The 2006 Architect's Choice Award is the home of Ron Faleide and Ellin Rosenthal, and their son, Jaren Faleide, who's sitting in the living room, with their cat, Taylor, on January 21, 2008, in Washington Park. The owner's goal: to create "an aesthetic with a modern sensibility, straightfoward yet without fuss or pretension. They also wanted to be sensitive to the history represented by the existing structure." They recyled much of the existing brick and oak flooring. The effect on the outside of the home, which blends in with the neighborhood, is one of a geode -- crusty and unpolished, while the inside, like a geode, is bright and colorful. The architect is also the homeowner. (ELLEN JASKOL/ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS)