A big part of creating memorable and exciting interiors is achieving a sense of uniqueness. Your space and your way of living is absolutely unique to you. This is why here at RWD we pride ourselves on carefully assessing our clients’ requirements to create a tailor-made interior which truly reflects their individual tastes and lifestyle.

One of the most effective ways of creating a unique look for an interior is via the creation of bespoke furniture pieces. Commissioning an item of furniture made to a specific set of requirements regarding look, feel and finish is one of the secrets to high-end, luxury interior design.

Here, we dig deeper into the benefits of going bespoke, and talk through some of the unique creations we’ve designed for our clients.

A unique approach

Commissioning a custom-made piece of furniture opens you up to a world of possibilities. After all, when you go bespoke your choices are almost endless regarding style, colour, texture and dimensions. It’s the ultimate way to achieve a truly individual result.

Thanks to our long-standing relationships with trusted manufacturers and suppliers, we have access to incredible levels of craftsmanship allowing us to achieve the best possible quality results. Paying meticulous attention to our clients‘ preferences – both in style and functionality – we specify appropriate materials and work closely with our chosen supplier throughout the design process. The result? A unique piece which will fit perfectly into the proposed interior design scheme, giving a luxurious and cohesive result.

In the case of our Carlton Hill residential project, the new French doors we introduced into the rear reception room demanded a coffee table which wouldn’t obstruct the light flooding into this elegant space. Because of this, we designed a three-legged table with a pale marble top which appears to ‘float’ above its discreet bronze legs. The result is a custom-made piece with a sculptural feel which our client absolutely loves.

For the middle reception room at the same property, a bespoke bench upholstered in Dedar‘s Sansone velvet was created to lend a luxurious feel to this formal entertaining space. The brief here was to create a sculptural piece to sit in front of the fireplace. Working closely with our supplier, we designed textured dark bronze legs which ‘hug’ each end of the bench. The finished piece conveys both beauty and simplicity.

The epitome of luxury

Another benefit of choosing bespoke is the ability to make sure all materials and finishes are of the highest possible quality. The manufacturing process of tailor-made items is closely monitored from start to finish, ensuring the end result is expertly crafted and highly luxurious.

In the middle reception room at our Carlton Hill project, curved shapes took centre stage so it was crucial for the items of furniture to echo this motif. The best way to achieve this was to commission a sofa and coffee table to our own specifications. In conjunction with our supplier, the design of both these pieces was approached holistically to ensure they would sit seamlessly together. Attention to detail was absolutely vital here, right down to the specific radius of the curve to ensure absolute harmony when the sofa and coffee table were placed alongside one another.

The coffee table has an organic feel with its elliptical Carrara marble top and narrow, antique brass legs. And for the sofa we worked in conjunction with the manufacturer to achieve optimum comfort and style with its dark wenge legs and luxurious fabric from the Italian brand Rubelli. This highly-tailored, individual approach is synonymous with luxury and allowed us to achieve an elevated sense of harmony and elegance for this sophisticated reception room.

Fulfilling both form and function

Creating bespoke items of furniture also allows you to fulfil functional requirements which might not always be met by an off-the-shelf piece. For the centrepiece of the cosy snug at our Richmond residential project, a practical but beautiful ottoman was on the agenda. The brief was to design an elegant bench which could act as a foot stool as well as provide storage space for books and magazines.

To create a striking contrast with the rich palette in this panelled room, the bench needed to celebrate clean lines while also exuding softness. We designed the bench with strong but refined proportions and a tiered layer set back for interest. The soft faux leather upholstery in pale baby blue brings a delicacy to this statement piece while providing comfort. It also has the added benefit of being easy to wipe clean should the occasional glass of wine get spilled! The perfect marriage of form and function.

The ultimate value

You could argue that the best way to achieve optimum value from a piece of furniture is to ensure it meets every single one of your requirements. This could involve expectations concerning aesthetics, function, comfort or a number of other factors relating to your particular needs. If you take the amount of money you might have spent on an off-the-shelf designer item and instead invest it in a bespoke piece, likely as not you will achieve far higher value because the custom-made item is made to specifically fulfil your requirements.

With many years’ experience of negotiating with our trusted suppliers, our design team can save you time and money in commissioning a bespoke piece which aligns precisely with your needs and wishes.

In the case of the elegant timber and bronze side table we commissioned for our client’s sitting room, it was important to create an unobtrusive yet striking piece which would allow guests to pass easily through this space. There needed to be sufficient surface on the top for drinks to be placed while keeping occupied floor space to a minimum. To meet the challenge, we designed a compact circular table in dark chocolate wenge with a sleek curved base and inset antique brass detailing which would sit neatly alongside the adjoining arm chairs. We were able to negotiate a competitive price for the manufacture of this exquisite piece which added up to significant value for this happy client.

3 Key things we consider when commissioning a bespoke furniture piece

1) Vision is everything

It’s absolutely crucial for us to get to know our client’s style and create a clear vision of the end result they wish to achieve. This enables us to create a perfect marriage of form and function when it comes to commissioning a custom-made piece of furniture. Lead times for bespoke pieces can be slightly longer than those for off-the-shelf items, but our clients are usually happy to wait because they know the results will be worth it!

2) Size matters

It may sound obvious, but the dimensions of a bespoke piece are absolutely critical. Will it fit in the desired position within our client’s interior? How will its height relate to existing items? We also carefully consider constituent choices in terms of how different materials will combine. An understanding of the relationship between soft timber and hard metal, for example, is important when planning a complex design.

3) What’s the context?

We also give a lot of thought to the architectural integrity of the space in which your bespoke piece will be placed as well as the physical environment. Are there period features which could be echoed in the design of the custom-made piece? Are there temperature and humidity elements to think about in terms of how timber or fabric might react? All these factors need to be considered before we brief our supplier.