Storage solution-Custom Furniture

We've offered some ideas for storage solutions, and here's one that many people might never think of. Custom furniture! Sounds expensive, but it doesn't have to be.

These homeowners needed a very specific sized piece of furniture for their bedroom, and it needed to have very specific functions. (For some reason, Ethan Allen doesn't seem to make an 84" long, 15" deep chest, with bins for laundry, and drop down doors for electronics.)

By finding out exactly how they wanted to use the furniture piece, and taking very exact measurements, we were able to design a piece that met all their needs. And because we had it custom built, we could even have it stained to match other pieces in the room.

This handsome piece was constructed from mahogany by a local woodworker. The three large doors in front drop down to accommodate separated laundry (red socks+white t-shirts = pink t-shirts.....bad!), and of the 3 drawer fronts, 2 drop down to accommodate electronics for TV etc, and the third is actually a drawer.

I think as consumers we forget that furniture was actually hand-made in little shops like this long before it was manufactured in factories. And this was surprisingly affordable...less than you would expect to pay from a furniture store!

I love furniture, and I love furniture that works. I hope the lesson is to always explore your alternatives...there is rarely a need to settle!