Handmade furniture is looking amazing right now.
Many in the furniture design industry anticipated a resurgence in popularity of handmade furniture this year. I for one love it and have enjoyed seeing it appear more and more in interior shoots and designs online. But did it ever fall out of fashion? Handmade furniture is such a broad umbrella term full of different elements and styles. simply saying I don’t like it doesn’t fit. Not all handmade furniture is to everyone’s taste, but I know everyone has one piece they see, and it resonates uniquely. So, what are the magic elements of handmade furniture that designers yearn for and consumers become consumed by?
The Story
When another handmade furniture product is brought into existence, it is contributing to the layers of history that has come before. Greater than its contribution is its humble reference to how furniture used to be made and why. Handmade furniture shuns the cold heartless clone production of mass made. It instead celebrates the maker as an artist, highly skilled craftspeople concentrating their years of practice and toil into a fine artefact for your home. A standoff in production ideology that has existed for centuries. Customers fond of handmade appreciate this connection with the maker. It adds a layer of authenticity to a product.
The Journey
Similar to the story, The journey covers the process involved in making the product. Customers want to know the machines and methods used. See experts with their age old tools. The factory and bench set up with their favourite products being honed and refined. Images of spaces weathered and scarred from making furniture for decades. In knowing all this information it provides assurances to the customer that the product is a unique handmade labour of love. It demonstrates the work that really goes into handmade furniture. The ingenuity of a maker with his tools. The finesse of a sharpened chisel, the brawn of ripping lumber.
The Material
When I think of handmade, I don’t just think of the genius and craft behind the hands. I think of the material the maker has chosen to dedicate himself too. Handmade jeweller using fine metals and precious gems. Metal smiths hand pouring molten iron into casts enduring the blazing heat. Cabinet makers planing fine timbers like Oak, Cherry and Walnut. If a manufacturers ethos has been to retain a handmade approach to making and use skilled workers to make unique, beautiful products, you can bet the material will be beautiful in its own right. Our makers James and Paul have pride and pleasure in their work because of their beloved Oak. They make sure it is shown off at its best.
Why the resurgence?
With social media and instant access to information these days, furniture makers can provide people with regular updates about their process and exquisite products. For many, this has been the key to realising the potential in handmade furniture and understanding more than the finished product. Designers and enthusiasts using handmade furniture in their interiors inspire the rest of us, posting thousands of photos every day. For many this extra depth of interest and seemingly timeless furniture design is what keeps handmade furniture re-emerging and trending. Iconic, traditional handmade furniture is so flexible in interiors made for modern living. they are often made of better grade, longer lasting materials like hardwoods. They do not reinvent the wheel designed for function first with ingenious systems that look beautiful. Hardware is high quality and furniture repairs/maintenance is possible making it a sustainable choice compared to other furniture products out there.
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