One Size Does Not Fit All

The Benefits of Custom Upholstery
Catherine Cocke

It has happened to all of us, even professional interior designers.

A casual walk through Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn led to a purchase of a “perfect” piece of furniture that, once delivered, just does not seem to work. The color may be off or the dimensions simply wrong. Worse yet, you might see the same piece at a friend’s home.

For the same price as a sofa at Pottery Barn, it is possible to have one custom made in a fabric of your choosing and in dimensions that fit your home perfectly. We frequently have pieces custom made for our client’s homes because custom furniture offers immense flexibility.

Custom design gives us many options. You can select all dimensions, fill material, choose from multiple leg options and cushion sizes, and pick fabrics to complement your decor perfectly.

I recently moved into a new home with vastly different room sizes compared to my former home. My formal living room has a 15-foot long window that was crying out for a sofa underneath it. The window is very low so the back of the sofa needed to be a certain height to not block the view.

A sofa I love by a well-known furniture designer was too short, the back was slightly too high and I did not care for its legs. And, the company offered mediocre fabrics and took months to deliver. With the help of a local furniture craftsman used on many Musso Design Group projects, I was able to create exactly what I wanted.

I specified that the sofa be 10 feet long rather than 7 feet, changed the legs, and lowered the back by a couple of inches. The furniture craftsman suggested altering the seat depth a few inches to make it more comfortable. Together, we decided to use a cushion foam that would have more “give” but still retain its shape nicely.

A couple of weeks later I stopped by to look at the wooden frame of the sofa to be sure the dimensions looked good. At this point, I could have altered the length or height. I returned when it was almost complete to ensure the back was soft enough. I wanted the cushions to be soft but not so soft that the cushion looks rumpled and indented when a person gets up.

About three weeks from placing my order, my gorgeous new sofa was delivered! The final cost was about the same as the much smaller store bought sofa, but I got exactly what I wanted while supporting a local craftsman!