Bespoke furniture, crafted to suit individual preferences and spaces, is renowned for its uniqueness and personalised touch.
However, this exclusivity comes at a much higher price than mass-produced, flat-packed furniture and when you understand how this furniture is created you will fully appreciate the difference in not only the cost but the quality of design, build and craftsmanship that is delivered.
Here we explain the reasons behind the cost of bespoke furniture, the intricacies of bespoke joinery, examples of bespoke furniture, a comparison with flat-packed alternatives, and the return policy for custom-made pieces.
Why is Bespoke Furniture So Expensive?
Bespoke furniture is known for its higher price point compared to mass-produced furniture. Several factors contribute to this expense:
Skill and Expertise
Here at Dean Watson, our bespoke furniture is manufactured by skilled cabinet makers with many years of experience in crafting and designing unique pieces of furniture. Our labour and skills command a higher price as each item is a one-off, with many skilled techniques and processes being required that are learnt and honed over many years. There are also many elements of bespoke furniture that can only be created by hand such as intricate carvings and inlays.
Customisation and Personalisation
Bespoke furniture is tailored to the specific requirements and tastes of each client. Customisations involve additional time and effort, contributing to the overall cost.
With a bespoke piece of furniture, all of the design development time and production information such as technical drawings is all attributed to just one piece of furniture. Whereas with mass-produced furniture they will make thousands of one design so the cost to design it is spread across however many they make of that one design.
Quality Materials
Only the highest quality materials are used in bespoke furniture, and not only the highest quality but also the best-suited materials for its use case. This ensures the very best durability, longevity and a luxurious finish. These premium materials add to the overall expense.
Time and Detailing
The level of detailing and precision involved in bespoke furniture can be time-consuming, with every detail being produced for the first time it is sometimes necessary to make prototypes to ensure things will work as intended or make special jigs for manufacture, or simply repeat very precise processes many times by hand. All of this intricate and precise workmanship contributes to the cost of the final product.
What is Involved in Bespoke Joinery?
Bespoke joinery is a meticulous woodworking technique that involves crafting custom-made furniture pieces according to the client’s specifications. It includes:
Design Consultation
Understanding the client’s needs, preferences, and space requirements is the first step. This phase involves creating design concepts and sketches. Depending on the size and complexity of the furniture piece this process in itself can easily equate to a cost in the high hundreds or even thousands just in the labour hours required to get to a final design.
Material Selection
Based on the design, appropriate materials are chosen, ensuring they align with the client’s aesthetic, functional, and budgetary considerations. Any specialist materials that need to be sourced, such as glass metal, stone, leather or others may also require external specialists to contribute to the piece as it is important with bespoke pieces that the very highest quality is maintained and you only achieve this by using the highest skilled craftspeople in the respective areas of expertise/
Precision Craftsmanship
Skilled artisans meticulously craft each piece, paying close attention to detail and precision to bring the design to life. It is safe to say that this takes time. To produce a bespoke piece of furniture of any size will take several weeks or months depending on detail and labour requirements to achieve the design.
Finishing and Installation
Once the piece is crafted, it undergoes finishing processes such as staining, varnishing, or painting to achieve the desired aesthetic. Again this process requires considerable time to complete, with many finishes requiring 2, 3, 4 or more coats to achieve the level of finish required.
The furniture parts are then checked over and if needed some elements of re-assembly are carried out in the workshop such as glazing or refitting drawer runners etc. before being finally wrapped ready for delivery and installed in the client’s home.
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Examples of Bespoke Furniture
Here at Dean Watson, we have some great examples of bespoke items we have designed and made for both retail customers and contract customers.Bespoke furniture encompasses a wide range of pieces, including:
Custom-built Cabinets and Shelving
Tailored to fit specific spaces and storage needs, these pieces often blend seamlessly with the existing decor, or stand proud as a focal point of the room.
Handcrafted Tables and Chairs
Individually designed tables and chairs that reflect the client’s style and preferences, ensuring comfort and functionality, whilst also fitting in perfectly with their interior.
Is Bespoke Furniture Better than Flat-packed Furniture?
This is actually not really a valid question, as in most cases flat pack furniture is simply not compared to bespoke furniture. For many of the reasons above it is clear that the two are very different products, and fulfil very different needs.
One is designed and produced with price and basic function as the 2 main driving factors and with a view that it will appeal to the vast majority of people so they can sell loads of the same design and is produced almost entirely by machines. Whilst the other is designed and produced for a specific person, as a one-off, with its design, overall aesthetics, individual details and tailored functions being the driving factors for its creation it will generally be produced with a considerable amount of skilled hand-crafting work being required.
Quality And Durability
Bespoke furniture generally uses higher quality materials and craftsmanship, resulting in furniture that often lasts longer and retains its appeal.
Each piece of wood is inspected with a human eye and is individually selected for best match and consistency across the piece. It may sound simplistic but with a poor material input, you will have a less than desirable finished product.
Bespoke furniture is usually only fitted with the highest quality fittings such as drawer runners, hinges and handles. Using the highest quality fittings ensures the longevity of every function the furniture performs year after year.
High-quality lacquers and other extremely hard-wearing finishes are used on bespoke furniture along with the very best engineered materials such as Tricoya. This material in itself is guaranteed for a huge 50 years! You don’t get that kind of guarantee from mass-produced furniture. This level of detail ensures excellent durability and the highest quality possible for your finished piece.
Personalisation
Bespoke furniture offers a level of personalisation and customisation that flat-packed and off-the-shelf furniture simply cannot match, allowing for a much more tailored and unique design.
The options are limitless and highly adaptable. You can for example specify fixed shelf heights to perfectly display your collection. Have hidden lighting inside cupboards that instantly come on when you open the door. Have bronzed mirrors to the back of your alcove cabinets for a more luxurious aesthetic. Instead of timber doors, you could have leather-wrapped doors or starburst veneer patterns cut from the finest quilted sycamore.
Maybe request a secret hidden drawer for your valuables. Include built-in wireless technology and storage solutions that perfectly fit your media equipment.
The list really is endless and every piece is completely different based on desired location/functions, choice of materials and the finishes applied to these.
Absolutely nothing is off-limits. You are only limited by the laws of physics and we can make literally any design based on your specifications and desires. This is something just not possible with flat-packed furniture
Fit and Space Utilisation
Custom-built bespoke furniture can be designed to fit perfectly into specific spaces, maximising functionality and aesthetics, and looking as if it has always been a part of the room.
Some rooms have extra high ceilings, low ceilings, sloped ceilings, awkward shapes and narrow alcoves. Getting furniture items to fit into these spaces can be challenging, and a solution may not be readily available on the market, and even if it is it will likely be less than ideal or fit well.
By getting your furniture made exactly to your requirements, you can utilise your space better and make it more ergonomic.
Can I Return Bespoke Furniture?
Due to the personalised nature of bespoke furniture, returns are typically not accepted unless the product is defective or significantly deviates from the agreed specifications.
It’s crucial to thoroughly discuss and agree upon the design, materials, and other aspects before the creation of bespoke furniture to ensure it meets your expectations.
While bespoke furniture may come with a higher price tag, it offers a unique and personalised solution that aligns with your individual tastes and preferences and will be of far superior quality.
Understanding the craftsmanship involved and carefully considering your needs will help you decide if bespoke furniture is the right choice for you