Dressed to Impress!
In today’s market, all properties need to be staged for maximum impact! Once the preserve of giant new-build developers, now smaller building companies and housing associations are appreciating the value of installing showhomes to ensure the most dramatic impact on potential viewers. It is important to show the lifestyle aspiration demanded by your target market and dressing your property by adding furnishings and the right accessories is the way to achieve this. In doing so, you are more likely to increase number of viewers, create more interest and achieve maximum selling price.
There are many interior design companies offering bespoke show home design and installation services as well as companies offering furniture packages for sale or rental to suit all budgets. But how much should you spend on your showhome? On the one hand, it would be counter-productive to cut corners by using poor-quality furniture that makes your property look cheap (even at the lower end of the market). On the other hand, if aiming to reduce the budget, it is not always necessary to completely furnish the property with high-end furniture. In designing a showhome, the aim is to attract, excite and entice buyers by appealing to their emotions and make them want to buy the property! To do that it is necessary to inject the right mix of colour, atmosphere, personality and comfort. It is often enough to install just a few key pieces of quality furniture in each room to define the purpose and then add choice furnishings and accessories to appeal to the target market.
Amanda Edney, Managing Director of The Beautiful Home Company Ltd says that she is increasingly receiving enquiries from developers who have not found it necessary in the past to install a showhome but in the current climate realise that it is essential, if their properties are to stand out from the competition.
‘We have been able to provide quality bespoke showhomes for our clients at very keen prices by offering our showhomes on a rental basis. As a company, we are very aware of issues of sustainability and find that offering showhomes on rental terms serves the dual purpose of reducing outlay for clients, whilst reducing our carbon footprint. We are veering away from cheaper imported furniture and are sourcing solid pieces of quality items manufactured in the UK, which can withstand wear and tear or be easily repaired if necessary. We even restore and recover vintage pieces of furniture, which look great mixed in with more contemporary items, and give that homely lived-in look which can sometimes be lacking in showhomes. By using our own team of carpenters and upholsterers, we are able to reuse items of furniture yet still achieve a unique look in each and every showhome.
All our showhomes offered on rental terms are coordinated by an allocated designer who will follow the project through to completion and we aim to deliver within 3 weeks, often sooner. Our clients are amazed that we can design, source and install a stunning one-bedroom showhome, on a 3-month rental basis, including delivery and strike down for as little as £2,500.’
©Amanda Edney 2009