designer look • barabara simmons
That Went Fast!
designer look • barabar
Time moves at a pace that we are rarely able to grasp. Summer is gone, and we look forward to the unofficial start of the New Year. The Hebrew calendar seems to have it right--we really do feel that a new year is beginning as the young ones go back to school. The change of temperature that sometimes brings a dramatic end to the much anticipated summer vacation, also brings what most people believe is the loveliest time of the year--Autumn. Being lucky enough to live in a climate with four distinct seasons, even as the weather has become stranger of late, we have reminders all around us of the inevitable holidays that will be here in no time at all I am being a Scrooge, I know, in reminding you of the responsibilities that accompany holiday preparations. No doubt there are many beautiful Indian summer weekends and harvest-time country fairs ahead. But just as surely as back-to-school ads start by the end of July, and Christmas season starts the day after Halloween, preparing for any decorating that you may wish to undertake before Thanksgiving or Christmas can’t happen too soon. In the interior design industry, there is an abundance of product available to the consumer. What is shocking to many people is how long the “lead times” are for many items that people think are just sitting on shelves waiting to be delivered as soon as your credit card is swiped. It is a mixed blessing, as we all know, that so much comes from overseas. We wish everything was made in the U.S.A., but want to pay the least amount possible for the things we want. People assume, I have found, that because the economy is not great, that if
you’ve got the money to spend, manufacturers and service providers should be beating the proverbial path to your door to provide you with the goods and services of your choice. However, even if an item is “in stock,” it may be stocked in a warehouse in Texas and will take two weeks to be shipped to somewhere in New Jersey, and another several days for it to be delivered to your home on Long Island. This is “the norm.” Many items take 10-12 weeks or more to be manufactured before being put on a container and then on a cargo ship to cross the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival in port there’s Customs to clear, followed by shipping to the warehouse in Texas, or California, or North Carolina, etc. (Then see “in stock,” above). Why am I giving you such potentially depressing news? Because I like people and hate when they are disappointed! You need to start thinking about ordering items for your home and scheduling services as soon as possible if you want then “for the holidays.” There are still stores that have furniture in a warehouse that they would love for you to have. There are stores that deliver anything in three days! Just don’t ask if you can pick a different fabric! And don’t use the word “custom”! Don’t settle because of quick turn-arounds! No buyer’s remorse allowed! Please remember, as I said at the beginning of this column, time moves fast. Those lead times go by quickly, and the table you didn’t want to wait twelve weeks for will be in your house before you know it. And you’ll be loving it for many years to come.
Barbara Simons has been the president of the interior design firm, Simons Design Group, for over 20 years. You can reach her at 631-424-2100 or simonsdes@aol.com.
68 • village connection • september 2012