Custom furniture is furniture designed and made to order for a specific client, room or purpose, rather than produced in standard sizes for general sale. The term covers individual commissions from cabinetmakers and joiners as well as fitted bookcases, panelling, kitchens and other built-in work made to suit a particular space.
Much of the finest antique furniture was custom-made: Georgian country houses commissioned suites of seating, library bookcases, sideboards and pier tables to fit specific rooms, and firms such as Gillows kept records of orders for individual clients. Surviving drawings, bills and inventory references can therefore link a piece to its original setting and add greatly to its interest. In the modern market, custom furniture includes the work of designer-makers and specialist workshops who produce new pieces in traditional or contemporary styles. When incorporating antiques into a scheme, custom furniture is often used to fill gaps, for example a bespoke bookcase built around a period chimneypiece or a cabinet sized to house a collection. Good custom work shares the same virtues as good antique furniture: well-chosen timber, sound joinery, careful proportion and a finish that will age gracefully.
