business of home Dec. 2021

How have shipping delays changed your install process?

Written by Haley Chouinard | View Article

While one big TV-worthy reveal used to be a standard rite for marking the completion of an interior design project, the unprecedented shipping delays have made achieving such a cohesive moment difficult. We asked seven designers—Leah Alexander, Chauncey Boothby, Meagan Camp, Elle Cole, Maggie Dillon, Lauren Lowe and Joy Rondello—how delays have changed their installation process.

WAITING GAME “I now lay everything out on the line with clients at the very beginning of the project. I basically say, ‘We can either go big, or you can wait for your home’—meaning we can order custom upholstery with my trusted workroom and pay the associated costs, or we can order more budget-friendly, semi-custom items from companies like Hickory Chair or Lee and be prepared to wait (and wait and wait) for them. For the most part, I now plan on two rounds of installations, or sometimes even three: the initial round with the items that I can safely vouch for—either custom or in-stock—and then the second and third round for items where the lead time is completely up in the air. It’s really all about knowing your vendors and not making promises you can’t keep. As long as expectations are managed at the beginning, my clients tend to understand.” —Chauncey Boothby, Chauncey Boothby Interiors, Rowayton, Connecticut