Once all the data has been compiled on the prospective home buyer, once the architects have produced a floor plan that Sales deem appropriate, up to three model home merchandising firms (usually, one favorite and two extra to keep the one honest and sharp) will be invited to bid on the project. Model merchandising is an extremely competitive and demanding field; in addition to the requisite skills of an interior designer – space planning, drafting and/or AutoCad proficiency, an aptitude for organization, creativity, vision, and the ability to establish and work within a budget, merchandising requires knowledge of the most up to date design trends and color palettes, what movies and television shows are most current, what sports teams are leading their respective adversaries – basically, whatever is trending, and a keen understanding of human nature.
Typically, the merchandising firms will be given three to four weeks to construct their presentation for the builder’s Vice President/President of Sales and Marketing. The process of assembling the presentation itself is fairly rote:
- based on the information provided by the builder, the merchandising firms will draft a furniture layout appropriate for the targeted demographic
- establish a design style, preliminary color palette, and price point appropriate for the demographic. The merchandiser will already know the selling price, or price range, of the home; that, in consideration with the type of buyer (first time, move up, etc.) and the buyer’s household income will determine the quality of the furnishings and fixtures to be used and, roughly, establish the budget for merchandising. Occasionally, the locale will influence the color palette and design style (rural Kentucky vs Miami suburbs), but, internet access and D.I.Y television shows have, somewhat, leveled the playing field.
- select actual furniture to be used in the model, starting with the major upholstered pieces (i.e. Living Room/Family Room/Great Room sofas and chairs). These pieces set the tone, patterns, and auxiliary colors to be used throughout – with some exceptions – the home. The “exceptions” are children’s bedrooms; it’s more luck than deliberate when kid’s bedrooms coordinate with the palette of the home because of the trending theme of each room, be it school or professional sports, academic themes, movies, television shows, or children’s stories.
- conceptualize and strategize. At this point the merchandiser MUST develop a concept that will sell the home to the targeted buyer, but, first sell the V.P. of Sales and Marketing on the concept. It may be a theme, it may be a room, it may be a combination of the two, but, it has to be something extraordinary to separate one merchandiser from their competitors.
- select wall coverings, window treatment fabrics, and paint colors for each of the rooms with special attention given to the chosen themes for the children
- assemble the remainder of the budget. This is usually done by cost per square foot of living space with additions made for special treatments (wall coverings, murals, faux finishing, customized features, etc.) and, again, adjusted with consideration of the buyer type and income bracket.
- prepare presentation materials:
- detailed and hand colored furniture layouts to 1/4″ scale
- presentation “story” boards showcasing a per room layout of fabrics, wall coverings, paints, flooring, furniture finish samples, and upholsteries. The boards are extremely important in that they convey the continuity of theme and palette for the entire model in a format immediately understood.
- furniture brochures
- hand drawn or computer generated elevations of features of importance – THE selling points, and
- know and understand the prospective buyer thoroughly. The merchandiser must be as familiar with the buyer, if not more, than the person to whom they are presenting. If the V.P. or P. asks a hypothetical question about the buyer, you respond with a definitive answer.
Once the presentation has been made, considered, and contracted, the model home merchandiser “fabricates” a family – the topic of my next post.
