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How to Commission a piece - it is easy.
The process of commissioning a piece of custom furniture is much easier and less painful than you think. Call us on the phone or drop us an email, outlining what you are thinking about. If you have a budget, this is the time to talk about it. "I want a bureau for my daughter" or "I need a side table for my entryway - the one I have is too big - and I don't want to pay more than $600 " are two ways to get across the start of an idea.Then we talk over the phone and flesh out more fully your needs and desires. If it is not possible for your budget, I can generally point you in a direction that you can move - Yes, I have pointed people to IKEA.
I find that the more that you know about the process, and the more that we discuss it, the easier it is to work together. For every deposit or payment, there is an invoice and a payment record made. For every change to the design after our initial agreement there is a record made – usually a confirming email. You are welcome to come to my shop anytime to see the progress.
If the idea seems to be good for us both, then I put together a sketch and an estimate or a quote. Most times it is a hard quote - only occassionally is an item an estimate, and that is when there are significant unknowns in the process - wood or finish or delivery obstacles are the most common.
It may take two or three sketches to get the idea right, and then I take a deposit for the piece and enter the work into the schedule. At this point I can give you a good delivery date.
Here is the entire process, starting with the receipt of the deposit::
Design: The design process involves making detailed drawings of the piece, which are generally passed by you for approval. It is easy to change things on paper - much more difficult to change them once they have been cut into wood or metal.
Fabrication: I start searching for wood immediately if I do not have it in my inventory. Once I have it in house, I stack it for about 2 or 3 weeks before I cut into it to let it stabilize. I have very few problems with wood movement this way. On some pieces, there are custom metal pieces that have to be fabricated. I almost always have the parts in hand well before they are needed. After the entire piece is assembled, I send you an invoice for a second 1/3 of the price, along with a couple of finish samples for you to pick from.
Finishing: After we agree on a finish, you sign one of the finish samples, and I take it back to the shop so that I can make certain the final piece matches the finish sample. It usually takes about 3 weeks of elapsed time to do all the finishing for a piece and to have it cure so that it does not off-gas in your home.
Delivery: I generally deliver all my own pieces in the Northeast region, since I know all of my clients pretty well as friends before the process is over. It is always fun to see it in place in its new home.
I also would like payment for the balance of the price when I deliver the piece.
Care and Feeding: I have a separate set of instructions for every piece. The piece should last for many years, and care is simple. If you ever have a problem or question, I am glad to deal with it and resolve it. This is a piece to last a lifetime. I will work on it, repair it, refinish it, and generally care for it as long as you have the piece.
You may have noticed: Furniture is hot! In recent years, furniture by 20th-century designers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Jean Prouvé, and Isamu Noguchi has taken center stage in exhibitions, design magazines, and auction houses. The result: Prices are up, and we do mean up. Today serious collectors are going after furniture by virtually every known designer, from established favorites like Gustav Stickley to relative unknowns like Paul McCobb. Even recent pieces by living artists like Frank Gehry and Wendell Castle have soared in price.
Of course, valuing furniture as an art form isn't new. Any museum design collection worth its salt is built around furniture, from Frank Lloyd Wright's chairs to Sam Maloof's rockers. As the craft field has matured, more work by contemporary furnituremakers is entering museum collections and getting the at tention it deserves. From our perspective, this is really something to celebrate.
But what makes one chest of drawers worth $25,000 and another $5,000? How can you be sure that a $10,000 chair is a wise investment?
For starters, almost any well-made hand-crafted furniture can appreciate as long as it's maintained in good condition. High-quality materials and excellent workmanship ensure that a piece can stand up to heavy use. Remember, great furniture should add beauty, not stress, to your life. A fabulous designer sofa won't make you happy if you have to stand guard over your guests.
Auction prices are driven by attribution* and provenance*, so documentation is critical with investment-quality furniture. Maintain a record of every purchase, and be sure your pieces are signed or marked. Whether you buy online or through a gallery, learn about the artist's techniques and inspiration. Look for a solid history of exhibitions, publications, and collections. Find out where the artist trained, and how long they've been in the field. All of these factors affect pricing, and careful records will be invaluable if and when you decide to sell.
In short: Do your homework, buy what you love, treat it gently, and you'll have an heirloom on your hands!
*'Attribution' refers to associating the work with a particular artist.
*'Provenance' refers to the history of a particular piece's ownership
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