| Lifestylist Design - Trends for Moving Forward into 2010 and Beyond |
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by Suzanne S. Felber, Lifestylist®
Barclay Butera, an amazing rising star in the design world had a great quote on his website: "Furnishings don't make a home. Life does. And life isn't something that comes from a store. Design is the way you present your lifestyle to the world. And that's when the right furnishings make all the difference." Without understanding the lifestyle and needs of our potential homebuyers it will never be a home to them - only a building they put their furniture in. Here are some of my favorite housing trends and how I see our market moving forward into 2010 and beyond. Memorable Models Noted designer and retailer Alexander Julian made the following observation: "We have to be creative about getting people into our homes and stores now. In deciding if what you offer turns them on, consumers look you over for an average of 15 seconds. In that time, you need to rock 'em and sock'em and give them something that moves them. And you can't do that with anything but product that is visually stimulating and exciting." With the contraction of the economy, everyone is on a budget and there is a lot more thought and time spent on how they are going to spend every hard earned dollar. Consumers are visiting an average of 30 model homes before they even begin to think about making a decision. What makes your models memorable and brings them back to your sales center/ community? One of the favorite models I worked on was the Purple Cow model and campaign with Patriot Homes. Tying into Seth Godin's Purple Cow book by building and merchandising something remarkable, we created a home and marketing campaign people still talk about, as well as winning a marketing award at the Nationals. Mass Customization Buyers want and expect more for their money than ever before. They want choices but aren't willing to pay a large stipend to receive those choices. Mass customization is about targeting in on options and upgrades you can buy from your vendors at a great price but have lots of perceived value by the client. By giving them targeted choices instead of showing them everything that's out there, you can allow the buyer to customize their new home without breaking their budget or your profit margins - everyone can win. What you offer needs to be considered a value at whatever price-point, and with clients now thinking of their homes as a long term investment and commitment instead of a short term resale, their needs and budgets have changed considerably. Right Sizing Now more than ever, buyers are looking for understandable scale and proportion. With the current economy, many people are yearning for a stress-free, simplified lifestyle and by purchasing a home that isn't too big or too small they may be able to achieve this goal. When offered a smaller space, consumers are more concerned than ever that every square foot is useable space. Modular furniture and sectionals have become very popular as a way to furnish smaller spaces, and scale and proportion are critical to making a smaller space not feel tight or smaller than it actually lives. Every floorplan that is offered should be space planned before being built to determine that the home has a place for that full sized bed in the extra bedroom or a dresser in the master. Pull out drawers and accessories can streamline function in the kitchen and are a big positive, and we are seeing a trend of fewer cabinets, simpler door styles and open cabinets that continue to climb in popularity. Back to Basics Have you noticed lately that restaurants and cooking shows have been refocusing on comfort foods? When the economy is tough, people tend to long for the good old days - the recognizable and comfortable - and we're clearly in a period now where people want their 'comfort food.' Living in an era of uncertainty is inspiring people to re-evaluate and simplify their lives and their homes, according to Lynn Monson. Customers are no longer interested in starting from scratch, but are looking for homes that are built to last and will coordinate with their current furnishings and lifestyle. The days of conspicuous consumption are coming to an end and buyers are no longer interested in residences that scream "look at me" but are looking inwards for environments that house what is personally important to them . "Gone is the glitter, and anything that shouts 'Look at me! Look at me!' Instead, think subtle, soothing substance," says Gale Steves, chief creative officer, Open House Productions. "We're in the midst of a roller-coaster economy, a lot of things are uncertain and we can expect the products and colors we see that buyers are asking for to reflect this. I think we will see a trend toward simplicity and comfort, and in style, very simple traditional." Emotional Colors The colors that are used in your homes are often overlooked as a psychological way to connect to your buyers. The practice of Chromotherapy goes back hundreds of years, but technology and new uses of light to play with color make it an important trend moving forward. The colors you use on your walls can strongly influence how the potential buyer reacts to your home in a positive or even a negative way. Grays are a very popular color trend right now, but I advise to use with caution in a model home - too much can create a very gloomy environment. Black in small doses can give a feeling of protection as well as an image of strength. Blues stimulate a feeling of relaxation and tranquility and are thought to stimulate creativity. Greens are reflective of nature and are thought to balance out emotions, and whites signify peace. Have you ever noticed how many fast food restaurants use red in their decor? This is because red is a very stimulating color and encourages movement. Keeping this in mind, current color trends that translate well to model and new home interiors are neutrals with an earthy feel, environmental greens and blues, and accents of purple, black, and for some fun "Flower Power" colors that will add a bit of hope and whimsy. Organic colors such as dijon, paprika, tomato puree, apple green, chutney are very popular right now in the home accessories markets. Teal and peach are out, replaced by lilac and soft blue tones. Consumers want to "play it safe" and are looking for ways to cheer up their lives by using neutrals with some substance in areas that are more permanent such as countertops and flooring but adding dramatic colors in areas that are easily and inexpensively changed out when trends or their moods change such as window treatments, bedding and throw pillows. Looking forward to the future, color experts are predicting that when the economy does come back, people will celebrate by embracing an explosion of unbelievable color in their homes and their lives. The Fear Factor It's no secret that all of us are worried about what tomorrow will bring and if we will have jobs or a way of supporting our families and lifestyles. This is a trend none of us want to talk about, but it is one of the most compelling reasons consumers are or are not purchasing homes right now. By showing them a home that they feel fits their budget, you make them comfortable in the fact that now is a great time to buy a new home. Modern Farmhouse With the new infatuation of cleaner lines and less clutter in our homes, the modern farmhouse look is becoming a new favorite. This modern rustic look combines clean-lined modern styling with antique vintage pieces that give the space a sense of history and character. Adding items that have been collected or look like they have been collected add a casual sophistication and let the consumers express their personalities in their homes. Made in America With our soaring unemployment rates and people being more aware every day that we have sent a huge part of our economy and job market overseas, I predict that not only will people be asking if a product is domestically made, they will even be willing to pay a premium if necessary to make sure that their hard earned dollars are supporting our own economy. Home Building is one of the largest domestic job sources and we need to market that information. By buying one of your new homes they are supporting the local community, helping to build new schools and services and most importantly when they call for customer service they are talking to someone nearby, not overseas. By manufacturing and building domestically we are also recycling domestically so we add to the green story about our homes. Going green and buying domestically made products should go hand in hand. Identify products that are used in your homes as "Made in America" to tie into this trend. Green Market Energy efficiency and sustainability are no longer trends, but a way of living. We are seeing that everyone wants to go green, but they may not be willing to pay a premium for it. It's our responsibility to share the story behind the green products that we use and to show the economic value to them as well as the social one. Moving forward, green won't be an option - it will be a standard as we are seeing with the Energy Star program, and eco-friendly products will become more mainstream. Whirlpool did a study and found 72 percent of respondents actively look for the Energy Star label when they are making purchase decisions. They also found that when consumers were asked to describe their dream kitchens, eco-efficient appliances beat out other items as the top choice. Water conservation has spurred the acceptance of low-flow shower heads and faucets. Consumers are backing away from "throw-away" purchases, so be sure the items used in your home have quality and staying appeal - to waste resources is just not the right thing to do now. The green and natural movement is present in every part of our homes, especially design. Consumers are looking for a natural, soothing environment filled with natural looking products such as stone, wood, and glass. Environmental colors that have natural warmth and remind us of sand, sea, sky, and organic materials are very popular, and even in laminates and flooring, designs that look like natural materials are the top sellers. Sanctuary Home Consumers are spending a lot more time in their homes - cutting costs by dining and entertaining at home. Personal time is considered a luxury in our 24/7 world. More than ever, the home has become a sanctuary and our older, aging in place customers are more interested in Zen than Wii. Creating an environment where they can retreat from the daily grind is a major motivation for purchasing a new home or remodeling the one they are in. Consumers are streamlining the design in their homes. They are de-cluttering their homes as well as their minds and spirits. Master baths continue to grow in size. Large master showers with dual shower head options, as well as double sinks in the lavs top the list of what consumers are looking for in their new retreats. Mixed Mediums Matching materials is no longer considered the standard - coordinating finishes, textures and colors is the new approach to finishes. Wood finishes and stains are now being mixed, with two stain finishes becoming very important as well as mixing species of wood in a room. Consumers have become bored with the floor matching the cabinets, which match the island… and are looking for a more personal approach. Mixing finishes is also being seen in appliances. We are seeing more hybrids where black and stainless are combined. As far as cabinets, cherry and maple continue to gain market share, but oak has remained solid as a great value. Alder is coming up as a fast growing species. Matte finishes in hardware, floors and cabinets are becoming more important. Darker finishes continue to be the best sellers, but we are starting to see a swing towards, lighter, happier stains. Quartz countertops paired with tile accents have started to overtake granite. Consumers are looking for something less "noisy" that have a rich, contemporary look. Now that granite is showing up in gas station bathrooms, people are really looking for something new and different. As consumers are searching for value, they are returning to laminate countertops, but with premium finishes and specialty edges. It's all about Me! Consumers have become much more confident in their design choices and are now going beyond matched sets and choosing what they love instead. They expect you to take the time to understand their lifestyles, play styles, needs, wants, aspirations and economic issues so you will know how they live or how they hope to live. Builders need to let go of the "this is the way we do it" philosophy and start listening to the buyer and understanding what their needs are. Talk at cocktail parties has changed from "this is how much I spent" to "this is how much I saved," and being frugal is now considered a good thing instead of a detriment. The Crystal Ball David Easton, one of the best known designers that received the "Lifetime Achievement" award at London's Design and Decoration Awards had some interesting insight to the future of housing that he shared with the High Point Market Association that I would like to share with you. I think the future is bright for all of us if someone that does high end design has prefab and modular housing on his radar. "The future is all about speed. We're going to look at pre-fab and modular housing in the future, we're going to look at how catalogs group everything together, like a Sears Catalog from 1908 that I still have at my desk. People want their one-stop shopping; they want to find everything in one place. We have also found that people have a much wider selection now, there are more and more places they can go to find the exact same product, or service, and that has changed our business because we still want our clients to come to us first. My dream of selling houses in the future is one in which the owner sends an email that includes all the information he's gathered from the Internet to a firm that provides house plans and products for the home based on that information, and the research that he's done himself. People are a lot more knowledgeable because they have access to all this technology. Anyone can hop on Google and look at what's happening in the world of modular home design, or have access to how bio-fuel fireplaces are constructed and sold. These are all changes that will effect the way we build houses in the future. People are not going to just come to us and say, 'Give me your ideas.' They are equipped with the knowledge to say, 'I've researched this and this is what I'm looking for.' People will not be willing to wait so long for a house, either. They will want to know if they can have a house built in six months instead of three years and they will want it at a cheaper price. Our clients are getting younger and we see that they don't want to spend the money that they used to, so we have to adapt our business to their needs and their schedules and that is a constant struggle to understand." Look forward to lots of changes in 2011 and beyond. Kitchen appliances have focused on the stainless steel look as the leader for 20 years and consumers are ready for a change. Different metallic finishes have come forward but there is still not a winner as to where we will be heading in the future. Look for major changes in the lighting world as well with LED lights coming on quickly as something that we will all be changing to but are still not cost effective. To be competitive moving forward we all need to be ready to make decisions and listen to our customers quickly and efficiently. With emails, texting, and the internet making it possible for "immediate gratification" our customers will expect us to be ready to respond at a moments notice.##
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Recently I had the opportunity to work with an amazing chef on a dinner in New York. She gave me easy tasks to do, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime to get to work beside her in a kitchen. As a thank-you, she brought by an amazing assortment of goodies - her favorite things she wanted to share with me - everything from the ultimate knife to peanut butter cookies. It was so unexpected, and her thoughtfulness opened up an entire
new world of culinary treasures I can't wait to try out. By educating me on culinary trends and sharing with me her favorites, she made me a fan for life and gave me ideas that I want to pass on to others. When I work on these trend reports I welcome the opportunity to search out all of the "favorite things" that I am seeing and hearing about in our industry and share them with you.
Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber is one of those really fortunate people who loves what they do. After having staffs and offices in NYC, Tucson, and Dallas she decided to change her lifestyle and the direction of her company by only taking on work that she could personally do. For 5 years she was a consultant with Patriot Homes and was responsible for all of the design decisions and merchandising of homes at their 9 plants. She continues to be passionate about PreFab Housing and consults with our manufactured and modular housing companies. Giving back is also a very important part of her life. She is on the board of directors for HomeAid Dallas and is in the process of starting Planned Puppyhood - an animal rescue group that will focus on getting animals spayed and neutered. Suzanne S. Felber, MIRM's Specialties: Model Home Merchandising, editorial food, product, and interior styling, product development, home design. Contact her via her website at: 
