Over the past several years the word “bespoke” has become one of the most overused in the English language. The term is derived from the Olde English “besprecan” which meant to arrange for or to order in advance. The term eventually found its way into the lexicon of high-end tailors first as “bespeak” and finally as “bespoke” and denoted that a gentleman placed a request that a certain fabric be held aside for his clothes only. In time the meaning was distilled to simply denote “custom made”. But what is bespoke furniture? Does it mean custom-made, or is there a deeper or alternate meaning in play?
What is Bespoke Furniture? Jerome Shorter Provides the Answer
For a couple of hundred years, the word “bespoke” was heard almost exclusively in the tailor’s shop. While that is no longer the case the word still has an air of exclusivity to it that separates it from most of the other words in the dictionary. Unfortunately, it’s also been horribly misused in recent years (bespoke cocktails anyone?) and as such has lost some of its lustre. But there are still areas of endeavour where the word is entirely appropriate and one such endeavour is the art of hand-crafted, custom-made furniture.
Bespoke furnishings, like the finely tailored suits emanating from Savile Row, are custom creations designed specifically for and in consultation with a particular client. They are frequently designed with a specific location within the client’s home in mind. As a result, if you took a piece of bespoke furniture out of its intended context you would still be able to appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship but it just wouldn’t look or feel right anywhere else.
Can Any Kind of Furniture be Bespoke Furniture?
In theory, yes. In practice, most bespoke furniture makers focus on only a few different types of items such as classic sofas, settees, accent chairs and ottomans. If you approach someone who specialises in those types of furnishings and ask them to create a bespoke reception desk for you it is highly likely they will politely decline.
Make Sure Your Bespoke Furniture Is Properly Dressed
Bespoke furniture has the potential to create a uniquely compelling atmosphere that brilliantly expresses the personality of the client. It embodies their tastes and preferences while at the same time enhancing the comfort and livability of a space. (Unless of course such prosaic concerns are unimportant to the client.) However, bespoke furniture dressed in ordinary upholstery is like an investment banker in The City dressed in an off-the-rack suit.
The bottom line: bespoke furniture dressed in ordinary upholstery will never live up to its potential. And that is where we come in. The team at Jerome Shorter create stunning, one-of-a-kind furniture Tunbridge Wells upholstery solutions for our clients that provide the finishing touch on bespoke furnishings. To learn more or to start the conversation about bespoke upholstery for your furnishings, use the contact form on our website. Someone will get back to you in a timely fashion.
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