Custom furniture doesn’t have to be expensive

Beautiful furniture doesn’t always mean you’ll be spending an arm and a leg. Custom furniture maker Rich Jamieson from Jamieson Furniture Gallery talks to Pete about how you can get great, custom-made furniture at stock furniture prices.

Rich says the idea behind the custom furniture movement began as a counter to the industrial revolution. “People got the idea that mass production dehumanizes the worker,” he says, “and it also creates an inferior product.”

The trend has captured Seattle, and Rich says you should check out Urban Hardwoods, who make “beautiful, beautiful furniture; tables, mostly.” A full-on salvage company, they will rescue wood from trees threatening homes, as well as reclaimed and re-purposed wood.

A trend in the custom furniture industry, Rich says, is the “free-form aesthetic,” or leaving the shape of the tree intact. Although that mainly brings to mind large dining room tables, Rich says you can even have free-form end tables. Another trend taking hold is the “eclectic movement.” Previously, people were trying to match all of the furniture in their home. Although mismatching furniture can sometimes lead to a hodge-podge of colors and eras, if done correctly, it can bring out the “wow factor,” says Rich.

Custom furniture from Jamieson Furniture Gallery, Rich says, is comparable in price to stock furniture. For example, for an extension table made of solid mango, starting at 40×60 with a 16-inch extension in the middle, “we’re looking probably around $940,” Rich says.

Jamieson Furniture Gallery is a proud sponsor of Home Matters.

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Home Matters with Pete and Rob can be heard on KIRO Radio every Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m. or anytime at KIRORadio.com. Like Home Matters on Facebook.