The joy of making Bespoke furniture
I thought to cheer myself up a grey day by the sea that i’d talk more about the bespoke furniture we handmake in our specialist workshop.
One of the things i especially enjoy is the fact that every piece of furniture we create really is truly bespoke. Every one is unique to the client who wants it and for me thats quite a challenge in design terms.
So here’s an example of a recent build. The process works something like this:
The brief:
The client wants a bespoke armoire made that has unique features for their 6 year old daughter –
Dimensions – super large 6 door armoire 3.2m wide x 2.8m high (wow!)
Style – Swedish Gustavian but restrained and not too ornate
Decoration – main carving and decorated cornice
Finish – hand painted flat finish with light antiquing
Internal storage requirements: combination of hanging rails and shelving on the sides with a central recessed chest of drawers on soft shutting runners
The challenge:
To design an armoire that didnt overshadow the room or look too ‘fussy’ while allowing for all the relevant internal storage space while remaining true to the Gustavian design ‘ethos’.
Being a 6 door armoire, it was important to create a door design that broke up the profile visually so that the piece didnt feel like one big block and had a smoothness to it.
Here was the concept drawing:
The frame was made from oak and the sweeping cornice was carved carved to achieve a visual fluency.
Inside we used oak veneer ply for stability in a lovely oak stain with oak shelving and a central 4 drawer chest of drawers set into the central section with soft closing runners and double hanging rails.
We made the armoire in sections as it had to get up a tight staircase and assembled it on site
It took all day to get it together and balanced but looked amazing in the room
You can see more of our bespoke armoires at https://www.swedishinteriordesign.co.uk/bespoke-furniture/armoires.html
They usually take 8-12 weeks to make depending on the complexity and we can design one in any style you like