How to make your budget go further when shopping for custom furniture
A client will come into our workshop, look at the dining tables and nightstands in various states of completion, and say, “What beautiful furniture! You must have a beautiful home.”
I always smile and give the same reply: “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.”
It’s a cliché for a reason. We are so focused on crafting perfect pieces for our clients that our own homes often take a backseat. But more than that, I get it. The custom furniture we build at Benham Design Concepts is expensive. It’s heirloom-quality, built to last for generations. Put that high quality aside, the additional cost for custom furniture doesn’t help when you’re trying to furnish a whole home or are saving up to pay for that one perfect centerpiece.
So, as the cobbler who sees how the shoes are made, let me tell you a secret: the smartest clients don’t just buy our furniture; they collect it over time and have it customized to meet their needs and budget.
Let’s Start With The Dining Room
Instead of a standard dining table with extension leaves you’ll rarely use, consider an in-between-size table. A roomy six-person table can comfortably seat eight when you need it to. You get the additional function without the added mechanical complexity and cost.
Another strategy? Collect Over Time. Order the table now, and come back for the chairs later. Our designs are intentionally timeless, so there’s no pressure to buy them all at once.
Another cost-saving measure: Many people are captivated by the look of a live-edge slab dining table. Live-edge furniture has an exponential cost, then ratchet that cost up for a slab large enough to be used as a dining table. The price explodes. If you still want the live edge experience at a reasonable cost. Consider saving the live edge for your smaller coffee table and stick with a traditional dining table for the dining room. You can coordinate the two by using similar woods or leg/base styles.
A Strategic Bedroom
In the bedroom, think beyond the traditional bedframe. Order a wall-mounted headboard and add integrated nightstands. It’s a sleek, modern look that eliminates the need for bedside tables and a costly custom bedframe when an off-the-shelf metal frame will get you by.
If you like the look of the wall-mounted headboard but still prefer free-standing nightstands, order the nightstands now and come back for the headboard when your budget allows.
When designing a dresser, consider a six-drawer unit instead of the traditional eight-drawer one. Building drawers is a lot of labor. Fewer drawers are less labor, less material, and technically give you more storage capacity since the drawers can be wider and deeper, with two fewer drawer boxes taking up space inside the carcass.
The Collected Living Room
Make your living room feel collected; your coffee table and end tables do not have to match, just be coordinated. If you are itching to have a live-edge slab, the coffee table is a great place to use it. Then you can coordinate woods or base styles with your end tables.
Instead of large bookshelves to display your art, try floating shelves, less labor and materials, and open up the floor plan to add additional pieces over time, like a stylish side or sofa table.
Order Early Saves Money
Finally, the most powerful tip of all: order ahead of time. If your remodel is scheduled for completion in September, order your furniture in January. You’ll lock in material and labor pricing at today’s rates and avoid rush charges. This also helps space out major expenses, makes paying the final balance much easier when the time comes. We can safely store your finished piece until you’re ready for delivery.
And don’t worry about that final step. If you’re in the Colorado I-25 corridor between Denver and the Springs metro areas, we deliver for free. We want to ensure your piece is installed in your home without a single scratch. Plus, we love getting that perfect in situ picture for our Instagram.
So yes, our furniture is an investment. But with a few insider strategies, it’s an investment you can make wisely, beautifully, and on your own terms.
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