What really is bespoke furniture?

You see the word ‘bespoke’ everywhere these days, but what does it actually mean to have bespoke furniture?

When everyman and their dog start labeling themselves as ‘bespoke’ it can be hard to know who is twisting the truth, and who is being genuine. After all, what even is bespoke? 

In the Oxford Dictionary, bespoke is defined as "making products specially according to the needs of an individual customer.” 

That means that, when a company is buying your furniture from their supplier, such as kitchen units for example, then they are not making it bespoke. Now where it gets tricky is when companies are making the units themselves, though to industry standard sizes. These are the types of companies that make thousands of units a week to stay in storage until they are needed for your ‘bespoke’ design. 

You can find the odd company that buys these mass-produced units and customises them, to then sell them on as a bespoke product with a hefty markup. This could be classed as custom-made, but isn’t really bespoke. 

Everyone says they are bespoke, and why wouldn’t they? It makes their products sound more luxurious and specialised, and most likely will make you more interested in their services, but when it comes to being truly bespoke, that's where we come in.

Real bespoke is when the company or individual makes the furniture to the millimeter. That way the furniture fits into your home so well that it’s as if it was there the whole time. There are no limitations (except your craftsman skill level and creative eye) to what you can achieve when you go to a truly bespoke company. 

You can have exactly what you want - where your budget allows, whilst also having a relationship with the person who is crafting your design. Not many companies can offer that level of personal service.

With that being said, there is nothing wrong with standard-sized or custom furniture, but if you want something unique to your space and home then bespoke may be the best option for you.