Spend time with Steven G and one thing becomes clear quickly: he has very little patience for making a luxury buyer work harder than necessary. That applies especially to the moment a buyer walks into a residence and is expected to imagine what it could become. Steven would rather show them. We sat down for a one-on-one interview last week to talk about the current real estate landscape.
“The public loves furnished real estate,” he said during the interview at his Interiors by Steven G South Florida design studio. “They just do.”
For Steven, that conviction comes from more than four decades of designing residences, model homes, sales environments and interiors for developers and private clients. His larger point is remarkably simple: when buyers can see the finished product, understand how it lives and picture themselves using it immediately, much of the uncertainty disappears. And in today’s luxury market, removing uncertainty may be one of the most valuable amenities a developer can offer.
Steven G’s newest design concepts for Selene Oceanfront Residences in Fort Lauderdale.
The New Luxury May Be Ease
Steven sees a broader shift taking place in luxury interiors. “In the last six weeks, we’ve had eight condominiums sell furnished in three different projects that we have done,” he said, pointing to activity in Bay Harbor, North Miami and Pompano Beach. But what those buyers want inside the residence is changing, too.
“The natural and organic feel has become the biggest design look that we are being asked for,” Steven said. “The day of what I’m going to call glitz, the day of glitter, the day of ultra-modern, even though we love it, we think is becoming a thing of the past.”
What is replacing it?
Comfort. Usability. A feeling that the residence is ready to be lived in rather than admired from a distance.
“The public in all walks of life is wanting comfort,” Steven said. “The ease of usability and coming into their condo and they take that deep breath because of how comfortable and cozy it feels.”
That idea of ease extends far beyond furniture selections.
Steven G incoporated layered lighting and stunning artwork into the interior of this private coastal vacation home at Solemar in Pompano Beach.
Buyers Don’t Want to Wait to Finish the Story
Buy an empty condominium, Steven points out, and the work may just be beginning. “If you buy a condominium today and you hire a quality interior designer and you do the proper job, you have weeks of design work,” he said. “You then have permits to pull with the city. And then you have to order everything and you’re not in that condominium for ages.”
A furnished residence reverses that experience. Steven describes the ideal in far simpler terms: “Put the key in the door, open it, bring their luggage and move in the next day.” For a buyer purchasing a second, third or fourth residence, that convenience can become part of the value proposition itself.
Steven G and his team have built much of their business around solving that problem. For buyers who purchase empty residences, his firm can lend temporary furniture during the design process. It also maintains substantial inventory that allows some clients to choose furnishings directly from the showroom and have them delivered quickly.
“We really don’t want to wait. We know what we like,” Steven said, describing the mindset he encounters from clients. That may be one of the clearest messages to developers: the buyer is not simply purchasing square footage. The buyer is purchasing time.
Why Steven G Keeps Betting on Model Residences
Steven’s belief in furnished product becomes even stronger when the conversation turns to development sales.
“So, I am such a believer of furnished units and furnished real estate in general,” he said. Over the 42-year history of his company, Steven estimates that his firm has created close to 200 model residences under an arrangement in which he often makes a significant investment in the furnishings himself.
His recollection of the results is equally direct. “We only had one unit that didn’t sell within the first year,” he said. Steven points to recent examples across South Florida. At a Bay Harbor development, he said one of two models sold furnished during the first week for $4.5 million. At a Pompano Beach property, he said a furnished duplex penthouse sold within two days. At another Miami Beach development, he said approximately 80% of the building ultimately sold furnished by Interiors by Steven G.
Those are Steven’s numbers and his experiences. The philosophy behind them matters just as much as the individual outcomes. “If you do a full-blown model apartment in a sales center, you sell it twice the speed,” he said. “Speed is money.”
His reasoning is straightforward. Renderings require interpretation. Floor plans require imagination. A completed model eliminates both. “When people can really walk through a finished product, oh my God,” Steven said. The buyer can feel scale. Understand circulation. See the view from the sofa. Experience how the primary suite works. Imagine dinner at the table.
Listen to the Market
Steven is equally adamant that a model should never become precious. If buyers are responding negatively to something, change it. He offered the example of a model where a sales team might repeatedly hear that buyers want twin beds in a secondary bedroom rather than a queen.
“No problem,” Steven said. “That week, I pick up the queen size. I put in the two twins, fix up the room.” That responsiveness reflects a philosophy that reaches well beyond interior design. “The public tells you where you’re going,” he said. “Let’s hear what your buyers have to say. They lead the charge.”
For developers, marketers and sales teams, that may be the larger lesson. The objective is not to defend the original idea. It is to reduce every point of friction between the buyer and the decision.
Make It Easier to Say Yes
That is also where design, sales and marketing begin to overlap. A finished residence helps buyers understand how they can live. Strong development marketing helps them understand why the opportunity deserves their attention in the first place.
“In luxury real estate, asking buyers to imagine too much is asking them to do the developer’s job,” said Laurie Andrews, President of Cotton & Company. “The model residence and the marketing should work hand in hand. One shows buyers how beautifully they can live; the other gives that lifestyle meaning, relevance and urgency. When those disciplines align early, uncertainty falls away—and sales velocity improves.”
Behind the scenes with Team Cotton as we await Steven G’s arrival for the interview.
Steven’s case for furnished real estate ultimately comes down to something bigger than furniture. Luxury buyers have options. What they may have less of is time. Showing them the finished experience—clearly, comfortably and convincingly—can make the path from interest to ownership considerably easier.
As Steven puts it, the market has already given its answer: “The public loves furnished real estate.”
About Interiors by Steven G.
Led by founder, President and CEO Steven Gurowitz, Interiors by Steven G. is one of South Florida’s most prominent full-service interior design firms. For more than 40 years, the firm has created luxury residential, condominium, hospitality and commercial interiors for homeowners, developers, prominent real estate organizations and Fortune 500 companies throughout the country. Its team of more than 85 professionals provides a comprehensive, turnkey approach—from initial concept and space planning through furnishings, project management and installation. Learn more at interiorsbysteveng.com.
Visit the Showroom: The Interiors by Steven G. showroom is an appointment-only, 110,000-square-foot design destination featuring a curated collection of furniture, lighting, artwork, area rugs and accessories. The showroom is located at 2818 Center Port Circle, Pompano Beach, Florida 33064. To schedule an appointment, call 954-735-8223 or visit the Interiors by Steven G. showroom page.
About Cotton & Company
Cotton & Company is a full-service real estate marketing and advertising agency focused exclusively on driving sales success for luxury residential developments and lifestyle-driven communities. With more than four decades of industry experience spanning over 1,700 properties worldwide, the firm combines strategic positioning, brand development, creative design, lead generation and AI-enhanced digital marketing to connect real estate opportunities with today’s buyers. Learn more at cottonco.com
