Banner Image: Kensington model home, Hallman Hill community, Homewood, Alabama

Designing (Smaller) Spaces to Feel LARGER
Article by Kay Green

With the US tax credit extended, first time home buyers are on the prowl for a great deal, but with cautious awareness of their pocketbook and careful consideration of energy efficiency.

NAHB's Builder magazine just featured a cover article about the consumer's perspective on home size. According to Jenny Sullivan's article, "Is the McMansion Dead," a recent CNNMoney.com poll found that 69% of 33,000 online readers think that American homes have gotten too big. According to national research, in the first quarter of 2009, the average new home size being built was 2,335 sq ft compared to the larger average size of 2,629 sq ft in the second quarter of 2008. Homes are getting smaller. How does that change the interior spaces?

Smaller and Cheaper, Please!

In this age of receding incomes (and hairlines!), new home communities have an opportunity to capture the buyers who are shopping for better deals. Everyone is cutting back these days, and Asking different questions in the sales center than ever before: "I'm not sure my furniture will fit in this smaller home. What would you suggest?"... What is the best way to make this room feel as spacious as possible?" If they're not asking that, they're probably thinking it! Do your Sales Representatives have the right answers?

Scale matters! By merchandising your small model home floor plan with a smaller sofa, coffee table, console table, bedroom dresser, etc., your potential buyers will enjoy a fresh, inviting environment in the space they expected to feel compact. And more importantly, the sweet sensory experience they encounter upon entering your fully merchandized model home will convince them that less actually is more! In the family room (or living room if there is one), use a coffee table that comes with cubes (small ottomans) that push out from under the table for additional seating. Depending on the furniture manufacturer, these cubes can also open up and serve as clever storage for sofa blankets.

Clutter is so Last year!

Have the popularity of HGTV shows like Clean Sweep told you anything about how Americans live? We are a country of consumers and our homes are a reflection of that. Thankfully, the current clean line, contemporary and eco-friendly living craze is helping us all de-clutter our home lives! It's like a breath of fresh air. This trend will help you merchandise affordable because It's hip to show fewer-but-larger accessories in the model home. No clutter allowed anymore, thank goodness! Attention-grabbing accessories, customized perfectly for your target market, will captivate buyers urge to upgrade their lifestyle (even if it means a downgrade in square footage). With the right merchandising, your buyers will be excited to shed their excess stuff via Craigslist, and start fresh as a home owner in your community.

More Practical Application

Besides clean line furnishings, and clutter-free interiors, what else should new home builders do to present appealing small-sized floor plans to potential buyers?

- Beds: While most of your furniture should be scaled down, the bed should be scaled up, within reason. If your master bedroom is large enough to fit a king bed, use that to demonstrate the size potential. Sales professionals should always carry a tape measure with them to assist prospects in translating their own furniture into the rooms.

- Lighting: Ensure that lighting is sufficient: dark rooms feel even smaller, so light them up to enlarge the spaces. Ensure that you supply each room with three sources of lighting (recessed cans, pendent lighting, lamps, etc. depending on the room).

- Applied Treatments: In smaller rooms, be cautious of using heavy applied molding details on the ceiling and walls because they will bring the space in. Instead, applied molding should be kept simple and minimal. Use an applied mirror treatment to visually expand a room.

- Think Creatively: Design multi-functional spaces. For example, we converted this Alabama cottage home's (image left) third bedroom into a work/play bonus room by bumping out the closet and creating a built-in desk.

- Get Help: Finally, hire a qualified interior merchandiser to get you started in the right direction for your specific community. You can do it. And your merchandiser can help!