The WAIT. It’s painful. Incredibly drawn out and unbelievably, agonizingly slow. I’m not talking about that feeling little kids get when waiting for Christmas to arrive.

 I’m talking about product delivery lead times.

Up to 18 months, and sometimes longer, even to begin a major renovation project. Or 9 months to wait for a sofa. And I don’t even mean a custom sofa. 

The Coronavirus has caused broken links all over the place in the interior design supply chain. From materials delays, to finding available skilled labor (they’re playing catch-up as well), to shipping backlogs, back-orders, and shortages, all have played a role in causing longer overall wait times.

So, what can you do?

1. Set Realistic Expectations

First of all, properly set your expectation that you will have to wait. There’s just no other way around it. If something you want becomes available early, consider it an unexpected bonus and enjoy.

2. Design the Space you Actually Want

Use the time to focus on designing the space you really want. So many people rush into a purchase or design decision because either, they’ve waited so long to make a change that they just want to get on with it, or else the money is burning a hole in their pocket and they can’t wait to spend it.

In these scenarios, I find that people make poor buying decisions because they haven’t actually researched how they really want to spend their money. Or they end up with sticker shock at the cost of things these days. 

So instead of waiting and saving to buy excellent quality, they buy something off the shelf. Off the shelf isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but these items are mostly disposable, and one finds themselves back in the same situation in another 3-5 years.

3. Collect Images and Ideas You Love

Consider using this time of waiting to gather design ideas and pictures of things you love. Start a file folder (paper or virtual) to save your ideas. 

Look at the themes of the ideas you save – what do they have in common? Decide what is most important to you – are you making long term design changes, or are these changes really a band-aid until you figure out something else? Will these changes make a meaningful impact on your life and the lives of those around you? 

4. Take Time to Determine Your “Why”

Think about the “why” for your project, and then make your design choices. Work out and set a budget. This is one of the single greatest tools you can have in your design arsenal. It helps you narrow down choices and maintain focus. Read this blog post about the importance of finding your WHY.

5. Ask for Help

Finally, if you need help, schedule a time to meet with a designer to discuss your ideas and get a plan in order. With so many moving parts and dragging lead times, the design process can become overwhelming. 

In the end, you may not save money by doing it yourself if there are too many mistakes that have to be corrected. 

And living with disappointment because you made a costly error is a difficult lesson indeed.