Vogue Interiors offers solutions for sluggish sales

COURTESY PHOTO Vogue Interior's Tui Lifestlye offers a sophisticated, contemporary living room. Vogue Interiors has teamed up with an east coast design firm to offer builders and developers a fresh way to market their empty condos and homes with a new line that provides a lifestyle approach to interior design.

Vogue Interiors is the exclusive representative on Florida's west coast offering Tui Lifestyle, a line of interior furnishings designed by internationally acclaimed designer Tui Pranich.

"Tui Lifestyle is a concept that creates a complete setting — assembling furniture, art, appliances, electronics, kitchen ware, dinner ware, linens and accessories — perfect for a one- or two-bedroom condo or villa," said Debbie DeMaria, ASID, president of Vogue, a Bonita Springs-based company with offices in Panama City, Republic of Panama. "Even the flat-screen TV is included."

Vogue Interiors can also supplement the furnishings available through Tui Lifestyle with custom window treatments and personalized accessories. According to Ms. DeMaria, Pranich conceived the idea for the Tui Lifestyles line in response to the slumping real estate market on Florida's east coast.

"Pranich recognized that showing a home completely furnished increases the potential that the home will sell," Ms. DeMaria said, noting that Tui Lifestyle is already being used to market several luxury condominiums in Miami. "Competition is tough, especially in the condominium market, on the west coast of Florida as well as the east coast. In late July, there were 4,129 condominiums listed on Sunshine MLS for sale just in Naples. One hundred and thirty-seven were in buildings constructed in 2008 or 2009. That may not include all new construction marketed by the builder. Add in the competition in the Bonita/Estero market, with 1,184 active condominium listings, and you know you have to do something special to get buyers' attention."

Traditionally, builders have offered one or two designer-furnished models, but those often come with a high price tag, an expense many builders no longer wish to bear. The Tui Lifestyle vignettes include the high style, detail and quality characteristic of professionally designed spaces, but come at a price made affordable by access to a large quantity of inventory. Because the furnishings have been assembled in the Tui Lifestyle warehouse on Florida's east coast, delivery and set-up can be accomplished in less than a week.

"Price, speed of delivery and professional set-up are real advantages for builders and developers," Ms. DeMaria said. "Builders and developers can present a unified, professionally decorated condominium or home for a fraction of the cost of individually priced pieces. Tui Lifestlye is more of a designeroriented approach than furnishing 'packages' and emphasizes a contemporary urban style."

As an incentive to buyers, a condominium may economically be offered as "move-in ready" complete with linens and kitchen ware. The furnishing packages can also be used if the builder decides to rent out a unit to offset expenses.

The bedroom settings can easily be adapted to accommodate a boutique hotel or to refurbish an existing hotel and common areas, offering solutions for yet another facet of the real estate market.

"Vogue Interiors has been in business for 30 years," Ms. DeMaria said. "We recognize that success depends upon being able to evolve to meet the needs of the times. Our association with Tui Lifestyle is providing us with the opportunity to re-invent the interior design business on this coast — and to provide our clients with access to a new concept. This endeavor will supplement our custom interior design services."

For more information, visit www. vogueinteriors.com.