How much does custom furniture cost? Real prices and what drives them
Price per piece or price per hour, the six things that move the price of a handmade piece, real starting prices from our collection, and what a fully custom design adds.
Two ways makers price: per hour or per piece
Ask ten furniture makers what a table costs and you will hear two kinds of answer. Some quote by the hour: materials plus the time it takes to draw, build and finish, estimated up front. Others quote per piece: a fixed price for a defined design, with set options for size and finish.
Hourly pricing suits one-off work where nobody yet knows how long it will take — a built-in, an awkward alcove, a restoration. Per-piece pricing suits designs that have been made before. The maker knows how many hours a chair takes, has solved the difficult joints already, and can give you a number before you commit.
Neither is cheaper by nature. But a per-piece price has one clear advantage for the buyer: you know the cost before the work begins.
What drives the price of a handmade piece
Whichever way a maker counts, the same six things move the number.
- The wood. Species, grade and whether the piece is solid or veneered. Solid hardwood costs more than board with a veneer, and the gap grows with the size of the piece. Our guide to solid wood and veneer explains the difference.
- Size. More material, more handling, more finishing surface. A larger table is not proportionally more expensive in labour, but the timber cost scales directly.
- Form. Straight lines are quicker than curves. A continuous, sculpted form — where a top flows into its legs — takes far more shaping and sanding than four legs bolted to a frame.
- Finish. Oil, lacquer or a coloured finish, and how many coats. Coloured finishes on solid wood need care to come out even across the whole piece.
- Upholstery. Fabric or leather, and how much of it. A chair with an upholstered seat and back costs more than one with a wooden seat.
- Stone. A stone top or inlay — travertine, marble — adds material, weight, cutting and packing.
Real starting prices from our collection
We show our prices, because we think you should not have to ask. Every price below is the starting price for one piece in solid teak, made by hand in our atelier in Bali after your order. Prices include VAT; shipping is extra.
- Hospitality Dining Chair: from €1,150
- Side Table: from €1,400
- Ottoman: from €1,600
- Dining Chair: from €1,900
- Restaurant Table: from €1,900
- Coffee Table: from €3,500
- Lounge Chair: from €3,900
- Executive Chair: from €6,900
- Dining Table: from €6,900
- Executive Desk: from €9,900
- Bed: from €9,900
Why the range runs from €1,150 to €9,900
Look at the list and the logic of the six factors appears. A side table is small and uses little wood. A dining chair adds upholstery and a shaped shell that has to be comfortable for hours. The Dining Table and the Executive Desk are large pieces in solid teak: the material alone is considerable, and on the desk, the curve that runs from top to floor is where most of the hours go.
“From” means the price of the piece in its standard size and a standard finish. A stone top, a larger size or a different upholstery can change it; the product page shows which options apply.
What a fully custom piece adds
A custom design starts from your room rather than from our collection: a table for a specific length of wall, a desk with a particular cable route, a bed for an unusual alcove. That adds a design stage — drawings, revisions, a finish decision — before anything is made.
We do not publish a price list for custom work, because there is no honest one. A change to a collection piece, such as a different length, starts from a design whose details are already solved. A new design also carries the design hours and the first-time solving of every joint and curve. In both cases, you receive a price and a lead time before we start, and nothing is built until you have approved the drawing and the finish. How that works is described on custom made.
Deposits and payment
Many makers of handmade furniture ask for payment in two parts. A deposit lets the maker buy the timber and reserve the time in the workshop; the balance is due when the piece is finished.
At ALUR there is no deposit: a collection piece is paid in full when you order, through the secure checkout or a payment link from the studio. Within the EU we pay the import duties and VAT, so there is nothing to pay on delivery. Each piece takes about six weeks to make after your order. For custom work the payment terms are set in the quote. If you have questions first, book a video call.
Is custom furniture worth the price?
That depends on what you compare it with. Set against a flat-pack table, a handmade solid-wood piece always looks expensive. Set against buying that flat-pack table two or three times over the years, the comparison changes — we make that case at length in why custom made.
If you are not sure which piece fits your room or your budget, the quiz narrows it down in seven questions. If you have a size, a room or a deadline in mind, the quickest route to a real number is a short call.
Questions
How much does a custom dining table cost?
It depends on the wood, the size and the form. Our solid teak Dining Table starts at €6,900 including VAT, shipping extra, in 260 or 300 cm. A different size or a new design is quoted per project.
Is custom furniture more expensive than buying from a shop?
Usually yes, per piece, because it is made by hand in solid wood after your order. The difference narrows when you consider how long a solid piece lasts and that it can be refinished instead of replaced.
Why do some makers charge by the hour?
Because for one-off work nobody knows exactly how long it will take. For designs that have been made before, a fixed price per piece is possible — that is how our collection is priced.
Do your prices include VAT and shipping?
They include VAT; shipping is extra. Within the EU we also pay the import duties and VAT, so there is nothing to pay on delivery. Ask us what shipping to your address costs before you order.
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.
