Handcrafted Furniture

By Crispin Potter

These days almost all furniture is mass produced. Even furniture pieces at the higher end of the market generally come off a production line. This mass-production has obvious benefits in terms of both cost and flexibility of course, but there's something a little impersonal about knowing that thousands of other people have the same bed, three-piece suite or dining furniture as you. The alternative is to buy Handcrafted Furniture from a specialist furniture manufacturer.

Although significantly more expensive than a mass-produced alternative, and generally more old-fashioned in appearance hand crafted furniture does offer unrivaled quality and exclusivity.
Once upon a time, all furniture was handmade. You have seen this furniture of old in the homes of your grandparents or in antique stores. Each piece was lovingly crafted according to the desires of the craftsman and client, resulting in furniture that was wholly unique. Designs were intricate and often used more than one type of wood.

When you find a handmade antique table, for example, you know that there is no other table in the world quite like it. Old-fashioned standards for making furniture were rigorous, and the furniture of our ancestors was built to last. That is why so much of it continues to be handed down through the generations.

Assembly line furniture however often lacks character and is certainly inferior in terms of build- quality and materials. Because it is created by machines and set patterns that are repeated over and over, it has no distinctive qualities, nothing that makes it stand out. In addition, Assembly line workers and machines function on tight schedules which means they can't afford to take the time to make sure every screw is tight and every joint fitted perfectly. The speed at which such furniture must be made also means that cheap and often inferior materials are used in its construction, resulting in pieces that tend to fall apart in even a few short years. As with everything though there are exceptions. The original Egg Chair of the 1950s and other mass-produced retro items from the 1950s, 60s and 70s have stood the test of time, and are much sought after these days as the fashion of these past decades becomes current once again.

Further quality issues have also arisen as a result of the recent self-assembly furniture revolution. The idea behind self-assembly furniture is that costs are significantly reduced and transportation of large items is easy, and as a consequence this type of furniture has revolutionized the furniture industry. However, assembling furniture at home with no expert supervision, following a series of often complicated black and white instructions does not guarantee correct construction.

The ultimate luxury in furniture is handcrafted bespoke designs. Specialist furniture manufacturers can be commissioned to produce bespoke designs that fit exactly with the customer's décor. Bespoke furniture can be very costly but can be viewed as an investment as well as a perfect interior design solution. In most cases, if treated correctly, this type of furniture will increase in value over time.

Crispin Potter is a Design Graduate currently working for an Interior Design company in Leeds. He is a fan of furniture from all periods as long as it is design-led. He has recently commissioned Mawdsley Williams to create him a bespoke dining table and chairs for his recently purchased house.
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