Who Won the 2026 Asheville Parade of Homes? The Honest Answer Is “It Depends”

If you’re trying to find out who won the 2026 Parade of Homes in Asheville, you’ll quickly discover there isn’t one clean answer. That’s because two separate award programs were presented on the same night, and each one recognizes different things.

Here’s how it breaks down, including where Living Stone Design + Build and our design partner, ID.ology Interiors & Design, landed.

What Happened on October 22?

The Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains (BABRM) presented both sets of awards at its Annual Awards Gala on October 22.

The 45th annual WNC Parade of Homes, presented by Warmstead, ran over two weekends, October 17–18 and October 24–25, with homes across Asheville, Hendersonville, Brevard, Black Mountain, Weaverville, and surrounding communities.

A panel of out-of-town building industry professionals evaluated the Parade entries on design, craftsmanship, functionality, and overall impression.

Parade of Homes Awards vs. WNC STARS Awards

These two programs get lumped together, but they aren’t the same thing.

The Parade of Homes awards recognize the homes featured in the Parade itself. Categories include Best in Show, the Motto Award, Viewers’ Choice, Gold and Silver Craftsmanship, and green certification honors, with separate recognition for new showcase homes and renovated “Renewed Spaces.”

You can see the full official list on the WNC Parade of Homes 2026 Award Winners page.

The WNC STARS Awards are a much broader program, modeled after the North Carolina Home Builders Association’s statewide STARS Awards. They cover dozens of categories, from custom homes, kitchens, additions, outdoor living, and green building to interior design, marketing, and individual professionals of the year.

Local winners advance to the 2027 NCHBA STARS Awards, where they represent Western North Carolina in the statewide competition. WNC Business published the full STARS list.

So Who Won Best in Show?

Two homes shared the Parade’s top honor: Irons Glen by Silver Dog Construction in Fairview, and Mills River Modern Farm by Towery Builders.

Congratulations to both teams. Best in Show did not go to one of our homes, and I’d rather say that plainly than let anyone assume otherwise.

Both homes also earned Gold Craftsmanship awards. A dozen new homes took Gold Craftsmanship this year, along with six renovated spaces, so a lot of builders had a lot to celebrate that night.

How Did Living Stone and ID.ology Do?

Living Stone and ID.ology together took home 13 awards across the two programs. That total represents recognition for two separate teams and does not establish which builder won the most awards overall.

At the Parade of Homes, Living Stone won three awards:

• Waterfall Overlook: Green Certification Showcase Home
• The Arboretum Garden House: Viewers’ Choice Renewed Space
• The Arboretum Garden House: Gold Craftsmanship, Renewed Spaces

At the WNC STARS Awards, Living Stone won eight:

• Waterfall Overlook: Best Outdoor Living Space
• Waterfall Overlook: Best Outdoor Kitchen
• Waterfall Overlook: Best Green Single-Family Home
• Waterfall Overlook: Best Aging in Place or Accessibility Residential Project
• The Arboretum Garden House: Best Home Landscape Design
• The Arboretum Garden House: Best One-of-a-Kind Home Remodel
• Fair Oaks Estate: Best Kitchen Remodel Over $150,000
• Fair Oaks Estate: Best Addition, one of three winners in that category

ID.ology Interiors & Design won two WNC STARS Awards:

• Waterfall Overlook: Best Interior Merchandising for a Home Over 4,001 Square Feet
• Casa Bonita: California Mountain Ranch: Best Interior Design for a Home Between 2,501 and 4,000 Square Feet

That adds up to 13 awards across the two teams, covering new construction, whole-home renovation, outdoor living, green building, accessibility, and interior design.

See Our Individual Entries

We entered six homes in this year’s Parade, and you can explore them on our WNC Parade of Homes page. Here’s the full lineup:

• Daydream Rustic Modern: A four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, 3,702-square-foot home in the High Hickory community of Swannanoa. In-person tour.
• Rolling Stone Vista: A four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath, 4,964-square-foot home in The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. In-person tour.
• Stoneridge Haven: A four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, 4,631-square-foot certified-green modern mountain home in Waynesville. Virtual tour.
• Waterfall Overlook: A three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, 4,395-square-foot certified-green, Net Zero home in Edneyville, designed around views of a private waterfall. Virtual tour.
• The Arboretum Garden House: A five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath, 6,103-square-foot whole-home remodel, reimagined from the studs up. Virtual tour, Renewed Space.
• Fair Oaks Estate: A five-bedroom, five-bath, 5,310-square-foot whole-home remodel in Fletcher with an addition for a dedicated kitchen and butler’s pantry. Virtual tour, Renewed Space.

Waterfall Overlook, The Arboretum Garden House, and Fair Oaks Estate are the three homes behind Living Stone’s awards listed above.

What This Means If You’re Choosing a Builder

There’s no single scoreboard, and I’d be skeptical of any builder who tells you there is. Best in Show was shared by two homes this year. The STARS categories recognize specific things, like how well a kitchen was remodeled, how an outdoor space works, or how a home performs as a green build.

Both programs are meaningful, and neither tells you everything.

The better question to ask any builder is what they won, for which project, and whether you can see that project. Virtual tours of the 2026 Parade homes remain available year-round at WNCParadeofHomes.com, and you can explore our entries on our Parade page. That way, you can look at the work yourself and compare.

Ready to Talk About Your Project?

If you’d like to talk about what a project like Waterfall Overlook or The Arboretum Garden House could look like for you, reach out to Living Stone Design + Build.

Sources: Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains, “Award Winners Announced for 45th Annual WNC Parade of Homes” and “WNC STARS Awards Honor Excellence Across the Local Building Industry,” both published October 26, 2026; WNC Parade of Homes, “2026 Award Winners.”