Not Just for Show

Show homes are a vital marketing tool for house builders – but they can offer great inspiration for everyone.  Maggie Abel, who is responsible for putting together the show homes for Norfolk house builder Abel Homes, shares some of the secrets of creating that perfect showcase.

It is a given that no real, lived-in home looks like a show home.  Once the clutter of family life intrudes, that pristine, tidy look will be overtaken by the paraphernalia of everyday life.

But that doesn’t mean that a show home shouldn’t be as realistic as possible, argues Maggie Abel.  “It can be very tempting to make a show home edgy and modern, but its purpose is to demonstrate to people what living in the home is actually going to be like, and it’s important that people can see exactly what they are going to get.”

That means that designing a show home has to start with thinking about the kind of people who are going to live there.  So a family-sized house needs to be put together totally differently from, for example, a city-centre penthouse.

“The show home is our shop window, and so it’s important that it reflects the kind of lifestyle which potential buyers actually lead,” explains Maggie.  “That doesn’t mean that you can’t be inspirational and aspirational – as long as you are not too ‘out there’.”

The influence of the show home fittings and decor is profound.  Studies show that even when buying off-plan, 70 per cent of purchasers will choose the kitchen installed in the show home, even if there are multiple other options available.

“People find it very difficult to visualise a home from a plan, or even from an empty house,” says Maggie.  “So our job is to show them what is possible.  We know we have done a good job when people ask for their own home to be fitted out ‘just like the show home’.  If you make it too wacky, you will simply put them off.”

Understanding potential buyers is key to the design brief.  The start point will be a ‘feel’ appropriate to the type of buyer: homely, traditional, contemporary, designer, and so on.  This feel will then be carried through into every room.

That said, individual room designs are often built around a single idea – perhaps a stand-out piece of furniture, or a wallpaper.  It is more complicated than you might think: it is no good simply installing a mish-mash of ideas together and hoping they work.

Although show homes have tended to embrace more neutral colours, Maggie doesn’t shy away from being bold on occasion.  “We are using much more wallpaper than five years ago, and that enables us to introduce patterns and be a little bolder.

“We try to introduce a conversation piece in each show home.  So, for example, our new show home at our Swan’s Nest site in Swaffham features swan pattern wallpaper in the cloakroom.  It’s unlikely that many people would choose this for their own home, but it provides a talking point, and a link to the overall location.”

Sometimes those conversation pieces can become more than local talking points.  Some years ago Maggie included a very realistic-looking ‘teenager’s bedroom’ (complete with half-eaten pizza under the bed) in a show home at Catton, which caused something of a national media storm.

This is something that smaller, independent house builders can do more easily, because they are not hide-bound by national templates, and can design their show homes to be more relevant to the local market.

One thing you won’t find in one of Maggie’s show homes are underhand tricks, such as no interior doors, double underlay under the carpet, or undersized furniture to make rooms look larger.

“I’m aware that these things do go on, but it’s important not to be misleading – you want the show home to accurately reflect how your customers are actually going to live.  Getting the show home right takes time – on average around six months from start to finish. 

“You know when you have hit the spot when visitors ask if they can buy the show home as is, furniture and all.  That happens surprisingly frequently.”

Get The Look

Where Maggie sources much of Abel Homes’ show home interiors:

• Furniture: Dovetail, Better Furniture, More.com, Laura Ashley

• Lighting: TP24.com

• Interiors: Salt Interior

• Mirrors: Dereham Glass

• Accessories: The Range