Custom Made Project Daydream Contest – October 2011
We have teamed up with the fabulous design blog Design-Milk.com to have a contest. Read more about it below and throw your hat in the ring if you’d like!
CustomMade is the first online marketplace to connect shoppers looking for custom made goods with the skilled artisans who create them. Think of us as match.com but for custom made goods; we connect the people who want custom stuff with the people who can make it. Besides being able to browse through the portfolios of thousands of talented artisans on CustomMade, we have a cool feature called Get It Made where you can describe your project idea and talented artisans will come to you if they feel they are a great fit for making your project. Check it out here: http://www.custommade.com/get-it-made
How does this contest work? We’re giving away $500 in CustomMade credit to one lucky entrant!
If you win, you can use this $500 in credit for the Get It Made feature or towards any purchase of a custom made item via our site.
What do you need to do to enter?
All you need to do is leave a comment below describing a custom made project you’ve been daydreaming about. Now, get those creative juices flowing and tell us your custom made daydream!
You can leave more than one comment with your project ideas but each email address will only be counted once. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on Nov 1, 2011. The $500 in credit will be paid directly to the maker that the winner choose to work with. The winner will be responsible for any additional costs of the project if any.
I’m daydreaming of a custom built finished basement! I realize the $500 won’t get me there so I’d spend that on something small like a new entryway table for home made of chocolate colored walnut.
I’m daydreaming about custom made radiator covers. We have a great 1920s townhouse with a heating system that works great… but I have large metal radiators in every room. I’d love a custom made radiator cabinet for my living room that maybe uses repurposed shutters or doors. In a perfect world it would incorporate extra shelving on the sides, too!
I would use the $500 towards an experimental binary spindle bench.
If I’m daydreaming, it’s usually about jewelry. I’m having both a hammered silver cuff bracelet and a necklace with tumbled stones attached to hammered silver being made right now. I can hardly wait to see them!
We have a weird space in our bedroom that really needs something special to fill it – I’m thinking a custom-made rocking chair or chaise lounge.
I’d really love some guitar stands. After I’m finished playing I always zip them up and store them out of sight, just because they’re in the way. They’re beautiful objects, and it’s a shame to hide them!
I’m looking to have some really nice live edge drink coasters made!
I’m looking for some custom made wine glasses that will go with any meal
I’d like a metal name stamp so I can customise my own creations.
I’m daydreaming about a bed in the form of a castle that includes a moat. I would like the castle part of the bed to be the headboard, I’m thinking something like 9′ by 12′, I mean I want this thing to be BIG. The bed part will actually be the main gate of the castle which acts like a Murphy Bed and drops down from a chain over the moat. There may need to be a small electrical fountain which keeps the water running under the bed when it’s down (I hear stagnant water can become unhygienic after too long). At the bed posts by the head I would like torches with real flames for late night reading, studying, etc. I’m thinking this – http://bit.ly/pAKdNV meets this http://bit.ly/r47l1h.
I have been dreaming lately about a custom DVD/CD storage unit that combines aesthetic appeal with efficient storage ability.
I would love to have a platform bed with 4 drawers on one side and shelving with sliding doors on the other side. It would also have a headboard with a shelf for an alarm clock and a few other essentials. It would allow me much needed storage space in my tiny bedroom.
I’d like a little door to go under our stairs so our kids can have a little hideaway.
I’ve been daydreaming about a floor standing cigar humidor that can also serve as liquor cabinet/wine rack and glass holder. Might as well have all your vices stored in the same place!
I have this great, large-scale puzzle in mind.
I’m a musician and I happen to have a few old, unusable instruments. I’ve always wanted to take one of my beat-up trombones and make it into a lamp.
I’ve been dreaming about a computer desk/draft table where just a side or middle section of the table is able to be raised and lowered for my drafting, illustrations, and other projects that work best on a draft table.
I’d like to have a motorized lift made for my little dog who has trouble jumping up on the bed. The dog steps on a platform, it senses the weight and safety doors close on three sides. It lifts her up. When the dog walks onto the bed, the lift senses this and slowly lowers to the floor (the dog has no trouble jumping down). The doors open for the next use.
I’ve had a picture in my mind of a coffee table, for, oh, two years, and have never seen anything like it. Yeah, yeah, coffee table shmoffee table; no big deal, but I’d love to see it realized.
Closets, closets and more closets. I don’t have a ton of clothes but I’ve dreamed of a large closet since I was a kid sharing a small room and single closet with four sisters. Shelves, drawers, shoe racks, hanging bars galore and of course, enough space for that all important chaise that only massive closets have.
I love words, so I always daydream about a piece of furniture covered with words and images that are inspiring, motivational, and anyone who looks at it feel warm and fuzzy and happy. Inspiring quotes of different fonts, sizes, and colors. Interesting images of people, things, parks, trees, mountains, sky. Every color imaginable, different shapes and textures, words and phrases completely covering a table, a bookshelf, or a nightstand. I would love it.
Ever since we moved into our Spanish Colonial-style house, I’ve been daydreaming about a dining room table and chair set that evokes a medieval castle, but still retains some modernity. A thick slab of wood; maybe eight or nine feet long; some wrought iron detailing, but not enough to make it cheesy; beautifully stained to coordinate with our wood floors; simple chairs that fit in the space without making it feel like only King Arthur should sit there. It seems so basic and yet we can’t seem to find anything in stores that quite fits the bill.
Living in a small studio apartment as a socialite with a large family who likes to visit, a great creation would be a custom-made birch wood 3-drawer dresser that pulls opens into a comfy fold-out mattress or sleeper.
Imagine the possibilities: You’ve got Mom and Pops over, but where can you put the air mattress in a tiny studio? Don’t fret, Mom! Pull open one of the dresser drawers to reveal a luscious pillow-top twin mattress on a study fold-out frame. Oh, you and Dad want to sleep in something larger? DON’T WORRY! The mattress unfolds to reveal a full-size and the frame extends to fit! …Oh, you and Dad want t sleep in my bed? OK…I’ll sleep on the pull-out! Everyone’s happy! And I don’t have to sleep on the floor!
Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Either way, I’d name it the IKEA crusher. Unlike the Swedish furniture-maker’s stuff, it’s multifunctional AND durable. SOMEONE PLEASE DESIGN THIS MAGICALNESS!
I would love to find a dining table with drawers so it could be used as a desk when not entertaining.
I have a small bedrooms, so I want to replace my 18″ deep dressers with a series of stacking wood boxes for my clothes – 12″ deep x about 18″ tall x the width of my folded shorts, jeans or shirts. Think of it – no more digging down in dark drawers to find the tee shirt you want; no more wearing the same three items that are on top because that is what is easy to see; no more having to refold everything in the dang drawer after you finally dig out the item you want. Having a door instead of a drawer keeps the dust out, makes all contents visible at a glance and simplifies the structure. The smaller depth will free up valuable floor space. The system can be expanded with some larger boxes for winter clothes, or smaller ones for undies. The idea though is that it is only ONE piece of clothing deep.
I recently moved into my first place and am dreaming of a small bookcase that can house my favorite reads. A dark-stained wood design that blends rustic charm with modern style would look absolutely stunning in the space, and it’ d be fun to use vintage posters or bold artwork to line the back of the bookcase. I’ve hunted at architectural salvages for months and can’t seem to find the perfect piece to make my own, and I’d love to see this project spring to life.
I have been wanting to get a custom made kitchen table for awhile now, didn’t know this great site existed! I like solid wood, built to last a lifetime with dark stain. The table would be great in our current kitchen but would have to be able to suit a modern house down the road. Great furniture is hard to find these days, this would be a fantastic way to invest in a table or another great custom made object from the site!
I’d love to work with another artist on a custom-made bookcase! I don’t have any set ideas, but collaboration is my favorite part of art so ideas aren’t a problem!
A custom-made bookshelf is on my list….
I’d undoubtedly build track-lighting, with the track made out of old railroad lines.
I’d like to design a table/shelving cabinet for my studio.
i’m a coffee table addict, and i would love to have one custom made that ticks all my boxes. beautiful, functional, versatile. i’m on a student budget so i won’t get there by myself. please pick me!
I’ve been interested in reclaimed wood surfaces of late, and I’ve had my eye on a bench style reclaimed wood dinning table. Where the planks of wood are uneven in length at the end of the table but over all has a nice reclaimed wood look and feel to it. The benches would be of the same style. Over all simple and exaggerated on the nice quality of reclaimed wood.
I have been dreaming up a nautically inspired gate to go at the top of a ship-ladder to a loft bedroom in a vacation home. I’m thinking a net woven from fairly thick rope. Willing to work out details with a craftsman!
After shopping for what feels like years, the wife and I have resided to the fact that we need a custom media console. If we could take our top 5 from places like Ikea, Room & Board, and DWR it would be perfect. It would have room for my center channel speaker that is the average size of full size center speakers, but if you want a media console that looks good, too bad. Most store bought consoles have tiny shelves for tiny speakers. Everything else would get tucked away into a nice dark walnut, low profile console with plenty of holes for wires and maybe a fan or two for venting our HTPC, with clean lines and just a touch of mid century inspiration.
If I am daydreaming, it would be moving into our own home. My wife and I are always moving from apartment to apartment and would love to be able to have a home to personalize and customize. Since that is out of the question at the moment I would love a custom built bedroom. A large bed frame with built in shelving and storage.
Since I have no kitchen cupboards (and am renting so can not install any) I’ve been dreaming of 2 kitchen hutches to house my dishes, dining linens, small electrical appliances, and can be used as additional counter/prep area, as well as a serving buffet, with a ‘nook’ somewhere for recycling.
I have this odd shaped room in my apartment and I’m dreaming of the perfect wrap around brightly colored sofa for it!
I’ve been dreaming of creating a unique desk that would be a cross between Mid Century Modern and Steampunk.
I’m dreaming of the most beautiful and functional small mosaic dining table ( maybe seating 4 to 6). My only dining space is outdoors, so it must withstand the temperate elements we have here in Southern California. I want it to be a work of art, something with soul.
I dream of a mid century modern inspired sideboard that rests in our dining room then swoops down to the adjoining sunken living room to serve as a storage in one beautiful, functional piece.
I’m daydreaming of a small desk that I can transform to perform as a sim racing rig, we moved to a smaller apartment recently and I’ve had to downsize to a lap only (my old desk was too big). I’ve got it designed and everything, however, I’ve got no facilities to make it. I’d also gladly work with the builder to license the design if they’d like.
I would love a Moroccan style desk for my Imac. Something typically Moroccan that would be customized to go with My printer, I mack and all my accessories for my work. I’m a photographer. So storage for paper, cards, lenses, cameras… you know air tight, custom fit or ajustable to store all my stuff. Desk/wall-unit type of desk. HArd to describe but would be an more than interesting project.
I’d love a small dining room table with different colored wood creating a pattern and legs carved in an interesting shape.
I am not dreaming but making sketches of a custom made bench along the wall and in the corner of our kitchen. Something like the Austrian benches you see there in every home and restaurant but then a modern version. Made from recycled wood to give it a used /beachy look.
I am dreaming of an 8′ built-in wall unit that incorporates an expanding table of some sort–a large (3×4?) surface that swings out or folds up/ down without compromising the utility of or access to the unit’s drawers/cupboards/shelves.
I’m dreaming of a custom built finished basement that has long been waiting to get done. This will surely set me up for success!
We have a broken (unrepairable) hot tub that is set down into a deck – it is going to be difficult to remove and the deck will have to be rebuilt. I’m dreaming of turning it into a fire pit – filled with rock or sand, cool decorative rocks on top, a big iron fire pit inset (for cooking or lounging by) and bench seating built up around the perimeter. From swamp to swank – a fabulous outdoor living area where currently exists a hole in a deck filled with tad poles.
Where to start… I keep dreaming up projects, but those magic little elves never show up.
My daydream is more like a decades-long dream: In the 70s my dad customized an old pie safe that had been in family for years and “updated” it, complete with bright-orange laminate covered with black lattice work. VERY hip. Today, my family uses it as our “command center” — a landing spot for our phones, mail, stationery, phone book, cook books, etc. While I love what this piece represents — my childhood during a simpler, more sane era, and my dad who has since passed away — I dream about a modern take on this concept with, as a wink to Dad, a 1970s vibe.
I love wooden boxes, trunks, etc. What I would like is a small chest, small enough to fit on a book shelf. It would be in the style of a steamer trunk with a curved top or a pirates chest. It would also have a secret/hidden compartment at least big enough for a deck of cards, but could be bigger.
Ideally the trunk would be lockable, either with a built in lock, or a latch over a loop that a small padlock could fit.
I would be more interested in workmanship then flair, but flair is nice.
I am in serious need of 2 custom nightstands. I’ve always daydreamed of having an amazing set of small wood tables, Mid Century in style.
I would love to have some art deco inspired living room seating and side tables.
As part of a recent design project in university, I designed a modern-inspired coffee table that I would love to have made.
I would like a modern looking standing desk (or one that easily converts to standing). My back would be grateful.
I’d love to see a desk or secratary made from reclamed video game cabinets – 80′s era.
I would love to have a geometric set of shelves!
I’ve had an idea for a while to make a space-efficient desk that’s also beautiful in design. What I’m picturing is a large flower that’s mounted on the wall. It would look like an unopened bloom against the wall. Then there would be some sort of release (I picture a string with a ball on the end) that you pull and the flower “blossoms” to have the petals unfold and lock into place in the flat, desk position. Once unfolded, it could either be the plain desk or it could contain a compartment or two for pencils, paper or a laptop (maybe an option for power supply?). Then there would be another way to fold it back up- either by designing it in a way that lifting the center petal would fold it all together, or again a level or string that would pull the flower back into the closed form.
I think that one the most important pieces in a house to a home owner is none other than their coffee mug. He/she see it (assuming they drink coffee) every morning and has the potential to start a bad day or a good day. I mentally designed this mug a while back…
The top of the handle is fashioned after the handle of a pistol (revolver of sorts), where the trigger guard flows down into the main part of the handle itself. The trigger is actually a switch that locks in (on) or clicks and pops out (off). It turns on an electromagnet at the base of the cup so it will stick to metal surfaces quite well, yet small rubber stoppers separate the mug from the surface to eliminate sliding. The battery cell for the magnet can be placed in the butt of the pistol or any other convenient place. The inside of the mug is plated with stainless steel or another food-grade material followed closely by a layer of copper (not visible) to conduct heat from hot drinks and cold from the cold ones. All of this is wrapped in an insulating material (rubber, or polyurethane?) to maintain the temperature of the beverage and for handling the mug without burning one’s self. This material also needs to be around the upper rim of the mug so one can’t burn their lips. The color(s) should be neutral(ish) so it doesn’t clash with most rooms.
I feel like it’d be impossible to start a day wrong with this mug. It’s hard to spill, looks awesome, stays hot (or cold), matches any table, easy handling (the pistol grip when setting it down or reach for it which also allows easy trigger access and the trigger guard when drinking from it), and the outside is virtually burn proof (no more hot fingers!). On top of everything else, Nov. 1st is my Birthday (11-01-91) Im turning 20, and if I was feeling generous, its my Mom’s birthday too.
I would love a custom made bar cart with shelving for liquor similar to wine cellars and perhaps some built-in pourers. It would also need some cabinetry and be painted with a cool color blocking scheme.
My wife and I really want a custom two person (partner desk). I am a graphic designer and she is a business manager with an ephasis in hr, so we need very different things from our desk but we still want to be able to see and work next to each other in the same space
I would love a slim modern media console that would be customized for the electronics we own.
An old shop fan(removed from metal casing/screens) turned into a ceiling fan with an acrylic casing to show the motor turning the band/wheel which spins the fan.
A light box coffee table. With either frosted glass top or polygal with a clear glass top with a remote color changing led light system.
A guitar stand that connects to the back of a guitar. Slowly folds in while playing but when sets down 2 legs kick out. Viola! guitar stand everywhere you go. (basically the setup from a golf bag on the back of a guitar. I once screwed a vintage club bag setting into an old guitar. It was awesome but something that could clamp or spring hold would be nice.
A modern coffee table with a built in planter.
Side table hidden doghouse with round door
Lamp made from recycled blinds (the old long white 3″ wide variety)
Rug made from recycled something to look like grass with sewed in flowers (kids room?)
Hanging light fixture that looks like modern Japanese clouds. Reference samurai champloo opening credits. Probably on YouTube.
I can provide drawings to any of these. Email me for more information.
Imagine this: reclaimed barn wood dining table using a variety of colored planks glued together in a butcher block fashion. Add a metal strip down the center as an accent and modern metal legs to contrast with the rustic barn wood. You know, if you don’t make it for me, I might just have to try it myself!
I would love a custom-made dining room table made from an old door. I can envision using a door from an old house and putting a nice piece of glass on top. The legs would be constructed from an older table.
For my final major project I designed a display system from slats of plywood, using a responsive and flexible hinged system…it allows the user to manipulate the unit to suit their needs…i have detailed drawings and a 1:1 scaled 2m x 2m fixed demonstration piece…please make my dream a working reality!!!
I would like a 1900s industrial style desk and shelf made from reclaimed wood, metal and glass.
My husband and I recently bought our first home(condo) – and as most big purchases like that go…it left little to no room for new furniture. I love reclaimed works and would love to have a custom made headboard for our bedroom. We have almost 10′ ceilings and I’m looking for a focal point – a piece that is as much fictional as it is a statement..i.e. No artwork needed – the headboard says it all. Something with height, character, and conversation making. Hope we can work together!
We have extensive decorative hookah collection. Most of these items are odd shapes that makes storing them away an organizers nightmare. I had an idea for a unique custom “china” cabinet, but with pegboard and hooks on the top back to hang the stems, with maybe one deep shelf for the vases. It could have beautiful doors and glass inserts so you could see the pretty vases. It would need to have at least one drawer on the bottom to have space for all the little things that go along.
I’m an architect by profession. As I design spaces, I’m always wishing I could customize certain pieces of furniture in them. My dream project though, is this round minimalist vision of glass and wood that I have for my own home. I’ve browsed through more dining table designs than I can count. Each one has some detail not quite right about it (sometimes the price!) But good custom workers are hard to find. Hope I can get this out of my head and into physical form with your help.
I am dreaming of a custom-made media center in my bedroom that is made out of salvaged mushroom wood, glass doors and rusty turquoise pieces of some sort. I need it to be over-sized like at least 80 inches long. A nice large statement. Oh one day……. I will find my piece made from heaven! Unless you know where I can find it now?
I have been dreaming of a modular storage system that holds a full size flat file at the bottom, then cabinets and shelves above. Modular and sleek, made from reclaimed wood and metal. More of a custom-built-in than anything else, but it can be rearranged as life brings different needs.
As an artist I dream about a custom made cabinet or wall shelf that could hold my paint tubes, jars, brushes and tools. The cabinet would be made out of pine stretcher bars, stretched canvas, recycled containers and could have a built in easel and stool. Thanks
Looking for the perfect bar height work table with either plain top or wood in shape of chevron pattern-with thin metal legs.
or round dining table with geometric base.
We have several items on our list: a built in book/entertainment unit, breakfast nook with table & benches & perhaps a few custom shelves for other places in our home. We’d love to have these pieces made in unique styles or materials and are willing to work with the artist/woodworkers to design them.
I am a graphic designer and have had a pretty horrible, clunky, inefficient desk for the past 8 years. As I plan to spend more time working from home, I would love for someone to create a desk that can be used for design, drafting, and storage for related items. This would increase my quality of life immensely and I’d be happy to let a creator’s imagination run wild in terms of materials, size, etc. or to provide as much guidance as needed.
we just moved into the city, and we need a coffee table. a custom one would be awesome, especially since we are designers ourselves.
I would love a custom made small dining table, kitsch style, made out of recycled material, basically I would love for the artist to go bananas with it
My fiance and I are living in my mom’s guest house to save up for a house…a lot of that includes not splurging on furniture, even though we love it so, so much. My family is huge on harvest tables in a country way, but our style is mid-century modern and industrial and we would love to have a custom table done with industrial, reclaimed metal parts and unfinished wood. Great contest!
I would love to have a custom acrylic Buffett/ sideboard made for my dining room, something very clean- lined, modern looking. Also with maybe some stainless somewhere or white accent.
I’d love to have a custom made desk, as small as possible, I’ve noticed when I’m working at a large desk I tend to fill every space that isn’t filled with junk I don’t need. I’m thinking bleached oak, I’m thinking modern japanese minimalism, I’m thinking 70cm wide with room for a small synth and an iMac, I’m thinking a plate that you can extend out from under the desk for the keyboard and mouse. This would be lovley and would solve a lot of headaches.
Excited to see who wins and to see the end resault of course, everyone seems to have great ideas!
Accually.. I think ash tree would be better, might as well add it.
I’m moving to a new apartment that has got a modern, rough concrete/steel balcony. It would be lovely to have some kind of natural looking easy chair there. I’m thinking in the style of natural birch logs/branches/stems with the bark still on. All neat and as minimalistic looking and most important of all, comfortable to sit in while resting.
I would love to have a custom made desk. Desks always tend to clutter full of stuff you actually need but entangled with cords etc. you really don’t want so see on your workspace. So the desk would need a two-componend-desktop to store ALL cables with just a small outlet sprouting only the one necessary electric plug. Everything else should slide through a narrow gap in the desktop itself.
I would love to create a narrow sideboard in the classic chinese lacque style with a glossy red surface but instead of drawers in the same scheme with drawers made out of e.g. recycled Teak or some other massive, slightly dark wood.
I would like a whimsical, child-proof storage ottoman to keep all of my needles, pins, scissors and hand-sewing in. I do a lot of sewing when my kids take naps, or when we watch a movie. But my youngest is almost 8 months- just about the age where they want to touch everything.
A sports altar that is mounted on the wall that folds open to reveal all the memorabilia we have collected and hides it away out of site to keep little ‘jam’ hands from breaking our bobble heads.