ALL UNDER ONE ROOF
Qualico's new Design Q Shop brings show home furniture and accessories to buyers
Three new homebuilders are making all the furniture and accessories in their show homes available for purchase to anyone — whether they buy a home or not.
Qualico builders Pacesetter Homes, Sterling Homes and Streetside Developments are selling the carefully curated show home pieces through Design Q, Qualico's design centre. As a retail division, Design Q Shop began in August and is an idea perhaps long overdue.
“Design Q started seven or eight years ago, where designers help customers make their interior selections. After a while, our designers started decorating show homes and buying furniture. People would say, where did you get that — we love it. So, we started thinking, why not sell our furniture, too?” says Melissa London, manager of marketing and process at Design Q.
In preparation for the launch (shop.designqedmonton.com), the designers narrowed their field of 30 wholesale suppliers to just nine to control ordering. The studio itself has no inventory, but if a customer requests specific items from a show home, Design Q will facilitate a purchase directly from the wholesaler.
London says show homes are like stores for the builders. Now, every home is also a store for professionally curated furniture, accessories, carpets, wallpaper, paint and window coverings.
“Instead of going into a big warehouse and seeing all these couches in a line, you can go into a house which is professionally staged with lighting and everything,” she says.
For Pacesetter, Sterling and Streetside buyers, the additional service through Design Q Shop allows them to also choose the wallpaper, window blinds and custom drapes for their new homes. As fixed goods, the cost of these items can be added to the buyer's mortgage.
Having everything under one roof at Design Q also means Qualico customers don't need to run around the city with paint chips, tile samples and fabric swatches trying to match everything to their new furniture.
“We know the space and we have all the samples in one spot. No need to explain to someone at a furniture store what you picked. We already know it,” London says.
Pacesetter builds in more than 33 communities in Edmonton and area. The builder's newest show home, the Ellerston in St. Albert's Jensen Lakes district, was decked out by Design Q staff. As an estate home in the new Augusta Executive Collection, the decor reflects a laid-back lake lifestyle and features a lovely wine room.
Marketing manager Erin Davis expects interest in the Ellerston interiors to be high. For Pacesetter customers, who typically are busy families who appreciate having talented designers assist in choosing their interiors, the added assistance in sourcing and curating furniture and accessories is invaluable.
“Helping our clients navigate the decorating world is a significant value. We provide guidance and ensure everything works seamlessly together,” she says.
London says the feature will bring additional traffic to Qualico show homes, in Qualico-developed communities, that the builders might never have had.
“We're trying to get people to look at the show homes. These are our stores. People get there and say, wow — this looks good in this house — and it starts from there,” London says.
Visitors to any Pacesetter, Sterling or Streetside show home can pick up a design catalogue or room postcard in each home with home specific info on the design, furniture and accessories.
Customers can order at the studio or through the Design Q website.