8 Joys of Bespoke Furniture
We live in a world where we can buy the latest style of furniture at incredibly low prices, and all from the comfort of our laptop or smartphone.
Why, then, would we want to consider bespoke furniture? What can it offer us that we can’t get from the high street, retail park or slick online store?
In this article we explore eight benefits – some obvious, some not – of commissioning your own piece of bespoke furniture.
What is bespoke furniture?
Before we start discussing the benefits, what actually is ‘bespoke furniture’?
Bespoke furniture can be defined as a custom-made piece of furniture which is designed specifically for you, the client.
Its function, dimensions, materials, finish and budget are all defined with a specific customer in mind.
It isn’t premade but built to your exact specifications after you have placed the order.
Bespoke furniture can come in the form of cabinetry, bookcases, tables, chairs – even window casings, gates and whole conservatories.
Now let’s look at the benefits.
1. Tailored
This is perhaps the most obvious place to start.
Custom made furniture can be tailored precisely to the function and space it is designed for.
Whether free-standing or fitted furniture, a dining table, set of shelves, wardrobe or entire study can be perfectly integrated into your surroundings.
It can make the most of the smallest and most awkward of spaces, maximising storage and creating better flow within your home.
The style can be tailored to match your period architecture and existing furniture, while wood types, finishes and ironmongery can be selected to perfectly complement your interior design.
2. Unique
Commissioning a talented furniture maker to bring your design to life ensures you have a piece of furniture which reflects your individuality and style.
Each of us have different tastes and preferences. Bespoke furniture is an exciting and accessible route to showcase YOU.
The result will be unique. A statement piece with which you will have a real connection - a connection that just doesn’t exist with mass-produced, factory-built items.
3. Quality
The topic of quality falls into two categories: materials and attention to detail.
First, materials.
Companies that create factory-produced furniture will be focused almost exclusively on profit margins. As a result, the cost of materials will always be under scrutiny within the manufacturing process.
Unit costs will be squeezed and the cheapest materials used wherever possible. This will inevitably result in lower quality furniture.
Bespoke and handmade furniture specialists will always strive to work with the best materials available – mainly so they can create the best results they possible can, but also because of the joy in working with the finest woods and fittings.
Second, attention to detail.
When furniture is mass-produced the process is broken down into several stages with a low-skilled worker or machine dedicated to each single stage.
Speed rather than attention to detail is the primary focus.
A bespoke furniture maker, however, is normally involved in the whole process from start to finish. Professional pride plays a huge part. As a result, a great deal of care, consideration and often passion goes into the creative process.
It is this combination of quality materials and immense attention to detail that sets bespoke furniture apart from mass-produced alternatives.
4. Value
Bespoke furniture normally represents extraordinarily good value for money.
Of course, judged on price alone, no furniture maker is going to beat an Ikea dining chair. But value is much more than price.
Take a handmade traditional Windsor chair, often available for less than £1000.
Built by a master craftsman it can last up to 250 years. That’s more than eight generations. Equivalent to £4 per year.
If you factor in the pleasure that can be derived from the Windsor chair – a pleasure that will grow as each year passes – then the value only increases.
Bespoke furniture therefore represents enormous value. A timeless design, handcrafted from the finest materials will bring you joy throughout your lifetime, and the subsequent lifetimes of your loved ones.
It is an heirloom of tomorrow.
Plus, it will be clear that a lot of care, and a great deal of heart, has gone into making a piece of handmade furniture. And that’s something you just can’t replicate with pieces produced in bulk.
5. Functional Art
Commissioning bespoke furniture can be a rewarding and surprisingly affordable route into becoming a patron of the arts.
By engaging the talents of a custom furniture maker, you are helping to maintain the proud tradition of furniture design and craftmanship within Scotland.
Such patronage serves to keep traditional skills alive, while supporting the craft and artistic community.
In comparison to other visual arts, it’s very accessible too.
Many people wouldn’t hesitate to spend £500 and more on a limited-edition print – not even an original – of a well-known contemporary artist.
For a similar amount, you could become the proud owner of a beautiful handcrafted chair. An object which is not only a joy to look but also something you can use every day.
6. Environmentally friendly
If you are commissioning a piece of bespoke furniture, the chances are it will be from a local maker – or certainly one within your own national borders.
By avoiding the mass furniture producers you will keep transportation logistics to a minimum and reduce the size of your carbon footprint.
With materials you are likely to be greener too.
As an example, at Glencairn Furniture we only use FSC approved timber - wood harvested from forests which are environmentally conscious and economically viable.
In addition, our finishes are free from harmful solvents, and any waste materials are properly recycled or re-used in alternatives way.
Sadly, these approaches are not taken by all large-scale furniture manufacturers.
Climate change is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. Buying locally produced and responsibly made furniture is one way you can help protect the environment.
7. Wellbeing
Whether it is a well-designed study, made-to-measure walk-in wardrobe or beautifully handcrafted dining chairs and table, bespoke furniture helps create a positive environment in which to live.
But the wellbeing benefits of lovingly made solid wood furniture are much more than this.
Several studies from around the world have concluded:
Pupils in classrooms made from and furnished with solid wood saw reduced heartrates, improved performance and lower rates of stress
People surrounded by to wood rather than steel panelling saw a significant decrease in blood pressure
Care homes with wooden tables, chairs and tableware witnessed higher rates of interaction between residents
Workers in wood interior offices spoke of higher levels of innovation, energy and comfort
Solid wood furniture has been shown to improve air quality in a room through the moderation of humidity
Wood as opposed to manmade materials is considered to be hypoallergenic
It is no moot point to note that the benefits listed above are also associated with people’s exposure to nature.
Bringing beautifully made, solid wood furniture into your home is akin to inviting nature through your front door.
We will be writing more about the ‘biophillic’ properties of solid wood furniture in a future article.
8. Love
The subject of love may be a strange thing to include in an article about furniture, but that’s what a beautifully crafted piece of bespoke furniture can offer.
Almost all artisan furniture makers do what they do because they love it. They are passionate about their art. They certainly don’t do it because of the money, for few become wealthy.
This love, this passion, goes into each object they are making. It creates a unique, indefinable but tangible connection between the maker and the client.
Made for you
Your home should be unique. It should reflect who you are and what you love.
The next time you are contemplating a new dining table, bookshelf or chair, don’t immediately turn to the high street or a large online manufacturer. Consider commissioning your own bespoke piece of furniture.
You won’t regret it.