Furniture Procurement: Effortlessly Furnishing Your Home

Selecting and specifying furniture can be a laborious task when renovating or designing your home, which we covered in a previous blog post on Furniture Specification. However, purchasing and tracking deliveries can also take a sizable amount of time. It can get stressful quickly with multiple items, vendors, ship dates, and unique delivery conditions – not to mention dealing with items that arrive with damage. However, entrusting a professional to handle the purchasing and monitoring of deliveries can make the process effortless and stress-free. This is where furniture procurement comes in.

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What is Procurement?

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Procurement is the professional process of selecting, purchasing, and delivering items, such as furniture and artwork, to your desired location. It can be a time-consuming project that requires constant focus and attention. By relying on a professional procurement team, you can save valuable time and effort while they handle all the details.

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In a recent project, our team helped order and coordinate 56 furniture items with 30 different manufacturers/vendors for an average 3-bedroom, 2-bath home – before even getting started on accessories and bedding!

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This service is particularly beneficial for individuals who are short on time or need to focus on other details, such as expecting a child. Procurement professionals can also handle a variety of delivery dates by utilizing a warehouse to receive all items, regardless of when they arrive. This allows for a thorough inspection of all items to address any issues before they enter the client's home. Additionally, we can purchase from vendors that sell to the trade only and source fabrics for upholstered items that are COM (Customer's Own Material).

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Decision Fatigue

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Decision fatigue is common for all clients, especially when working on projects with an architectural scope. Clients often feel overwhelmed by the number of decisions they need to make and how much time and attention the construction process can take. This can make it difficult for them to shop for furniture at the same time. It can be particularly difficult for clients dealing with other major life adventures, such as a recent move.

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Imagine you just moved to another state and are now concerned about getting a new driver's license, setting up insurance, and changing the mailing addresses for all your accounts, to name a few items. These tasks are higher priorities and require a lot of mental bandwidth to address. Moving is already super overwhelming and trying to shop for furniture at the same time can add even more stress. That's where we come in! We can help alleviate this stress by specifying furniture before clients move while they focus on packing, coordinating with the bank, and other moving-related tasks.

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We handle all aspects of furniture procurement, including the disposal of unwanted items, utilizing old furniture through refinishing, reupholstering, and repairs, including the measuring, pickup, delivery, and seaming. We can also coordinate the sizing and locating artwork and designing window coverings allowing clients to focus on more pressing matters and have peace of mind that a professional is taking care of all the details.

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Process

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The design team will work closely with you to select the perfect pieces for your space. Once selections are made and approved, a purchase proposal is created for clients to sign and pay for the items. In some cases, multiple items may be purchased from the same vendor, making it more efficient to specify all spaces simultaneously. Other factors, such as door sizes and how the furniture will be delivered to the home, are also considered. Depending on the source, lead times hover around 8 – 16 weeks. However, we’ve seen lead times reaching up to 30 weeks, so starting this process early is crucial.

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We coordinate multiple payments to vendors, allowing our clients to reduce the number of payments they need to make. Once the items are ordered, we confirm receipt of payment and begin tracking the shipping process. This includes monitoring shipping times, tracking international shipments, and coordinating with our warehouse for receiving and inspecting the items for damages.

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One of the benefits of working with our team is that we have a shipping and receiving warehouse, which eliminates the need for clients to be present for the delivery of each piece. We all know what a pain it can be to wait at home for a single furniture delivery. Imagine needing to do that for an entire home’s worth of pieces! By working with us for the procurement, you can eliminate that hassle.

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Installation Day

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Installation day is the exciting final step in the process! Our team will bring all the carefully selected pieces from our warehouse to your home and place them in their designated spots. We prefer a one-day delivery service for its efficiency and ease but can accommodate requests for staggered delivery if necessary. This is particularly useful if construction is still ongoing and certain areas of the house need to be completed before furniture can be delivered.

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One-day delivery has many advantages, such as reducing the need for multiple preparations and ensuring that all pieces are placed correctly and that every item functions as expected (like testing out moveable furniture items and adjustable pieces such as recliners, as in the image below.) If any items are complicated to move, such as large or oddly shaped pieces, don’t worry about them. In conjunction with our moving team, we’ll take care of everything. Recently, we had to be creative in getting a long rug into a condo unit. We met with the movers the week before delivery to coordinate and make a game plan so that moving day was a breeze.

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Another advantage is that you don't have to worry about remembering where pieces go. We'll ensure that everything is appropriately placed. We'll ensure that rugs are positioned correctly and that furniture is aligned properly on top. We'll also take care of accessories such as duvet covers and throw pillows.

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It's not often that real-life architecture and construction mirror what we see on TV, but the "reveal" on installation day is one of those rare instances. It's an exciting moment when all the pieces come together and you can finally see the finished product.

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Damages and Returns

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No one wants to receive damaged items, but it's a reality that can happen during the process. A procurement team will ensure that any issues that may arise are handled quickly and efficiently so you can enjoy your new pieces without hassle.

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Professional designers have a network of professionals to repair any damages that may arise, whether it's a simple wrinkle in a linen headboard or scuffs on the legs of a desk chair. That way you know all the necessary parts are included for any items that need to be assembled, so you won't have to deal with the frustration of missing screws or parts.

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All our items are stored in a secure warehouse to ensure they arrive to you in the best condition possible. On the occasion that items arrive to the warehouse damaged, we handle the return or repair for you. We want to ensure your furniture and decor buying experience is as enjoyable as possible.

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Furniture procurement can be a time-consuming and complex process. By entrusting this task to a dedicated professional team, homeowners can relax and enjoy the process, knowing that all the details are handled seamlessly. This allows them to focus on other important aspects of the project and life – ultimately, enjoy their newly furnished home.

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