Are you having trouble buying new furniture these days? Are you finding furnishings with long lead times and basically unavailable?
There are big factors in the world’s supply chain that are affecting furniture lead times these days. I wrote about some of these issues last fall.
Well, everything from last fall is still holding true this spring, and add to that the foam shortage for upholstered goods that happened after the big Texas freeze we suffered a few months ago and you have even more delays added to the process. Plants in Texas that made the chemicals for foam were badly damaged in the Texas freeze. :-(
Most designers are hearing 20-24 weeks for upholstery deliveries now, compared to half that pre-pandemic. I’m sure retail upholstery is feeling the crunch too.
You can hear more about all these issues in this podcast episode from Business of Home, a leading source of design biz information in our industry.
The president of Lee Industries, a major upholstery manufacturer here in the US, talks openly about supply issues. Imports coming from Asia, pandemic related manufacturing precautions, and now the lack of foam nationwide are all causing problems in this industry. Accompany all that with a high demand for products and you can see how the industry is getting pinched. He does a great job of describing the issues in that podcast.
So, how does this affect your home and the new furniture you want to purchase?
The good news is that this won’t last forever, and that good things are worth waiting for.
Even though you might not receive your order in a timely manner, it is good to get things planned and the ordering process started. And while I would never guarantee a delivery date these days, I’m sure that if you want something by the holidays 2021, you stand a much better chance of receiving it by then if you order now!
Living room with blue sofa and purple accents. The vinyl covered ottoman makes for a durable piece in this room for a young family. carlaaston.com
I ordered my son and DIL some new bedroom furniture at the first of December in 2020. It was showing they had a few available at the time. They just now shipped last week. By the time it gets here and is delivered, it will likely be a total of 5 1/2 months for that lead time.
That is not normal for sure, but I do know that these are great investment pieces that will last them many, many years. Often it is better to wait and end up with something you really love that is the ideal choice for your needs than to settle for something just to have it a little faster.
Updates To Consider For Holiday 2021 Entertaining At Home
Soooooo, if YOU are looking to update any furnishings around your home for the holidays in 2021, I’d suggest you get going now, before summer if possible.
Get your dining room ready for the 2021 holiday season by starting early in the year. New furniture is currently showing long lead times across the industry these days so planning ahead is really critical this year. carlaaston.com
I’d also suggest you hire a designer to get your plan in place and order furnishings as soon as possible. A designer can get creative with things like reupholstery recommendations and sourcing options like quick ship and local resources to help improve the overall time frame.
Consider your dining room, your entry hall and your living room, as places to update. No doubt many of us cannot wait to have family and friends over, after all this isolation we’ve had in the last year. Impress them with your home’s new look in these more public spaces, but get started now!
Click through to see more about this dining room makeover! carlaaston.com
Need some ideas for your entry hall? I’ve got some great consoles and mirrors sourced here.
Check out these rooms where I helped people tie things together or finish them out with some ideas and links to furnishings. Maybe it will inspire you to rethink your own rooms in time for some new furniture for the holidays!
I love the masculine vibe in this townhome design plan I created recently. The owners were setting up this place for their son who is in med school for the next 4 years. With a young doctor in the making, I wanted to take great care to get him a place where he can enjoy a little down time, when he can manage to be at home. Come and check it out…..