How soon should I order furniture for my new home?
EDUCATION
Wow. I am so proud of you. It is time to start thinking about furniture for your new home. This is another of the many steps you will take to create the home of your dreams. I want to be very direct and clear right out of the gate. Very few furniture stores carry inventory today. What am I saying? It is very unlikely that you will pull up to your local furniture store and be able to purchase the exact sofa that you really want. The exact arms, legs, depth, length, and fabric. In order to get custom furniture...you have to order custom furniture. It is that simple. This takes time.
Let’s go a step further. Yes, there are opportunities to purchase off the floor or even samples. In addition, there are some furniture companies that will pre-order a certain number of pieces in predetermined fabrics and finishes. No problem. The challenge is, you will be purchasing what the buyer for the store thought most people would want. Not, what you may really want. Again, in most cases you will have to order custom or at the least wait for production pieces to be delivered.
In my professional opinion, quality furniture will usually take a minimum of 12 week to 24 week to arrive in your local market. There are many factors that will go into this. Where is the furniture produced locally or internationally? If the pieces are coming from overseas...what isthe point of entry for the vendor. Once the furniture reaches the port..usually Savannah or Los Angeles...it will have to travel across the country to your local market.
When you see in stock this doesn’t mean in your city. If you are shopping in a national chain the piece is most likely in a local or regional warehouse. The furniture store will work with you to coordinate delivery. My rule of thumb is that if furniture is in stock--unless its cash and carry allow 30 days for white glove delivery and set up in your home.
If a vendor is saying Quick Ship with a set number of fabric or stain options for case good--this could vary vendor to vendor. In terms of time this could range from 14 days to 6 weeks. Let’s be very clear this is usually the estimated time from completion of the furniture until it leaves the warehouse. Another important factor is that all furniture companies don’t ship every day of the week. For example, a sofa company in Hickory, North Carolina may schedule pickups 1 or 2 days a week from their chosen freight company. Keep in mind that the furniture is usually traveling on pallets or huge boxes on an 18 wheeler. Most likely the freight company has dozens if not hundreds of pieces on the truck. They aren’t going to just pull up at your house. The 18 wheeler will need a loading dock to unload. Upon inspection and unpacking by the receiver, your furniture can then be directed to your new home.
When purchasing production pieces that are in production that have to come from Asia, again there are many varying time frames. If the piece is in a shipping container en route when you order it can be in your home in as little as 2 weeks. This is very optimistic but possible. Let’s just hope there are no issues at customs! If the furniture pieces are on order but haven’t left the production facility please allow 4-6 weeks comfortably. On- order can meet the furniture company has asked the manufacturer to make a batch of said items..or they are already made and they want them to pull and add to the next container that will be sent. Finally, if you hear that an item on-order the production facilities are in Asia, please know that conservatively you can expect 8-12 weeks. This is willing there are no production strikes, shipping or customs issues that may arise.
There are many National Brands that I enjoy sourcing from the manufacture in North Carolina and Los Angeles. When time is of the essence, I highly recommend using these types of companies. I want to point out that if you want to run to Restoration Hardware and let them “design” your entire home..no problem. I will not begin to speak of the quality but I want to make sure you understand this. RH is a curator and marketer of furniture. They don’t really make anything. It is important to understand that if you order 15 pieces for your home. They will probably be coming from 15 different production facilities in Asia, on 15 different cargo ships, and 15 different 18 wheelers to then be repackaged and sent to you. Allow time!
When you shop at a higher end more custom value point, you will most likely have your furniture made in our country. The vendor may have their own fabric selections or you may use your own fabric(COM). They have to get the fabric if you are sending directly or from a fabric supplier. In addition, if it’s their fabric..it has to be in stock. Even with casegood, most likely they are made to order. In my opinion, I would again suggest 12-16 weeks for delivery.
Construction times will vary for your new home. Some people will be ready to move in 120 day from the pouring of the slab. Others new builds could take 18 months. I think for the average custom home project under 1 million dollar in most markets in the country 6 to 8 months is a comfortable construction time frame. Your home will most likely have a mix of custom pieces, made to order casegoods, and production pieces. I highly recommend trying to have furniture in storage weeks prior to your intentioned move day. Items will come in damaged. Something will break in transit. No matter how organized you try to be...you will never be able to coordinate everything to arrive at the same time--picture perfect and ready on move in one day. Order the key pieces, spaces and items that you know will take longer and take it from there. Upholstery and casegoods first!
Whew, this is a lot! I pride myself on being open and transparent. Selecting furniture isn’t as simple as going into a store and saying, “I will take that one.” I highly recommend working with a trusted interior designer when planning your furniture order. Most designers do select product or procurement as we say. Even if you want to pick every single item yourself, it is worth the money to have a professional opinion on quality, warranty, and basic space planning before you spend $10,000 on a sectional that you aren’t even sure will fit in the front door.
I invite you to gain clarity, focus, and direction before you start ordering furniture. When you order furniture on your own, most often you will be required to coordinate delivery and inspect each piece of furniture yourself.
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