Trends in Today's New American Home
by Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber
The Lifestylist Difference
Mar 10th
One of the questions I always get asked is exactly what is a Lifestylist®, and what is unique about the Lifestylist® Lifestyle. The second most asked question is what makes me a Trailer Diva!
The Lifestylist philosophy is about “Life Celebrating Style”. Our clients life and style is what dictates how a Lifestylist® works with you. My favorite example is I had a client in Phoenix, Arizona that was a major Phoenix Suns fan, and their team colors are orange and purple. The client wanted their entire home done in these colors. What they wanted is what they got, complete with a child’s room with a hardwood floor striped like a basketball court. They wanted to stylishly celebrate their interests and love of their home team and we did!
I just spoke to a friend who’s dog just dug up their entire garden and her daughter slammed the door on the neighbor’s hand – all in about 30 minutes time. Her needs and lifestyle are completely different from my son – no kids, no dogs, and lives in front of his computer. What my style is wouldn’t work well for either of them which is why I need to understand the client and what their “hot buttons” are. It’s takes extra time and sleuthing to achieve this – many times the client has trouble putting into words exactly what they are looking for but they know it when they see it. I take the responsibility very seriously – a person’s environment can truly change their lives in a positive or negative way. If someone is happy in their home their quality of life improves.
Next to being a mother, becoming a Lifestylist® is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’m looking forward to expanding the concept and what it offers in the years to come. – we will be launching a new food line this Spring!
Riedman Development President Speaks at International Builders Show
Feb 20th
We just got back from The International Builders Show and there were so many great things to see and do it’s going to take me weeks to catch up! I like having those types of problems though, and after attending the show and having the rare opportunity to hear Ben Bernanke speak about true solutions that can help the building industry, I’m optimistic about what lies ahead.
One of my favorite seminars this year was hosted by the NAHB 20 Club Program which I think is one of the most important groups in the NAHB. Twenty non-competitive builders make up a group that gets together a few times a year to be open about their different business practices and share their successes and opportunities. Thermador is a major sponsor of this group and their participation has helped to make this program a vital resource for builders. They have made their amazing culinary center available for the 20 Club meetings and have been very supportive in every way possible.
David Riedman – President of Riedman Development and @home Builders has been a member of one of these groups for years, and he has always raved about how important they have been to the growth of his company. He was gracious enough to take time out of his very hectic schedule and share how this group has helped him. He was joined by three other panelists that are also very active, and are very successful in spite of the housing downturn. I think that says a lot for the value of these groups.
Being involved in his local Home Builders Association (he is a past president), the 20 Club and now having more of a national presence is one of the reasons @home Builders is so respected in the Rochester and Western New York housing markets. We are so proud of this growing company – Lifestylist® Design as been merchandising their model homes, apartment clubhouses and corporate apartments for over 15 years and it has been a delight to share in their successes.
If you would like to obtain a copy of his speech and find out more about the 20 Club program, it is available on MobilTape here.
Eco Friendly Homes Featured at The International Builders Show
Feb 18th
What a great, busy month this has been! This Lifestylist® has show houses to plan, new products to design and great conventions to attend… there just aren’t enough hours in the day for all of the great opportunities that are ahead of us!
Last week I attended the International Builders Show in Orlando and after attending this convention for over 20 years I think this year was one of my favorites.
I am so proud to be a part of the National Association of Home Builders and to be involved in the modular side of home building. This was the year when I saw home builders really taking notice of what benefits factory built construction could offer them, and not only did we do a great job of talking about it – we also showed them.
There are meetings that go on before the Builders Show starts that help put in place best practices to promote and grow the housing industry. Councils cover various specialty groups, and I was impressed to see that Kevin Flaherty, Vice President of Marketing for Champion Homes was not only attending these meetings, he is also acting as Vice Chairman for the Building Systems Council. “The New Champion” is really showing their strength and commitment to the factory built housing industry, and not only are they active with NAHB, they are also becoming more active with the Manufactured Housing Institute. Kevin was a presenter in the NAHB News Conference “Industry Study: Characteristics of Modular Homes” and had great facts and figures about why consumers should consider buying a modular home.
Palm Harbor Homes presented three beautiful factory built homes in the Professional Builder Show Village showing a “Net Zero Eco-Home” that was a 399 sq. ft. park model, a modular duplex, and a modular luxury home. Tony Lucas the designer for Palm Harbor always does an outstanding job, but what he did with the Net Zero home really got people’s attention. Tony added the architectural details on the exteriors that made you want to know and see more which is a lot of what you want a show home to do. It was interesting because another builder brought a home for the first time and it was in neutral colors and without much exterior interest, and many people (including myself) passed it by. I heard the home was beautiful inside, but only found that out after the show was over.
Builders were fascinated by the fact that the three homes were installed, furnished and decors added in 8 days. This was proof of one of the many benefits that factory built housing offers – time savings which results in cost savings. Will these homes result in sales for Palm Harbor? Ron Powell, President of Manufacturing for Palm Harbor Homes stated that “I haven’t seen the statistics, but our internal feeling is that attendance at Show Village was better than last year. There were more attendees with solid projects in the immediate future. In the last few years, there were a lot of attendees trying to flesh-out ideas. This year, they’ve got land and are ready to go.”
Besides having market driven homes at the show, I was also impressed to see Joe Stegmayer – the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cavco Industries, a director and officer of Fleetwood Homes, Inc. and Palm Harbor Homes, Inc. ,and a director of Palm Harbor Villages, Inc working the show. How he has time to even attend something like this is amazing, and I said working not attending the show because every time I saw him he was helping a potential customer or answering questions. And in his “spare” time he is serving as the Chairman of the Board for The Manufactured Housing Institute. His hands on approach to the factory built housing industry is one of the reasons it will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.
One of the highlights of this year’s show for me was getting to hear Ben Bernanke speak about the state of our economy and what’s ahead for housing. More on that later, but to see more images from this year’s International Builders Show, visit and “like” our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lifestylelist. I took over 2,000 photographs and I’m anxious to share my favorites with you.
ODL Launches Innovative New Door Design at IBS2012
Jan 29th
I love solutions. The Home Idea Factory is in an urban location, and it’s hard to decide with my exterior doors if I want them to have lots of glass in them to let in light or if I’d be better off using a solid door for more privacy. Now I won’t have to choose – ODL has come up with a way to give me the best of both worlds.
ARRAY is a door that is unlike anything on the market today, the innovative sliding slot pattern gives users control over the amount of light and privacy they desire. With a turn of a knob, the panels move from open to closed, and anywhere in between. A simple, intuitive design that brings dynamic levels of light and privacy into the home.
And what I love about this is it not only offers function – it also gives you great looking design. If you are going to be attending the 2012 International Builders Show in Orlando Feb. 8-12 be sure and see it for yourself at booth W-2920. We’ll also see if we can get some video on it and share it on LifestylistTV after the show.
Nation’s Building News
Jan 23rd
Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was honored this week to be featured in a story on education in the Nation’s Building News – a publication that goes out to the over 200,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders.
She has been active in the association for over 25 years, is a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing and is also a national instructor of the IRM III course: Lifestyle Merchandising, Advertising & Promotion Strategies. Felber has also been a a speaker at the MHI Congress and Expo for many years, and this year will be speaking on design trends in Land Lease Communities.
Attending classes and learning what’s new as well as teaching classes is a necessary part of how we offer our clients the best in merchandising, trend tracking and marketing. We will be attending the International Builders Show Feb. 8-12 to search out the latest trends in building and design. Join us on Twitter to get our reports directly from the show.
Timberlake Cabinets Featured in The New American Home
Jan 7th
I just read that this will be the thirteenth time that Timberlake Cabinets are being used in The New American Home – the premiere show house for the International Builders Show.
As the Lifestylist® for the 2011 home I was able to experience them first hand and was amazed at the great storage solutions and attention to detail that were offered in these cabinets.
If you are attending the International Builders Show, be sure and do The New American Home tour end experience these great cabinets for yourself.
Redefining Trends With Pinterest
Jan 5th
Have you discovered Pinterest yet? The site describes itself as “an online pinboard where you can organize and share things you love”. But it is truly so much more than that – words don’t do justice to this site, it is definitely a visual experience.
Pinterest lets you do your own digital wish books where you can browse through thousands of images, recipes and inspirations that others have shared and “pin” them onto your own boards. You can also follow people’s who have a style that you like, and share your favorite finds using Facebook or Twitter.
Our boards can be found at: pinterest.com/lifestylist take a look and let us know what you think. We’d love to see what your boards look like as well. Email us at: answers@lifestylist.com with your Pinterest name and we’ll take a look.
Lifestylist® Social Media Guidelines for 2012
Jan 2nd
Happy New Year from the Lifestylist® family! We are really excited about 2012 and the opportunities that will come with it.
A lot of being a Lifestylist® is about being a trend tracker and doing research. Today I read something that was written by someone else titled “Social Media Lifestylist Guidelines for 2012″ – boy does that sound dull! The first thing that comes to mind is a big dusty manual full of rules and regulations, and that is exactly what social media (and being a Lifestylist®) is not about.
The tag line I have always used for my Lifestylist® brand is “It’s All About You”. I didn’t want the brand to be about me telling people what to do – I wanted to listen to people’s wants, needs, and dreams, and help them achieve those even when they didn’t know that’s what they were really searching for. I don’t want to dictate, I want to educate. I’ve learned that listening is so much more important than anything I will ever have to say, because sometimes if you let people express their thoughts they will find their answers.
Social media is such an exciting new frontier because it gives everyone the chance to tell their story to the universe. It’s become a great equalizer because almost anyone on any budget can get access to a computer and a free site and share their thoughts.
There’s a down side to this though as well -there’s not as much editing as we’ve seen in the past. We have to learn that even though someone may have written it, there is the possibility it might not be true. Before we share or depend on information we find we have to be sure and check the facts. As the guardian of the Lifestylist® trademark for almost 10 years now I’ve seen how many people want to tie into my brand but aren’t willing to go through the legal process to acquire a brand of their own.
So what are the real Lifestylist’s guidelines for 2012? Never call them guidelines, live your life to the fullest, listen to those around you and you can never laugh too much or have too much great food and wine!
Here’s to a boisterous 2012!
Timeless Design: Patriot Homes 2002
Dec 4th
As a Lifestylist® I always say that design should be more about lifestyles than trends. Trendy design details and decors tend to cycle out quickly and leave the owner with a home that looks and feels dated.
In 2002 I was hired to be the Lifestylist® for Patriot Homes - an amazing factory built housing company based in Elkhart, Indiana. I had worked on factory built homes in the past, but never at this scale. This is one of the first homes that I LifeStyled for them -it was at The Louisville show for their EnergyMate division. Jumping ahead 10 years, I’d be happy to show or live in this home again – it was well designed, the floorplan was open and perfect for entertaining, and the island was larger than anything else being shown at that time.
Be sure to notice the pendant lighting. I know we were one of the first to show them and we were ahead of our. All of our lighting was part of a partnership I initiated with Home Depot.
When you look at this home, it doesn’t look like a factory built home, or a modular home – it just looks and feels like a well designed home no matter how it got to the site. Who knew even 10 years ago we were designing the future of housing construction? Factory built homes are definitely here to stay.