At Eclipse Yacht Furnishings, we provide what many consider to be the finishing touches to yacht builds and refits. Items like yacht cushions, upholstery and high-quality decorative pieces are often the last things to be thought about during either process. There’s a misconception that purchasing upholstery is a simple task that doesn’t require much thought, but this couldn’t be further from the truth – especially if you’re trying to achieve a luxury aesthetic.
We understand that when investing in a new build or refit there are countless structural elements to consider, but there still needs to be a carefully considered plan when it comes to decorative items for the interior. Upholstery and cushions require the same attention to detail if you want to create a coherent living space for those who come on board.
If your yacht is approaching its completion date at the yard and you haven’t sorted your furnishings yet, we strongly advise you to do so as soon as possible (get in touch with us and we can help). On the other hand, if your construction work is in its infancy, you do have the benefit of time – but this isn’t a reason not to act decisively. Allow us to explain why it’s important to plan ahead if you want things to run smoothly later down the line.
Sourcing materials for yacht interiors
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not as easy as choosing the yacht interior/exterior pieces you want and a company being able to provide them straight away. This completely fails to take into account the time it takes to source the materials needed for the project, and the subsequent labor time. If the manufacturer is waiting for a specific fabric, it can take many weeks before the creation process can begin. That’s why planning ahead is so important.
In recent times, some materials have become harder to obtain and it has significantly increased lead times for manufacturers throughout the industry. There are a couple of key reasons why this has happened, both caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Firstly, lockdowns forced people to spend more time at home, which prompted a shift in spending priorities. Suddenly, many homeowners began investing in home improvements. This resulted in an increased workload within the furniture industry and the demand for materials quickly became overwhelming. The second contributing factor is that mills and tanneries around the world were hit hard by repeat lockdowns, and it prevented them from keeping up with the increased demand.
As the global supply chain continues to try to catch up with demand, it has accentuated the need for consumers to plan ahead. Doing so can help prevent costly delays down the line and gives your yacht build or refit the best chance of running to schedule.
The stress of ordering yacht furnishings last minute
Even if the current supply chain issues didn’t exist, ordering your yacht upholstery at the last minute puts a lot of pressure on your chosen yacht furnishing company. Manufacturers (like ourselves) understand that you’re eager for the yacht to be completed on time, but sometimes our hands are tied when furniture and upholstery are ordered with unrealistic completion dates.
We’re governed by the speed of our suppliers and you must understand that some materials can take a while to be delivered. It’s not uncommon for us to wait many weeks for fabrics to arrive before we can even start work. While we can chase suppliers when there are long delays, quite often they have no control over the situation either. It can lead to a poor working relationship between us and them and incite greater levels of stress, which in turn can have an impact on the quality of the finished product.
If you give yourself plenty of time to sort your yacht’s upholstery prior to the completion of construction work, you will inevitably avoid inflicting last-minute stress on yourself, the manufacturer and the supplier.
Prepare in advance and utilize our 3D measuring service
At Eclipse Yacht Furnishings, we offer an innovative approach to measuring areas of the yacht. Using Prodim System’s Proliner 3-D tool, our digital measuring process takes around four hours per area and gives us a highly accurate measurement. We keep this as a digital template.
The digital template is extremely useful as it can be used by an array of different trades for other parts of the yacht build/refit. There’s also the added benefit of having the measurements ready to go if you ever decide you need replacement yacht upholstery.
Once we have the digital template, we then need your design specifications, such as colors and which materials you wish to use. We strongly suggest that you invest plenty of time considering these decisions in advance because once they have been made, we can quickly place an order for your chosen materials. This ultimately means we can get to work on creating the perfect pieces for your vessel sooner rather than later.
Avoid disappointment
With everything we’ve outlined, we strongly recommend that you plan ahead in order to avoid disappointment. Spend time considering every detail, including which cushions and furniture accessories you’d like. Remember, the longer we have to complete a project the more likely it becomes that things will be completed in good time.
It’s not uncommon for yacht owners, captains and crew to receive a timescale that they are unhappy with, especially when it comes to the refit of a yacht used for charters. Quite often, these projects must take place in a short window between trips, so the importance of planning ahead is even more pronounced.
In summary, the crucial thing is not to underestimate the time it will take to manufacture your yacht furnishings. If there’s a delay in ordering the items you need, then you may be in for a long wait before your new build or refit is fully furnished and ready to go.
If you require any more information or would like some guidance on planning for your next yacht upholstery, furnishings or cushions, contact us today. Our highly experienced team are more than happy to help.