-maintenance use. The constant design language throughout LaCantina’s merchandise helped protect the “clear, understated character” that defines this modest however immersive basecamp.
Most Progressive Venture: Bicycle Haüs by Debartolo Architects, Scottsdale, Arizona
Picture by Invoice Timmerman
Picture by Invoice Timmerman
Set alongside a outstanding Scottsdale hall, Bicycle Haüs by debartolo architects is a 5,000-square-foot retail hub that merges glossy modernity with rustic heritage. Clad in weathering steel and reclaimed barn wooden, the shop displays each the precision of biking and the non-public roots of its homeowners, making a sustainable and daylight-filled area that welcomes the native using group.
To assist the store’s hybrid perform, a LaCantina aluminum folding door was built-in into the outside walk-up window. “We selected LaCantina for its performance and design,” notes the agency. A customized metal plate sill doubles as a countertop, enabling a clear, trackless element that helps seamless indoor-outdoor interplay.
The door system enhances the constructing’s function as each retail area and social anchor. “This new constructing represents who we’re,” says co-owner Kale Keltz, highlighting the mix of efficiency, identification, and architectural craft that defines the mission.
Finest City Residential Venture: Amber by YAMA ARCHITECTURE, San Francisco, CaliforniaCollaborator: Ana Arcelus Arrillaga
Picture by Bruce Damonte
Picture by Bruce Damonte
In San Francisco’s Diamond Heights, Amber by YAMA Structure transforms a basic 1961 U-1 Eichler house into a contemporary, light-filled residence whereas honoring its mid-century roots. The renovation updates supplies and format whereas sustaining authentic strains, with Azek® siding utilized in a up to date rainscreen element and inside areas opened as much as improve stream.
On the coronary heart of the design is a LaCantina aluminum folding door system that connects the kitchen to the adjoining courtyard. “The LaCantina product created an ideal answer for indoor-outdoor seamless stream,” explains the agency, including that the built-in “each day door” gives on a regular basis comfort. They praised the system’s “{smooth} motion, architectural sight strains,” and standout pleated accordion display, which “doesn’t snap again like most retractable screens,” mixing performance with a clear, refined aesthetic.
Finest Rural Residential Venture: Casa Las Tortugas by IM-KM Structure and Planning, Pedasi, Los SantosCollaborators: Kristin Morales; Marybeth Burton
Picture by Fernando Alda / Ivan Morales
Picture by Fernando Alda / Ivan Morales
Set atop a forested cliffside overlooking the Panamanian Pacific, Casa Las Tortugas is a breezy coastal retreat formed by local weather and topography. Organized round a central courtyard and vaulted arcade, the house embraces open-air dwelling, with shaded terraces, pure air flow and elevated suites framing panoramic views throughout the ocean and mangroves.
To realize this fluid indoor-outdoor connection, the architects built-in LaCantina folding, sliding and swinging doorways all through the house. Chosen by IM-KM for his or her minimal design profile and ease of use, these methods helped handle the mission’s core objectives: “to blur the boundary between inside and exterior areas, provide seamless airflow and supply panoramic views of the ocean round the home.”
Finest Suburban Residential Venture: Searidge by Laura Brophy Interiors, Laguna Niguel, CaliforniaCollaborators: Elevated Constructing Group; Spectrum Structure
Picture by Hugo Landa Garcia
Picture by Hugo Landa Garcia
Perched alongside the Southern California coast, Searidge by Laura Brophy Interiors brings refined materiality and openness collectively in a contemporary house that blurs the road between structure and nature. A fabric palette of wooden, plaster and stone creates a peaceful, tactile backdrop, whereas expansive glazed openings draw the panorama into the center of the house.
To assist this imaginative and prescient, the crew specified LaCantina’s V2 and Aluminum Thermally Managed folding doorways, which supply expansive glass panels and slim sightlines. “We selected LaCantina doorways as a result of they embody the seamless connection between indoor and out of doors dwelling,” says the agency, highlighting the system’s “distinctive performance” and “clear, fashionable strains” as key to attaining mild and livability in a coastal setting.
Finest Business Venture: On line casino Mine Ranch Vineyard by Don Jacobs Architect, Plymouth, California
Picture by Paul Kozal
Picture by Paul Kozal
Set in California’s Shenandoah Valley, the On line casino Mine Ranch Vineyard by Don Jacobs Architect creates a fluid connection between structure and panorama. Anchored by a grand oak tree and a four-acre pond, the constructing makes use of earth-toned supplies and expansive openings to border views and echo the positioning’s pure magnificence.
A 60-foot-long wall of LaCantina sliding glass doorways, paired with clerestory home windows, permits pure air flow and blurs the road between indoors and out. “I needed a door that might be simply opened and closed by employees but additionally one which gave most views,” explains the architect, who praised LaCantina’s performance and dependable native service. The result’s a welcoming, climate-responsive area that gives a tasting expertise that’s intimately related to the encompassing terrain.
Finest Renovation Venture: Laurel Venture by Bianca Ecklund Design, Manhattan Seashore, California
Picture Lauren Taylor Pictures
Picture Lauren Taylor Pictures
Situated in Manhattan Seashore, California, the Laurel Venture by Bianca Ecklund Design is a full-home transform that reimagines the kitchen and dwelling area for a extra open, indoor-outdoor life-style. The design emphasizes readability and continuity, with up to date interiors that stretch naturally into the yard for each on a regular basis use and entertaining.
To realize this connection, the crew included a LaCantina pocket door system and a bifold window. “We selected LaCantina for its glossy design and flush sill choices,” explains the agency. The doorways enable the kitchen and dwelling space to totally open to the outside, making a unified area with minimal visible interruption.
Finest Compact Venture: Ocean Cliff Oasis by CABANA CONCEPTS, Encinitas, California
Picture by Sydney Ellis
Picture by Sydney Ellis
Perched above the Pacific in Encinitas, Ocean Cliff Oasis by CABANA CONCEPTS is a full transform designed to harness ocean breezes and body vibrant sunsets. An open-concept format pairs with panoramic glazing to create a light-filled, coastal sanctuary.
To boost the house’s connection to its setting, the crew put in a number of LaCantina V2 folding and swing doorways, together with extensive openings within the kitchen, lounge, and courtyard. The architects praised the system’s “seamless integration and minimal panel profiles,” noting it “makes it even simpler to benefit from the beautiful ocean and sundown views with the doorways each closed or opened.”
Finest Idea: Kenninton Residence by Design Group Identify, California
Nestled right into a hillside in Glendale, California, Kenninton Residence is envisioned as a contemporary 3,000-square-foot house that blends up to date design with its sloped, terraced website. Impartial-toned finishes and a placing vertical stairwell join the multistory format, culminating in a roof deck with sweeping views of the San Fernando Valley.
To border these views and promote indoor-outdoor dwelling, the design incorporates LaCantina up to date clad sliding and folding doorways, together with a 12-foot-wide opening from the first suite. The structure agency famous that “having a BIM library helps shoppers visualize the ultimate product,” making LaCantina’s methods instrumental in each the design and communication course of.
The 2025 successful initiatives exemplify how LaCantina’s door and window methods can elevate structure — enhancing not solely aesthetics but additionally performance, consolation and connection to position. Every design exhibits how considerate openings can invite nature inside and assist a life-style rooted in mild, air and motion.
To dive deeper into the methods and methods behind these award-winning initiatives, go to LaCantinaDoors.com and discover extra inspiring case research.
