WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO FURNISH YOUR LAKE HOME?
Flourish Interiors specializes in helping homeowners furnish non primary residences such as lake houses and football houses in Indiana and Michigan. As a result we get asked frequently by potential customers when is the ideal time of year to start their design projects. The answer really depends on when you want this home away from home to be ready for use and enjoyment. Here’s what we recommend on project timing based on our experience with designing, remodeling, and furnishing lake homes and other non primary residences…
For new construction properties: we often work with clients who are building new homes in Harbour Country or other vacation areas in Michigan and Northern Indiana. Sometimes these projects are large scale homes that have extended build times. For example, if you have purchased a tear down home and want to have custom floor plans designed with an architect, have to get permitting to build on a critical dune, and then still navigate the construction time period: this can be a 2-3 year process from start to finish. As a result these projects are harder to time, and we recommend just getting started as soon as possible. One nice thing is, when we as designers are engaged in this process early on and help with home design, selections, and furnishings we can start the furnishings and decor designing well in advance and ideally be ready to install as soon as constructions wraps. Essentially, it’s never too early to start looking at furnishings with us if you are building a new construction home.
For remodeling projects: Another type of project we routinely assist with at Flourish Interiors is helping clients through a remodeling process. While there are plenty of times it makes sense to start from scratch, there are some beautiful homes on Lake Michigan, Diamond Lake, Eagle Lake, Lake Wawasee, etc that have the potential to be truly stunning updated homes. In fact sometimes. re-modeled home has the most character and you may be able to save more mature landscaping, or have more integrity to the surrounding homes by chosing to remodel and update. We are equipped to help design a remodel of any size or scale, but if one is already well underway we can also step in and help with just window treatments and furnishings, Either way, we like to begin ordering furnishings about 18 months in advance of the estimated completion date. With that said, we dont always order every element that far out: however there are certain types of pieces and certain furniture brands that are running that long. So, for example, we may start with looking at furnishings for the great room or other common living spaces, since custom upholstered couches and sectionals have some of the longest lead times right now. On the flip side we can save selecting accessories for later in the process. Luckily, we at Flourish Interiors have a fully operational warehouse on site at our headquarters. When our clients’ goods start arriving, we receive and inspect each item; being their advocate to check for quality control along the way. Then, we store the items: well protected and temperature controlled until we are ready for install. It’s always our goal to be able to install as much as possible once the house is ready.
For furnishing projects: Sometimes we are approached to do whole or partial home furnishings after someone buys a spec or existing home. In this case, there is no construction time period to wade through and our clients often need furnishings sooner rather than later. Never fear! We at Flourish Interiors are well versed in helping with this need as well. In this case we often work with our clients to cover the basics almost immediately: we can have you operational and enjoying the property in a matter of weeks if not days. To accomplish this goal we focus immediately on functional things such as window coverings, mattresses and bedding, other linens and stock items, a couch and dining table (even if they are temporary items until the real ones can come in), lamps, and other basics. Then once we get your family set up and functioning, we can do periodical install days to keep bringing in the more custom pieces as they arrive. This means that your home will just continue to be more and more appointed over time until its complete!
