Have you tried furnishing a home in around 30 days? My advice: don't try it if it can be helped. But if not, below you'll find some before/after photos of how we did it and some tips if you're in a similar situation..
My former clients called me and said they had just closed on a house. They absolutely needed to move in 30 days because the newest addition to the family was expected in about 50 days. In addition to the short turnaround, there were other challenges. The current sellers were still living in the house (so we had to schedule furniture deliveries and visits carefully), and we needed to buy a ton of furniture since their square footage had tripled in size. As you might guess my first reaction was like....I need to take a seat. But since I had done something similar before (story here). I felt more than up to the challenge. Thankfully Mill Valley is much closer than Las Vegas!
Because of the tight timeline and numerous logistical challenges, I decided we would try to order as much furniture as we could, have the house move-in ready as possible and then refine the design in September. As such, this project is still ongoing. We're filling out some of the spaces and waiting for some final deliveries, but there are a couple of finished rooms I can't wait to share with you. The main living area is a lovely open space. First up, the formal living room. Below is a before photo with the furniture from the stagers.
The floor plan essentially remained the same and we used all the furniture my clients had in their prior living room which I helped them decorate a couple years ago.
To me, this room is so very Mill Valley to me - classic, clean and inviting. Moving on from the living room, we head directly into my favorite room, the dining room.
Yup, I want a closer look too but before we do, here is the obligatory before photo.
The clients decided to leave their old dining set behind. They were ready for a change, a mix of style with a modern bent, my speciality. And below is the after!
Stunning. The blue bohemian rug adds that unexpected element and the tension it creates against the more traditional table and chairs is ideal. The built-in bar saves spaces and pares down the furniture in the room, letting the table take center stage. A closer look below.
Follow me over to the kitchen which needed just a bit of styling. Again, here is the before.
Just some small changes and decluttering to leave the clients with a kitchen that will make anyone envious.
Can I move in? The island is perfect for entertaining and some quick meals. The reclaimed wood accents throughout warm up the space and brings in the cozy. Right next to the kitchen is the kitchen nook. Below is the before.
The previous wallpaper was in good condition but didn't really go with my clients' style and was a bit too contemporary compared to the rest of the furniture in the house. We changed it up and chose dining furniture that was more aligned with the style of the kitchen. See below for the after!
This kitchen nook before/after is a great lesson in how wallpaper and furniture can literally transform the style of a space completely. Where the before photo shows a more contemporary industrial nook, the after space exudes a sense of classic modern living at its best. Last room? The adjacent family room. Below is the before photo with the staging furniture.
This room is still in progress. We're still waiting for the delivery of the sectional, but here is a sneak peek of how it looks now.
A child-friendly room that invites you to lounge, relax and kick your heels back. Can't wait for the sectional to get delivered, which is expected at the end of this month.
All of the furniture in the dining room, kitchen nook and various other pieces throughout the rest of the house were ordered and delivered in around 30 days, all from different vendors. If you've ordered furniture recently, you will know that 30 days is an incredibly short lead time. For upholstered pieces, 6 to 8 weeks is often the minimum. Even tables, rugs, etc. can take close to two months depending on inventory and shipping speed. If you're under a tight deadline and need to have a home furnished asap, here are some tips:
- Look for quick ship options, especially for upholstered items.
- Check the inventory of items prior to purchasing.
- Ask detailed questions re shipping timelines.
- Stay flexible and if possible consider ordering as many items as you can from one vendor to reduce delivery appointments and further logistical challenges.
- Try to schedule all your deliveries on one day if possible to keep you sane.
- Be nice but relentless with customer service, they can often bump up your delivery appointments if you press. I had West Elm on speed dial.
I'm doing a second smaller install mid-September since we're still waiting for deliveries for the guest room, master bedroom, nursery and TV room. So keep your eyes out for the next installment of this amazing project.