Tossing his keys to the impeccably dressed valet, Jerome exits his newly acquired (he paid cash) meteor gray metallic Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and heads for his sleek and modern loft. J has it going on. Recently drafted by the Houston Texans, he texts pics of the panoramic downtown views to his family in Detroit and his friends back at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

Is there any question who Jerome is?

But Jerome is actually a condo.

And so is Joshua, Jessica and gay couple Jude and Andrew.

After doing a demographic study, Mosaic on Hermann Park, a luxury condominium tower by Hermann Park and the Texas Medical Center, decided to style its condo models on fictional characters based on their residents: A football player, a young techie pediatrician, a single lawyer gal with cooking skills and the traveling outdoorsy artsy power gays. Straight couples need not apply (we kid).

It's a bold move that some may initially think brings up real estate sensitivities related to steering, a practice where real estate agents lead their clients to or away from areas based on race, color, national origin, religious preference, sex, familial status or handicaps.

Except it isn't that. It's about telling a story and offering potential buyers a visual of what their lives could be at Mosaic.

Mosaic has gone through changes. After being acquired by Chicago-based ST Residential, the new owners are busy fulfilling promises made by the previous ownership. That includes a dog park, Nature's Market grocery store, two restaurants, contemporary lap pool, 6,400 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center with classes, boxing equipment, steam room and sauna, concierge, dog walker, laundry, housekeeping services, oversize media room, contemporary lounges, coffee bars stocked with Seattle's Best Coffee and business centers.

Part of those changes also includes ramping up sales. Current occupancy is at 45 percent. Condos for sale in one of Mosiac's towers range from the $150,000s to the millions. Rents in the other tower start at $1,300.

Using a strategy he found successful in Florida, Kemper Hyers, senior vice-president of design at Starwood Capital Group, took a soft decorating approach.

All models start with the same materials including light maple cabinets with chrome tubular handles, Uba Tuba Brazilian granite countertops with a square edge, light blue glass mosaic tile backsplash, stainless appliances, hand-scrapped engineered hardwoods and chrome plumbing fixtures. The accent paint, furniture and accessories vary, but not terribly much.

And forget any notion of over-the-top stereotypes.

The Jessica isn't that girly — it was actually my favorite with pale yellows, greens and a splash of hot pink and orange in the accessories. I would not have guessed Joshua as a doctor and the gays, Jude and Andrew, who incidentally had the largest model, were not quite as flamboyant (there was an electric guitar) with steely grays warmed with cooler shades of yellow and neutrals.

All the models were classy with a modern lofty edge, not a stereotypically hardcore geometric minimalism, but rather a comfortable warm urban chic look.

And the downtown views were unbeatable.

CultureMap's Joel Luks' take a tour of Jerome, Jessica and the other model homes: