Custom Furniture Decision Fatigue | Stay Focused

Custom furniture made specifically for your wants and needs involves making many more decisions than going to a store to see what’s available. 

In the furniture store situation your decision is really whether or not what you see in front of you fits what you want.

If it is, great. You get the piece and move on. If it’s not, then you just move on - to the next display, or the next store.

Artisan Furniture | Made In Colorado

With an artisan furniture piece, however, the time and effort to shop is replaced by multiple decisions about everything - size, style, amenities, wood species, finishes, and so on.

It might seem overwhelming, but putting in the work will get you exactly what works best for you. Not what works best for the masses.

Our recent live edge coffee table project highlights the multiple steps. 

Very specific size constraints for the tables meant that ordinary retail furniture would not meet our clients’ needs. They were interested in a live edge slab look, and perhaps steel bases. That was the starting point.

What kind of wood? Something darker, like black walnut? Or lighter, like elm? 

Should the slab be even and unblemished? Or would defects filled with epoxy fit the bill? If epoxy, what color?

Live Edge Tables | Handcrafted For You

How about the edges? Some slabs have very irregular edges with steep angles. Others are straighter and more even. How much “character” do you want?

Picking out the actual slab can be arduous, as there are usually many interesting options. How do you decide?

Once the tops were figured out it was on to the bases. Wood or steel? If steel, do we leave the imperfections from milling or grind them away? Paint or powder coat? What color?

With custom furniture you can even choose the foot supports for your table. Adjustable feet? Cloth bottoms? Leather? Metal?

So many choices. How do you stay sane?

The first step is to embrace the fact that you’re in control. With a bespoke solid wood table you can choose what you want and what works for you.

You don’t settle for what the factory dictates.

In my experience, what often helps is the sense that you’re choosing from multiple excellent options. Most of the time you won’t go wrong.

Break the process down into smaller steps, make a decision and move to the next step.

Pick The Right Shop

Your shop should guide you as well. As a luxury custom furniture designer it’s tempting to come up with multiple designs for one-of-a-kind custom pieces. We need to guide our clients by listening to what they tell us and design for that.

You’ll know when you click with your shop when the two or three options you get all resonate. That means you’re on the same page.

Sometimes, however, your furniture designer might throw you a curve ball just to test the waters. If it doesn’t resonate, say so. Remember, this is about getting what is proper for you.

If it does resonate, though, run with it. It might open new doors for you.

And that’s the beauty of handmade, artisan furniture. By you and for you and for your lifetime.