Exterior Design

Custom workrooms and the eight-step upholstery discipline

A bench-made custom upholstery piece is built in eight discrete steps: hardwood frame, eight-way hand-tied springs (or sinuous in lighter applications), webbing, cushioning (foam, down, or a blend), batting, muslin, fabric, and trim and finish. The eight steps are why custom upholstery runs 12 to 24+ weeks, why a chair built this way costs five times the catalog equivalent, and why it lasts five times as long. Hand-knot custom rugs typically run 16 to 32 weeks. Custom drapery runs 8 to 16 weeks. These lead times are the planning fact that drives the schedule conversation with every client at the first call.

Decorative lighting

Decorative lighting (pendants, chandeliers, sconces, table and floor lamps) belongs to the FF&E scope and is specified, procured, and installed as part of this program. Architectural lighting (recessed, cove, integrated, exterior) is base building and is handled in the architectural service pages, where the lighting plan integrates with the electrical drawings at programming. The boundary matters because the workflows are different. California Title 24 Part 6 still applies to permanently installed luminaires, including hard-wired decorative pendants and sconces; the procurement workflow verifies JA8 compliance where required. Plug-in lamps are exempt.

Art curation and placement

Art is composition, not filler. The standalone art workflow runs across collection assessment, placement strategy, conservation framing (acid-free mats and backing, museum glass at the Tru Vue Museum or Optium tier for works of consequence), lighting specification (IES RP-30 standards put the working threshold at CRI greater than or equal to 90, with CRI greater than or equal to 95 preferred for color-critical placements), professional install (D-rings, French cleats, or museum hangers per weight and material), and insurance documentation. Acquisition advisory is in scope where the client wants it. Working with the existing collection is in scope by default. The studio's role is to read the collection, place each piece in conversation with the architecture and the furniture, and light it correctly.

Cost benchmarks and lead times

Working ranges for a high-end Peninsula whole-home furnishing program run $300,000 to $2,000,000+ depending on scope, custom share, and art allocation. Per-room working brackets at the high end: living room $50,000 to $300,000+; primary bedroom $30,000 to $150,000+; dining room $40,000 to $200,000+. Per unit: custom drapery $5,000 to $30,000+ per opening; custom upholstery $5,000 to $25,000+ per piece; custom hand-knot rugs $50 to $500+ per square foot; high-end decorative lighting $5,000 to $50,000+ per fixture. Art is highly variable; many considered Peninsula clients allocate 5 to 15 percent of the furnishing budget to art.
Lead times to plan against: custom upholstery 12 to 24+ weeks; custom drapery 8 to 16 weeks; hand-knot rugs 16 to 32 weeks; high-end European furniture 16 to 28 weeks; decorative lighting 8 to 16 weeks (16 to 24+ for custom). A whole-home furnishing program typically runs 6 to 12 months from contract to final styled install. Procurement fee structures most common at the high end are cost-plus markup on net trade (20 to 35 percent), or a flat design fee paired with a reduced markup. [VERIFY ranges at draft refresh against Business of Home State of the Industry and ASID Designer Outlook.]