Design 100 - The Best of the Best: People, Places, Extraordinary Things

Every two or three years, we like to take stock of the design world. The result is our signature Design 100 list. We spend months vetting nominees, shooting photographs and laying out pages, setting as our goal a list that doesn't repeat any item we cited previously. Readers have come to rely on the list as a chronicle of newsworthy design, from interiors and architecture to gardens, food and furnishings, from the heights of luxurious living to the most accessible kitchen gadget. On the following pages (in no order whatsoever), you will find the 2003 version. We hope everyone likes at least one of the hundred. Onward! --The Editors

89. Best Affordable Housing on the Slopes
Wellington Neighborhood, Breckenridge, Colorado

The EPA gave this development a National Award for Smart Growth for recycling a ravaged mining site and creating affordable housing for working families in this wealthy resort community. Jointly designed by Wolff-Lyon Architects and developer David O'Neil of Poplar House LLC, the 122 homes offer local workers an attractive alternative to a long and dangerous mountain commute.