A creative and inspiring space where clients can touch, feel and imagine all the elements of their dream home coming together under one roof.
The Challenge
The Colour Studio is the central hub when building a home with Plantation Homes. It is the space where you make your selections for your kitchen, bathroom and laundry, finalising every detail from the floor tiles, benchtops and appliances through to the colour of the roof and the driveway aggregate. A process that for the uninitiated, can be highly overwhelming and extremely daunting.
Our task was to make this a pleasurable experience that was not only inspiring, showcasing the beautiful options available when building with Plantation Homes, but to make it a welcoming, calming and positively memorable experience. One which is easily navigated, logical and educational.
“The space was to speak to the Plantation Homes brand, as a market leader, providing affordable luxury, also encompassing the unique architectural style of Plantation Homes and the alfresco lifestyle that we embrace as Queenslanders.”
More about the client…
COMUNiTI has been working with Plantation Homes for the past 5 years, as they have evolved their business operations to support their continuing success and expansion as the HIA’s Queensland’s Professional Major Builder 7 years running. When we were presented with the opportunity to guide the transformation of their Colour Studio, a space that is so integral to their business operations, we couldn’t wait to get started.
The Process
We started the journey with Plantation Homes by exploring their Victorian counterpart showroom and conducting a Visioning Workshop with the broader team; marketing, sales, operations and the Studio Management, in order to gain a deeper insight into the strategic objectives of the project and the cultural fit for their clients.
The workshop informed the brief by laying out the; target market, customer journey, studio appointment process, brand style guidelines, sales display references and suppliers.
“With a deeper understanding of the project objectives, client budget and operational deliverables, two possible scenarios were presented with the selected option achieving the required balance between program, cost & opportunity.”
The Design
Upon arrival your journey begins as you are guided from the carpark to the entry of the studio, the path wrapping around the building and welcoming you under the new light weight awning structure, providing weather protection and an enhanced street appeal to the existing building. The new glazing façade offers a glimpse into the studio, enticing you with what is to come.
On entry into the studio, the space opens up into the reception encapsulated by display kitchens to the left and right of the monolithic Caesar Stone reception desk centred in the space. The timber shelving display behind it, allowing for glimpses through its openings into the studio space beyond.
Each of the kitchens offers a unique style and showcases the various material, finish & appliance options available. A lounge space doubles as the waiting area and display for the kitchen to the left, which is also fully equipped to service a function or cooking demonstration to their clients, with all the prep being hidden in the butlers pantry behind.
“An extension of our display home hospitality, you will feel right at home during your selection appointment, refining your styling choices over an aromatic coffee, tea or water.”
The space is complete with three kitchen displays, two bathrooms, a powder room and a laundry. You can touch and feel sinks, taps and basins, you can open and close ovens, turn the lights and the fan on the rangehood on and off and in addition to all this, you can test the flow and spray pattern of your preferred shower head in the shower wet wall arrangement.
Wandering through the space, the displays are grouped covering internal and external finishes, through to curtains and cornices, door hardware to bathroom accessories. Enabling clients to pull together each of the elements and lay them out on the generous benches in the centre of the studio, all with the guidance of their dedicated Interior Design Stylists.
“Home buyers attend a dedicated Information Session, where the Interior Design Stylist takes you step by step through the colour selection process and how to best prepare for the Home Styling Appointment, expertly guiding you through your selection and build process,”
– Di Gaffney, Studio Manager
The studio also boasts an electrical and media room that doubles as a kids entertainment space, showcasing the latest in home theatre and sound systems. Whilst the external finishes are enveloped in an alfresco space which opens out into an external courtyard via large bi-folding doors, embracing the Queensland lifestyle.
“We love this outdoor area as it flows seamlessly from the indoors to provide an alfresco feel to our customers which is similar to our home designs.”
– Di Gaffney, Studio Manager
Once all the selections are completed and its time to prepare the paper work the Client Booths provide a sanctuary for clients to relax and focus in a more intimate setting, guided by their Assistant through their final selections.
Throughout the space the Plantation Homes herringbone mark is subtly incorporated through the timber ceiling panels in the reception through to the carpet plank in the light filled Tender Rooms, and timber detailing of the client booths.
The completed space is a welcome addition to the Plantation Homes family, to equal their performance as Queensland’s No 1 Home builder and providing a seamless quality experience across all their touchpoints.
“Before working with COMUNiTI I was feeling quite nervous about the project we were to embark on, however now that we have completed, I am elated with how it has turned out.
COMUNiTI’s ability to establish a vision for the project and expertly manage its delivery, through an extremely tight timeframe, has enabled us to produce this amazing outcome.”
– Jeremy Hangar, GM Sales, Marketing & Design.
