DRF Contract designs, manufactures, delivers and installs furniture for hotels, restaurants, homes and offices. Our head office is in Sancaktepe, İstanbul, and we produce with contracted manufacturing partners in Ankara and İnegöl, Bursa. This article explains what UK owners, interior designers and procurement teams can expect when the furniture for a UK project is made in Türkiye.

What to send us to start

A first package does not need to be complete. These documents let us understand the scope and give a useful answer:

  • Drawings or a design-intent package, with plans and elevations for each room type.
  • An FF&E schedule or bill of quantities (BOQ), with room types and quantities.
  • Finishes and materials: fabrics, leathers, timber species, stains, metal finishes and any approved samples.
  • The specification, including operator brand standards and the fire performance required.
  • The programme, with target dates for the mock-up room, delivery and opening.
  • The delivery address and the party that will act as importer.

If the design is not yet fixed, we can start from a brief and develop it with your team.

Standards your project may specify

In the UK, the fire performance of furniture in hotels and other non-domestic buildings follows from the building’s fire risk assessment. In England and Wales, this duty falls on the responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety legislation. The fire risk assessment and the specifier set the level. The standards below are the usual way to show compliance.

Upholstered seating: BS 7176. This standard specifies resistance to ignition for non-domestic upholstered seating, tested as composites. It has four hazard levels: low, medium, high and very high. Hotels are usually specified at medium hazard, which adds the BS 5852 ignition source 5 test, known as Crib 5, to the cigarette and match tests.

Test method: BS 5852. Its ignition sources range from a smouldering cigarette to flaming sources such as wooden cribs.

The exact composite. A test result applies to the combination that was tested: cover fabric, interliner (where used) and filling. A certificate for the fabric alone, or for a different foam, does not show that the finished seat complies. If a fabric or foam changes during value engineering, the evidence must be checked again.

Curtains: BS 5867-2. BS 5867-2 sets flammability requirements for fabrics for curtains, drapes and window blinds, in three types: A, B and C. Type B is often specified for non-domestic buildings, subject to the fire risk assessment.

Beds and homes. Mattresses and bed bases have their own standard, BS 7177. In residential projects, upholstered furniture for domestic use comes under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, which have their own tests and labelling.

Tests are carried out by accredited test houses, such as FIRA in the UK. DRF provides project-specific test documentation on request. The hazard level, the tests and the exact materials to be tested are agreed during design development, before fabrics and foams are ordered.

Units and drawings

The UK works in metric units, as we do. Drawings and shop drawings are prepared in millimetres, and each item is approved on its shop drawing before production starts.

Shipping, customs and duties

Production, transport and customs clearance are separate stages, and each has its own schedule. The Incoterms rule is agreed for each project. It sets the point where costs and risk pass from us to the buyer.

The UK and Türkiye have a free trade agreement. Goods that meet its rules of origin can qualify for preferential tariffs, based on an origin declaration made by the exporter. Whether an item qualifies, and what duty and import VAT are due, depends on its tariff classification and on the rules in force at the time of import. Confirm them with a customs broker before you place the order.

Time difference and communication

İstanbul is on UTC+3 all year and does not use daylight saving time. During British Summer Time, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, İstanbul is 2 hours ahead of the UK. When the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in winter, the difference is 3 hours.

The UK morning and early afternoon fall within the İstanbul working day, so calls and design reviews fit into normal office hours. Decisions are recorded in writing, by email and WhatsApp.

How a project runs

  1. Brief. Scope, quantities, programme, budget and the required standards are agreed.
  2. Design development. Materials, finishes and details are developed, and samples are approved.
  3. Shop drawings. Each item is drawn with its dimensions, materials and construction, and sent to the design team for approval.
  4. Mock-up room. A sample room or key pieces are prepared, so that fit, finish and comfort can be checked before production.
  5. Production. Items are made by our contracted manufacturing partners in Ankara and İnegöl, to the approved drawings and samples.
  6. Delivery. Goods are packed, documented and shipped under the agreed Incoterms rule.
  7. Installation. Furniture is placed, assembled and checked against the approved drawings, followed by snagging.