A truly bespoke piece of furniture is a collaboration between client and maker. This labour of love results in an exquisitely made possession destined to become a storied heirloom. In the past decade, as prices for ready-to-wear fashion and furnishings have gone up and quality has arguably gone down, bespoke tailoring has witnessed a mainstream renaissance. Afterall, each home is as individual as its owner, and nothing elevates an interior like entirely custom, artisanal design pieces. But when it comes to commissioning what some may call ‘interior couture’, where should one start?
British furniture manufacturer Hyde House has over 15 years of experience in designing and crafting luxury bespoke designs for both the residential and commercial market.
Here, Joanna Hauptman, co-founder of Hyde House, shares her top tips for commissioning bespoke pieces for your home – be it to answer a practical problem or an opportunity to flex a creative muscle.
Why commission bespoke furniture?
Bespoke furniture is the ultimate in luxury when it comes to beautiful, curated interiors. Having the opportunity to specify a piece of furniture that perfectly complements your interior in terms of design, finish, and dimension is the key to a timelessly beautiful home. Every space is unique and as such a ‘one size fits all’ approach isn’t suitable. Commissioning bespoke furniture ensures that the piece you order is entirely individual, tailor made to your requirements and made to a quality that is built to last. There is a reason why pieces of Chippendale furniture trade at thousands of pounds in auction, because items that are made well are made to live on for centuries.
How to commission a bespoke piece of furniture – top tips to consider.
Firstly, ensuring the absolute correct design is paramount. After all, if you are about to invest in a piece of bespoke furniture then it must meet all your desires for both form and function. You may have an inspirational image from social media or a tear sheet with an idea of what you want, but a good supplier will be able to translate your dream into a reality with a proper shop drawing and a 2D plan that allows you to view the dimensions and scale of the piece before it’s made. This helps you avoid expensive mistakes.
Secondly, it should be made to fit the exact measurements of your space. Provide your maker with an overview of the room’s dimensions and discuss exactly where you would like the piece to live in the early design stages.”
Lastly, the piece ought to be finished in materials that perfectly complement your existing scheme. For example, dressing a room with decorative wallpaper has long been the interior designer’s jewel in the crown when creating a distinctive scheme. At Hyde House, we have pioneered and patented RESINATE – a cutting-edge resin varnishing system that allows customers to specify any wallpaper as a highly robust finish for their choice of bespoke design, from tabletops and vanity units to wall panelling and headboards. This creates highly cohesive schemes, with furnishings that pair perfectly with the existing space.
How can bespoke interiors add value to the home and the client?
Lately, we have seen that custom, curated schemes and thoughtfully interior designed show homes and turnkey properties are fetching much higher returns in urban areas, such as London, Manchester, and Leeds, in both sales and rentals. They are showing far greater returns on property investment. From a client’s perspective, a home that has custom upholstery and bespoke cabinetry generally amounts to rooms that have better spatial design and quality of finishes. Maximising storage and furniture planning with bespoke pieces that perfectly suit the unique space ensures a sense of better square footage and less wasted space. This is critical in a time when property prices are so expensive.
How to choose the right maker
Do your research and visit trade shows such as Decorex or FOCUS at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour to meet the best suppliers on the market and ensure they understand your brief and sit within your price bracket. A good bespoke furniture manufacturer will be able to advise on design and specification, bringing your ideas to life. They will also assist in value engineering if need be and generally offer a seamless service that commences at conception of the design and concludes with installation and white glove delivery and installation of the piece.
All imagery credit: Hyde House
