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Consumers Expect to See Eco-Conscious Merchandising
 When it comes to merchandising a house or product, customers today expect a much more specific and emotion-driven approach, and one that is often tied to carbon footprints and sustainable living.
The complexity involved in merchandising this way does not imply difficulty, but it does deserve consideration and targeted research to define the market profile.
Concern for the environment and a desire for positive change now permeate how people are choosing to work and live. From a merchandising perspective, they are seeking sustainable choices for furniture, fixtures and tabletop and vertical art.
In turn, vendors have an opportunity to reinforce consumers’ “low-VOC lifestyle” with paints, carpets and other furnishings made from recycled materials that don’t off-gas, which is important for human health reasons as well as for the future of the planet.
As merchandisers, when we create a space that engages people’s senses, we provide them with experiences that trigger old memories and instill new ones. The thoughtful arrangement of volumes, light, sounds and smells spark emotional responses and help foster return visits.
Regarding “green” lifestyles, many options influence the outcome — project type, location, available materials and desired effect.
Each project can project its own unique expression of environmentally-positive choices, as the following illustrate:
Mosler Lofts — Environmental Quality for Urban Professionals
The Mosler Lofts condominiums in Seattle range in size from 500 to just over 2,000 square-foot flats and townhouses and are targeted to young, urban professionals seeking environmental quality. All the units feature open floor plans, 10-foot- high concrete ceilings, exposed ductwork and floor-to-ceiling glass.
Simple, unadorned features align with sustainable goals to convey a hip, urban ambiance. Community facilities include living room-style common areas, a “green roof” terrace, library and art gallery, three levels of below-grade parking, a business center, workout area and café.
Mosler Lofts was the fastest selling condominium in Seattle’s highly competitive marketplace in 2006.
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Mosler Lofts in Seattle was mechandised to convey a hip, urban ambiance. Photo courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider. |
Sustainable options include:
- Honest materials, such as concrete floors and walls
- Natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows
- Natural ventilation with operable windows and open floor plans
- Furniture in the model made from recycled materials
Island Square — For Worldly Active Adults and Young Urbanites
Island Square is a high-end apartment building on affluent Mercer Island near Seattle, with 235 residential units and 11,000 square feet of office space above 31,000 square feet of street-level retail. The developer integrated residential, retail, office and community amenities to create a town center that emphasizes pedestrian needs.
Island Square targeted two distinct, yet highly educated markets — active adults who have lived on Mercer Island their entire lives but who have recently sold their home in order to travel, who purchased another home in a warmer climate or who want to be closer to grandchildren; and young, urban professionals who grew up on Mercer Island and now work in Seattle.
Both well-educated target markets have a strong Asian component and are expected to seek sustainable options for their homes.
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Island Square lounge. Photo courtesy of Mike Walmsley/SECO Development. | Island Square merchandising highlights include:
- High-end materials supporting and expressing Mercer Island’s affluent identity
- Indoor and outdoor gathering spaces that support the larger community
- Reclaimed furniture, recycled cork chairs, locally-designed lighting and the work of local artists
Landmark on the Sound — Historic, Elegant Setting, Contemporary Lifestyle for Active Adults
The active adult community of Landmark on the Sound boasts a grand historic scope that is seamlessly integrated with classic elegance and contemporary living. Located on a 27-acre campus overlooking Puget Sound and the site of a former Masonic retirement home built in 1926 that is undergoing renovation and expansion, Landmark on the Sound is the choice retirement community in the Seattle area, particularly for active seniors who enjoy the outdoors.
Sustainability is a key characteristic of the merchandising approach at Landmark. Visitors and prospects sit on reupholstered furniture dating to the 1920s and used in the original building, along with generous natural lighting and views of Puget Sound to connect residents with nature. To add personal touches and accentuate the site’s beauty, the community is merchandised with art and accessories, including local hiking maps and binoculars, family and travel photos and a birthday card acknowledging many years of fun and adventure.
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Sustainability is key in this model at Landmark on the Sound, a former Masonic retirement center overlooking Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Eckert & Eckert Photography. | Landmark on the Sound merchandising highlights include:
- Units oriented toward water views
- Floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in natural light
- A 1920 mansion/Masonic retirement home that is one of the most iconic addresses in the Seattle area
- Operable windows and open floor plans maximizing natural ventilation
- Model furniture recycled from the original 1920s building
Looking Ahead: Retail Trends That Can Translate Into Model Home and Sales Office Design
The following represent several trends in retail merchandising that can may help make model homes and sales offices stand out.
REI — Experiential Merchandising Promotes Outdoor Apparel and Gear
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The Climbing Tower at REI Seattle's flagship store. Photo courtesy of Robert Pisano. |
REI, one of the nation’s leading retailers of outdoor apparel and gear, made its marketing reputation by trailblazing experiential retailing. The company made visiting an REI store more than just a shopping expedition; they created an experience that could whet customers’ interests in a particular piece of equipment or outdoor activity by boosting their imaginations.
Climbing walls, indoor trails for hiking and cold-weather rooms enabled customers to test products before making a purchase. Also, in keeping with the company’s environmental brand, the stores are merchandised extensively with sustainable components including salvaged wood, solar orientation, native landscaping, natural cooling and abundant natural light.
REI merchandising highlights include:
- Experiential retail promoting a desire for the experience as much as for the product
- Natural habitat reintroduced into stores, which are primarily located in warehouse districts
- Salvaged wood, unpainted steel and similar materials left in their raw state
- Abundant natural light and ventilation
- Flexible display and lecture space
- Iconic equipment, such as ice axes used as door handles, incorporated in the stores’ design
Novelty Hill Januik Winery — Getting Closer to the Grapes
Novelty Hill Januik Winery, a 31,000-square-foot winery outside Seattle, embraces the connection between the visitor and nature. Geometric patterns and repeating elements carry the structure’s modern feel and the fine art of winemaking into nature and invite nature into the winery.
The space is spare to keep the focus on wine. Characterized by an honest use of materials, interior finishes match those in the shell — concrete, wood, glass, steel and natural light. Signifying the rows of a vineyard, long, linear walls direct views to a world-class garden that is brought into the tasting room through floor-to-ceiling windows.
This transparency articulates materials with scenes of nature that connect visitors to the world of the grapes.
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The Novelty Hill Januik Winery wine tasting room. Photo courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider. | Novelty Hill Januik Winery merchandising highlights include:
- Elegantly simple spaces that serve as a backdrop to the wine and heighten the sensory experience
- Unadorned materials, such as raw concrete floors and walls
- Floor-to-ceiling windows that allow plenty of natural light
- A minimal ceiling featuring open trusses
Seattle’s Best Coffee — Whole Beans Take Center Stage
Seattle’s Best Coffee reestablishes whole beans as a brand identifier for the café by displaying varieties of coffee and allowing customers to make their selections and then watch as their choices are ground and brewed. The ability to touch, smell and see the process educates people about the fine points of coffee-making, turning them into connoisseurs and building brand loyalty at the same time.
Seattle’s Best Coffee also supports fair trade practices and emphasizes sustainability through the use of plenty of natural light, soy- and newspaper-based countertops and other energy-efficient features throughout the café.
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Seattle's Best Coffee at Portland State University. Photo courtesy of Mithun. | Seattle's Best Coffee merchandising highlights include:
- Sensory engagement featuring whole coffee
- Education during the selection and brewing process
- Merchandising with extensive use of sustainable materials
From big projects to small details, the consumers’ desire for sustainability can be incorporated into an experience that helps to sell your product. Using both tangible and emotional prompts, merchandising now engages people on a level that involves values, dreams, membership in a community and a sense of participation in a larger purpose.
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How to Choose Sustainable Products and Materials
The right accessories provide the final touch for your sustainable project. When incorporating “green” products and materials in their merchandising, interior designers can use the following criteria to analyze their choices:
- Manufacturing — Does the manufacturing process harm the environment? Does the manufacturer use environmental practices regarding water and energy?
- Product Use — How much maintenance does the product require and what is its durability and low-VOC quotient?
- End of Life — Can the item be recycled or down-cycled? If not, what are the options for disposal?
Interior designers can get merchandise and products from local vendors and craftspeople, national stores and online. For example, One Earth One Design, a retail design store in Seattle, displays a local artist’s table mats and coasters made of paperstone — recycled paper and nonpetroleum-based resin with a water-based finish. |
Elizabeth MacPherson, IIDA, ASID, a principal with Mithun, of Seattle, a leader in sustainable design and urbanism, has more than 20 years of professional experience working for residential, senior living, hospitality, institutional, commercial, retail and medical clients. With leading-edge, working knowledge of sustainable interior design strategies and materials and a keen awareness of sensory experiences and how people move through daily life, MacPherson provides a total integration of interior design and architecture. For more information, call MacPherson at 206-623-3344, or visit the Mithun Web site at http://mithun.com.
This article was originally published in NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine and appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.
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