#Design Crowdsourcing yields contemporary décor
What would a home built by crowdsourcing look like? You might expect a cookie-cutter house designed by committee. That’s not what happened when Taylor Morrison Home Builder took the decorating of its latest project in Avalon at Sienna Plantation digital. Thousands of people all over the country cast online votes to choose the finishing details of a model home in this Missouri City neighborhood, from lighting to paint to cabinet finishes and tile treatments. (The builder chose the floor plan and exterior.)
The people’s choices were bold and on trend.
The four-week crowdsourcing effort brought potential customers inside the model home — even if it was only in the virtual world. The my Model Home is now open to the public.
Jim Ellison, Taylor Morrison’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the effort was an exercise in embracing their corporate tagline: “Our homes are inspired by you.”
“We take that seriously, and we need to be constantly listening to our customers,” Ellison said. “What better way than by engaging them in social media and having fun with this project?”
The results yielded some surprises — local staff had overestimated how much people love dogs, for one. While many of the results followed current decorating trends, voters chose bold over traditional.
Here’s what the people wanted: Kitchen: Several things were up for vote in the kitchen. Voters opted for cabinets that extended all the way to the ceil-
ing, with glass fronts on the top tier. Home builders are installing these in many homes, from traditional to contemporary or full-on modern. Voters opted for a deep stainless sink with a sleek, curvy faucet — rather than a porcelain sink with a faucet and separate sprayer. In a choice between glass mosaic or stacked slate backsplash, voters went with natural stone, a common trend.
Master bathroom: The master bath is another place for splurges, and voters opted for spa-like features. In this model home, tile with a mosaic accent (instead of all mosaic tile) and digital controls serve as very current touches in the shower. Along the vanity/counter space, white porcelain vessel sinks outranked the trendier glass versions. Perhaps voters were worried about cleaning all of those water spots.
Utility room: The choices here were to have an installed dog kennel and dog-washing station or opt for the traditional extra sink. Despite our collective love for animals, voters went for the sink. “This is the one that shocked me the most,” said Sarah Starr, Taylor Morrison marketing manager. “We thought the dog-washing station was cool and trendy and absolutely that’s what they would choose. But they chose the sink. I guess it was what they’d want in their own home.”
Formal living room: Never mind that many people don’t want or need formal living rooms anymore. In this one, voters chose between a mirrored wall and natural stone tile. In the end, the mirror was deemed yesterday; natural stone won out.
Media room: Stadium-style seating was once the trend for in-home theaters. Perhaps voters viewed those oversize recliners as their grandpa’s idea of comfort and instead went for a familylike setting of cushy sofas piled high with pillows. If you’re going to fall asleep during this movie, you’ll be comfy.
Children’s rooms: As children grow up, so does their room décor. What works perfectly in fourth grade is likely unacceptable for a seventh-grader. Voters opted for options that could easily be adapted. In three bedrooms, two designed for boys and one for a girl, they picked paint details that could change the way the room looked. When choosing between zig-zag and stripe detailing, squares or stripes
and geometric or wave designs, the voters went with the more high-energy choices: zig-zag, plaid and geometric.
Fireplace: We may not have a big need for fireplaces in our hot climate, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want them in our homes. With a choice of a simpler cast-stone option or full-on floor-to-ceiling tile with a traditional wood mantle, voters went big. Even fireplaces are bigger in Texas.
Master bedroom: The extra finishes in this room show how much a ceiling flourish can add to your bedroom. Voters picked a painted ceiling with straight, parallel beams — instead of a gridlike pattern of beams with tile insets.
diane.cowen@chron.com twitter.com/dianecowen