The Real Cost Of Furniture That’s Made To Order
As a top Seattle interior designer, we know exactly what it takes to design a beautiful, functional + forgiving home. Sure, it takes time, energy + a bit of cash flow but making your home come to life –– oh honey it’s hard to put a price tag on this. Because when it comes to making your home feel like it’s hugging you people, the art of really bringing your home to life is –– a love investment.
Fortunately, the Pacific Northwest is full of vibrant creatives who are insanely talented + incredibly skilled at making things with their hands. But the cost of what they create in contrast to what you find scrolling through Wayfair is drastically different. Am I right?
Absolutely. So, let’s digress for a moment.
Whether you’re purchasing, fair trade produce (oh how I would do anything to safely be nestled among the crowded streets of Pike Place Market) or a luxury vehicle –– the cost isn’t just a number to us.
In fact, how we go about determining whether or not we want to buy the latest + greatest iphone or even a yummy yellow organic banana is linked directly to the benefits of what we’re getting in return.
Unfortunately, when it comes to purchasing furniture + buying tchotchkes for our home the overall value of:
what we’re getting
what it’s made with
where it’s physically made
and by whom it was created by
All of these details my love, quickly + easily slip through the cracks.
And by the time you find something that fits the space + looks halfway “decent,” we’re so wrapped up in how a piece l-o-o-k-s that the value of what we’re paying for gets lost in translation.
‘Our Real Cost Of’ blog series takes a dive into considering cost not as a number that’s comparable to another piece of furniture for any given space but in relation to the value of:
professional expertise
skilled craftsmanship
high quality (and ethically sourced) materials
In other words, when we think of ‘cost’ we’re asking you to take a big ol leap from the way you typically think of dollars + cents into a realm of the ‘value’ of what you’re paying for.
Not to worry, all along the way I’ll be defining the crazy mumble-jumble terminology that’s often heard while shopping for furniture + what it actually means. Because let’s be real boo, you’re not just looking for someone to find you items or to simply “fill your space” — what you love is the art of home.
How a beautiful space, designed just for you, transforms your life + affords you the time + energy to focus on what matters most to you — the people who mean the most.
If you’re interested in taking a look back through the archives here’s: the cost of custom furniture, the cost of handmade furniture and today — we’re looking at the cost of furniture that’s Made To Order.
Furniture Terminology
CUSTOM MADE FURNITURE
Yep we’re diving in + exploring custom furniture that’s made especially for you + your family by a craftsman that’s deeply invested in that special corner of your home.
The perks? You get to decide everything about this piece of furniture. From the overall aesthetic of the design in terms of shape, structure, and form to the specific materials being used that help create the color + finish.
In fact, one might argue that many retailers (online or in-person) offer a lot of these customizations: like customizing color, fabric choice, leg choice, or even cushion fill. And here lies the problem...
HANDMADE FURNITURE
Understanding the concept of handmade furniture isn’t really an issue because in most cases, it’s pretty straight forward. Handmade furniture is built with craftsman hands which makes each piece uniquely different even if they appear similar.
MADE-TO-ORDER
Furniture that is made to order is designed, created and/or produced when an order is placed by a customer. In other words, the manufacturer doesn’t maintain an inventory of any finished furniture.
It is possible that you could have a custom, handmade + made to order piece of furniture.
WHY FURNITURE THAT IS MADE TO ORDER MATTERS?
But don’t be fooled, because furniture that’s made to order is extremely special + it matters for a couple of reasons. For instance:
It’s Exclusive
Typically a made to order furniture piece isn’t being mass produced which is a good thing. It means less pieces exist in the world helping to make your home truly unique + feel more luxurious. But exclusivity isn’t all nor is it necessarily a status thing.
You Commissioned it
A piece of furniture that is made to order can’t be bought anywhere else but your desire + purchase of it commissioned it’s work. There’s a ton of value that exists in that because from the very beginning that piece is being created with you in mind, even if you had no say in the customization.
Leads To A Healthier Environment
A good “why” is always bigger than oneself. When you purchase made to order furniture, you’re contributing to a healthier environment. In society as a whole, overproduction (producing more than is needed) is a very real problem because what we don’t use + what doesn’t last us 1`ends up in the landfill.
While I could easily talk at nauseam boo, about “fast furniture,” I don’t want to spoil a special lil something we’re cooking up + will be sharing with you in a few short weeks. But to whet your appetite did you know that IKEA (pronounced “ee-kay-uh”) makes 15 Billy bookcases a minute + in the history of the billy bookcase they’ve produced more than 41 million of these guys, which is Absolutely. Insane.
When things aren’t mass produced at the lowest cost possible + being stored somewhere on an old dusty warehouse shelf — but instead are being made intentionally –– for you, you should feel really good knowing that you’re contributing to part of a greater solution.
And in case you haven’t seen yet — instead of sending those unwanted pieces to the landfill here’s an article we wrote that takes a closer look at how to donate things responsibly.
Doesn’t Furniture Made To Order Take Longer
In many cases an item that is produced after you pay for it is going to take longer to build + ship then an item you grab from the floor at Target. But that makes sense right? This particular piece is being made especially for you by a craftsman or skilled artisan who is investing their time + energy into it while the furniture you grab off the showroom floor was made for the masses, shipped across the world + lands at your door.
That said, not all pieces made to order are going to take longer. But creating a home that feels like the ultimate guilty pleasure isn’t about speed or efficiency of the shipping, it's about curating pieces that tell your family story and represent your values.
In the end, boo, the real cost of furniture that’s made to order is relative to ‘how much’ we value it.
Designing a home that you truly never want to leave is an investment. An investment in time. An investment in energy. And of course a financial investment.
It isn’t a destination you merely arrive at by happenstance.
And that’s because your home should represent you. It should embody things you cherish, value + stand for what you believe in.
But like most things in life so too do our family values + beliefs evolve over time. So, how could designing a home that feels like a guilty pleasure be a one + done kind of thing?
By this point, we’re aligned in knowing that you don’t want the cheapest furniture for your home (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this!) However what you value is furniture that’s made to last, that’s aligned and represents similar values to those of your own.
What you want isn’t the cheapest chop-shop interior design plan for your home, you want a home that’s carefully curated + designed not just to look amazing but for it to feel intuitive. For it to functional well and to actually live up to the demands of your everyday needs.
Boo, you want a home that hugs your people by being exactly what they need before they even realize they need it.
And this my friend is just a small part of the complex world we navigate for you as Seattle’s top an Interior Designer.
So when it comes to making decisions, the next piece of furniture or even the design work you see, I want you to pause for a moment to consider what the real cost of all of it is. What’s it worth to you?
To create a home that feels like the most comfortable part of your day, an interior designer has to do this for every aspect of how you live and for every piece of furniture, material, or product they bring into your home.
And it just so happens... we adore every bit of the process!
If you loved this article then you’re going to really enjoy the 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home.
P.S. if you’re planning your next project, lets chat.