Behind the Scenes with the Design Dream Team at PDI

Three Amelia Model Homes, thoughtfully designed and merchandized TRI Pointe Homes and Pacific Dimensions, will be open for viewing on June 22^nd at Bay Meadows! In celebration of the new designer models homes coming soon to our new neighborhoods, Bay Meadows is offering a $500 gift card to Room & Board; as well as five $25 gift cards to The Container Store. Just LIKE Bay Meadows on Facebook today and complete the online entry form! Winners will be announced weekly.

About the Team:

For over 28 years, perfecting the craft of interior merchandising has been the passion and mission of Pacific Dimensions, Inc.  Today, as always, PDI’s entire team is committed to serving the unique and growing needs of the United States homebuilding and development industries. Using a fresh, inspired approach to interior merchandising the team transforms ordinary spaces into memorable and totally livable environments.

At PDI, they call it “Creating Visual Attitude”.

Go behind the scenes with Laurie Meneley, Regional Manager for Pacific Dimensions Inc (PDI), and Meg Pennington, Designer with PDI for TRI Pointe Homes ‘Amelia’ Model Homes, as they give us an inside look at the models, trends and more!

Q: What is your inspiration and why did you get into this field?

(Meg) My inspiration comes from wanting to create spaces that stop you in your tracks and say WOW. If I hear that, then I have done my job and executed to the client needs. It’s extremely rewarding having the freedom to create memory points in a model that have been thought out for the builders’ specific buyer. I have always been fascinated with homes and floor plans. Becoming an Interior Designer was a no brainer for me. I knew it’s what I wanted to do so I went for it; I know that I am extremely lucky to love what I do.  It’s so much fun that it doesn’t feel like “work” most of the time. There are some challenging moments we are faced with; but that is what makes us better.

Q: What are 3 design trends we should watch for in 2013?

Three design trends to watch for this year would be black and white color blocking with pops of amazing bright colors (neon is back). Secondly, mid century modern is making a come-back with beautiful knock off pieces from famous furniture designers that are just as beautiful and great for budgets.  Lastly, I think that the technology world is going to be more intergraded in the building process instead of having it added after the build – creating a wireless intergraded system that works with your mobile and tablet devices in the home.
(Laurie adds): Watch for Men’s wear inspired interior design and a focus on indoor / outdoor living – removing barriers and the relationship of the two spaces.

Q: What Amelia Model Home is your favorite and why?

I really love elements from all three models; they each have their own unique feel and floor plan. The plan 2 has amazing colors and elements to it that are so fresh and contemporary. The plan has a very spacious master and secondary bedroom. The staircase in this home is a favorite.
The plan 1 gives you a classic glamour style with a wonderful open great room and kitchen layout that’s perfect for entertaining. Plan 3 has an amazing kitchen with tremendous space. With having the fourth bedroom at the ground floor; it’s a nice surprise for any buyer who has a relative living with them or to utilize it as an extra media space. All three homes have generous sized rooms; it doesn’t feel as if they are attached.

Q: Which room did you find the most fun to decorate, and why?

The Plan 2 living room was a lot of fun because of the color scheme created for this project. Getting to use the bright bold colors of aqua and tangerine was a blast. We created this scheme from the center pillow on the sofa and developed it further with adding the wall covering to the back of the built-in, and of course the modern furnishing style made it all come together. My favorite color is orange – so of course It was fun finding accessories to fill the built in space.

Q: What Container Store products do you recommend to homeowners who are just moving in and want to stay organized?

The Container Store customer service is amazing!! They are extremely helpful with whatever your needs are. If you are doing a home office, crafts or even organizing the garage with tools I recommend the Elfa utility system. It is very versatile and also displayed in the plan 3 great room built in. They have so many useful products that you never knew you would need and they have thought of it.

Q: What are your must-read design and decor blogs?

I love COCOCOZY, DecorPad and I am addicted to Pinterest and Houzz.

Q: Name a product at Room & Board that you feel with fit well within an Amelia NEW home by TRI Pointe (due to its style or function).  

Mid Century modern has made a come-back and this store has what you need to accomplish the look. The quality of their merchandise is unbeatable. The Andre, Anson, Murphy, Wells and Zane sofa styles accomplish the mid century look and feel similar to the plan 2. The Bond dining table is similar style to the plan 1 along with the Copenhagen for the bedroom pieces. The Chilton dining room table is suitable for the plan 3 style; rustic with modern accents, as well as the Moro and Whitney bedroom furnishings.

2013: A Year in Review

For Bay Meadows, 2013 was truly a year of “firsts.” We debuted our first two communities, Amelia by TRI Pointe Homes and Landsdowne by Shea Homes. We opened our first parks, Paddock Park and our 12-acre Community Park. And most importantly, we welcomed our first residents home. As we look back at 2013, we can’t help but get excited for 2014. We have so much to look forward to! Here’s a preview of what’s coming in the New Year:

Persimmon Park – Our much anticipated community garden will open, allowing residents to farm their own produce. Coming Summer 2014.

Linear Park – Construction of our beautifully landscaped, 1.5-acre park will commence in2014.

Brightside – Construction of the 80-townhome community will begin Spring 2014.

Canterbury – A 76-townhome neighborhood by TRI Pointe Homes located across from Paddock Park. Models open Summer 2014.

Field House – Construction of our first apartment community, featuring 108 residences, will begin leasing. Coming Fall 2014.

The Nueva School – High School classes to begin at the new Bay Meadows campus in the Fall of 2014.

For the latest updates on all things Bay Meadows, be sure to join our interest list: https://baymeadows.com/neighborhoods/register. See you in 2014!

Young Couples Seek Townhouses and Condos with an Urban Feel

Bay Meadows makes headlines! San Jose Mercury News features Landsdowne homeowners Aparna and Vineet, sharing their story, and the story of so many other Bay Meadows homeowners who are attracted to “Life in Motion” – life with convenient access public transportation, shopping, and more. Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1hRQGJ5

Young couples seek townhouses and condos with an urban feel

By Pete Carey

Vineet Kannan and Aparna Jain, two software engineers in their 20s, are making a move that is increasingly popular among the Bay Area’s young professionals: They’re abandoning their apartment in Mountain View and buying a townhouse in an urban infill development in San Mateo.

And what made their move even easier: soaring rents and low mortgage rates mean their monthly mortgage payment is less than they’d pay to rent an equivalent apartment.

So on one recent morning, they were making a final inspection tour of their new, three-bedroom townhouse in the Landsdowne development at San Mateo’s Bay Meadows, a few blocks from the Caltrain they use to commute to work — Kannan to a new job at Netflix in Los Gatos and Jain at Zynga in San Francisco.

Seeing a growing number of potential buyers like Kannan and Jain, Bay Area builders are scrambling to meet the demand.

New building permits for detached homes and townhomes are up 39 percent from last year in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties, 35 percent in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, and almost 19 percent in the East Bay, according to the California Homebuilding Foundation.

Permits for multifamily housing, including condos — which are particularly attractive to young, first-time buyers — are up 38 percent across the Bay Area, with San Francisco-Marin-San Mateo leading the way with an 82 percent jump over the first 10 months of 2013. However, permits in Alameda and Contra Costa counties dropped by 4.5 percent.

“Everybody is at full velocity,” said Chris Foley of Polaris Pacific, a marketing and sales company for high-density urban condo developments. “The condo market is very strong. No new condos have been delivered for five years and people want to buy condos.”

Housing experts say younger buyers like Kannan and Jain are favoring urban infill projects like Bay Meadows that are close to shopping and where they can abandon their cars and use public transit.

“We’re getting a brand new house, Whole Foods is right next to us and there’s a community garden, which is exciting for me,” Jain said.