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Today’s article by Anthony Ha at VentureBeat discusses our mission here at CustomMade.com and how we differ from other marketplaces for hand-crafted and/or customized products.
We’ve said it before and we say it again in the article – we believe custom is a service, not a product. What do you think?
Every Thursday, interior designer Sally Henninger shares her thoughts on design, furniture and the custom made world.
Mahogany Sheraton Elliptical Breakfast Table
Am I the only one left completely in love with breakfast tables?!
Think Sunday morning, the New York Times, and a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice next to a window with sunlight streaming in. I am loving this Sheraton style breakfast table by WM Thomas – stunning inlay and workmanship and I love the castors. This piece is sure to be in the family for years, passed down from generation to generation. I can imagine around it a set of skirted, upholstered Parson chairs in a neutral fabric – comfortable and a nice contrast to the wood.
French Provincial Table
Another all time favorite of mine is a French farm table. This one by Tomlinson Fine Woodworking is stunning. I love the cherry wood. This table is an extremely durable classic that gets even better with wear. Customize the size to fit into your breakfast nook! I can imagine it with white lacquered bamboo chairs for an updated look.
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About Sally Henninger
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Sally learned to cultivate her design aesthetic at an early age. After attending Boston University and holding numerous design internships, she ventured out on her own in 2007. Her style is sophisticated classics with an updated sensibility. Her taste lends itself to classic interiors that are timeless and suited to her clients’ needs.
To see more examples of breakfast tables, Sheraton tables, bamboo furniture, or French country or provincial style pieces by our artisans, browse CustomMade’s galleries.
Selecting the type of wood you want for your custom furniture or cabinets is exciting, but how do you pick the wood best suited for your needs? Guest contributor Robert Sproll of Artisan Woodworking offers some specific questions to consider for determining your requirements.
Once you’ve established your requirements, present them to a knowledgeable artisan woodworker who can then determine the appropriate wood for your needs.
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Remember, CustomMade.com allows you to post projects to the website and have woodworkers contact you directly: http://custommade.wufoo.com/forms/post-a-project/
Guest contributor Randy Maxey explains why finding a special piece of furniture can be difficult in a typical furniture store and how using CustomMade.com can help you find what you’re looking for.
“If you’ve spent a lot of time looking for that special piece of furniture or accessory, chances are you’ve walked away disappointed and empty-handed. Furniture stores usually stock the most popular items with a hefty markup. This means that most of these items are factory-made, often with little consideration for quality. The lack of variety and quality in a typical furniture store works against you when you’re searching for that special piece.
City Shaker Hall Table
Let’s take the example of a couple looking for a special table for their entryway or foyer. At the stores, their choices are fairly limited. But at CustomMade.com, they can browse the galleries of fine craftsman from the comfort of their own home. For example, at CustomMade.com, they can enter the words, “hall table,” in the search box at the top of the screen. They’ll get a gallery of photos from dozens of craftsmen, like the Shaker table shown here from Accolade Furniture.
Still can’t find what you’re looking for? A number of craftsmen at CustomMade.com will be happy to work with you to design something special that suits your tastes and space. Now, I’m not going to kid you: you may pay more than you would for a factory-made table, but the design will be yours and will last for generations. What more could you ask for?”
For more examples of Shaker style furniture by our artisans, or to search for a Shaker hall table, browse CustomMade’s galleries.
“When people hear the word exotic they first think expensive, but that is not always the case. There are some that are absolutely gorgeous and reasonably priced.” Guest contributor Michael Huber of Chesapeake Cabinet and Woodworks strives to introduce customers to the variety and beauty of exotic woods.
Bubinga
“When I sit down with a potential client my first question is: have you thought of what type of wood you want to center the project around? I usually hear cherry, oak, or maybe maple. These are the three most commonly known woods. At that point I’ll suggest: how about some woods like bubinga, zebrano, shedua, or maybe sapele? I want to let them know we can build a very unique piece with some incredible wood. Africa is home to these woods, some of the most beautiful in the world.
Zebrano
Deciding on the wood may take some time and effort. At this point in my career I have pretty much every exotic sample imaginable, but if necessary I will make samples of the finished wood so the client can see what the wood truly looks like once a clear coat is applied. Once a customer decides on the wood, then the project begins to take shape.
Sapele
In dealing with exotics each wood requires a different expertise. To make furniture from these woods you need to know how they machine and what glues and finishes are compatible. My advice to anyone getting custom woodworking done is to make sure the woodworkers really know their wood. You can judge their expertise by having them describe the impact different types of woods would have on both the look and construction of the project and then recommend a type of wood for the project.”
Browse CustomMade’s galleries to see works in Bubinga, Zebrano, Shedua, and Sapele
The Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, are in their 3rd week. Just a few days of hair-raising moments and inspiring feats by athletes from around the world remain. Despite the early tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, the games have been well watched and received by the world.
As I write today, the United States is ahead in the medal standings, with Germany close behind. So far, 26 countries have won medals, with plenty of action still to come.
At the risk of sounding obvious, it occurred to me that the athletes, from all corners of the globe, have many items custom made for them.
Figure skaters have their dresses custom made. Skiers have skis custom made. Bobsledders have their sleds and suits custom made. The medals the athletes compete for are also custom made. Here is a really cool video and website showing how the medals were created. You can see the care the artisans took to create something truly special.
World-class athletes using custom items and competing for something completely custom!
That is something we can understand.
-Mike
We asked subscriber Darrell Peart of Darrell Peart Furnituremaker to write about how he executes the features of Greene & Greene style. Mr. Peart delves into the details and reveals the importance of order, hierarchy, and time in the Greene & Greene style:
Designing and working in the style of Greene & Greene is all about the details. This is something I confirmed on my first visit to the Gamble House about ten years ago. Countless details await discovery at every turn: so much so that a single visit cannot possibly take it all in. Greene & Greene is something that needs to be experienced over time. I have since visited the Gamble House on numerous occasions and have even had the good fortune to spend extended hours there shooting photos for my book and filming a video for Fine Woodworking Magazine. You would think I had seen it all, but I have yet to pay a visit and not discover something new. This has greatly affected the way I approach the design of my own furniture, which is heavily influenced by Greene & Greene among others.
Though a piece’s overall production and balance, two basic elements of design, form the basis of our first impression, for the piece to excel it must continue to reveal more subtle details long after the initial encounter. Much thought and a good deal of artistic vision are required to employ these secondary features. Merely placing them about the piece without reference is a sure recipe for creative anarchy. The context in which the detail is to be placed must be given careful consideration. Also of prime importance is a detail’s position within the hierarchy of the overall design. Each detail must serve in support of the piece as a whole and not shout for attention above its rank.
Figure 1
Let me first draw upon my version of the Gamble House dining table (Figure 1) as an example of how I endeavor to implement the details of a design. With this piece, as I most often do, I took a few artistic liberties. I stayed true to what I saw as the design’s overall vision but I allowed my intuition to have the final say. On the first impression the table’s tsuba (Japanese sword guard) shaped top stands out prominently. As the design sinks in the next thing to catch our attention is the slightly raised solid edging that wraps around the top. A wonderful little discovery awaits the eye at the point where the edging changes width at a crucial bend in the sinuous end curve (Figure 2).
Figure 2
At this juncture two of the solid edging segments are joined. The top face of this joint is pinned with a pleasing arrangement of four proud ebony plugs. Along the side of the joint runs a sensuously smooth proud ebony spline. They each in their own way pay homage to the more prominent detail that came before them. They do not outshine the previous detail but may at times push the limits in that regard.
Thought must also be given to what effect a particular detail has upon the design. That is, what is the context in which the detail must contribute, and what is it exactly that the detail is supposed to do?
Greene & Greene’s Blacker house “leg indent” feature is frequently (to my eye) misused. I see this detail as a device to visually anchor the design to the floor (Figure 3). The idea behind this detail is nothing new. The classic “claw and ball” feature serves a very similar purpose.
Figure 3
Figure 4
The indent detail is most effective on legs that are not heavy enough themselves to contain an abundance of mass. Rather the legs act as a conduit in which weight is transferred from the piece’s mass to the indent detail below (Figure 4). Looking closely at the indent it appears to push down and transfer the incoming weight of the piece to the point just below the deepest part of the cut-out. That bottom portion of the leg (below the indent) is thus receiving the entire weight of the piece. With the visual weight directed to this bottom-most point there must be a sufficient amount of mass to receive it. The slight round-over/taper below the supporting mass serves to visually contain the weight and not disperse it to the floor. It is out of context to use this detail on a large massive leg, and eliminating the bulk just below the deepest part of the cut-out leaves the visual weight without a place to reside.
A good design, whether it is Greene & Greene or something altogether different, should not reveal all its subtleties upon first encounter. Details should be placed with careful thought and an understanding of the design at hand. Even the smallest of details must serve a purpose that enhances the overall design. In a really good design there is nothing superfluous.
When my partner Seth and I tell people about the company we are building, they often say, “Custom woodworking – that’s an odd business for two guys from Boston…are you guys woodworkers?” Our answer is, of course, no. We are website marketing guys.
So why are we involved in a company that is the online source for anything custom? The answer is we both LOVE custom stuff. We are buyers of custom furniture, custom suits, custom jewelry, and other custom items. If I could have everything in my life custom made, I would be a much happier consumer.
Why do I love custom? Well, for one, there is a value proposition to custom. I’ve found that you can get much better quality for your money. In addition, when you buy custom you’re buying a service, not a product. You buy something made by someone with whom you can build a relationship, whether that someone is an individual or a company.
Mike Salguero, President of CustomMade.com
In terms of woodworking, the value of buying something custom rather than a product made in a factory overseas is apparent in the end result. Many of our woodworkers can make you a piece that will last a lifetime, not just a few years or until you move to another home.
Here is a photo of me in my favorite custom item: a leather and sheep’s wool jacket that I had made while I was visiting my father in Montevideo, Uruguay. I talked to the maker of this jacket, gave him my specifications, and purchased exactly what I was looking for!
I bet you have stories about things you’ve had custom made – isn’t sharing them part of the fun? You can do that here – it could be furniture, of course, but anything custom is fair game – clothing, jewelry, shoes, drapes, artwork – anything! Go to the Comments section and “Leave A Reply” – upload a photo by clicking on the “add images to your comment by clicking here” link just below the “Submit Comment” button. You can then copy and paste the URL for your photo! (NOTE: your photo must be online to be uploaded).
C’mon fellow Custom Made evangelists – share!
-Mike
“Now that you’ve bought that new flat-screen TV you face the problem: where am I going to put it?” If you’re facing this dilemma, guest blogger Tony O’Malley of Tony O’Malley Custom Woodworking has some suggestions for your consideration.
“Your old TV was a chunky cube; the new flat-screen is a sleek elongated rectangle. Your old TV cabinet or armoire is suddenly a big useless box headed for the recycling center.
You might find a credenza-type stand in a furniture store, but the larger screens and more stark designs of the flat-screen TV prompt many people to conceal it or hide it away altogether. Often the logical location for the TV calls for a customized approach.
Built-in cabinetry is one solution some people are turning to. A very shallow wall cabinet can house a flat-screen TV because of its flat profile—just 3 or 4 inches deep in most cases. This is a good opportunity to integrate your TV into a larger wall unit that comprises bookshelves, drawers, closed cabinets that house the related components, and other display surfaces. Surprisingly, built-in cabinetry will often consume far less floor space than that old massive corner TV armoire.
Softening the Look
Surround a 52-inch plasma TV with warm, colorful books and suddenly the big screen is not so ominous, even in a smaller room. A painted built-in, with base and crown molding carefully matched to the existing moldings, becomes part of the room. This helps make the TV less imposing.
Hiding it Away
Sometimes you just want the TV to disappear. That’s a lot easier with flat screens, which can be hidden behind doors that either bi-fold or slide into pockets—or both as in the project shown below.
Built-in vs. Free-Standing
Built-in cabinetry is, by definition, custom made. You can’t buy it in a store. Instead, you’ll want to seek out a capable cabinetmaker with demonstrated experience designing, making, and installing built-in cabinetry. So the process is more complicated than buying a TV stand from the furniture store.
Of course you can’t take a built-in with you if you move, but a carefully designed built-in will enhance the enjoyment of the room and add value to your home. Approach your built-in along the lines of a major investment, just as you would approach other home-improvement projects.
The built-in project shown here solved a thorny corner situation. The TV is mounted on an articulating arm so it can be pulled out and angled into the room for better viewing.
Fireplace cabinetry offers another solution to the flat-screen TV dilemma. Here the TV is mounted in the shallow wall cabinet above themantle. The doors are mounted on bi-fold hinges so they fit in the space beside the cabinet.”
Wired Magazine says we’re “The New Industrial Revolution”
Wired Magazine - Feb 2010
This weekend I received my Feb 2010 Wired Magazine in the mail and was thrilled to see the cover story, “The New Industrial Revolution” written by editor-in-chief Chris Anderson. Informative and inspiring, it portrayed custom makers and designers of all different types as drivers of the new economy.
The article focused mostly on the designers who have used the democratization of the web to band together, come up with ideas, and crowdsource designs in unique ways. Anderson also discusses the manufacturing companies, both domestic and abroad, that are now better equipped for “small batch” (aka Custom) orders.
“[Small Batch] can broadly refer to businesses focused more on the quality of their products than the size of the market. They’d rather do something they were passionate about than go mass…Walmart, and all the compromise that comes with it, is no longer the only pathway to success.”
Whether you call it small batch, CustomMade, artisanal or something else, it’s a movement, and it’s happening now. Consumers feel it – purchasing Custom is a fulfilling experience. Makers feel it – relying for years on hit-or-miss marketing, they can now unite on websites like our own to grow the entire market. Designers and “Garage Entrepreneurs” feel it – developing new ideas and selling them on the mass market level, an accomplishment not previously thought possible.
One surprise was that so much of Anderson’s article talked about Chinese manufacturers. If small batch custom products are in fact the “New Industrial Revolution”, then the United States needs to make sure they’re keeping pace. Luckily, we already have artisans across the nation handcrafting quality work, as well as innovators such as Local Motors of Wareham, MA (featured in the article) eager to lead the charge.
How can you take part in the revolution?
1) Buy local. Find someone in your region to handcraft your designs. On our site, you can always search by location to find local artisans to support.
2) Slow down. Don’t rush out to buy poorly crafted products from stores that don’t actually meet your needs. Take the time to think about what you want and purchase small batch and custom items you won’t have to toss after a year.
3) Share. Custom products always tell a great story so share those with friends. Be an advocate for custom manufacturers online and offline.
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