Turn-Around Time Truths: Realistic expectations for luxury finishes

What is your turn around time?

It’s definitely in the most frequently asked by designers who are new to working with me or full service workrooms. It varies throughout the year, but it is definitely better to err on the side of guessing long than trying to squeeze in a project with a tight deadline.

There are a lot of steps when fabricating custom soft finishes and they all take time. Depending on the product, fabrication can be as few as 5 steps or it can be 15. Custom means every project is different and will take a different amount of time.

Invisible time-sucks

Planning

While consistency in fabrication is always there, each project has its own challenges that sometimes affect how something should be fabricated. So a lot of time goes into planning which fabrication method to use to get the best results. The more challenges to address, the longer it takes in the planning stages.

Pattern matching

There are so many beautiful patterned fabrics available today and finally we are seeing a trend toward incorporating more than solids into a design. (I am loving that by the way.) Complicated patterns increase the amount of time it takes in the planning stages even before a cut can be made - pattern matching and even selecting the portion of the repeat to feature in a pillow all take time.

Knowing up front which motif or what color you prefer most will help speed things along.

So much math

Then there is the math. I triple check my math. This takes time. I don’t want to rush this step because the consequence of a mistake are expensive and time consuming. So while I can get an estimate of yardage needed for a project, when it comes to the actual yardage amount for a specific fabric for a specific project, I need to go slow and take time.

Fabric and Hardware Choice

Luckily these delays aren’t as common as back in covid times, but choices in hardware and fabric can affects when a project can be started and when it can get installed. Right now I see many fabric companies keep less inventory with a lead time for future shipments months away.

Custom finishes on hardware are also so nice to have in a luxury window treatment, but they add to the timeline. Most hardware companies have a few finishes with quick turn around times, but when you want something special, plan for extra time for it to arrive.

How to make things better

Build in a time buffer

A time buffer will reduce everyone’s stress. Prepare your client for the time it takes to create something by hand rather than somethig that is mass produced. No two things I have made are the same (with the exception of some pillows in the same order). So building in a time buffer is essential.

Fabric and Hardware

Let me help you make the final selections in fabric and hardware. Some fabric contents are easier to work with and make fabrication faster. And with hardware, select from in-stock finishes and use some of my tried and true favorites. If you select harder-to-work with fabrics or a custom finish hardware, just plan for a longer turn around time.

Detailed Work Order

The more detailed the work order, the easier it is to plan the project and faster the fabrication will go. I am here to help you fill in all the blanks over coffee, lunch, or even onsite at a measure.

Do you have an upcoming project you’d like to discuss? Email me and let’s set up a time to chat.

Until next time,