Plan Your Projects
In my last post, I broke down some of the reasons that homeowners and design professionals alike are having such a difficult time sourcing certain material for home projects. The chaos stems from several specific areas, including material and skilled labour shortages, textile production delays and shipping concerns.
Not what we’ve established the why, dealing with how to move forward boils down to one key area: planning ahead.
If you know you want to do a room or two in your house soon, start thinking now and plan it sooner rather than later. With everything taking a little — or a lot — longer than normal projects, planning ahead is essential. What used to take around three months may now take double that, or even longer.
For example, that spring refresh you are thinking about for your family room needs to be started now. Planning ahead will give you all the information you need: floor plans, furniture requirements, sizing, etc. It will also give you the chance to really evaluate your overall goals, putting you in a better position to make any necessary adjustments to your plans as issues arise.
Here are some key things to consider when you’re planning ahead:
Expect longer project timelines. For example, that sofa you want is going to take longer to order and be delivered, so go into the project with that expectation that you won’t be able to do an instant room refresh right now.
Factor in delays, backorders, discontinued items, and shipping changes. Something that is available when we check stock and price may be unavailable by the time the order goes through.
Be open to re-selecting along the way. Availability and discontinued items happen at the best of times, so be open and flexible to re-select an item. With a good design, overall plan and look, there are options available that your designer can help you find.
Build a buffer into the budget. Just as delivery and availability are changing quickly, so is the pricing. What is quoted today is usually only good today. Go in knowing this and have a buffer, so the project can go as smoothly as possible and doesn’t have to stop halfway through, or worst case, be abandoned completely. No one wants that.
Do not compromise on quality or the final results just to get something cheaper or faster. It’s worth the wait and expense for a piece you know that you’ll love, is right for the space, and is better quality. This mindset will ultimately get you the best results and feel to the space so you will enjoy it for years to come.
Be patience and flexible! Everyone is doing their best. Slow down, enjoy the process, and focus on the end results.
By planning ahead and connecting to your goals, you’re in a better position to remember the intention for the project you started with, keeping the energy positive throughout the project — no matter what obstacles you encounter along the way.
