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Thinking about commissioning a custom piece of furniture?

Read this first:

A short, honest guide to the questions every buyer should ask before commissioning custom furniture — written by the people who actually build it. No sales pitch. No fluff. Just what we'd want to know if we were the ones buying.

 

What’s inside?

Twelve pages of the questions our customers actually ask, answered the way we'd want them answered if we were on the other side of the conversation.

  1. What does "custom" actually mean? (And why the word is so abused.)
  2. What kind of wood should I choose?
  3. What should this realistically cost?
  4. How long will it take?
  5. How is it built, and will it actually last?
  6. What happens if something goes wrong?
  7. How do I know I’m working with the right maker?

Each section ends with a specific question to ask whichever maker you end up working with — including us. The goal isn't to sell you a Fox Den piece. It's to make sure that whoever you commission, you go in with your eyes open.

Who Wrote this?

Fox Den Furnishings is a small-batch custom furniture shop operated by Ian Ashton in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We build heirloom-quality pieces from sustainably sourced hardwoods — dining tables, credenzas, coffee tables, and the occasional one-of-a-kind commission — using traditional joinery designed to last for generations.

We've been doing this long enough to know that the buyers who end up happiest aren't the ones who pick the prettiest table on a Pinterest board. They're the ones who go in understanding what they're buying, what to expect, and what questions to ask. That's why we wrote this guide.

Whether you end up commissioning a piece from us, from another small shop, or decide custom isn't right for you at all — we hope it helps.