Furniture IS Disappearing Before Our Eyes!

If you are in the interior design or furniture/furnishings industry, you know that products are becoming extremely difficult to obtain these days. Whether you are ordering 10 yards of fabric, a rug, coffee table, wall sconce, or a whole house full of furniture, anything home related is becoming increasingly out of stock with sometimes unknown lead times.

And if you want new luxury appliances, well, good luck with that!

Not to look on the negative side here, but really, it helps to be aware of what is happening to supply chains all over the world right now.

Supply problems go beyond furnishings vendors

There is a “perfect storm” of industry problems. The fact that the world basically shut down last spring and has been slow to come back, coupled with high demand for all things home since everyone is staying at home, and now…..Christmas….well, finding anything you want to buy left on the online shelves this year might prove difficult.

I listened to this podcast recently, The Design Exchange, and really, everything mentioned within is true and describes the problems designers and retailers are running into now.

I actually have several furnishings projects right now and have been juggling product selections, ordering as fast as I can, crossing my fingers and toes, bothering my reps and monitoring all the products I’ve ordered like crazy.

I was sooooo excited when one of my vendors shared a pic of these finished chairs that were part of my order for a client on Instagram. It meant they were ready to ship and would be here in time for Christmas! These chairs were customized with a premium wood finish, a COM (Customer’s Own Material) Crypton fabric on the chair back and a special selection of vinyl on the seat for cleanability for my client’s breakfast room. The two head chairs are chairs with arms with the same seat and wood finish, but with a different performance fabric on their backs. (Customization is part of the benefit of working with a designer on an interiors furnishings project!) Carla Aston, Designer

The problem is that the vendors are doing all they can to supply product, but not only do most have an overwhelming amount of orders, they have other challenging situations to deal with.

They are experiencing issues like keeping social distancing in their offices and in their production, employees that have to be away from work because of testing positive for Covid or have to quarantine because of being exposed to someone, or even a smaller staff if some were furloughed or didn’t come back to work after the shut down.

Many also are experiencing delays in obtaining the goods to make the products.

Another podcast I recently listened to, Business of Home, interviewed a few of the manufacturers in our industry who outlined these exact problems they were having.

Supply chain issues are happening In many Industries now

These problems are not exclusive to the furnishings industry right now, they are happening in many other industries as well. I’ve heard the same for the automotive industry and recently a friend talked about how new home gym equipment was simply not available to order anywhere.

Couple that with all the shipping problems going on right now all over the country (I hear complaints every day about extended lengths of time for shipping and damaged goods), it is no wonder that interior designers who sell product are having to really manage expectations properly for clients these days.

A project is just not going to come together magically overnight! :-)

When I look online to see if a product is available that would be perfect for one of my projects I hold my breath these days! It’s a joyous moment when I find it in stock!!

Of course, there might be only 3 available and then when I go back two days later to order, after I have my approval and money from my client, all 3 could very possibly be gone!

This will all pass, it will get handled, and products will again someday all become available and delivered. It’s just going to take some patience to get this all back running again.

It is worth the wait if the process involved in getting product made and shipped keeps people safe and is the perfect fit for your needs.

this is the BEST time to work with an interior designer.

Designers can access all kinds of sources to get you the best selection for your project. I have one furnishings project now where I am purchasing from over 20 different vendors to pull the job together (none of which are retail), which is typical for a project of that size. (Although that doesn’t mean your products will move faster through the system.)

I have some items that are being made completely custom through sources I have, as a similar product that I could purchase normally is just simply not available right now.

If you are someone who is waiting for product or planning a project, just realize that this is simply how it is going to be for awhile and patience is much appreciated!

A year from now, when everything is (hopefully:-) installed and you are living in your rooms and enjoying these products, it will all be worth it and no doubt the waiting period and the stress will fade from memory!

PS: I realize there are some manufacturers who have stocked goods and are working so hard to supply demand right now. This is not a bash on vendors. :-) I’m just sharing some general observations and talking with other designers across the country now. It’s not impossible, it is just more challenging for everyone! :-)

A well-informed client is a better client!

This is a great post to read if you have any doubts as to whether this is all worth it…..

Interesting and in-depth reads about what is going on with the supply chain right now from shipping industry publications.

On availability of containers: https://www.ocean-insights.com/business-news/container-shortage-and-its-impact-on-ocean-freight/

On shortage of workers at the docks and number of berths available: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/inside-californias-colossal-container-ship-traffic-jam