Alcove Designs

Introducing… Bill Jest owner/director of Alcove Designs

After 20 years running a bespoke fitted furniture company, I am continually amazed at how many customers suffer an unacceptable standard of work, installed by unrealistic low cost amateurs, while professional companies providing a good service and product, are forced to close. To transform your living space with well-built furniture and to ensure a stress free experience, here follows a few tips to help find such a company.

The most important thing to understand before commissioning bespoke furniture is the difference between carpenters joiners and cabinet-makers. They work with the same materials but have different skills: Carpenters work on site, fixing things together e.g. joists floorboards door linings, doors and other items produced by joiners. Joiners work in a workshop producing items to drawings supplied by architects e.g. windows staircases and doors. They both depend on others to do the finishing – preparation, sanding, filling, priming undercoating and painting. WHEREAS, cabinet-makers produce furniture drawn by a designer, prepared with care for a professional finisher, such as a French polisher or spray painter.

There are two major types of fitted bespoke furniture. The first is the installation of pre manufactured, set size components. These are more cost effective but are less suitable for smaller spaces. The second is totally bespoke, uniquely made and more likely to meet your individual requirements.

Fitted bespoke furniture requires an installer and surveyor/designer to ensure the furniture will fit correctly into spaces that are often neither plumb nor level. In addition electrical sockets radiators pipes gas taps and other obstacles need to be negotiated or incorporated.

Generally it is experience that overcomes these problems and this should be one of the first factors to look for when choosing a company for this type of work. (Beware the company that has 12 years experience from four guys working together for the last 3 years).

Alcove Designs deliver the very highest quality bespoke cabinet making service, incorporating all the elements needed to guarantee ultimate satisfaction with your purchase. To find out more and see photos of our work, feel free to arrange a no obligation consultation or pop in and see me in our compact, but very well-designed showroom.