A Leading Attitude

New home design isn’t one of those things that changes from year to year or season to season like fashion. Most seminars or articles on new home design talk about "trends" rather than "new." In an industry like ours where change is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, it’s not always easy to gauge where a trend is -- going up or going out -- or what will replace it. Complicating the question is the market -- what designs will influence buyers from one year to the next, and how will those impressions affect their housing choices?

Builders and architects offer some real-world insight into design leadership in The Table. There, the participants describe the challenge of building homes for a very different type of client -- a first-time home buyer and custom client all rolled into one. The newly-rich thirty-somethings are finding real estate a very cool -- if slightly old fashioned -- place to spend their dotcom dollars. Like every client, these buyers want their house just their way, and delivering on that desire can be a tall order for the builder and architect.

In reading about the ways each of these builders met client design expectations it became apparent that leadership isn’t as much about design as it is about attitude. While these market leaders aren’t pushing the design envelope on every home, they are pushing the standard of what buyers should expect from builders.

When he talks about staying ahead of the market, builder Mark Hemming doesn’t talk about design or construction or location -- those are all givens in the luxury home market. Rather, he points to communication with the client. "It’s the key to everything from the right architectural details to staying within the budget."

Likewise for Joe Pucci of Trademark Homes. Good design results from client communication -- rather than being something he provides and the client buys. "Sometimes, when working with a client, something will come up that just gets us both excited," he says.

Kathy and Rick Harwick of Harwick Homes are no different. They learn all they need to know about design leadership from customers and business partners. Kathy regularly asks buyers just as many questions as they ask her. Do they like this feature? What can be improved in the floor plan? How about these material choices? What about this color? Harwick spends just as much time asking these same questions of the developer’s sales and marketing team.

Ultimately, what each builder is saying is that design is personal. Yes, there are influences and trends within the industry, but that is all they are -- influences and trends. Design leadership is demonstrated one client at a time, one house at a time. The real genesis for design leadership isn’t market research, model homes or the builder down the street -- it’s the one-on-one relationship every contractor has with each client -- and this has everything to do with attitude.