You are opening a venue and the date is set. Before the conversation about fabric colour and back shape begins, one thing is worth settling: will the furniture arrive at all? Below we count it backwards, from opening day.
How long is left, and what is still possible
How many days there are until opening decides which of our deadlines are still realistic.
| Left until opening | What is possible | What you have to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Two months or more | full production to measure | nothing, this is the calm version |
| About one month | production to measure with no margin | the four to six week deadline has to hold |
| About one week | fast delivery, up to three working days plus freight | black, standard size 1 or 1.2 lm, a higher price |
| A few days | fast delivery, depending on how full the workshop is | black, standard size, and a phone call first |
Restaurant sofa, bench seating along a wall and corner sofa are the same piece with us, so the deadlines apply to all three.
Four to six weeks, but counted from when
The usual production time for an upholstered piece made to measure is four to six weeks from the moment payment is registered, not from when you sent the enquiry. That difference decides many openings.
If a week or two goes on the quotation, the choice of fabric and settling the details, and then you wait for the transfer to be registered, the real time from first contact to delivery is closer to eight weeks. With an opening on a fixed date that is the difference between a finished room and bare walls.
Before we start production we ask for at least 50 per cent of the order value against a proforma invoice. The rest you pay before dispatch. That is worth knowing in advance, because the deadline only starts running once that first payment is registered.
When fast delivery saves the situation
Fast delivery applies where you do not have time for the full cycle. A sofa in black and in standard sizes goes out within up to three working days, plus freight.
Because the piece is built from scratch, the deadline applies to black and to standard sizes of 1 or 1.2 linear metres. It costs more than the same model with normal production time.
In the extreme we have helped venues two to three days before opening. Whether we make it in your case depends on how full the workshop is that week, so it is a phone call and not a guarantee from a price list.
What to do before the opening date is confirmed
Ask for a quotation and measurements well in advance, even if the decision only comes in a month. Then production starts as soon as the date is set, instead of the details being settled under time pressure.
If you want a piece sewn to measure, and would rather not pay extra to get it faster, get in touch about two months before opening. That is made up of four to six weeks of production, another week or two for the quotation and the choice of fabric, and freight on top.
Deadlines outside Poland: the restaurant in Budapest
The deadline holds outside Poland too. The furniture for the restaurant in Budapest we made and delivered to Hungary.
What to ask the maker
Ask outright about the real time from payment to delivery, not only about the production time on the price list. Settling the details also takes time, and it is that settling which decides whether the furniture arrives in time for opening.
Give us the opening date, the length of the wall and whether the colour has to be a particular one. Then we will say on the phone which deadline is still realistic: 968 27 586.
Mariusz Wolski · owner of KAIZEN sp. z o.o. · in the furniture trade since 2005