What the Interior Design Industry Looks Like Right Now

In a word: crazy. 

The design industry is booming right now. Everyone is spending more time at home and is in need of designers to make changes to their home to keep up with our changing lives as we navigate the pandemic. This is AMAZING for designers but what is so challenging is the rising cost of materials and incredible delays with everything! I wanted to break down some of the reasons why this is happening right now.

Cost of materials are at an all time high

This is a case of supply and demand. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are all at all time low so construction of new homes is at an all time high. Mills cannot keep up with the demand, therefore the cost of lumber is incredibly high. This directly effects anyone looking to renovate their home. This is also the case with all other materials as well. Some materials I’m seeing a cost rise as much as 40%!! Unfortunately, we aren’t looking at a decrease in the cost of materials anytime soon. 

Lead Times on Everything Are Astronomical

This is due to the perfect storm of reasons. It started with delays on the manufacturing side that started way back when COVID first hit last March, and manufacturers just haven’t been able to catch up with the demand since. There is a foam shortage in the US which began with the deep freeze in Texas in February. Additionally – shipping has been a nightmare for the past year and a half. Remember the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal? It halted hundreds of ships full of containers of furniture and materials. Ports are so congested that when the goods arrive, it takes an unprecedented amount of time to get the shipments in. While majority of orders do eventually arrive, in a few cases I have seen orders being pushed further and further back then canceled and discontinued.  

All this being said- please be patient!! Interior designers are doing everything they can to get your project done on time!! Grace is greatly appreciated during this time.