Transition to Transitional - Décor and Lifestyle Trends for Your Home Buyers

Cast Mantels from Fireside Furnishings Compliment Transitional Styles

One of the exciting aspects of my role at Hearth and Home is to stay on top of what is developing in décor and furnishing design, as well as lifestyle trends that impact the way consumers shop and how they live in their homes.

Transitional furnishings are really a response to a lifestyle change that is gaining momentum in the US and Canada. The desire for a more casual, comfortable lifestyle that is 'your best life' is translating at a growing rate into furnishings that are casual, flexible, and comfortable. Crate and Barrel was at the forefront of raising transitional furniture into a strong National visibility, but consumer preference is keeping them in the mainstream.

Traditional furnishings have always been the mainstay of American furniture sales. In fact, currently, 70 % of ALL home furnishings purchases are considered transitional or traditional.

At the recent High Point Market, and at spring's America's Mart in Atlanta (both long standing destinations for traditional furniture design) I found that transitional furnishings and décor were getting top real estate and top billing. Scale was larger (although there was a counter trend for some small but luxurious apartment size furnishings for the growing multi family and urban markets, see Crate and Barrel's apartment sized collection here), design was clean, and natural elements such as wood grain and natural hemp and linen fabrics were everywhere.

The latest Traditional Home Magazine (another long standing resource for the traditional design consumer) is pretty much transitional from cover to cover. Clean contemporary prints, large scale pieces, and natural materials combined with existing or antique pieces create a unique and comfortable setting in nearly every photo feature or article.

Traditional Home's Profile on Prints

Great resources for furnishing your model homes and design centers include Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Room and Board to name a few. Your consumer shops these retailers, and will be very aware how current your display is in your design center and in your model homes.

Heat and Glo Escape Fireplace fits perfectly with Transitional Décor

Maintaining a current design focus (although we are all in a tight budget year) is important to differentiate you and your home models from the others in the marketplace. These challenging times have made us all a bit more creative in how we market, which is actually a good thing. We really are salespeople now, not just 'order takers'.

Consider unique proposals with local furniture stores in your market - negotiate free or reduced costs on furnishings and décor, for use of model home photography, perhaps a mention in your literature or on site, or even giving out a coupon to the home buyer to use at the furniture retailer after closing on their new home. Remember, if the consumer is purchasing fewer new homes, this means they are purchasing less new furniture as well. The July Las Vegas Market education forum is filled with workshops for furniture retailers on generating business creatively.

Libby Langdon (HGTV's Small Space, Big Style) indicates formal living rooms are 'out', and transitional mixes with current pieces are 'in'. Read her article on the 'ins' and 'outs' of home furnishings here.

The article "I'll take it! (and the Sofa, Too)" from the New York Times highlights that buyers (especially in the upper level) are purchasing some models fully furnished, or purchasing pieces of displays in staged display homes. A quote from the article: "The idea of buying a home fully furnished is starting to appeal to more buyers," said Mr. Paul Csik, Sr. VP of American Properties, "especially in buyers of this caliber." (properties in the 1.895 million to 2.995 million range). He goes on to say that the buyers at this upper end are really making a "lifestyle decision" versus a financial one, and interior design can change the way one lives.

_________________________________________________________

The Design Minds at Hearth and Home Blog is geared to support design center staff and the new construction industry in selling options and upgrades to the new home consumer. Subscribe for updates. Contact Krisann Parker-Brown for merchandising or marketing support of your design center. She will be happy to work with you on your assortment and presentation to ensure you are on track for the upcoming decor and lifestyle trends.

Krisann Parker-Brown is the merchandising manager for Hearth and Home Technologies, the leading manufacturer and retailer of fireplaces and hearth systems. Krisann supports design centers and new construction builders in presenting Heat & Glo, Heatilator and Quadra-Fire hearth systems, and consulting on design center merchandising, point of sale and the consumer experience. Krisann is a member of the Institute of Store Planners, now the Retail Design Institute. Contact her at brownkr@hearthnhome.com or 952-985-6537.