Which One is Better, Custom or Premade Furniture?
When furnishing your home, it's common to feel torn between choosing a premade, ready to use furniture or invest in a custom piece, especially if you already have a certain vision in mind.
Before determining which one is better for you, let's examine the differences between custom and premade furniture.
Custom Furniture
Custom furniture is furniture that is made to order based on the customer's preferences and needs. Everything from the materials, design, hardware, and finishing can be specified by the customer. However, the extent of customization may also depend on the vendor.
Premade Furniture
Premade furniture is furniture that is already made, produced according to the design and product specifications predetermined by the brand's designers.
What are the Pros and Cons of Custom and Premade Furniture?
To determine which is better, it should be adapted to your specific situation, budget, and space requirements. Here are some pros and cons to consider when making your choice:
The Furniture Design
Furniture design is one of the main factor when choosing custom instead of premade furniture. However, there are still some considerations to be made when choosing custom furniture. Here are some pros and cons for your reference:
CUSTOM FURNITURE
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Flexible design that can be tailored to your preferences. Material and hardware quality can be adjusted to your needs. You can request features like full-open and soft-closing drawers, unlike premade furniture where the hardware is fixed. |
If you provide unclear instructions, the design may not meet your expectations. Since the furniture is made based on the customer's desires, be sure to provide detailed instructions. If you can't read technical drawing, it can be tricky to order custom furniture. |
PREMADE FURNITURE
| Pros: | Cons: |
|
The design is already confirmed to match the photos. When choosing the right store, premade furniture should align with the images. Quality can be assessed in person. If the brand has physical stores or showrooms, you can directly inspect the furniture's quality. |
Size and design cannot be customized to fit your space. For instance, you might like the overall design of a work desk, but it lacks drawers when you need storage. Alternatively, the color of the desk with drawers might not match your preference. In such cases, you have to compromise. |
Furniture Price & Additional Costs
Ordering custom furniture can be cheaper or more expensive depending on the case, here are some pros and cons to help your considerations:
CUSTOM FURNITURE| Pros: | Cons: |
|
Can be adjusted to fit your budget. Because it is made from scratch, material and design choices can be adapted to your budget (to an extent). |
Unclear instructions can lead to additional costs. For example, if you received a quote for a custom wardrobe but didn't specify the need for drawers inside the wardrobe, whereas the initial costing had an empty interior. If you realize this later on and request changes mid-production, there may be unexpected additional costs. |
PREMADE FURNITURE
| Pros: | Cons: |
|
There are no unexpected additional costs. Since it's already made, the price is fixed and there won't be any additional charges. |
Can't be tailored to your budget. If you find a design that you like but it's out of your budget, then you need to let go and find another piece. |
Production Time
CUSTOM FURNITURE
Takes longer. Since it requires drawing, ordering raw materials, manufacturing from scratch, and potential revisions, custom furniture has a relatively long production time.
PREMADE FURNITURE
Because the item is already made, it can be purchased immediately.
Summary
From the explanation above, if you need something fast with a tight budget, it's better to opt for premade furniture. However, if you're a perfectionist, with specific needs and time to spare, then custom furniture is a better option for you.
In my personal opinion, for a one time purchase, impactful items, I'd like to get it customized. And for smaller, easily changed items, premade is a better option.
Those are the pros and cons of custom and pre-made furniture, we hope it helps you determine which one is better for you! If you'd like to consult with us around this topic, feel free to contact us!