The psychology of show homes: what makes a show home succesful?

The right show home is a powerful marketing weapon for property developers.

Decorated in the right colours, with strategically-positioned furniture and furnishings, show homes enable potential buyers to envisage themselves living in such style and luxury, so much so that they go on to purchase a property on a development.

So, what makes a great show home? What makes this powerful marketing asset so effective that it compels house hunters to sign on the dotted line?

Attention to detail

The most visually-appealing and enticing of show homes leave no stone unturned, no corner unattended. While interiors shouldn’t be too ‘fussy’ and crammed with ornaments and furnishings, meticulous attention to detail should executed in every room.

The beds in the bedrooms, for example, should be draped in crisp, high-quality bed linen, void of creases and distasteful designs. The beds should scream out to visitors to lie down and snuggle up, as you would if the property was your own home.

Focus on the kitchen

Kitchens, the hub of the family home, should be equally inviting but at the same time void of clutter or fuss. A robust and practical family table and chairs should be present in the kitchen or dining room, demonstrating the ease of family dining and socialising if one was to live in a home like this one.

Other essential kitchen appliances should ideally be present in a show home kitchen, such as a quality cooker, fridge and even washing machine, showing prospective buyers that every vital appliance can fit with ease into the kitchen space.

Make it neutral but don’t be afraid to be bold

Neutral colours never go out of fashion and appeal to diverse sets of taste. Not only do more natural, neutral colours appeal to our senses, but they are also associated with improving the memory, ensuring we’re more likely to remember a particular show home and for the right reasons!

That said, avoid making the show home lacklustre or visually boring. Adding tasteful accent walls to an otherwise neutral palette can create some additional wow factor in a show home. Alternatively, create some boldness and vivacity into the décor by introducing brightly-coloured cushions, curtains, artwork and other furnishings into the design of the rooms.

What’s underfoot?

The best show homes feel warm, inviting, cosy and homey, they appeal to our domesticated spirit. Carpets and rugs play a vital role how cheerful and inviting a home is. Consequently, no expenses should be spared when choosing the flooring for a show home – make it comfortable, attractive, cosy and alluring.

Let there be light

Put simply, dark rooms don’t sell, light ones do. Let optimum amounts of daylight pour into every room, and for areas where there is no daylight, fill them with warm, ambient lighting, staying well clear of cold and unappealing fluorescent lighting.

If you are a property developer and you’re looking for an experienced, quality show home design company to construct a show home to help put your property on the pedestal of appeal it deserves, get in touch with the New ID team of top quality show home designers.