The Benefits of Buying Custom-made Furniture
When it’s time to furnish your home, don’t skimp on the furniture. You could appoint every room with ready-to-assemble shelves and big box store couches and chairs, but that convenience isn’t worth it in the long run. Styles change, and cheaply made furnishings wear out and fade. When you have the means, pick up a few central handmade pieces. The fact that they look better, last longer, and can be handed down to the next generation are just a few of the benefits of buying custom-made furniture.
Made by Artisans
Most factory-made furniture is created by workers who handle individual parts, craft their section, then pass it on to the next person. While it’s efficient, there’s little to no personal craftsmanship to the process. When you buy custom-made furniture, on the other hand, you’re acquiring a piece that was crafted from beginning to end by a master furniture-maker and their apprentices. Skills are often handed down from one artisan to another, so you’re also supporting a field based on a long-standing tradition. Also, if you commission a work, you and the craftsperson can collaborate and create a piece that’s specifically suited for you and your home.
Uniqueness
Most custom-made furniture is made from wood and other materials chosen for its color, character, and strength. When you purchase a custom-made piece, whether a live-edge wood slab bench or a solid wood desk, you’re getting a one-of-a-kind item that will stand out wherever you set it. So many homes feel and look practically the same because they have store-bought furniture, but handmade furniture has presence, strength, and a beautiful individuality, which says a lot about the person who selected it.
Eco-friendly
Most carpenters and furniture-makers have a special appreciation for wood and where it comes from and a dislike for wasting materials and natural resources. We at the Carpentry Shop Company, for example, are committed to reforestation and are partners with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit charity. For every product we sell, we plant one tree to take its place. We also make use of reclaimed wood, putting less strain on the forests by recycling and upcycling aged wood once used to build homes, barns, fences, and more. With reclaimed wood, you’ll know another tree wasn’t sacrificed for furniture you’ll throw away in a decade.
Supporting Small Businesses
When you buy from the bigger stores, unless you check the assembly manual or a sticker underneath, you have no idea who made your furniture, the conditions they work in, and who’s profiting from their labor. One of the big benefits of buying custom-made furniture is that you know who you’re dealing with. Yes, you’re paying more, but you know your money is going toward supporting a small business with skilled laborers determined to bring you the best products.