As former Secretary of State James Baker famously said almost four decades ago, proper planning prevents poor performance. That adage still rings true today, especially when it comes to interior decorating. It’s crucial to map out any sort of redecorating or remodeling project so that you can ensure it will be complete on time.

This goes for redesigning or building a home, preparing for a new season or hosting an event at your property. Planning ahead goes beyond choosing a desired time of completion: It means ordering furniture, decor, paint, other materials and supplies well in advance.

One thing to bear in mind is that how long a product will take to arrive depends on multiple factors. These include the product type, manufacturer, the materials it’s made from and any custom additions or alterations. All these considerations have to be factored in when you’re establishing a timeline.

With all that said, let’s explore some common redecorating instances to give you an idea of what to expect and how to work around due dates.

Seasonal redecorating

Naturally, preparing your home for a new season will have quite a predetermined deadline. If you want to change up your decor for summer, it’s vital to order your outdoor furniture in winter so that it’s ready by the time the weather starts warming up. The last thing you want is to waste precious warm, sunny days waiting for seasonal items. And remember, how long your goods take to arrive will depend on whether they’re off-the-rack or custom-made (allow more time for the latter).

Conversely, place orders for winter decor during summer, or autumn at the very least. That means choosing and purchasing your heavier, warmer pillows, rugs and throw blankets before you actually need them. No one wants to freeze during the holiday season, so, get your ducks in a row early to stay warm in style. Take into consideration the fact that more popular items like Christmas trees may need to be ordered even sooner to avoid disappointment from stock selling out.

Single and multi-room remodeling

Generally speaking, you should begin planning with your designer as early as possible. It’s a good idea to allocate two to three months for the entire undertaking if you’re doing a simple remodel of just one room. Extend this period to three to four months for extensive redesigning without any construction. Again, that’s just for one room.

You can expect to wait up to half a year before the project is finished if you’re refurbishing two to three rooms. Remodeling an entire house (more than three rooms) can take up to two years, so buckle in for a very long ride! Regardless of how many rooms you want to tackle, you should always add an extra “buffer” month for every room to accommodate unexpected setbacks.

What does this look like in practice? Say you want to redo three rooms by the time Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around, you’ll want to get started in March or April. Remember to take sequential steps into consideration when laying out your timeline. For example, you can’t furnish a room until after you’ve painted it, and you can’t paint until you’ve installed hardware like faucets or electrical outlets.

Additionally, you should build in some extra time for waiting periods that are beyond your control, like receiving quotes from contractors or suppliers or getting approval from city councils for any construction work. Every redecorating job will be different based on how much work there is to do, but this is what a typical timeline for redoing one room might look like:

• Meeting your decorator: One week between reaching out and the first appointment.
• Initial designs: About four to eight weeks to create a brief, mood board, floor plans, etc.
• Finalized plans: Roughly one to six weeks to fine tune and confirm designs.
• Shopping: Between two weeks and three months to order items and materials.
• Redecorating: Somewhere between two weeks and one month once everything’s arrived.

Timelines are ultimately going to depend on your personal needs, but it’s always best to work with a decorator to manage your expectations. Partnering with the experts means you can rest assured that your vision will be brought to life in as timely a manner as possible. Ready to get started on the remodeling journey of a lifetime? Reach out to Decorating Den Interiors for the best and most reliable redecorating results!