Five Reasons to Consider Custom Furniture
When it comes to furnishing your home or business, you have the option of using custom-made or retail furniture.
Too frequently, people don’t even consider the idea of custom, instead purchasing from a huge national retailer like Room + Board or Pottery Barn. While I don’t necessarily think there is a problem with this, I do think that there is a general lack of knowledge about custom. Specifically, there is a perception that custom furniture is expensive and only for the wealthy. While custom furniture may be slightly higher in price, it is not always true that it is out of the average consumer’s budget. In my experience, it generally adds only 10-15% and what you get for that is exponentially more.
Next time you’re in the market for a sofa, a table or other frequently used piece of furniture, consider these facts:
You’ll get better quality. More often than not, retail furniture is made using pressboard or plywood and held together with glue and staples. As a result, it will not have the same quality or durability as a handtied piece made from hardwood. Better quality means longer lasting and who knows, you might even have a family heirloom on your hands.
You’ll get exactly the look you want. Unlike retail, with custom, you are able to impact the style of a piece of furniture in hundreds of different ways. You can choose the size, shape, contour, fabric, stain, cushion density, arm size, legs, pillows and more. The list goes on!
It will be the perfect fit. Size and scale are critical in good design. Even non-designers know when something is “off” in a room. In many cases, retailers offer the ability to customize, but the options to do so are limited. With custom, you can design a piece to fit exactly in the space for which it is intended.
You’ll be one of a kind. Every day, we are bombarded with images on TV, on social media and in magazines featuring spaces using virtually the exact same pieces of furniture. I know it’s tempting to settle for the sofa everyone else has, but wouldn’t you rather have something that is unique to you and your aesthetic? With custom, you have a chance to show your personality a little.
You are supporting a local craftsman. As I write this, I can hear the buzz saw of a local woodworker in the room adjacent to my office. He’s constructing a built-in desk and bookshelves for me. In addition to getting a permanent piece of furniture in my home, I know that the money I am paying him will stay local so he can care for his family, as well as continue to create furniture for other Portland area homeowners and businesses.
If after reading this you’re convinced to go custom but need a little guidance as to what to do and where to go, let me know! I am happy to point you in the right direction.
