Summary
Although custom furniture is more expensive than commercial furniture, it can lend a unique look to your home. Go the extra mile and invest a little bit more to get something you can say is unique to your home.
What Goes into Deciding the Cost of Custom Furniture?
The general perception about custom furniture is that they are expensive, affordable only by the elite class, or out of our price range. This idea about custom furniture is endorsed by many. The mere word custom is associated with terms like lavish, high budget, or too expensive.
In reality, though, custom furniture does not need to be that expensive, provided you know what you are paying for and get in touch with a reputed seller like Home Glamor where you can get custom furniture pieces for highly affordable prices.
Custom and Price: How are they Related?
Custom furniture does cost higher than commercial furniture. However, the extra price you pay is because of the superior quality, craftsmanship, and uniqueness of the furniture you are purchasing. Compared to mass-produced furniture pieces, custom furniture pieces undergo stricter quality checks to make sure they meet all specifications to the ‘T.’
Here are a few important factors that influence the cost of custom furniture.
Materials Used
The material used in making the custom furniture piece plays a major role in deciding its cost. Let us consider wooden furniture here.
The cost of a custom furniture piece would vary depending on the type of timber used to create it. Mass-produced timber furniture available at discounted prices would often consist of particleboard fitted with veneers.
Recycled or reclaimed timber would cost more owing to the additional treatment and preparation they have to undergo before being crafted into individual furniture pieces.
Origin of Materials
Another factor that influences the price of custom furniture is the origin of the raw materials used to build them. Costs would vary depending on whether the raw materials can be sourced locally or would have to be sourced from another region/city/state or country.
The costs would also vary depending on whether the raw materials are sourced from sustainable sources. With more companies choosing to offer sustainable furniture options (made from raw materials sourced sustainably), you would have to see if you need to pay extra for the latter.
Build Quality
Mass-produced furniture pieces have the same specifications. Custom furniture, on the other hand, is produced in a low quantity (in most cases a single piece). As such, each piece of custom furniture will have a unique size and specifications, tailored to match the space where it would be placed.
Thus, great care goes into maintaining its build quality, ensuring that the furniture you buy will not only look unique but last a lifetime as well.
The Sophistication of the Design
The cost of the custom furniture would vary depending on the sophistication of its design. Furniture pieces built from a pre-existing design would tend to cost less when compared to a piece of furniture following a new one.
Complex designs cost more than simple ones. Furthermore, the cost depends on other factors like creativity and finishing. Added features like hidden storage spaces, makeshift chairs, and extension functionality (e.g. sofa beds) would increase the cost of custom furniture as well.
The Complexity of the Joinery Mechanism
You may be surprised to note that a small custom chair could cost far more than a full-sized table. It is because of the joinery effort involved in the furniture piece you are buying. The cost would increase based on the number and complexity of joints, involved in the furniture produced.
The Quantity Produced
Mass-produced furniture pieces tend to cost less owing to the reduced production cost per unit. It is attributed to the decreased time and effort in sourcing raw materials for the furniture, taking measurements, and preparing the necessary tools to build the pieces.
A single piece (or few pieces) of custom furniture would, therefore, cost more to produce owing to the increased time and effort taken to complete just one piece in comparison to multiple pieces at the same time.
The Labour Costs Involved
Finally, the cost of custom furniture would vary based on the retailer you choose. In most cases, it is hard to find a local maker who can produce a replica of a furniture piece for lower costs than the retailer selling them.
In the case of custom furniture, you get to work with local craftspeople working with locally sourced, sustainable raw materials. These expert craftspeople will be spending a fair portion of the money you pay them for workshop rent and custom goods.
If you choose to opt for custom furniture, you must invest in furniture built by a local craftsman for long-standing quality and durability.
