Submitted by Barb Lally for Rob Rice Homes
Rob Rice Homes have luxurious features—what many other builders consider upgrades—all included in the price of each lovely home. The stylish surfaces offered are thoughtfully selected and coordinated by Design Consultant Deanna Collins of Signature Interiors and Design, a valued partner of the local South Sound builder for more than ten years.
Helena Rice, who oversees their homes’ exterior and interior design choices, will tell you that for any surface chosen for their homes, whether it is rich hardwood flooring, shiny granite or quartz countertops, fine cabinetry or glistening designer backsplash tile, Deanna plays a key role.
“I don’t ever have to decide what tiles I want for a bathroom or kitchen backsplash,” says Helena “I trust Deanna’s exceptional design choices in our homes that wow buyers when they walk in to any one of them.”
Deanna and her art
How does Deanna know how to coordinate it all?
“I have been in the industry since 1998 and have been working with Signature for 10 years, so I have a real sense of what will look good. I also have a love of art, something that has always been a big part of my family, so the choices are almost second nature to me.”
Rob Rice provides a “start sheet” that shows paint colors, type of faucet fixtures, stone color, where the home sits on the lot and the natural light streams in so a Signature designer can assign the right colors and tones and integrate them with the entire home.
“I choose products that are timeless, not just trendy, so that almost anyone can move into a Rob Rice Home and use colors they love. Every house is unique, but timeless.”
Deanna is able to use high-end products because of the volume she orders from vendors.
“When I see a more expensive tile or flooring that I really like, I can negotiate with the vendor for a lower price due to volume because Rob Rice is the area’s largest builder.”
Deanna stays current
Because of the Rices’ trust in Deanna, she has the leeway to introduce new products if necessary.
“With accent pieces that need to be updated, I will replace them with something more current,” Deanna says. “You know what color is in right now? Dusty rose! There will be a lot of new products coming out with dusty rose. It’s something to consider for a decorative backsplash in a bathroom, a subtle touch.”
Deanna also explains that you can actually mix cool colors with warm ones, depending on the floor plan.
“I will do a cool master bath but a warm-colored kitchen so there is a good mixture for everyone who will live there.”
Despite the fact that some say gray— a popular design color—shouldn’t be used in the Northwest because of all of our gray days, Deanna takes exception to that concept.
“There are warm undertones now in many new grays, so you can really pull it off. I can still do great, warm touches with the new grays and it can all be integrated with the carpet, counters and walls.”
Despite trends, Deanna is very aware that the design in a home is personality-driven.
“One Rob Rice Home buyer in Campus Highlands had moved here from Arizona and loved the Southwest look. We helped her with all her surface choices and she then hired an interior decorator for furniture and décor to match and it was stunning…absolutely beautiful.”
Pre-sale buyers enjoy the luxury of a trip to the design center
If buyers pick their lot and floorplan in a pre-sale before a home is built, a Signature designer meets with them for two to three hours to help make the design choices for their cabinets, flooring, counters and accents.
One of those recent pre-sale buyers had been looking for a new home for more than two years, and had tried working with a custom builder to get all of the features they desired.
“It all ended up costing way too much,” explains that buyer who finally found what they were looking for at the Villages at South Hill in Puyallup. “Rob Rice Homes is the best of both worlds. With the pre-sale, we were able to go to the design center to pick out what we want in it.”
Buyers appreciate the guidance from a designer, turning what could be a tedious process, into an enjoyable one.
“We take them room by room, so they focus on one room at a time,” Deanna describes. “Buyers can make their choices systematically. It is as easy as a,b,c.”
“I let the buyers know that my job is to make sure when they move in they are not disappointed with what they chose,” adds Deanna.
Select Lots offer new design opportunities
Deanna has recently helped Helena Rice make stunning design choices for two unique homes that Rob Rice is currently building on 77th Ave. SE in Olympia. The homes are part of the “Best of South Sound” builder’s “Select Home Sites – Thurston County” program—gorgeous homes built on larger 1.5 acre lots.
These homes give Deanna a new opportunity to apply more of her designer skills.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to be even more creative and do things we are not used to doing. We are using fabulous products and a completely different look. These are very individual and custom-looking luxury homes.”
Rob Rice Homes will be building two more of the Select Sites homes in the Indian Summer neighborhood in Olympia.
Enjoying the partnership with Rob Rice Homes
“Rob and Helena are huge advocates for their homeowners and convey their expectations,” says Deanna. “We do our best to meet those expectations.”
“Rob builds with consistent quality and keeps his buyers happy. Drive through any Rob Rice Community and it looks like it just got built. The neighborhoods are beautiful. Rob walks every one of his homes personally because his name is on them. I truly respect that and it makes it so wonderful to work with them.”
Learn more about Rob Rice Home at their website.
Rob Rice is Thurston County’s largest local home builder and was voted the Best of South Sound for 2013 and 2014. He has built more than 3000 homes over the last 30 years. He and his wife Helena live in Olympia with their two sons; Alex Michael and Carson. Rob is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in construction management and architecture.
