Should I Purchase Furniture and Fabrics Through My Interior Designer?

Jan 27

Today, there are so many options for purchasing furniture and home furnishings, supply chain issues aside. Some options seem really easy, instantly gratifying, or cheaper.

Determining your needs will help in making this decision.

There are sound reasons, depending on the situation, for purchasing through most of the options listed below. Let’s discuss the pros and cons so that you are able to make a good decision.

When we discuss purchasing furniture, lighting, fabric, etc.., let’s be clear that we should always be looking for the best value, not the cheapest price. Value is the quality you receive in return for your investment.

Comparing Ikea to a beautiful custom chair handcrafted and upholstered by Jonas, is not an apples-to-apples comparison. When you go into a Mercedes dealership and expect to pay the same price as you would for a Toyota, well that is not a realistic expectation.

The good news is that there is something for everyone.

Purchasing at a Retail Store

It’s always fun to go into home design stores. They can be inspiring and some things can be bought on the spot which gives that instant dopamine fix. It’s a good way to get your vibe on.

There is something aspirational seeing a perfectly designed little vignette with the perfect wall colors and lighting and accessorized just right. It makes you just want to take everything right now--which, I suppose is the point.

And the cheerful salesperson/design consultant is all too happy to sell you it all. What could go wrong?

One of the potential pitfalls is that the sales associates/design consultants rarely have any design training. They may know about the product they sell--emphasis on selling-as that is their JOB.

Rarely do in-house design consultants have any formal design training-they may have sales training-which is not the same thing.

Additionally, have they taken the time to get to know you, your home, your needs, and your wants?

Probably not.

Maybe you are confident and just going to go it alone.

Well, let's start off with, did you measure your space? I know an obvious one but, crucial and overlooked. I would never buy a piece of furniture without a space plan of the entire space being completed and approved.

The reason that you should have a scaled furniture plan before you buy even one piece of furniture is that you have no idea how these pieces will fit together. If you opt for oversized pieces will you be able to accommodate enough seating?

Will furniture fit through doorways and elevators? (I’m looking at you my NYC peeps!)

Also, along with the size, is proportion. Do the proportions of the furniture work with the proportions of your room? What is the ceiling height of your room?

A certain chain furniture store sells oversized furniture...but it may not seem like it because all of their stores are huge, high ceilinged spaces.

Another issue is the limited fabric and finishes selections. Will they work with the hard finishes in your existing home? Are you planning any renovations that will affect the hard surfaces? Have you chosen those finishes?

Similarly to not choosing furniture without a complete scaled furniture plan, I wouldn’t purchase furnishings or fabrics without a complete finish plan. Once you start choosing pieces without an overall plan, you end up backed into a corner designing around a spontaneous choice. No Bueno.

Also, have you ever purchased something that looked great in the store, gotten it home and it was just meh? Many times that is because the lighting in a retail store is radically different by design than the lighting in your home.

Store lighting is designed for showcasing the products. Home lighting is for living and working. Lighting and lighting design are some of the many factors taken into consideration when an interior designer is designing a space.

Purchasing Online

Purchasing online is even riskier. If you think that you got a surprise when you purchased something from a retail store when you got home, the online surprises are many.

First of all, let’s talk about color. Color viewed on a computer monitor is very different from what is seen in real life. There are a variety of color systems that are used for different types of media such as computer monitors, print, etc.

I often have this discussion with clients about choosing colors from computer monitors or print magazines. It is often shocking the difference between the actual color and the attributes displayed.

It is also difficult to assess the quality of a piece online. Most descriptions do not give details like how a piece is joined, details about the finish, upholstery details such as 8-way hand-tied.

By the way, I visited a very reputable factory that had on their floor an opened piece of upholstery from another manufacturer which was sold as 8-way hand-tied. Upon inspection, only 2 of the coils were actually tied 8 ways.

Much like construction, it can be difficult to “see behind the walls”. This is why it is important to buy through reputable manufacturers.

I was having a conversation with someone about supply chain issues etc... and he mentioned how he had ordered cabinet case goods pieces from a well-known retail chain-not an inexpensive one at that. He said after it was delivered, he noticed it was damaged.

He called the company and they didn’t seem surprised and quickly replaced it with another. Again, there was an issue with the piece and it was quickly replaced.

So, my question to this man was what was the quality of this piece if there were so many defects, and also what is the cost/quality if the company didn’t seem surprised about the quality issues and could afford to keep replacing the piece? Food for thought

Even before the pandemic and the supply chain Armegendon, there have been issues with online resellers.

I once had a very financial savvy client. We were working on multiple homes for her so when she asked if she could just order a few pieces from a catalog to save money and time, I agreed with the caveat that I would give her the size, finishes, and fabrics but the ordering and managing were on her.

Sounded simple enough. She placed the order in mid-late January with an arrival date of several weeks.

When she got her credit card statement she had been charged for two of the exact same king-size beds. For 5 months the battle ensued about correcting the charge. Each time, my client thought the matter was settled.

Not only was the incorrect charge not removed, but they had also sent it to collections. (Did I mention that this woman has been the CFO of several large corporations?)

Then there was the small side chair with a customized fabric (from the company’s line of in-house fabrics). What was supposed to take four weeks went on for over 4 months? When the chair finally arrived, the wrong fabric had been applied.

The delivery company had just left the chair there. After multiple attempts to get the company to pick up the chair, she was stuck with it. In the meantime, while this was going on with these few pieces that were supposed to be really easy, the custom furniture for the rest of the house had been delivered. So much for saving time, money, and aggravation!

The internet is a bit of the wild west. So many times consumers are in search of a “deal” online but it can end up being a headache and be quite costly.

Also, there are many fly-by-night vendors on the internet that are just straight-up shady. Some sell counterfeit goods. Good luck trying to deal with freight damage etc..or trying to return an item. You won’t be able to go directly to the manufacturer if the vendor isn’t legit or is selling counterfeit pieces/

Purchasing Finishes and Lighting Through My Contractor

Obviously, you won’t be purchasing furniture or fabrics through your contractor but, usually finishes, materials, hardware, cabinetry, lighting is purchased through your general contractor or subcontractor.

This isn’t a bad thing. As the homeowner, you want the liability to be with the contractor/subcontractor.

Here’s why: If there is an issue with let’s say, tile. It can be very difficult to differentiate whose fault it is. Is it a product defect? If you purchased it, it could be your problem.

Or, is it an installation issue? That would be on the contractor. But, if the same person purchased and installed the product, the responsibility lies with them.

Also, it puts the onus on the contractor to have the materials on-site when they are needed. If you are responsible for supplying tile, and it isn’t there when the installer is ready, it means that it gets rescheduled to who knows when he is available again.

If you purchase materials, you are also responsible for inspecting and accepting these shipments. What happens if a box of marble tiles is broken after sitting for weeks in customs?

You are going to need to take care of it and maybe come up with a plan B.

The point I am making is that the few nickels that you think you are saving are definitely not worth the headache and hassle.

Purchasing Fixtures, Furniture, and Finishes Through an Interior Designer

Finally, your interior designer can handle the procurement part of the process for you. Here are some of the reasons that it makes sense to allow the designer to handle this part of the project.

Interior Designers Have Access to a Huge Number of Resources

I am sure that you are familiar with “trade only” pieces. These are companies that only deal with professional interior designers and interior design firms. Having access to all of these resources allows us to create bespoke custom furniture and interior spaces so that your home doesn’t look like a showroom floor or like anybody else’s.

Designers are so knowledgeable in sources and ways in which to combine fabrics and furniture -truly the possibilities are endless.

We scour trade shows throughout the year and throughout the world looking for interesting furniture, fixtures, and finishes. Educated designers are also versed in the best way to use them with an eye towards performance, safety, and wellness as well as aesthetics

Ordering these pieces is not like just going online and inputting your credit card. There is a process at any point an error can be made--which is why we have strong processes and checks in place.

Manufacturers and workrooms have a very specific way in which they work and we must understand the way in which they need to receive orders and information. It requires constant monitoring and acknowledgments.

Interior Designers Are Able to Coordinate All of the Moving Pieces & Logistics Saving You Time and Aggravation

As the conductor of your interior design orchestra, in addition to managing production, we manage and coordinate freight pickup and delivery, receiving, storage, and ultimately the final installation, all along the way troubleshooting and dealing with damage or issues as they arise.

The best part is that we make it look so easy, that clients really think it's not a big deal!

Rarely do I let clients know the details of “making sausage” unless it's necessary. This past year has been unprecedented and crazy! I have light fixtures at the bottom of the ocean when a shipping container from China dumped containers in the high seas, truckloads of furniture ready to be delivered stuck in North Carolina. In the end, it all worked out beautifully but you have to understand the process, be resourceful, experienced, and tenacious--as well as know when to push.

Believe me, this is not the time you want to go it alone if you actually want to finish a project before you are ready to redesign again!

Bottom line: Let a professional handle this so that you can do what you do best.

Interior Designers Can Save You Money

This brings me to the question of cost. We work with a variety of budgets. If you are furnishing a home, you will be spending money to do so. If you are comparing your average retail store pricing, most designers end up being in that ballpark but usually with better quality.

Many of our clients have large budgets and large expectations-for which we deliver in a big way.

My job as an interior designer is not to find the rock bottom lowest prices. It is to create an amazing environment that is furnished with quality pieces.

In general, my prices are competitive but I will not be trolling the internet looking for black Friday sales.

To do that, my fees would be crazy high and I won’t assume liability for vendors that I don’t have a relationship with.

You will be spending money, and so it makes sense to spend it with your designer who can be assured of getting the correct products.

The pricing covers our cost of ordering and managing the product and getting into your sweet home. There are lots of hours and liability involved. There is a lot of accounting as well.

While interior designers cover this cost in a variety of ways, mark-up, procurement fee, hourly, etc..the cost of managing this needs to be covered.

For my firm, we have a minimum spend. We ask that since you are going to be purchasing anyway, you purchase through us.

We determine a minimum spend that is necessary to allocate resources for us to handle this responsibility.

Please note that the minimum spend is a minimum and most clients happily exceed it.

When it comes to finishes and furniture, an interior designer may purchase items such as cabinets, tile, lighting, etc… Many times it depends on the size of the job and contracts between the owner and contractor and owner and interior designer.

There aren’t any hard rules and generally, I employ flexibility for what will be best for my client. Flexibility, patience, and creativity are exceptionally important in these days of acute supply chain issues. More than ever, designers can use their skills and resources to find solutions to crazy situations.

Now would be the time to consider buying vintage or second-hand pieces and re-imagining them to be truly bespoke. It is a way to get pieces quicker and it’s green too. Also, many vintage pieces are made of hardwood and can be superior in construction making it worthwhile to restyle.

There are a variety of ways to purchase goods and materials for your home design project. For the most ease and peace of mind, it’s best to leave the purchasing to the professionals.

You will sleep better at night not having to sweat this stuff and really even if you save a little on a few things, many times there are not significant savings overall.