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Show ftttay; April U, 1997 Tricks of Tage 23 the design trade can' give you showhouse look - By CHARLYNE VARKONYI South Florida You walk into the model home and are enchanted Like love at first sight, you're blinded by an indescribable feeling. No need to look anymore. This is it You know it in your heart. Sold. But sometime after the mover into puts the last piece of furniture place, some doubts begin to surface. Why does it look like you have doll furniture in the living room? Why did the bedroom seem so much larger before? And what happened to the magic you felt in the model? ' You feel like this because, just like in the movies, builders also hire special effects experts. By now, some of us have caught on to some of the easier tricks of the trade such as using mirrors and glass tables to make rooms look larger. But it's their like tfsipg other techniques moldings and furniture arrange-- " that are less obvious and ment make a big difference. This month's "Dr. Design," Christine Phillips, spent seven as a model years merchandisersenior designer for The Interiors Group in Boca Raton, Fla., before going out ont her own. Her company, Concepts' & Dimensions in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., specializes in remodeling projects and new construction with a historic reference. TlUt DAILY HERALD, Home Magazme, . "A good model has re member-abilit- y, shows off the architecture and makes an emotional connection to the market," says Phillips, who has won national awards for her work on models. "A successful model merchandiser will elicit an emotional response from the potential buyer that says, 'I could live here!'" Although it's the end result that triggers the buyer's emotions, the designers sta.t with the builder's market profile and follow a systematic formula. whose children have grown.) Then these "types" are divided into price ranges and preferences based on where the development is located. "Ballen Isles is different from Silverlakes, although they may both have she says. "Boca is more New York and more of a sophisticated look. Boynton is considered more Midwest and more homey in decor." empty-nesters- Typically, that profile will define the type of resident (young families and first-tim- e buyers; young professionals who want more amenities; or empty-nesters ," Details make the design a motif, repeat the theme with framed prints in the dining room. CUSTOM BORDER: Give a wallpaper border an expensive custom look by cutting it out to outline the details. FLOATING FURNITURE: By CHARLYNE VARKONYI South Florida Model merchandisers are firm believers in the axiom of the late architect Mies van de Rohe: "God is in the details." Here are some of them: ARMOIRE DECOR: Designers love to accessorize the top of armoires. It's easier than it looks if you follow the model formula: Use a mix of baskets, plants and an interesting object. Vary heights and textures. PILLOW. TALK: Use the most expensive "personality" fabrics on small items such as pillows. When it's all put together, no one will notice if the chenille was $26 or $126 a yard, but they will remember fabulous pillows. THEME IT: If you want to link one room that opens to another, repeal "the fheje. If you have tiles in a kitchen with Move the furniture away from the walls in a small family room. Use an area rug in the center of the room and float sofas or love seats on either side. LAYERING DETAILS: Don't just pile a couple of books on an end table. Put a decorative object on top of the books. MIXING TEXTURES: Play wooden plantation shutters against gauzy curtains and a wool kilim pillow. CHEAP THRILLS: Window treatments and drapery rods don't have to be expensive. You can find some decorator styles in places such as Potter y Barn and Pier I. Although many of the models may look very upscale, the end is..- s. result often has more to do with the designer's skill than the price spent on the project. Because there is no time for luxuries such as custom framing, Phillips says frames and other accessories often come right from some of the most popular mail-ordcatalogs. Combine a modest budget with a lot of creativity and the result is plenty of items that can translate new or old. into any home Window treatments. Why do the views always look so wonderful in a model? The next time you go modei shopping, take a close look at the window treatments. The fabric is draped above and around the window so the window looks larger and doesn't cut out the view or the light. "There are no working window treatments," Phillips says. "They are all done for effect. If you want to maintain the look, you will need to add the functional part for prithe duet shades and the vacy minibiinds." Built-in- s Built-in- s. will get time. When they are you every there, they add architectural interest to a room. When they are missing, the room looks like a plain "You need to be able to step back and objectively picture what the room will look like without these things or be prepared to pay more for them," Phillips says. It's often cheaper to buy the built-in- s from the builder rather than hire someone to do a custom job for you, Phillips says. So be sure to ask the builder's representative if they offer the built-in- s and what they cost. Use of mirrors. Designers these days are more subtle than they were in the 1970s when they installed an entire wall of mirrors. These days mirrors can be used to open up the space as well as to remove the bamlike feeling from a room with high ceilings. For instance, in a room with a ceiling, Phillips attached a wood frame molding around a mirror with three beveled panels on the top. For an additional decorative effect, she attached a gilt mirror onto the larger mirror. architecture. Adding "Molding and applied treatments, such as wallpaper, give proportion to volume ceilings and brings box. them down to people level," she Examine the built-in- s closely. says. "Artwork doesn't have to be They make the rooms look larger of such large scale if it is relating because they are often smaller to the molding instead of the entire (especially in width) than your wall. A subconscious horizontal own furniture. 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