Your Unique Home

It can be difficult to create a home that is exactly to your tastes when there is comparatively little choice with regards to décor. The trend for low cost, mass produced products is such that it can be hard work making your home stand out from the crowd and capturing your unique personality.

Luckily, thanks to a booming artisan trade in the UK, it’s becoming easier and easier to access beautiful, well made, bespoke goods.

Furniture

Tailor made furniture is high on the list for any period home owner, as wonky walls and unusual design quirks mean that ‘flat pack’ furniture is often entirely inappropriate for the space.

A quick search of your local business directory or social media groups will turn up a plethora of craftspeople who specialise in creating tailor made furniture that not only fits the dimensions of your home, but also the aesthetic. It’s heartbreaking to put so much love into your Tudor home only to find that you’re having to force in ultra-modern, factory made furniture below those beautiful wooden beams. Imagine instead that you can engage the services of a local craftsman with the specialist knowledge required to make a piece of furniture that functions like a modern piece, but is authentically reproduced to suit the period.

This is similarly the case with specialist carpenters, welders and more. These incredible men and women can provide you with fixtures that blend seamlessly into the original features, and cupboards that fit your space down to the centimetre so that you get the absolute most from the space available.

Interior design

Perhaps your period home is in need of a spruce up? With specialist paints, wallpapers and soft furnishings, your home can look better than it did when it was built, whether you’re after a Gorgeous Georgian feel, a Riotously Regency look or a Veritably Victorian aesthetic! With some companies you can even design your own wallpaper, curtains and more, to incorporate your own style without losing that period appeal.

Functional pieces

The bespoke ideal extends beyond the ‘big’ additions, to smaller functional pieces. Think mirrors made using reverse carved mouldings to create scrolls crests and swags reminiscent of 18th century décor, or ceramic vases made with mid-century techniques for a Clarice Cliff feel that is still uniquely you.

Pottery in particular is a wonderful thing for those admirers of all things bespoke. Using authentic throwing techniques and glazes, an experienced potter could make a dinner set that’s period in feel, but exactly matches your chosen colour scheme. The ceramicist’s realm is far reaching: lamps, water features, even door knobs can be made to your exact instructions, making every inch of your home a tribute to your own personal style.

Art

Of course one thing that many people automatically associate with craftsmanship is non-functional art and decorative pieces, and here the possibilities really are endless. A painting, drawing or sculpture of your loved one, pet or the home itself makes the ideal gift (or simple a ‘present from me to me’!), while a piece of wall art that has special significance will ensure a unique air in any home.

Perhaps a tribute to your childhood or the place you met your spouse? Art made from wood or other materials discarded during home improvement so that you never lose those original features? Or even a collage of favourite photos, rather than sticking to individual frames? If you can imagine it, the chances are a local artist can create it, so don’t hold back!

Wearables

And what about clothes or jewellery? With clothing in particular, ‘off the peg’ can be a bind. We’re all different shapes and sizes, and finding clothing that’s comfortable isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be. However, a good tailor will make you an outfit that will fit you perfectly and you can guarantee that no one else will be wearing it!

Jewellery is something that can be extremely significant: from wedding rings to christening bracelets, your jewellery should be worth treasuring.

We all know that engraving names and dates on jewellery is an option but did you realise that the entire piece can be made from scratch? Artistes will be able to melt down old jewellery that you don’t wear and make something unique for you. Thanks to materials such as the wonderfully versatile ‘silver clay’ you can even replicate fingerprints, signatures and drawings on tiny, delicate items.

Why bespoke?

We’ve already discussed the benefits of bespoke from a personal point of view: tailor made items can fit your home, your body and your style to perfection.

However, one very important aspect of purchasing bespoke products is the effect it has on the economy. The artists and craftspeople who create these incredible pieces are generally smaller, local businesses. These could be your neighbours or your local high street shops. These are real people who have a real impact on your local economy so supporting them is a ‘win-win’.

For all these reasons and more, it really does make sense to buy bespoke.