• by Sara Guaglione , September 16, 2019

Real Simple’s“Idea Home” experiential franchise is expanding this year to include a virtual video tour and the ability to shop products from the entire home.

The Idea Home was first launched last year. Real Simple brought together home organizers, interior designers and its editors to decorate an apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn to showcase products and designs from sponsors and licensed Real Simple products.

The event served to market the magazine, an app and its new book on organizing, as well as bring attention to designers and their products.

This year, the publication is taking over a multi-level townhouse in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, filled with products that are shoppable via a hub on Real Simple. 

Consumers can buy over 300 items on display in the Idea Home — from hand soap to mattresses — via smart codes. Some of the items listed are affiliate links, meaning Real Simple will get a cut of the sales.

Real Simple also created video content around the house. Readers can take a 360° virtual video tour of the home.

Consumers can purchase $25 tickets to a real-life tour of the house in October. A portion of the proceeds will go to Win, a provider of shelter and permanent supportive housing for New York City homeless families.

The Real Simple home will feature more than 250 design tips, such as how to make the most of small spaces and how to add personality to different rooms in a home.

The rooms in the Idea Home were created by different designers. 

The living room and back patio, for example, were designed by Anita Yokota Interior Design. The entryway and laundry room were created by Stephanie Sisco. 

The kitchen and dining rooms were done by Cortney Bishop Design, the multi-purpose room by Sherry and John Petersik of Young House Love, the office by Shavonda Gardner & Carmeon Hamilton, the master bedroom by Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals, the kids room by Emilie Munroe of Studio Munroe, the rooftop terrace by Paige Sumblin Schnell of Tracery Interiors and storage organization by Molly Graves and Ashley Murphy of Neat Method.

The developer of the Real Simple Idea Home is American Development Group, LLC. 

Nine sponsors are featured in the home, including Arm & Hammer, Elkay, Glad, Glade, The Home Depot, Mrs. Meyer's (a returning sponsor from 2018), Sleep Number, Whitehaven Wines and Whole Blends.

The Real Simple home will be featured in the October issue of the magazine, on newsstands September 20, and online.