Guide
How builders and designers source furniture for model homes and show suites
Model home furniture is the furniture used to dress a builder's show home, condo show suite or sales presentation centre so buyers can picture living there. It is usually specified by a model-home designer or merchandiser and bought for a whole development, not one room. Because it has to look consistent, arrive on a fixed date and sometimes be replicated across several sites, it is sourced differently from a single client project.
What makes model home furniture different from other projects?
Model home furniture is bought to sell homes, not to be lived with, so the priorities change:
- Visual impact: pieces must photograph well and read clearly in a walkthrough.
- Scale: furniture is often chosen to make rooms look spacious, especially in condo show suites.
- Deadline: everything has to be installed before the sales launch.
- Replication: the same scheme may be repeated across several models or phases.
- Afterlife: when sales close, builders often sell the furniture or reuse it in the next project.
Which rooms and pieces does a model home need?
A typical model home is furnished room by room, and casegoods do much of the work:
| Room | Typical pieces |
|---|---|
| Living room | Coffee table, side tables, console table, TV unit |
| Dining room and kitchen | Dining table, chairs, bar stools, sideboard |
| Primary bedroom | Bedside tables, chest of drawers |
| Home office | Desk, bookcase |
| Entry and hallway | Console table, bench, storage trunk |
Where do builders source model home furniture?
Builders and their designers usually combine three sources: a trade or wholesale supplier for the core furniture, a staging or rental company for short-term or high-end pieces, and retail for finishing decor. A wholesale supplier makes sense when the scheme repeats across models, because bulk pricing and repeat availability matter more than one-off finds.
What should builders ask a furniture supplier?
Ask five questions before committing a development to a supplier:
- Can you supply the same designs again for the next phase?
- What is the lead time for in-stock and made-to-order pieces?
- Is there bulk pricing for a whole development?
- Can you deliver to a site or a presentation centre on a set date?
- Do you provide dimensions, spec sheets and CAD files for floor plans?
How does Artisan Furniture Canada supply builders and model-home designers?
Artisan Furniture Canada supplies handmade solid-wood furniture for model homes and show suites from its Brampton, Ontario warehouse. Trade accounts get 25% off MSRP with no minimum order, and bulk wholesale orders for whole developments qualify for up to 50% off MSRP. Every product has dimensions, spec sheets and CAD and SketchUp files, and delivery is free to all 10 provinces.
Staging a resale home instead
For a single resale listing rather than a new development, the job is home staging rather than model-home merchandising. See where home stagers buy furniture in Canada.