Built To Order Furniture -
Custom Furniture At Catalog Furniture
Prices
Want your living room to
look like a photo out of Architectural Digest
or Metropolitan Home? You have the design savvy
to pull it off but you're worried about the
price? Here's a little-known designer secret to
put you one step closer to your dream home -
You can design and commission unique, handmade,
custom furniture at a fraction of the prices
you've seen in upscale galleries and
studios.
How? Seek out small furniture makers in your
neighborhood or on the web and start a
conversation with them. Ask for a catalog or
photos of their work and learn what kinds of
styles and media they specialize in. When you
find a company or craftsman that routinely
makes the type of furniture you're seeking,
start looking for ways to customize existing
designs to meet your needs and preferences. Ask
the furniture maker, for example:
Can we take that 55 inch wide, low, two-door
entertainment center and add a third door to
make a 70 inch wide media center to fit
perfectly in my space? Or,
What would it cost to customize that dining
table by making the top cherry and the base,
espresso? Or,
Can you make me an XL twin bed that measures 82
inches in length instead of the regular 76?
Or,
Would it be possible to customize that chest of
drawers by making the width three inches
shorter, so it will fit in the small space
between the two windows in my bedroom? Or,
I prefer an all natural, custom, hand-rubbed
oil finish. Would there be an up-charge for
that?
Don't hesitate to ask about any number of
customizations involving, dimensions, shapes,
wood and fabric types, joinery characteristics,
edging options, leg styles and more.
The key is to leverage the value of the
company's existing designs by requesting
modifications, rather than asking the
furniture-maker to start from scratch, on a
new design. Since most small, neighborhood
furniture makers make each piece to order,
rather than building mass quantities of the
same thing, they are usually happy to
customize their designs, often at no
additional charge.
If you can't find local furniture makers,
try searching the web for built to order
furniture. Many small companies offer
online tools that let you customize their
handmade furniture to create your own
unique custom furniture at little or no
extra cost. You'll be surprised, once you
look into it, how affordable luxury custom
furniture can be.
So get creative! And get started on that
dining room or bedroom makeover you've been
putting off for fear of high prices and
cost overruns. You'll be delighted with the
result and the added bonus of superior
quality that is characteristic of built to
order furniture. Just be sure your designs
are timeless, because your new handmade
furniture will be built to last a lifetime.
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