Penny Wing has been collecting pieces from all over the world to decorate her penthouse suite at Renaissance. But before she puts anything on the walls, she’s having several of them knocked down. Her remodeling project is turning a five-bedroom floorplan into a three bedroom, with two master suites. “I took out the family room, and now the kitchen is twice the size,” Wing says. “I love to entertain.” With 2,500 square feet of balcony that overlooks Downtown, she has indoor and outdoor party space.

While few new residents can afford what Wing has done, this wave of Downtown residents is more inclined to start fresh when it comes to decorating, leaving the old couch behind.

The biggest change usually is a smaller space to work with, a home that requires much less personal maintenance. “Most (Down-town buyers) want to simplify their lives,” says Sherm Harmer, a longtime developer who caught the urban bug and now chairs the Downtown Residential Master Marketing Program.

In anticipation of that desire for simplification, developers are offering buyers wide latitude in customizing their homes. Harmer says some buyers are selling million dollar properties elsewhere, spending half of that on the unit and the rest on customizing touches and furnishings. One woman, he says, spent $30,000 on kitchen cabinets and countertops alone.

For most buyers, customizing begins with the on-site staff working the project. At the 218-unit Renaissance, Roel Construction’s Anna Acosta works in the options department. Buyers, she says, are “going very contemporary” in outfitting their new homes.

The most popular options are tile, marble and hardwood floors, customized kitchen cabinets, and granite and marble for kitchen and bathroom countertops. Some follow Wing’s route of knocking down walls before moving in. “They are totally going for it,” says Acosta of new buyers.

Wing, owner of Incentive Travel Inc., spends a lot of time on the road and much of that time in hotels. She’s collecting ideas and incorporating them into her own design. Wing, who is living in a Craftsman home in Bankers Hill, has always lived in historic homes. Her move to the high-rise penthouse is a new experience. With the new furniture and accessories, she describes the look as tailored-modern.

The fireplace mantles are being carved in Indonesia, the carpets are from Shanghai and the drapes from Italy. “I’ve built the decor around the artwork,” she says.

Some new residents are unprepared for the challenge of outfitting their new homes. Interior designer Mona Ratelle suggests making a decision between form or function and sticking with it. “Embrace this new way of life,” says the CityFront Terrace resident. “Scale down to the priorities and function.” Although Ratelle does suggest weeding out furniture, she doesn’t advise people to get rid of everything. “You have to make a decision that you want a new lifestyle and adjust to size restrictions,” she says. “Less is more, and when you have to downsize, it’s a good thing.”

Carole Mergler had been downsizing during several moves over the past few years before her latest purchase of a 1,500-square-foot, two-bedroom unit at Horizons. She found it fun to get rid of the old and exciting to find the new. “I knew this is where we would be going so I got rid of this and this and this, and it’s fun.”

Mergler’s taste is monochromatic earthtones. Clay tiles cover the floors adding to the warm, earthy feeling. “Nothing takes away from the view,” she says. Her use of plants and mirrors enhance the view of San Diego Harbor and Coronado outside her windows. Mergler says she prefers the view and convenience of Downtown to the space of her previously owned homes.

Minimizing responsibilities and getting organized is what Downtown living is about. Ratelle sees a lot of urban contemporary, California casual and high-tech industrial decor. “It’s simple and inviting.”

Before getting to work on a project, Ratelle sits down with a client and finds out about their personal lifestyle. She asks what the most important room in the house is, if they entertain and their favorite colors. She also suggests that clients go through magazines and take out pictures of homes they like and what they don’t like. She says there has to be a tremendous amount of communication between her and a client for a successful design.

Horizons resident Tyree Bodgess advises new Downtown residents to work as closely as possible with an interior decorator. “I gave (my decorator) pretty strict guidelines and she met them,” Bodgess says. “To let her know what my lifestyle and my taste is, is the most important thing.”

Bodgess isn’t shy about getting design suggestions. Each time she and her husband move, they hold a housewarming party and ask that in lieu of gifts their guests offer design suggestions.

The decor in Bodgess’ home is eclectic. Her collecting has ranged from Queen Anne furniture, Oriental rugs and turn-of-the-century antiques to mission-style furniture. Moving from Coronado, Bodgess and her husband, Randy, took advantage of the six months they had to wait for their unit to be finished. They got rid of most of their old belongings, which helped with adjusting to the new space. “It’s a blessing,” she says. “With the house, everywhere you looked there was something to fix or patch. This is marvelous because it’s minimal, yet big enough to feel comfortable.”

Jim Shaw is becoming experienced in designing and decorating his own Downtown units. A palm tree trimmer by trade, Shaw is getting ready to leave his 1,000-square-foot unit in Watermark for 1,900 square feet in Renaissance. With the approval of his bride of two years, he has spent the last year decorating the one-bedroom unit at Watermark. The couple invested almost $20,000 in lighting alone. The furnishings are 18th and 19th century Indonesian and the walls are done in suede paint. “It’s unbelievably warm,” he says.

Jim and Jerilyn Shaw relax in the warmth of the decor in their Watermark condo. (photo/Greg Lambert)

Shaw says it’s easier to decorate the new places than it was his bachelor pad because now he follows a theme. “When you’re a bachelor, you have very eclectic taste,” he says. “You see something you like, get it, and it doesn’t go with anything else in your house.”

Plans already are under way for the new three-bedroom place. Beginning with a tremendous amount of research, and sticking with what’s warm, Shaw has designed the new unit with lots of dark wood, marble and handcarved Indonesian furniture. The entry flooring will be custom wood and marble inlay. The chair rails are limestone, the doors and frames are distressed wood and the entire place will be faux painted. The bathroom floors will be mosaic tile and the showers have been customized to eliminate the tub. Even the fixtures are special ordered. “We don’t want to do anything second rate,” Shaw says.

The cost of remodeling and subcontract work is worked into the loan and the work is mostly performed by the builder. “Builders today are very aggressive in the design business,” Harmer says. Not only can they make more money, he says, but buyers don’t want to move in and then find subcontractors to do the work.

Cesar Bercerril just moved into Parkloft with all new surroundings. He sold his Mission Valley home with everything in it in anticipation of starting anew. This is an investment and weekend home for Bercerril, a full-time resident of Mexicali. His previous collection of furniture was shabby chic. This time, he says, he wanted something “more modern, more clean.” He has gone to furniture stores around town and selected pieces. “I browse stores,” he says. “If I like a piece, I buy it.” He’s only halfway there. His advice to others is to be minimalistic and do it slowly.

Robert Horby, owner of Circa a.d., import home furnishing store, says it has been interesting working with the new wave of Downtown homeowners. “It’s a different clientele,” he says. “Most of them are downsizing and these are second homes. They are making things more sophisticated than their regular homes.”

Circa a.d. offers shoppers items from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Tibet and Korea. Horby says his Downtown customers are making an effort to have a mix of things with a contemporary edge. He describes it as the loft look. “It has a clean line, rich woods, simple design, not the carved European look.”

Wing’s penthouse will be a new standard setter for Downtown decor. Her bedroom will have a French flair and her guestroom will be decorated with black and white photos from Hollywood. The staircase has been changed. The color scheme is a mixture of green, eggplant, gold and cream earthtones. The mix of modern and fine will be ready for Wing to move into in December. “I can’t wait,” she says. “I am ready to begin putting things in.”