Bespoke Furniture
Designed for you, Made for you
What is bespoke furniture?
Rather than buying an existing product that provides a mediocre solution, bespoke furniture means we can develop a unique design that meets your exact requirements. Custom-made in your choice of materials, size and style provides you with the ultimate choice when creating a home to reflect your character, your lifestyle and your aesthetic. We are biased, but we believe having the right furniture significantly improves the way you live. Discover more about the full process and experience below.
Contents overview:
Starting Your Bespoke Furniture Commission
It starts with forming a clear brief, which feeds into Edward’s initial design and sketches. Although it may sound daunting at first, it can all come together surprisingly easily. The brief will help to establish the function, size, timber and material preferences and, of course, your taste and style. To streamline the process Edward has prepared a series of questions to help glean as much information as possible about your hopes and expectations for the commissioned piece of furniture. We don’t expect you to have all the answers; Edward is available to discuss the elements you’re unsure of.
Download client questionnaire
Tailored Design
Once the brief is established, Edward starts designing, putting his sketches and inspiration onto a design sheet. We charge a non-refundable £750 design deposit at this stage for development time. Edward will share the design sheet with you via email, accompanied by a cost estimate, so you can digest the design and costs before discussing it in further detail in person or over the phone. We continue to work on the design until you are 100% happy with it and will provide a fixed quotation for your approval.
How long does the designing take?
It is crucial to allow sufficient time for this essential stage. We typically allow 2-6 weeks for the design stage, but this can be longer depending on the project’s complexity and time spent aligning both parties’ diaries.
Setting a Budget
Establishing a budget early on helps set realistic expectations for everyone involved about what can be achieved within the design. Based on past projects, we can provide budget guidance for your project. Please see some outline prices below.
Whilst budgets are often paramount, occasionally, designs are developed without the restrictions of a guided budget, and we focus on designing to satisfy the form and function parameters, only costing the design when finished. If you are happy with this organic, open-sided approach, then a budget doesn’t need to be set at the start.
We appreciate the budget is a sensitive aspect of commissioning furniture. Edward is experienced at working to his clients’ budgets. He will always offer a fixed quotation with the final design so you can proceed with confidence. Throughout the design process, he manages the complexity and specification of the project according to the budget, spending his time, and your money, on the elements that are most important to you.
Master Craftsmanship
Once you’re happy to proceed and we’ve received the first instalment we start the exciting manufacturing process. This starts with Edward hand selecting the timber from sustainable sawmills and veneer suppliers and briefing his skilled makers on the project. Typically, each project has a designated lead cabinet maker who works on the piece from start to finish. At the heart of our service and the reason our clients come back time and time again is our designer-maker relationship. Whether it’s a complicated technical hurdle or blending a curve through, we have the skill and craftsman’s eye to bring the design to life.
How long does it take to create a piece of bespoke furniture?
This is largely dependent on the type and complexity of project and can vary from 2 weeks up to 16 weeks or more. We often include specialist materials in our projects, which adds further time for managing the build in conjunction with our sub-contractor’s schedule. We will give you an estimated timetable for your specific project once we have enough information.
Finishing touches
As the project nears completion, we will get in touch to ask where you would like Edward’s silver maker’s mark inlaid into the piece of furniture. If your piece has an oil finish, we would love for you to come to the workshop and apply one of the finishing coats of oil. Along with being one of the most pleasurable parts of cabinet making, it will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to look after your furniture for years to come. Of course, if time or distance is an issue, we fully understand.
Delivery and installation
Once we are completely happy with the finish and every part of the project meets our own exacting standards, we will arrange delivery with you. Typically, Edward or the lead cabinet maker on the project will deliver your furniture in person. On small to medium installations, the makers who built the furniture in the workshop typically carry out the fitting service. We subcontract larger installations to a dedicated fitting team who we know and trust to carry out the work to the same high standards we expect of ourselves
DIY vs. Full-Service Aftercare
Edward is always available to discuss your aftercare needs. We provide an aftercare oiling service where we come to your property to lightly sand and re-oil the piece of furniture. You can contact us or book this online. Alternatively, you can purchase an aftercare kit, which has everything you need to do the job yourself. Give Edward a call if you’d like to talk through the process first. If your piece is lacquered and the finish has been damaged, we will either call on a local restorer and provide them with all the information they need to carry out the repair or we will strip and re-lacquer the piece in our workshop.
Watch a case study
Follow the journey from the initial brief through to the design, selecting the all-important timber, the making, and presenting the finished piece of furniture. The original Ripples blanket chest featured received a Bespoke Guild Mark (No. 460) from the Furniture Makers’ Company. This eye-catching piece is now part of our limited-edition Ripples Collection and can be customised in various materials and sizes.
Where next…
Explore our range of products and services.
Designing furniture for inspiring homes
