Why Custom Furnishings and Cabinets Are Worth the Cost
An experienced designer shares 4 reasons to consider made-to-order designs
Sabrina Alfin
March 10, 2021
California CID.
Have you ever noticed how spaces profiled on Houzz have that little extra something that makes them stand out from the pack? Sure, great photography helps, but it’s often the small details that help define a room and make it come alive. Maybe it’s a fabric pattern on a sofa that pulls in a piece of art on the wall or a built-in cabinet that transforms an awkward corner into the highlight of the room.
I think one of the best reasons to hire an interior designer is that we can get you something no one else has: furnishings and finishes that are custom-made just for you and your home. Here are the four reasons I give to my own clients as to why spending a bit more for made-to-order custom designs is worth it.
I think one of the best reasons to hire an interior designer is that we can get you something no one else has: furnishings and finishes that are custom-made just for you and your home. Here are the four reasons I give to my own clients as to why spending a bit more for made-to-order custom designs is worth it.
1. It’s All About Craftsmanship
When you pay for custom design, you’re paying for the labor and craftsmanship of people who have honed their skills over many years. One-off, custom-designed pieces, like this bed from Niche Interiors, generally cost more because they are individually crafted for the homeowner to exact specifications.
Note the upholstered panels of curated fabric set into the walnut headboard with mitered edges that align perfectly against the bed wall. The attached floating nightstands fit seamlessly into the headboard, creating a custom look that’s hard to beat.
When you pay for custom design, you’re paying for the labor and craftsmanship of people who have honed their skills over many years. One-off, custom-designed pieces, like this bed from Niche Interiors, generally cost more because they are individually crafted for the homeowner to exact specifications.
Note the upholstered panels of curated fabric set into the walnut headboard with mitered edges that align perfectly against the bed wall. The attached floating nightstands fit seamlessly into the headboard, creating a custom look that’s hard to beat.
Here, custom cabinets and shelving designed by Elms Interior Design fit like a glove to the right of the fireplace surround, making the space more unified and harmonious. When you consider that some semicustom cabinets aren’t a whole lot different in price than fully custom, might the increase in price be worth the splurge? When the outcome is this tailored, functional and aesthetically pleasing, it’s hard not to see the value in it.
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2. You Can Support Local Businesses
Another great thing about custom-designed pieces, like the beautiful rift-sawn French white oak cabinets in this kitchen by Julie Rootes Interiors, is that the people who do the fabrication and installation are generally in your own backyard. Hiring them puts money into your local economy and keeps people employed. It’s nice to know that spending a bit more for well-crafted design can also be a boon to your community.
Another great thing about custom-designed pieces, like the beautiful rift-sawn French white oak cabinets in this kitchen by Julie Rootes Interiors, is that the people who do the fabrication and installation are generally in your own backyard. Hiring them puts money into your local economy and keeps people employed. It’s nice to know that spending a bit more for well-crafted design can also be a boon to your community.
Locally made custom design isn’t just for kitchens and baths. This amazing bunk room in a family vacation home by Larsen Development Co. is a great example of using the available space to its best advantage.
The center steps make for easy access to the upper bunks. Drawers under the bottom bunks and shelving on either side help contain the clutter that four kids will undoubtedly create while having the time of their lives.
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The center steps make for easy access to the upper bunks. Drawers under the bottom bunks and shelving on either side help contain the clutter that four kids will undoubtedly create while having the time of their lives.
Shop for bedding
3. Details Make It Divine
Buttons, appliques, embroidery, tassels — if your designer can dream it up, it can probably be made. By using blue-and-white tape trim, my design studio transformed the pillow on the right from a plain knife-edge pillow into a custom accent piece.
Our workroom staff is genius when it comes to keeping those lines straight and the right angles perfect. It’s that kind of eye for detail that makes made-to-order custom design so special.
Buttons, appliques, embroidery, tassels — if your designer can dream it up, it can probably be made. By using blue-and-white tape trim, my design studio transformed the pillow on the right from a plain knife-edge pillow into a custom accent piece.
Our workroom staff is genius when it comes to keeping those lines straight and the right angles perfect. It’s that kind of eye for detail that makes made-to-order custom design so special.
This living room by Ann Lowengart Interiors features some great examples of impactful custom design. The occasional chairs are upholstered with one style of fabric on the outside of the frame and another on the inside, creating an instant wow factor. The custom tone-on-tone geometric area rug grounds the space and livens up an otherwise neutral scheme.
4. It Doesn’t Have to Be All or Nothing
Yes, custom design can be expensive. One way you can keep your budget in check is by paying more for permanent architectural features and finishes and less on furniture.
This living room by Jeanne Campana Design features custom built-in cabinets and shelving on the fireplace wall and and a custom coved ceiling detail. The simple but elegant slipcovered sofas were bought retail. If you’re going to splurge, it’s never a bad idea to put your money into design that will increase the value of your home.
Yes, custom design can be expensive. One way you can keep your budget in check is by paying more for permanent architectural features and finishes and less on furniture.
This living room by Jeanne Campana Design features custom built-in cabinets and shelving on the fireplace wall and and a custom coved ceiling detail. The simple but elegant slipcovered sofas were bought retail. If you’re going to splurge, it’s never a bad idea to put your money into design that will increase the value of your home.
You can also take a simple, relatively inexpensive retail sofa and add custom pillows to give the room a luxe and collected feel. A few hundred dollars in custom pillows is a lot less expensive than a custom sofa costing thousands.
More on Houzz
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How 3 Design Pros Customized Their Own Kitchens
Find an interior designer
Shop for a sofa
More on Houzz
A Pro Offers Her Top 5 Function-Packed Home Improvements
How 3 Design Pros Customized Their Own Kitchens
Find an interior designer
Shop for a sofa
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Pillows look great and they are beautiful BUT you only toss them on the floor because you can’t even sit on the sofa with all of them
This was a great article, but as an older person who’s owned several houses, I think custom cabinetry and millwork are very taste-specific and reflective of one owner’s vision. So if I invest, I’ll try to be as judicious as possible. Case in point, my last home was quite grand, but several of these design decisions I knew would be coming out. Attached are some photos illustrating my point. The bedroom pelmet, the tv cabinet and the ceiling box over the island all had to go. Not to waste perfectly good wood, we offered it to a woodworker who repurposed it all.
When I think of custom carpentry I think of solving problems. In this old house the water lines for the bathroom come up through the floor, in the middle of the vanity. The drain goes out the back wall a few inches to the left of the water lines. Bottom drawers could be no more than 5"wide on one side and 6" wide on the other side. Since we could only afford stock vanities, we have no drawers and they drilled 2 holes in the bottom. Having the plumbing re-routed is also not in our budget.