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A Coastal-Inspired Upscale Getaway Near Washington, D.C.
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Cool colors and clean lines bring an elegant, coastal feel to the South Beach model, which was designed to be a relaxing, upscale getaway. |
The latest in a series on the secrets of The Nationals model home merchandising winners.
By Jan Mitchell
The Gold model home winners in the 2006 Nationals Awards have secrets to share about the different aspects of model home merchandising. Whether it’s the use of materials or colors, the scale of the project or just breaking the rules, all of them reveal hot trends that are emerging today.
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The spacious outdoor patio creates an oasis apart from the model’s swanky surroundings. Philippe Starck chairs, with their modern shape and unexpected color, add a sense of novelty. |
Model: South Beach
Community: The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay
Award: Best Model Merchandising $400,000 to $650,000
Builder: Miller and Smith
Merchandiser: Carlyn & Co., Interior + Design
Location: Millsboro, Del.
Vacation-home seekers from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in search of an easy-to-reach seaside escape are finding their way to The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, a waterfront resort community two hours away in Millsboro, Del.
The Peninsula features coastal-style homes, a beach, fishing pier, nature center, outdoor pool, walking trails, shopping area and a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course.
However, if the community amenities weren’t enough to entice prospects, however, a tour through the model complex — including the Gold-award winning South Beach model by Miller and Smith — just might cinch it. Based in McLean, Va., Miller and Smith offers villas and townhouses that feature Craftsman-style architecture with a coastal flair.
Holly Polgreen, president of Carlyn & Co., Interiors + Design, said the merchandising objective was to show potential escapees how they would live in their second home.
“Our mission was to create a coastal-inspired interior that gave prospective buyers the distinct impression that living here was dramatically different than living in their primary residence,” Polgreen said.
For the South Beach model, she contrasted cool walls with dark merlot floors combined with stainless steel accents and spicy tropical colors for “a sophisticated, yet playful effect.”
In the master retreat, the merchandisers showed a white-on-white palette to suggest a cool oasis from the outside world. Polgreen continued that theme to the outdoor patio and dining area, where citrus-colored Philippe Starck chairs added novelty — and a touch of the unexpected.
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Neat and chic, the black-and-white décor in this bedroom is highlighted by silver hardware and glass and acrylic accents. |
Jan Mitchell is the senior editor of NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine. She also writes about model merchandising, interior design, architecture and consumer trends for other industry and consumer publications, including Professional Builder magazine and its online counterpart, Housingzone.com. Her bestselling book, “Sales and Marketing Checklists for Profit-Driven Builders,” is available through BuilderBooks.com. She has served as a judge for regional and national builder marketing competitions and is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors. For more information, e-mail Mitchell at mitchell.jan@comcast.net.
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