By the second week of September the bamboo skeletons are already up across the para, and Durga Puja falls in the third week of October. That sounds comfortably far away. For anything that has to be measured, stitched, polished or fitted, it is not.
Most festive home articles are written for the last fortnight: change the cushion covers, string up the lights, buy marigold. That advice is fine as far as it goes, but it answers the easy question. If you want the drawing room to genuinely look different when relatives walk in on Panchami, what decides the outcome is not what you choose. It is when you order it, and in what sequence.
This is the timeline we give people who walk into the showroom around now. It runs backwards from Puja, because that is the only direction in which it works.
Why the last three weeks before Puja are the worst time to order anything made
Every workroom in this city compresses its year into September and early October. Tailors, upholsterers, carpenters, polish men, flooring fitters, electricians — all of them are working the same six weeks for the same customers.
Two things then happen in quick succession. First, capacity books out. Then the labour goes home. A large share of the karigars who stitch curtains and re-cover sofas in Kolkata travel to their districts or out of state for the holidays, and from around Panchami through to Lakshmi Puja — often through Kali Puja — the workshops effectively stop. This is not a scheduling preference anyone is going to negotiate you out of.
So the real deadline is not Shashthi. It is roughly a week earlier, because an installation needs a slot on somebody’s calendar and because you want the house liveable, not full of ladders, on the day the guests arrive.
Work backwards, not forwards
The single most common mistake we see is doing the jobs in the order they occurred to you. Sequence matters more than speed. Dusty work has to finish before soft furnishings go up, or you will be taking freshly stitched curtains down again to have them cleaned.
| Job | Where it sits in the queue | Why |
| Flooring, wall panelling, wallpaper | First, and it is already tight | Dust, adhesive smell, furniture moved out, longest disruption |
| Sofa reupholstery and repair | Second | The sofa physically leaves the house for several days |
| Curtains, blinds, headboards | Third | Made to measure, weeks rather than days, and must go up after the dust |
| Cushion covers, runners, loose covers, rugs | Fourth | Quick to make, and can be fitted the same afternoon |
| Accent chair, side table, lamp, mattress | Any time, subject to stock | A stock piece you can see and take, so the only risk is availability |
If you only have the appetite for one job this year, start at the top of that list and stop wherever your time runs out. Skipping down to the easy items and doing the flooring “after Puja” is a decision most people regret, because after Puja turns into after Kali Puja, and then it is Poush.
Flooring and wallpaper first, because they are dirty work
Flooring is the one job that cannot be squeezed. The room has to be emptied, the existing surface has to be checked for level and for damp, and click-lock planks need the subfloor dry before anything is laid over it. In older Central and North Kolkata buildings a rising-damp problem discovered on the morning of installation will stop the job, and there is no fast fix for it in October.
Wallpaper is shorter but has its own trap: the wall must be sound and dry, and lime plaster that has been repainted many times often is not. If you are thinking of papering one wall in the drawing room for the season, get someone to look at the wall now rather than ordering the roll first. Our guides to choosing between solid, engineered, laminate and SPC flooring and to wallpaper in Kolkata both cover what to check before you commit, and there is a separate piece on customised and 3D murals if you want something printed to your own design — which needs the most lead time of anything on this page.
Reupholstery second, because the sofa leaves the house
A tired sofa does more damage to a room than dull walls, and it is the single change guests notice. But re-covering is not an overnight job. The piece is collected, stripped, the frame and webbing are checked, foam is replaced where it has collapsed, and the new cover is cut and fitted. You are without your main seating for that period, which is precisely why nobody wants it happening in the first week of October.
Before you order a new sofa, it is worth finding out whether yours is worth saving. A solid frame with a sagging seat is a straightforward job; a cracked frame or a badly repaired joint is a different conversation. We have written honestly about when to re-cover and when to replace, and about what can and cannot be repaired. If you would rather start fresh, the sofa buying guide covers frame, filling and fabric, and our reupholstery service page explains what is included. You can send photographs on WhatsApp for an initial view before bringing anything in.
Curtains and blinds are the finishing layer, not the first purchase
Curtains are the thing most people think of first and should order third. They go up last because they are the only item in the room that will pick up construction dust and hold it.
Made-to-measure work takes weeks rather than days, and the variable is rarely the stitching. It is the fabric. If the fabric you fall in love with has to be ordered in, that is the step that eats your timeline, and it is why choosing early matters more than being decisive on the day. We have described the full sequence from measurement to installation in what really happens between measurement and installation.
Two decisions that people leave too late and should settle at the measurement visit: the heading style, because eyelet and pinch pleat hang differently and need different fullness; and the hardware, since a heavy lined pair on an undersized rod will sag by Navami. Our notes on rods, tracks and brackets cover that. If you intend to take your own measurements, read how to measure for curtains first — and for blinds, how to measure for blinds, which deals with grilles and inward-opening casements that the imported guides ignore. Honestly, the free in-home measurement is the better route this close to the season, because a re-make is time you do not have.
The last fortnight is for things you can carry home
By the first week of October, stop commissioning and start shopping. What still works at that stage is anything finished and on the floor: an accent chair in a fabric you can sit on today, a rug, a lamp, a set of cushion covers, a mattress. These change a room more than people expect, especially a chair in the corner of the drawing room that has been empty for years — our piece on styling accent chairs covers where they actually earn their place.
This is also the week for the unglamorous jobs nobody schedules: getting the existing curtains taken down and cleaned, the fans wiped, the sofa vacuumed properly under the cushions. A clean version of what you already own beats a rushed new purchase almost every time.
If you have left it late, here is the honest triage
We would rather tell you what will not happen than take an order we cannot deliver well.
Still achievable in the time remaining, if you start this week: curtains or blinds for the rooms guests will actually see, usually the drawing room and the dining area, provided you choose from fabric that is in stock. Reupholstery of one or two pieces. Cushion covers, loose covers and runners. A stock furniture purchase.
Not realistically achievable now: a whole-home flooring change, a printed custom mural that has to be proofed, or a full house of curtains in a fabric that must be sourced. Pushing those into the last fortnight is how you end up with work half-finished on Shashthi. Do the visible rooms properly now and plan the rest for November, when the workshops reopen, the city is quiet and you will get the workroom’s full attention.
Festive colour that will still look right in February
A word of caution about the advice you will read elsewhere. Almost every festive decor listicle tells you to go bright — red, orange, gold. That works beautifully for a week and then you live with it for four years.
The approach that has held up across the homes we have furnished is to keep the large permanent surfaces calm and put the festive colour in the layers you can change. Curtains, sofa upholstery and flooring are the big, expensive, long-lived decisions; make those in a colour you would choose in February. Then bring the gold, the deep red, the alta-bright accents in through cushions, a runner, a throw and a single accent chair. It reads every bit as festive in photographs, costs a fraction, and does not date.
The one exception worth making is sheer fabric. A good sheer behind a plain drape lifts a room in warm evening light in a way no cushion can, and it stays useful all year. If your drawing room feels flat under the tube lights, that is often the actual fix. Natural fabrics behave differently in our humidity, which we have gone into in the guide to cotton and linen curtains, and the broader curtains buying guide covers fabric, fit and style together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far before Durga Puja should I order curtains in Kolkata?
Order in September rather than October. Made-to-measure curtains take weeks rather than days, and the timeline is driven mostly by fabric availability, not stitching. Ordering early also means you get an installation slot before the workrooms close for the holidays, which is the part people do not plan for.
Can I get curtains made in a week before Puja?
Sometimes, for one or two windows, if you choose from fabric that is physically in stock and the measurement is straightforward. It is not something to count on, and it is not the moment to pick an unusual fabric or a complicated heading. Come in with your window sizes and we will tell you plainly whether it can be done rather than promising a date we cannot hold.
Should I reupholster my old sofa or buy a new one before Puja?
It depends on the frame. If the frame and joints are sound and only the foam and cover have gone, re-covering is usually the better value and the faster route. If the frame has cracked or been badly repaired before, you are spending good money on a bad base. Send photographs on WhatsApp or bring the measurements in, and we will check the structure at no extra cost before you commit either way.
Is it too late to change the flooring before Puja?
For a full home, yes, if you are starting now. For a single room it may still be possible, but it has to be the first job you book, not the last. Flooring needs the room emptied, the subfloor checked for level and damp, and time for the work itself. It is also the job most likely to throw up a surprise, and October leaves no room for one.
What can I still change if there are only two weeks left?
Plenty, as long as it is finished goods rather than made-to-order. Cushion covers, a rug, a runner, a lamp, a new accent chair, a mattress, and having your existing curtains taken down and properly cleaned. That combination costs far less than people assume and photographs beautifully.
Are you open during Puja?
Our regular hours are Monday to Saturday, 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM, and we are closed on Sunday. Puja-week timings vary from year to year, so call or WhatsApp 8080095551 before you travel across the city during the festival.
What festive colours work in a Kolkata flat without looking dated later?
Keep curtains, upholstery and flooring in tones you would live with all year — warm neutrals, soft golds, muted greens and browns behave well in our light. Put the strong festive colour in cushions, a throw, a table runner and one chair. You get the same effect in photographs and you are not stuck with it in February.
Come in while there is still time to do it properly
If Puja is the deadline, September is the month that decides whether you meet it. Bring your window measurements, a photograph of the room and a rough idea of what is bothering you about it, and we will tell you honestly what can be finished in time and what is better planned for November.
Avikar has been furnishing Kolkata homes since 1971, and more than 6,500 households across the city have bought from us. Curtains, blinds, upholstery, flooring, wallpaper and furniture are all under one roof, which matters more than usual at this time of year — one visit, one measurement, one installation team, rather than four different vendors each waiting on the other.
Avikar Furniture & Furnishings
46 Central Avenue, Bowbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700012
Monday to Saturday, 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Sunday closed. Parking on request.
Call or WhatsApp 8080095551
You can also book a free consultation with our interior stylist, or arrange the free in-home measurement through our made-to-measure curtains page. For blinds, see the blinds showroom page and the complete window blinds buying guide. For reupholstery, our upholstery service page. And if you are furnishing a whole home rather than refreshing one room, start with how to furnish a whole home without an interior designer.
