What Are The Pros & Cons Of Custom Order Furniture?

In the market for new furniture but not finding the perfect piece that matches your vision? Perhaps you want to create a peace that perfectly fits other pieces in your house, or maybe you want to create a custom furniture collection that only you own.

If any of these ideas are in your head, you’ve no doubt thought about buying custom furniture for your home. However, before you rush out and buy a whole houseful of new furniture, take a moment to consider a few pros and cons that you may encounter on your journey toward custom-made home furnishings.

At Furniture Fair, we’ve sold a lot of custom furniture in our 58 years, and we want to share some of the lessons we’ve learned through customer experience and interaction.

We hope that you will come away from this article a little more knowledgeable on the pros and cons of custom furniture.Read on to learn about the benefits of a custom piece of furniture and some potential drawbacks you should consider.

When we say pros and cons, we want to stress that different people will have different priorities behind their purchase decisions, and one person’s cons may not be the same as another person’s con.

If there weren’t any pros to buying custom-built furniture, it would be quite silly to sell custom furniture. That being said, here are some of the positive features and benefits that might help you figure out if made-to-order furniture is right for you.

Maximum customization might seem redundant to point out, but the fact is that most furniture has minimal options when it comes to your preference. Standard furniture is pre-built to specific specs and usually comes in two colors or finishes if you are lucky.

If you have a specific color or wood finish in mind, or if your decorating style is wild, crazy, and uses colors that aren’t common with most trends, you might be hard-pressed to find that sofa, dining table, or bedroom that suits your style.

Your options are much more open and accessible with custom furniture than you would get with standard furniture collections. Customize the fabric and legs of your accent chair with manufacturers like Best Home Furnishings.

Smith Brothers Of Berne offers completely customizable sofas, sectionals, and accent chairs with a massive amount of both fabric and leather upholstery. Choose everything from the leg shape to the seat depth for a bespoke look.

Create a completely unique bedroom set down to wood and stain choice with Amish American Furniture Manufacturing Companies like Daniels Amish, or create a completely unique dining set using the Palletes program by Winesburg.

England Furniture offers a massive selection of fabrics to choose from and several frame designs for a blend of customization and value for the price. If you want your sofa, sectional, couch, or chair to have the maximum customization level, try using Smith Brothers of Berne, Indiana.

Are you trying to match that adorable vintage couch that you inherited from your Great-aunt Gertrude? Perhaps Dad gave you his old armchair, and you want to create a study that compares the chair and brings back good memories.

No matter the reason, if you are trying to match vintage, out-of-production, or inherited furniture, custom furniture is a great way to create pieces that match or complement your interior design and accessories.

Furniture Fair’s custom furniture department features over 1,200 fabrics and leathers available for upholstery pieces.

Match styles, trends, colors, accent pieces, and even wood finishes with custom furnishing companies, and soon you will have the furniture you want without having to get rid of your favorite pieces that you already love.

Speaking of Dad and Aunt Gertrude, if you are looking for furniture that can serve both you and your children for decades, custom furniture may be the way to go. Custom-built pieces are one-of-a-kind and will last for your lifetime and the lifetime of your children.

Custom manufacturing companies prioritize the quality of the furniture being built, and many manufacturers use old-fashioned, tried-and-true methods that many modern furniture companies overlook to cut costs.

Heirloom furniture brands like Stickley offer customization and create furniture that they refer to as “over-built” using methods perfected during the arts and crafts movement. If you want furniture that will outlast you, custom-made furniture is the best option.

If you want your furniture to support local businesses and provide jobs near you, many custom-made solid wood furniture brands offer just that. Manufacturers offer made-in-USA furniture, and many even source their materials within the states.

Smith Brothers has manufacturing plants located in Berne, Indiana, while England Furniture is made in eastern Tennessee. Best Home Furnishings products are made in southern Indiana, while Stickley is made in upstate New York.

Check with the custom furniture brand that you want to use if made-in-USA furniture is a priority in your custom furniture purchase decision.

There are many manufacturers both locally and within the United States that can meet your custom home furnishing needs.

Now that we’ve looked at all the reasons you might want to buy custom furniture, let’s make sure that we cover the potential drawbacks that you may face before deciding if custom furniture is the right way to go. Keep the following topics in mind before you pull the trigger on a custom piece.

By far, the most important thing to consider before custom ordering furniture is that custom orders may not be able to be canceled once ordered.

A bespoke piece of furniture requires considerably more time and effort by the manufacturers to produce. Due to the amount of labor and customization involved, companies often want to ensure that their work and materials are not wasted.

Much like a tailored outfit, custom furniture is made to your specifications, and as such, should have a specific appeal to your style. Canceled custom orders may not have the same appeal that other furniture might have, and showrooms may not have room to resell the finished product that doesn’t fit the showroom layout.

Each manufacturer will have different policies, and some may have more lax cancellation policies when it comes to made-to-order furniture. Your best rule-of-thumb is to treat your custom order as permanent and make sure that you are happy with your choices.

Due to the amount of investment required on the buyer’s part when purchasing custom furniture, many people may be too unsure of their decision to buy a custom piece.

If you are confident in your customized style choices, then locking in your order may not be an issue, but always keep in mind that you may not be able to cancel once the order is confirmed.

Like it or not, ready-made furniture is much less of a hassle to buy than a piece that is designed from the base up. When buying custom made furniture, you should be prepared for a somewhat lengthy process.

You will need to select the perfect fabric or finish, find the style of sofa, chair, table, or dining set that matches your style. You may need to select the seat depth, arm style, or even legs for your piece.

Big decisions like how you want your furniture to look may take a considerable amount of time, so be prepared to spend that time making sure you are happy with your order before sending it off the the furniture makers.

Delivery times may or may not be necessary to you, depending on how soon you need your furniture. Custom furniture has to be made to your specifications which will take longer than mass-produced furniture, meaning a longer turn-around time before the furniture is ready to ship to your retailer.

Due to the time needed for custom manufacturing, you may want to consider how long the delivery time could take before pulling the trigger on a custom order. If you need furniture fast, custom order furniture is not the best option for your furniture needs. 

As mentioned previously, due to the number of custom features and additional labor required, custom furniture is a much deeper process than standard mass-produced furniture.

Due to the time and effort involved in the process, your custom furniture order might seem like a significant purchase.Depending on the level of value you are seeking, custom furniture might seem priced higher than what you may initially think.

However, with the higher price comes exceptional quality and masterful attention to detail that you will not find in standard furniture.

If you value lower prices over customization, a custom piece is most likely not the best choice for you. However, if you buy for quality and durability, most custom furniture prices are within the same price range that a better or best quality piece would be.

Custom furniture is designed to fit your style needs while also giving you durable, high-quality furniture built to last.

Now that you know the pros and cons of buying custom furniture, you can be better prepared to decide if a custom furniture piece is right for you. Use this article to help you decide whether a unique piece of furniture is right for you.

Remember that custom furniture is excellent for people looking to match old or current furniture while being built to last. Custom furniture is also often made in the USA and is the best way to get maximum customization.

Keep in mind that once an order is placed, that once placed, an order may not be able to be canceled, so make sure that you are 100% happy with your style decisions. Don’t forget that custom orders do take longer to be delivered than a standard order.

Finally, do not forget that while custom order prices may seem high, they are comparable with similar quality furniture and have the bonus of personalization.

For a detailed comparison of the quality and value levels of Smith Brothers and Best Home Furnishings, chairs check out our comparison article.

If you are looking to enhance your bedroom, living room, or dining room with a new piece of custom furniture, consider making an appointment at Furniture Fair.

We have been in business for over 50 years, and we have a wide variety of custom furniture options available around the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Louisville area.