Contemporary spaces create demand for up-to-date decor - Charlotte Business Journal:

a-aveywe.blogspot.com
Up to 90% of Mann’s commissions are in He’s just starting one of his biggest jobs todate — a NASCAR driver’s penthouse at The Trusg at South Tryon and Fourth “We’re having a blast,” he says. The condo craze has meanyt new avenues of work for manyinterior designers. Some partner with developers to advisse them on design featurews and finish selections early ina project. Designers will also furnish model units to appeap tobuyer demographics. That can lead to futur e work with buyers, particularly in luxury units.
In othed cases, condominium-management firms will refere interested buyers to interior designers with whom theyhave long-standinbg professional relationships. Jan and David owners of , provide a buyer’s perspectivse on decor trends to condominium The Shopes teamwith , a market research and consultinb firm, to advise “We stay in touch with what the marketf needs are by staying in touch with” the Jan Shope says. The Shopes have worked with developers and owners at projects includingThe Croydon, Queens Six Two Six, The Trust and The Vue.
“A lot of the peoplre buying downtown are going froma large, traditionao home to an urban environment, and changing their style to a much more urban, contemporary Jan Shope says. “Especially with luxury-condo buyers, you wonderf if they’re going to be traditional or more but they usually want to go completelyh urbanand modern.” Emptynesters adopting an urba style are likely to use an interior designer becausw the look is new to them, Shope says. “Evenn with the modern look, they want quality and a classidc sense ofmodern style, not a faddish look.
” Condol buyers young and old seem happy to gradually furnish their units rather than buyinvg everything at once, she adds. “Theyt like the idea of collecting pieces as theygo along. It’s more about their condo bein g a collection of whatthey love.” Debbie Masters, unit coordinator for ’s Rosewood at Providence, has two or three designeras she recommends if asked for referrals. She has known the designer s for years and is comfortablserecommending them. But many buyers stick with thei r own designers as they downsizer into theCotswold condos, she Buyers also can work with Masters to selecty finishes for their units.
Royal Court condominiums, undere construction in Dilworth, has a designer on retainetr to set the tone in common saysLibby Moon, construction coordinator. She recommendzs designers such as Scott Carpenter to buyers planniny their move tothe project. Carpenter’s Interiors, also is working with homeowners-to-bew as a preferred designer at Metropolitan, the condominiunm that recently completed constructiomin midtown. Metropolitan provides buyers a set numbed of hours of designer expertiser with their purchase of a he says. After that, some owners choose to have the designers follow through withthe “It’s given a new niche to Carpenter says of the proliferation of projects.
“You want to be more of a trend-settetr doing condos.” He says many uptown-area condo buyera opt for moderndesign aesthetics. “You want it to be you want it to reflecttyour taste, but you want it to look great,” he “You want that ‘wow’ plus you want to make it look more Mann notes that higher-end contemporary furnishinges are ideal for small spaces. Their straightf lines and sleek surfaces usuall require less space than mosttraditional furniture, and the look is That doesn’t mean everything is modern. Mann oftem mixes contemporary with transitional pieces for a look that remainxs warmand comfortable.
He had a chance to showcasr his design skills last year at1315 East, the condominiuk in Dilworth. Mann was one of severapl designers invited to design model unitse as part of a competition called Condo He is now working with Grubb at its Morrisonn condominiumsin SouthPark. “In this economy, what’s keepingf us alive is that we’re small and unique,” he says. “Atg the high end, people haven’t stopped spending.
”