Building a brand new house sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? (And it is.)
But the commitment comes with deciding what your home is going to look like. What color siding? What’s the kitchen style? Bath tiles? Cabinet handles? Wait, what kind of cabinets?
What should be a wonderful experience can often become stressful.
But not so with Marrano. The first step after committing to build begins with meeting your personal designer in the 3,000 square foot state-of-the-art Design Center located on Transit Road.
Right Stephanie Krieger
help customers wade through the process of selecting everything from siding, flooring, and cabinets to light fixtures and bathroom cabinet hardware.
Marrano interior designers Stephanie Krieger and Hillary Lambert will tell you their jobs are to help you create a home to really live in. But in speaking with them, it’s easy to see their jobs are also part hand-holder, shoulder-to-cry-on, diplomat and cheerleader.
“Our first meeting is a walkthrough of our Design Center so new home buyers get a feel of all of their options, ” said Lambert. “The possibilities are really endless, so customers can get overwhelmed pretty quickly. We have set timelines for selections to keep the home building process on track. Everybody has a budget we keep in mind when guiding them with their selections too,” said Lambert.
The Design Center has 10 rooms, done in vignette-style that’s exclusive to Marrano home buyers.
Krieger notes how many people are nervous at the onset, and that’s perfectly normal.
“When I first meet with homeowners for their tour, they are a combination of excited and nervous. Typically more nervous. Many know exactly what they want, but are unsure of how that will translate to the choices Marrano offers. Some come in without having thought about their look at all. The tour is key regardless of where a buyer falls on the spectrum,” said Krieger
At the Design Center buyers can relax, and with the expertise of their design consultant, work through the tough decision-making process.
Krieger and Lambert (both Villa Maria design graduates), simply get a feel for their customers at the first meeting. There is no pressure to make decisions. From there, the two help buyers move in the right direction. The process takes about a month, give or take.
Taking buyers tastes, budget and lifestyle into account the two begin mapping out a path.
“I love meeting with people!” says Lambert, “It’s funny. We may only work hand-in-hand with them for about four weeks, but we feel like we really get to know them. We ask about lifestyle, “do you have kids? dogs?” Simple questions help guide customers on the pros and cons of selecting certain finishes. The process just seems to flow from there.”
The process also saves buyers from having to run around to stores looking at things like tiles, cabinets, hardware, flooring, etc. With just a little information, Krieger and Lambert can whittle down options, sparing buyers from an overwhelming array of choices.
The two women work to bring a future home into focus, including things like home theaters or something as nitty-gritty as a central vacuum.
“We break the selection process down to be more manageable,” said Krieger. “The first priority is the exterior, so windows and doors are ordered in time. Then we focus on the kitchen, the focal point of the entire home.”
Lambert notes that one of the things both she and Krieger do is keep up on trends, so buyers don’t have to.
“Keeping on trend is a huge part of our jobs! It’s something that doesn’t stop once we leave the office. It’s something that we do even in the early hours of the morning scrolling through our Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages,” she said.
Like many things in life, what we want and what we can afford are sometimes two different things, but Lambert and Krieger are ready to help.
“It is our job to take the $100,000 kitchen you fell in love with on Pinterest and scale it down to your budget while still maintaining the look you are going for,” said Krieger.
Sometimes the job involves some diplomacy and peacemaking. “It is our job to give honest opinions and educate homeowners on the pros and cons of the products they choose, so they can make an informed decision,” said Krieger. “Sometimes we find ourselves as the referee, so we try to find a middle ground that makes everyone happy.” What Marrano homebuyers can be sure of is both women love what they do (and are good at it). Their passion is a bonus for anyone building a Marrano home.
“The best part about our job is that no two days are ever the same! What each new home buyer needs or wants in their home is different. I love the personal relationships we have with buyers. The fact that we get to help them design a home that they’ll create so many personal memories in is special to me,” said Lambert.
Her best advice?
“Building a new home is such an exciting time! Don’t worry and don’t stress. Marrano has team members in every step of the process ready to help and guide you! The fact is that when you’re building a new home it’s going to be great because it’s new and it’s what you selected.”
Marrano is located at 2730 Transit Road in West Seneca. Visit marrano.com for more information and to learn about the locations of model homes in various Western New York communities. Visit our design app to design your Marrano Home