One essential tool for buyers is the display suite, where they can experience the property's size, compare designs, and discuss the project with a sales representative in a specially designed showroom.

Display suites are often the first point of contact in the buyer journey, supporting the marketing and branding of residential projects, and are built years before the actual building is constructed.

TURNER - Waterstone Display Suite - photography by Brett Boardman (000003).jpg — Image: Brett Boardman

Leading architects and design practice TURNER has designed Waterstone in the heart of the up-and-coming Sydney suburb of St Leonards for client Sekisui House. Its display suite opened in June 2025, and the project is planned for completion in late 2027.

“The display suite showroom for some clients can be their initial contact with the project as well as the beginning, middle and end of their entire sales journey,” says Brett Talbot, Sales Manager at Sekisui House. “They can come into the showroom, and within forty-five minutes to one and a half hours, they have spent in excess of $2 million.”

“At Waterstone, we have 207 apartments in the busy St. Leonard's marketplace that, with the new Metro coming online, is now offering over 2,000 new homes, so if you don’t stand out, if you don’t articulate that unique experience and journey, then you are dead in the water.”

According to Talbot, the architect has only a limited space to convey their intent and the essence of their project design, and get as many points across as possible.

“It is essential that their thought process, thought journey and articulation of their design are done in bite-sized pieces to facilitate the sales journey in the space,” he says.

“If the display suite has done its job and it all comes together like a good orchestra, you will find that it is the most natural thing in the world to make the sale.

“I think that clients look at the showroom as a commitment by the developer. If you shortchange it and don’t deliver a quality experience, then the client starts questioning your commitment to the whole project.”

TURNER - Waterstone Display Suite - photography by Brett Boardman (000006).jpg — Image: Brett Boardman

Designing display suites that help prospective buyers visualise themselves living in their future apartment is one of TURNER's services for developers.

“Our developer clients are looking for more than a straight retail experience,” says Daniella de la Harpe, Interior Architecture Project Designer at TURNER. “It needs to feel like a fully resolved experience on its own that provides potential buyers with a real sense of everything that the project is offering.”

“Most people can’t visualise the space just from a plan, so the more elements you include in the display suite, the more it helps to give a sense of what their future life could be in that space.”

According to de la Harpe, when designing a display suite, you need to be very strategic in your use of space.

“Usually, it is quite a small space that you need to create an immersive experience within, while also incorporating technology and the project’s branding to enhance the interaction,” she says.

“Working with technology and the developer’s branding agency, we can create the view from each level of a building using drones,” she said. “We can also develop walk-through models of the apartments, or even the whole building, using computer-generated imagery.

“It is important to create a holistic experience because when you are purchasing an apartment, it is not just about the finishes and the joinery, you are buying into a community and a lifestyle that will last years.

“The display suite helps to give the buyer confidence that they could live in this place,” she said. “When they feel that the apartment could be their home, that empowers them to purchase it.”

The spacious Waterstone Display Suite includes a front-of-house space and a mock apartment with different rooms. This includes a faux balcony with glazing that looks out onto a full lightbox depicting the view from the finished apartments.

Spending up to 40 hours per week onsite in the Display Suite at Waterstone has given Talbot significant insights into how the TURNER-designed showroom appeals to potential buyers.

“It is brilliant in its execution,” he says. “We give them space, we give them time, and the whole experience is seamless. We’ve got the right product and the right delivery, and there is enough design detail in the Display Suite for someone to make a $6 million decision within an hour and a half.”

“Everyone’s time poor, and you have to make their investment in time extremely valuable, so they have to walk away thinking ‘I could see myself living there’, and Waterstone does that.”

“Since the Display Suite at Waterstone opened in June 2025 we have had over $60 million in sales,” he said. “Every single one of those clients has at some point immersed themselves in the showroom.”

“Not one client that has purchased an apartment has not been in to feel, touch, and experience that particular part of the journey.”

Image: TURNER

Clémence Carayol

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