All the things to consider when speaking of custom vs ready-made furniture.
When it comes to choosing the right furniture for your business, there are many possibilities to choose from. Some commercial owners prefer to fill their rooms with state-of-the-art custom-made pieces. On the other hand, others can get by with custom-made pieces.
Should you consider custom furniture for your business, or should you aim for ready-made solutions? Keep reading to learn more about all the pros and cons.
Budget
Budget is one of the biggest differentiators between ready-made and custom furniture. In most cases, custom furniture is going to be more expensive than ready-made counterparts. Ready-made offerings often represent a budget-friendly option. Manufacturers that sell pre-made pieces often offer a large variety of items to pick from. As a result, you may be able to find something that suits the business needs and space specs, without necessarily needing to customized furniture.
On the other hand, you might find custom furniture, which is more expensive but can give you a bigger bang for your buck in the long run. Furniture that’s specifically designed to suit your needs will, in turn, give you better results and performance.
Durability
Durability is not an intrinsic quality of either custom-made or ready-made furniture for businesses. It’s more about the quality tier you consider. In other words, there are cheap custom furniture, as well as mid-priced and expensive options. The same goes for ready-made furniture. There are many companies who focus on entry-level models, while others create luxurious and durable ready-made models that are built to last a lifetime and priced accordingly.
Flexibility
In terms of flexibility, customized furniture wins the fight. There is nothing that beats the ability to commission a piece of furniture that’s specifically tailored to your needs. The designs are truly endless and are the most amazing way to tailor your furniture to the specific quirks of your space. On another note, you could achieve good results with ready-made furniture as well, while saving some money in the process.
Branding
Branding is very important for any business. As you know, the right furniture contributes to the visual and professionalism of your brand immensely. You can use ready-made furniture to great effect on a branding standpoint. However, customized pieces will help you achieve your vision more seamlessly, particularly for more ambitious and one-of-a-kind projects.
Choice
When it comes to choosing, customized furniture is hard to beat. When it comes to ready-made pieces, you’ll always have a relatively limited pool of options. There is virtually no limit to what you could achieve with customized furniture items, made to your exact specification. When it comes to the variety of choices, the custom is your best route.
Resale Value
Ready-made furniture often has poor resale value. Customized furniture may sell better, only if the furniture pieces are in good condition. Custom pieces often have that “artisanal” or “unique” vibe, which makes them attractive and one-of-a-kind. For those reasons, investing in custom-made furniture could be a better idea, especially down the line (if you believe you would ever consider selling).
The bottom line is that there is no right answer: custom furniture and ready-made are both good, and each will serve a purpose. Whether you go one way or the other, you could even mix both options. It’s important to let the personality of your business shine through.