Let’s Design Something Just For You

The prospect of commissioning a piece of furniture designed just for you may seem like a daunting process however I have designed many pieces for clients and the collaborative process I employ makes it an enjoyable and productive process with the end result being a piece of furniture that is just right for you.

Effective collaboration requires excellent communication and the process will begin with a phone call or visit where we will focus on some preliminary items.

• Client Objectives

  • What are you seeking to achieve?

    • Does the piece have to perform certain utilitarian functions?

    • What are the size constraints?

    • What style or look are you seeking to achieve?

    • Are there any “Must Haves”?

    • Are there any “Absolutely Not” items?

• Timing

  • I generally do not build to a deadline, as unforeseen developments can and do occur and there should not be any impediments to a quality outcome. If there is an absolute deadline, we must discuss it and understand all of the possible ramifications.

  • I generally have a backlog in the shop and as soon as we have a general agreement, you project will be scheduled.

• Budget

  • This is not a discussion that takes place so that I can design a piece at the highest possible price, but rather a necessary discussion to establish working parameters for the design and to set expectations such that the client and the maker are all satisfied with the outcome.

With a general understanding of the above criteria, we can then move to the development of the proposal. The proposal will outline the design objectives, budget criteria, and a rough estimate of timing and result in a preliminary cost estimate.

Following acceptance of the proposal by the client and the payment of a deposit (generally 1/3 to 1/2 of the preliminary cost estimate) the project will be put into the schedule and preliminary drawings and renderings will be developed. During the design phase, the designer and client will collaborate and the iterative process will result in a final design that meets the clients needs and objectives.