Knowing where to start with your project can be a little daunting at times so we thought we’d pull together some questions from key areas to help get the ball rolling.
Have you seen something that’s inspired you? Collecting photos of things that do this is really helpful to hone down the intention and communicate the concept of the design. Great to bring these to a first meeting, or we can help you through this stage.
Size. How large or small is the commission? How many people need to use it? Where is the piece going, how much space is there? Do you have measurements, sketches/floor plans or photos?
What is your budget? Looking at existing bespoke furniture either from ourselves or other makers will give you some idea of cost, bear in mind the timber and complexity will affect the final price. Having set a budget we know realistically what is achievable can then create a design to fit within it.
At WoodLab we only use sustainably sourced British grown timber, and where possible locally sourced. With this in mind what woods would you consider using for your project? Are you set on that? Why have you chosen this timber?
An often-overlooked question when commissioning a piece of furniture is what you want to get out of the project? What feeling or intention do you want the piece to convey each time you see it? This can inform the design just as much as the practical elements do. What is the function of the piece, is it a show piece, practical, in use all the time, what does it need store?
Do you have a preferred time frame for the project?
