andrewdelvard

Me and the missus went out today looking at coffee tables. We wanted something nice, that would last so plan to spend about £300-£400.
We looked in a couple of stores, and yeah it was quite nice, but not great and still had that mass manufactured look about it. So it got me thinking about buying something made either local (we live in Plymouth) or relatively local. Something just that little bit more 'special' and interesting.
Anyone followed the same route? Suggestions to make?
Thanks.



Andy

paulr

The problem with getting it made is there's always the risk it wont turn out as you hoped,then what?

andrewdelvard

Thats part of the risk you take when you want something a little special. Even then having checked out a designer and got a feel for what they offer I'm sure the risk would not be so bad. It would even add to the fun of the purchase.

john_s

iTrader: (1)

Watch some New Yankee Workshop on Discovery, and make your own just like Norm!

John.

andrewdelvard

Ha! I have thought about making my own actually but with work as it is, I haven't the time, no matter how satisfying it would be.

Spoon

A good place here for pine stuff if you are interested. http://www.smpine.com/shop/

boxst

Hello

I'm having a whole load of furniture made in Poland, for delivery in a few months. He will make anything from a design you specify, if you are interested I can get you a quote.

Steve

andrewdelvard

Thanks spoon, interesting site. Cheers boxst I'll bear that in mind.

Bubba po

Are you looking for something in mixed materials (like wood and tile, or glass for instance) or plain timber? Do you have a basic idea of what you want?

Spoon

Andrew, just to add that they auction a lot of their stuff on eBay too and can often be bought a fair bit cheaper than off their site.

Alternatively you could try a Bubba po special made from old egg cartons and drinking straws held together by sticky backed plastic.

paulr

If you want something decent i'd avoid pine.Personally its such a bland material whereas oak,maple,walnut etc has real character.Pine imo is only popular cos its cheap.

Boxst,what are you having made and what materials?

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

one of my mates from school is a wood carver (frosty), heres some of the things hes done.





























and my favorite





from what I am told hes not cheap, but wow! talk about one off's

if you want his details pm me, and ile give you his phone number.

shaggy

Spoon

Paul, Congratulations, you win this weeks daft response award. A decent worked bit of pine furniture doesn't necessarily mean cheap. The raw material might well be cheaper to start with but give it an expert and it doesn't have to be.

As you say it's your opinion but bland? I've got some cracking bits of furniture in all woods in different surroundings but for a fresh, clean, bright and calm environment, a class worked pine is great.

Carl Davey

iTrader: (3)

Perhaps not quite what you're after but i bought my bedroom furniture from my local blind workshop. All in pine and fairly reasonably priced. I also feel safe in the knowledge that not everyone in my street will have the same as me or will be able to point out where i bought it from (think IKEA, DFS etc...).

The stuff is made to order but built to a specific design so i wouldn't call it mass produced as such.

boxst

Hello

We had a bedroom set for my daughter built of pine (pictured below being built and stored is some attractive Polish flat!) and some bookcases, a desk, a bed and various other things made from oak.





Steve

andrewdelvard

Very talented guy shaggy. Does he have a website? Maybe a extreme for interior use but definatley someone to consider for future garden furniture.

Bubba po

I'll have you know that I got CSE grade three woodwork, you big stirrer. And that was no mean feat considering the Agincourt of tools that perpetually filled the air in our woodwork room.

Seriously, I'm pretty handy with the old slabs of lignified cellulose.

Brendan Hughes

I find that pretty damned funny considering Andrew's line of work!!


Nice to see this thread today. I just got my bed delivered at the weekend. SOLID cherry, four full sides (not a head and tailboard bolted to a couple of joists), accepts a mattress 220x160, top of mattress is 70cm off the floor - it's a high bugger that you climb up into, none of your modern low-flying rubbish - and the headboard, finished on both sides as you walk around the room, is a massive 170 wide by 140 high!

Not bad for £500!

There's a place just north of Porto called Paços de Ferreira, they label themselves the "furniture capital". 300 and more furniture shops, most with their own workshops so they make what you want (as they did for us).

I'll try to post a photo in the next days.

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

have a look here andrew.

quite interesting to see how the wood takes shape.

shaggy

andrewdelvard

Got to say I clocked it about a dozen times in rapid succession wondering how the hell he would know about my blinds company and who the hell in blinds was also manufacturing bespoke wood furntiture!!
Couldn't click on the link fast enough! LMAO!

Carl Davey

iTrader: (3)

Lol, certainly wasn't intentional. Blind as in visually impaired by the way.

andrewdelvard

Had a chat with this guy today http://www.wooddesignfurniture.co.uk/furniture.html#
really friendly, invited me to come and take a look at the tables he offers on his farm in Cornwall. Not that far from me. I'll pay him a visit.

douglasb

Andrew, I've just seen this thread and was about to post my thoughts but it looks like you're about to do what I was going to recommend.

I was in the same position when I moved to my current house. I knew pretty much what I wanted but didn't see anything in the shops. I found a local cabinetmaker and went to his workshop to see his work and look for ideas. I described what I was looking for, drew rough drawings, told him that things like having the tops of the book-cases lining up with the top of the cabinet was more important than their exact height, etc., and he came up with a price.

Yellow Pages may be a reasonable place to start (in my case I was filling up with petrol and noticed a sign on the building across the road along the lines of "Cabinetmaker - bespoke furniture made to your design" D'oh!)

Doug