It’s February, my favorite time of the year! Partly because it’s my birthday month, but perhaps mostly because it’s after IBS and I always come back from the Builder’s Show invigorated, inspired, and energized for the year ahead. With all the uncertainty of the past couple of years, it feels good to feel good about the state of the building industry. It was wonderful to see old friends and make some new ones at this year’s Show. For those that couldn’t make it to IBS this year, we will include some of that content in this and future newsletters. And at the bottom of this newsletter, we have included a little video retrospective of our time in Orlando. I hope you enjoy it.
In this month’s newsletter, we are focusing on the trend of nature in design. And as it relates heavily with nature, we are also sharing a version of one of our IBS sessions in which our Director of Business Development, Erin, talked about merchandising to promote a lifestyle of health and wellness.
We have many exciting new projects in the works and I can’t wait to share them with you all. Be sure to follow us onFacebook,Instagram, and LinkedIn so you don’t miss a thing. And as always, we’d love to hear from you. We appreciate the feedback.
Lita
Ways to Merchandise to Promote a
Sense of Wellness
Wellness has become a must-have for buyers. Read more to see how we merchandise to promote a sense of a healthy and wellness-filled lifestyle in a variety of ways.
Nature and Interior Designs
Using natural materials is just one way we incorporate and emphasize nature in designs. Read more to see what other tactics we incorporate in our designs using the naturalistic design trend (and why it’s important).
Sparking Creativity: Chronicles of DIY Projects
Helping builders provide homes that buyers will love and can afford is what we do. We help sell the dream of homeownership, showing buyers what is possible. This meansmerchandising a model home to show how the buyers can realize their dream home, even if it is through “do it themselves” projects after the purchase. We know that showing an attainable option for the buyers can be highly effective in making the sale. For example, it may be by adding an area rug to the great room, using wallpaper on an otherwise blank wall, or creating a reading nook with a bench and a pillow. The merchandising helps spark a buyer’s creativity while being true to the builder’s promise.
This is what our firm does, merchandising to inspire. But what do our designers do on their personal time? We asked if they had any recent DIY projects where they used their ingenuity and design prowess to realize a dream. (Or at least provide new opportunities for an old item.) We wanted stories where they incorporated upcycling, repurposing, or were otherwise being a conscious consumer. The emails poured in. In fact, there are too many to share here in this newsletter. So, we’ll sprinkle them throughout the year.
Please enjoy the first installment of what we are calling: “Chronicles of DIY Projects.”
I ran across this old, beat-up built-in on Facebook marketplace from a couple who buys abandoned storage units. All the items were in pretty rough shape, but I saw potential in this piece. And rather than let it go to the landfill I was determined to give it some more life. I have this funny place in my stairwell, and I thought, “I can make this work.” So I felt like I couldn’t pass it up! I drove down to Colorado Springs one weekend to pick it up. With a little cutting, sanding, and a few curse words we were able to jam it in under the stairs.
The base of the table also came off Facebook marketplace. Again, someone was just going to toss it in the landfill. Not on my watch. I purchased it for pennies. Then, I found the marble top for the table. Since it had a broken edge, I got it for free. A neighbor cut the broken edge off for me and I added the wood part with some super strength glue. Voilà, new life! Upcycling and conscious consumption in action.
A little video retrospective of our time at IBS. Enjoy!
