How long does custom furniture take? From sketch to delivery
Where the weeks go when a piece is made to order: intake, design, production, finishing and shipping — and how to plan around a renovation or an opening date.
A collection piece takes about six weeks to make by hand after you order, plus shipping to your address. A fully custom piece adds a design stage first: a call, drawings, revisions and a finish decision. Its six weeks of production start once you approve the design. Shipping time depends on the destination.
Why does made-to-order furniture take longer than stock?
A shop that sells from stock has already done the waiting. The table was made months ago, shipped in a container with a few hundred others and stored until you walked in. You pay for that warehouse in the price, and you choose from what is there.
Made to order reverses the sequence. Nothing exists until you order it. The timber is selected for your piece, the form is built up and shaped, the finish you chose is applied. That takes weeks, because the work itself takes weeks. Most of it cannot be rushed. Glued joints need time to set, surfaces need sanding between coats, and a finish needs time to cure before a piece can be wrapped and shipped.
The upside is that you get the size, the finish and the upholstery you asked for, and no one else’s returns.
What are the stages, and how long does each take?
Every made-to-order piece goes through the same stages. A collection piece skips the first two, because the design already exists.
- Intake. A conversation about the room, the use, the size and the budget. For us that is a free 20-minute call. It can be done in a day.
- Design. Drawings, revisions and a decision on wood finish, upholstery or stone. This stage depends mostly on how quickly decisions are made, on both sides.
- Production. The piece is built by hand in the atelier. For our collection pieces this takes about six weeks from the order.
- Finishing and checking. The finish, sanding between coats, upholstery and a final check. We count this inside the six weeks.
- Packing and shipping. Crating for the journey, then transport to your address. The duration depends on where you are and on sea or air freight.
How long does a collection piece take?
About six weeks to make, then shipping. That holds for every piece in our collection, from the Side Table at €1,400 to the Executive Desk at €9,900. A larger piece takes more hours of work, but the lead time we give is about six weeks for each of them.
You order a collection piece and pay for it in full at checkout. The atelier starts once your order is in. Every product page shows the standard sizes and finishes, so if one of those fits your room there is no design stage and no waiting for drawings.
Where does the time go in a fully custom piece?
In a custom piece, the design stage is the variable. A change to an existing design, such as a Dining Table at a different length, starts from details that are already solved. The drawings are quick, and the main decision is the finish.
A new design takes longer. Every joint and every curve is being solved for the first time, and the drawings usually go back and forth a few times before they are right. We do not start production on a sketch. Nothing is built until you have approved the drawing and the finish, and from that approval the production time is again about six weeks.
The practical consequence: if your date is fixed, the fastest custom project is the one where the brief is clear at the first call. Bring the room measurements, a photo of the space and a rough budget. More about the process on custom made.
How do you plan around a renovation or a hotel opening?
Work backwards from the day the room must be finished. Subtract shipping, then six weeks of production, then the time you need to decide. The result is the latest date to order or to approve a design. Then add a margin, because renovations rarely finish on the day they were planned.
For a home, the usual risk is the room itself. Floors, paint and lighting need to be done before furniture arrives, and a dining table is awkward to store in a hallway. For a hotel or a restaurant, the risk is quantity and sign-off. Twenty chairs take longer to approve than one, because more people need to agree on the sample, the upholstery and the finish. Our page for hotels and restaurants describes how we handle larger orders.
Ask any maker for two dates before you commit: when production ends, and when the piece reaches your door. A maker who can only give you the first has not planned the second.
What can delay a made-to-order piece?
Most delays come from open decisions. A question about the finish, a change of size after production has started or a late approval all move the date. Shipping can add delays of its own, at ports and in customs, and those are outside any maker’s hands.
Two habits help. Settle the finish before you order, using the finish images on each product page or a call with us. And give the full delivery address and any access limits early — a narrow stair or a lift that is too small for a 260 cm table is better known before the crate is built.
Questions
How long does it take to make a custom dining table?
Our collection Dining Table takes about six weeks to make after your order, plus shipping. A table at a different size adds a short design stage, and its six weeks start once you approve the drawing.
Why is the lead time for furniture so long?
Because made-to-order furniture is built after you order it. The time goes into building, shaping and finishing by hand, and a finish needs time to cure before shipping. Stock furniture seems faster because it was made months earlier.
Does the lead time include shipping?
No. The six weeks are production in the atelier. Shipping comes after and depends on your country and on sea or air freight. Ask us for the delivery estimate to your address before you order.
Can a piece be made faster?
Ask before you order, with the date you need. We will tell you honestly whether it can be done. A realistic date is more useful to you than a fast one that slips.
Talk it through
A free 20-minute call with the people who design and make the furniture: what fits your room, the finishes, a price and a lead time.
