The touch and feel factor is important for a certain segment of home buyers. They need the actual show suite to visualize whether or not they can live in a condominium.

Builders will choose to showcase a unit for a variety of reasons. It may be the most popular model; it emphasizes the wow factor of unlimited options; or it provides proof of value to the builder’s most basic and simplest model.

A show suite allows customers to open cupboards, feel the carpet, and see how at home they can feel by walking through the kitchen.

Interior Designer, Melissa Quon of Design Fix, first takes a look at the builder and the project to get an idea of the style preference and mood before she sets up a show suite. “I also look at the clientele they are marketing towards. I come up with a style that works with all of that. For the builder, it’s about their image. You don’t want to do something that is too funky or trendy when they’re marketing to an older clientele.”

From there, it’s about shopping for the right furniture, fabrics, and colors to match the look the builder wants to create. “I go to furniture shops that have the look that I want. There are certain places I go for certain things. After I get the big pieces of furniture selected, I’ll choose a lot of accessories: artwork, plants, frames, and all the little accessories that really make a place.

“I do everything from the start. The window coverings are all part of the show home and are part of my vision. It all has to flow. I’ve done this for about 12 years. A lot of times, when I see things when I’m out shopping, I’ll get a vision from that. It’s all part of being creative.”

The purchases are delivered to the show home, where everything is set up, moved around, and the interior designer can see what holes need to be filled to make the room look like everything is in place. Quon notes there isn’t a manual or rule that needs to be followed. “I can feel if something isn’t in the right place. I work with that and move things around.”

When creating the room, it’s not always just one person doing all the work. The furniture deliverymen might help move some of the pieces. The builder may have someone on site. The interior designer may also enlist a helper to unpack, unwrap, move things around, get rid of the garbage, or hang pictures.

The amount of lead-time given to finish a show suite will vary from project to project. Ordering furniture might need eight to 12 weeks to be delivered in time. If the builder needs a suite put together in a month’s notice, the designer will have to purchase pieces from the gallery floor.

As far as putting the show suite together, Quon adds, “In choosing all the pieces and installing everything, it could be a day of shopping, one day to install, and then shop some more – maybe two to three days – if you’re going straight from morning until night. They’re long hours sometimes.”

The best part of the job is the opportunity to be creative – having a vision and putting it all together. Coming up with ideas will likely vary from firm to firm, but American interior design shows offer a hands-on look at new products and innovative ideas that aren’t necessarily available in Canada.

There is a trust relationship between the builder and the interior design firm. The builder has to be confident the designer will come up with the right styles and products.

Quon takes her position with the builder one step further. She helps its customers adapt to condominium living by helping them eliminate their furnishings if they’re moving from a larger home. “It’s really hard for people, especially for seniors. They have a lot of pieces with a lot of memories to them.”

Interior design is never boring. To Quon, it doesn’t feel like work. “There’s a lot of variety. One of the things about the job is it’s a lot of fun, and you get to go shopping.” But it’s a lot more work than people might think.

There’s a lot of work in trying to figure out what the builder wants to accomplish and then giving them what they want. Because in the end – the show suite is absolutely crucial to the sale of many more units.