The Music of Memorability - Possibilities for Design

Memorability
The Music of
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B
ob Hope
crooned
about them
for decades.
Barbra Streisand had a hit
song about them in the 70s.
In 2008, it’s home builders
who are singing the praises
of memories . . . memory
points that distinguish their
models from every other
builder in their markets. In
order to meet this challenge,
the entire team of builder,
landplanner, architect,
marketing director, and
merchandiser must come
together in perfect harmony
in the earliest planning
stages of the community. »
By John Limiero and Cindy Adair
Photos by Eric Lucero with EL Imagery
www.smimagazine.com
Toll Brothers Trabuco in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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The Music of memorability
The last few months have not
been easy for our industry, as
trouble in the sub-prime market
has limited funding and eroded
confidence. But according to
recent NAHB housing forecast
teleconference, with help from the
Congress and the Federal Reserve,
the housing industry will begin
its recovery in the second half of
this year. That’s good news for
builders, but how do you position
yourself to take advantage of the
recovery? And what can you do
in the meantime to capture your
share of the market? The answer
is clear: Make sure that your
homes stand out in the hearts and
minds of home buyers. That’s why
memory points in strategically
merchandised rooms have never
been more important.
Seth Ring, senior project
manager at Toll Brothers Southern California Division, offers
this advice: “In this market, there
is so much creative advertising
cornering the consumers that it is
good to remember what works—
solid construction, innovative
designs, a strong reputation, and
a way to enlighten the consumer
with memorable and tasteful
merchandising.”
One model complex newly
opened in Orange County, Calif.,
is making memories and building perceived value with features,
finishes, and creative touches
that consumers just can’t forget.
Toll Brothers’ Legends at Vista
Del Verde in Yorba Linda, Calif.,
offers 79 luxury homesites on an
18-hole championship golf course
Toll Brothers Trabuco in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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Toll Brothers Ironwood
Tuscan in Legends at Vista Del
Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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Toll Brothers Ironwood Tuscan in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
with walking, hiking, biking, and
equestrian trails. With amenities
like this, the community is tailor
made for multiple ages and active
families.
Ring adds, “From the beginning, together with our merchandiser, our goal was to create a
lasting memory for anyone who
visited our model complex. It’s
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that memory that will turn a visitor into a potential sales lead and
a potential sales lead into a buyer.”
Kids are Key
There’s no better way to stick in
the hearts and minds of a family
market than catering to the kids.
One only need to look at successful spin-off retailers such as
Pottery Barn Kids and Gap Kids
as proof that today’s “mini-me’s”
are a market force to be reckoned with.
At the September grand
opening of the model complex at
Legends, parents jaws dropped
and children were transfixed.
The object of the more than 500
visitors’ attention? A full-scale
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The Music of memorability
The carousel is set in a nursery
personalized for baby girl twins
“Abigail” and “Madison,” and is
poised at the foot of their cribs to
catch their waking little eyes—and
those of the model home visitors.
“The opportunity of constructing
a project like this was like a father
telling his son he just purchased a
candy store and he needs someone
as his taste-tester,” quipped Ring.
Another retailer who’s all
about kids is Libby Lu, purveyor of
all things for girl “’tweens” (ages
6 to 12). Merchandisers at Legends played on this popularity in
a creative ‘tween room decorated
in Libby Lu’s signature pink and
black. Fun references to the girlcentered shop (like purses, shoes,
and fairy tale dress-up dreams)
were sprinkled throughout. Mul-
working carousel, complete with
motion, lights, and music. Merchandisers created the carousel
with the help of a Hollywood set
designer. It’s that type of detailed
work that raises the bar for
memorable models. The carousel
has created the latest buzz in and
around Yorba Linda, according
to Ring.
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tiple disco balls hanging from the
ceiling signal party possibilities.
The playful theme extends to the
girl’s bathroom with Libby Lu-like
hearts adorning the wallpaper and
black and white tile embellishing
the walls.
For the soon-to-be driving
set, who couldn’t resist a MiniCooper room? Research shows
that 51% of buyers for the MiniCooper are women (The Power
Information Network, a unit of
the McGraw-Hill Cos.). Merchandisers ran with this information
and incorporated Mini-Cooper
dreams into the older sister’s
room. The car is emblazoned
around the room in a graphic
border, in artwork, and in bedding. A carpeted “roadway” rolls
up to a life-size Mini-Cooper with
Toll Brothers Ironwood Tuscan in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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The Music of memorability
working headlights descending
from the “Hollywood Hills.”
Last but not least, the boys on
the block need a high-tech room
full of video game possibilities that
promise never-ending fun. Contemporary built-in bunk beds, iChairs,
and laptops pepper the space with
fun and memorability. To top off all
of this, the T.V. built into the ceiling
of the bunk is more than any little
techie could want.
On the Outs
Another way to capture the
attention of today’s buyers is by
demonstrating irresistible outdoor
spaces. Whatever you’ve been
offering in the way of exteriors,
pools, balconies and outdoor
kitchens, offer even more in 2008!
Outdoor rooms, even in cooler climates, have become an important
“hot button.”
Ring points to the lavish
interior courtyard at Legends,
complete with an outdoor entertainment center that families
can’t resist. “There was no design
fantasy our team had to leave
behind,” he says, for instance,
for sports enthusiasts and USC
alums, the indoor/outdoor bonus
room dressed for USC football
watching. The school’s signature
cardinal and gold colors wrap the
walls, and flooring mimics the
markings of a football field, complete with the USC logo. A glassencased cabinet proudly displays
The Trojans’ popular Dwayne
Jarrett’s number-eight jersey. A
mural of a crowded football stadium covers two full walls, and a
2007 Rose Bowl plaque completes
the uber-fan’s fantasy setting. The
back wall echoes the coliseum
arches and the ceiling is painted
to create a vision of the blue sky
on game day.
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Toll Brothers Ironwood Tuscan in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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Toll Brothers Ironwood Tuscan in Legends at
Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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The Music of memorability
Stadium seating for eight and a
popcorn machine suggests movie
watching possibilities will follow.
Just outside on the patio, a pick-up
truck emblazoned with a USC logo
is poised with refreshments for the
next “tailgate” party.
The Young at Heart
What rooms will speak to Mom
and Dad’s own playful hearts?
How about a cigar den? The man
of the family will come away from
the Legends’ savoring his own
domain. This study is outfitted
with a glass-enclosed humidor,
complete with cigar boxes from
exotic locales. And a couple will
crave the private adult time the
fully-stocked, built-in wine cabinet
will offer.
And speaking of wine, a wine
closet off the kitchen houses
fermentation barrels promising
exquisite bottles of home-aged
wine for the oenophiles among
us—or those who aspire to be.
For master bedroom suites, the
trend is all about hotel chic. Show
your prospects spa-like colors,
downy bedding, and luxurious
bathrooms that mimic the boutique hotels reminiscent of their
last vacation.
Don’t overlook the importance
of brand names in the memorability game. Buyers don’t forget
Sub-Zero refrigerators or Viking
commercial-grade cooktops. Tout
your brand-name products, such
as Bruce Hardwood floors and
Zodiac countertops, especially if
they are standard features. You
buyers will walk away impressed—
and imprinted.
Staying on top of today’s lifestyle trends and incorporating outstanding memory points in your
models will keep you in the forefront of buyers’ minds. Throughout 2008, make sure that your
model homes are—as Nat King
Cole intoned in another timeless
song—Unforgettable! smı
Toll Brothers Ironwood Tuscan in Legends
at Vista Del Verde, Yorba Linda, California
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