The stocked fabrics on each collection page cover most needs, but they’re not the whole range. Every Innovation Living sofa bed can be ordered in a considerably wider selection of custom fabrics — the trade-off is time, not availability. Here’s what actually happens between choosing a custom fabric and the piece arriving.
Why go custom in the first place
Stocked fabrics are chosen for fast turnaround, not for covering every possible palette. If you’re matching an existing room precisely — a specific wall color, an heirloom rug, another piece of furniture already in place — the stocked options may simply not include the right shade or texture. Custom ordering opens up a much broader range specifically to solve that problem.
It’s also relevant if you’ve read our fabric guide and want a specific durability profile — a particular Martindale rating, a water-repellent finish — that isn’t available on your chosen collection’s default fabric options.
The timeline
Custom fabric orders take 8–12 weeks to process, considerably longer than the 1–2 days it typically takes for a stocked-fabric order to leave the warehouse. That’s the single biggest thing to plan around: if you have a hard deadline — a move-in date, a guest arriving in a month — a custom order likely won’t make it, and a stocked fabric is the realistic choice instead.
Beyond the 8–12 week processing window, add standard transit time on top — 5–6 business days once the piece ships. Plan for roughly three months from order to delivery on a custom fabric, and treat anything faster as a pleasant surprise rather than the baseline expectation.
Order swatches before committing
Screen colors are unreliable for fabric decisions — every monitor renders color and texture slightly differently, and no display can guarantee an accurate match to the physical material. This matters more for custom orders than stocked ones, since you’re committing to a 12-week lead time before you’ve seen the actual piece.
Request physical swatches before finalizing a custom fabric choice, and if possible, view them in the room where the piece will actually live — natural light and artificial light both shift how a fabric reads, and a swatch that looks right under store lighting can read differently at home.
What changes, and what doesn’t
Comfort system stays fixed. Custom fabric changes the upholstery, not the mattress construction underneath it. If you’re choosing a collection based on a specific comfort system, that decision is independent of which fabric — stocked or custom — you end up choosing.
Fabric composition and durability figures still apply. A custom fabric will have its own Martindale rating, composition, and care requirements, distinct from the stocked options covered in our fabric guide. Ask for these specifics before ordering if durability matters for your household — see our guide to fabric for pets and kids for what to look for.
Arms added after the fact may not match exactly. If you’re planning to add armrests later on a collection that supports it, and you’ve chosen a custom fabric, be aware that a later separate order may not match the original dye lot precisely — worth confirming before you commit to that plan.
Planning around the timeline
If you’re renovating or moving and want a custom fabric, order early — ideally as soon as you know the room’s palette, well before the piece needs to be in place. Treat the 8–12 week window as the earliest realistic delivery, not a worst case.
If your timeline is tighter than that, it’s worth checking whether a stocked fabric gets close enough to what you want. The fabric guide covers composition, durability, and colorfastness for every stocked option — often close enough in color and texture that the 12-week wait isn’t necessary.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a custom fabric order take? 8–12 weeks for processing, plus standard transit time once it ships — roughly three months total from order to delivery is a realistic expectation.
Can I see the actual fabric before ordering? Request physical swatches rather than relying on screen colors, which don’t reliably represent the true color and texture. View swatches in the room where the piece will live if possible.
Does custom fabric change the comfort system? No — fabric affects the upholstery only. The mattress construction underneath is fixed by the collection you choose, independent of fabric.
Is a custom fabric as durable as the stocked options? It depends on the specific fabric. Ask for the Martindale rating and care details for your chosen custom fabric, the same way you’d check a stocked fabric in our fabric guide.
Custom fabric opens up real flexibility if you have the time to wait for it. If your timeline is tight, check the stocked options first — see our fabric guide, or get in touch about swatches and current lead times.