There’s something truly special about designing a bespoke piece of furniture. It’s where creativity meets craftsmanship, where your imagination turns into something tangible, perfectly proportioned for the space it inhabits. Bespoke furniture elevates a project from beautiful to exceptional, but it also requires careful thought, precise planning, and a deep understanding of how people live and move within a space.
Here are some of the principles I’ve learned when creating custom furniture for my projects.
Think Beyond Aesthetics
When you’re designing bespoke furniture, it’s tempting to focus purely on how it looks, but form must always follow function. A piece might be stunning on paper, but if it’s uncomfortable or impractical, it will never truly work.
When it comes to bespoke furniture, seating requires careful thought. You have to think ergonomically; each type has its own considerations for comfort, proportion, and usability:
Dining Chairs
- Seat height and depth are crucial for comfort over long meals.
- Ensure clearance under the dining table for knees and chair arms.
- Armrests should be considered carefully; slimmer arms work better in compact spaces.
Armchairs
- Proportion and scale are key – a chair should feel comfortable without overwhelming the space.
- Seat depth, back height, arm style and cushion fill influence posture and relaxation.
- Think about the intended use: is it a living room chair that will be used regularly and needs to be both comfortable and durable, or is it more of an occasional chair that can prioritise a more sculptural shape and character over practicality? When designing for clients, we often go into incredible detail; for example, when creating a chair for a nursery, we’ll carefully consider the exact height of the armrest to ensure it’s comfortable when holding a baby. We will also consult with the client on whether they would like the chair to be static, swivel or rocking.
Sofas
- Comfort is the starting point, but proportion and function are just as important.
- Tailor width, depth (within reason), and arm style to the room
- Cushion construction can balance softness and support, creating a sofa that’s inviting without constant upkeep
- Bespoke dimensions allow the sofa to sit perfectly in the room, harmonising with other furniture and the overall design scheme and flow of the room.
Getting these details right can transform your seating from simply functional to a beautiful, comfortable centrepiece. In the Sophie Paterson Academy, we go deeper into the exact proportions, cushion construction, and fabric considerations that make a bespoke chair truly exceptional.
Measure, Check, and Check Again
Precision is everything. Before finalising any bespoke furniture designs, measure the space multiple times and confirm every dimension with your upholsterer or supplier. It’s surprising how often even a few millimetres can make or break a design.
Equally important is access. A sofa might look perfectly sized for the room, but can it actually get up the stairs? If not, it can often be made in modular sections; your upholsterer or maker will be able to advise and some can carry out access checks on your behalf. Always think about the route the piece will take from workshop to final placement.
It’s also worth visiting your manufacturer before upholstery begins; check the chair or sofa frame in its raw form to ensure the shape, proportions, and comfort feel exactly right. Adjusting the frame at this stage is far easier than making changes once the piece has been upholstered.
When an item incorporates a COM (Customer’s Own Material) fabric, it’s essential to create a cutting sheet. This sheet should include all relevant details about the fabric: supplier, brand, name, unique reference, width of the material, and composition, along with a small snippet taken from a swatch. This gives the upholsterer a clear heads-up about the fabric they will be working with.
Whether the fabric is patterned, plain, or striped, the cutting sheet can affect the quantity of material needed, for example, a pattern repeat may require additional fabric. Creating this sheet early in the process also allows the maker to comment on the fabric if they have used it before and encountered any issues. Additionally, it helps them verify that the fabric delivered matches the sample on the cutting sheet, which is particularly important as workshops often receive multiple rolls of material at once. In cases where mistakes have occurred, such as the upholsterer using the wrong fabric, having a cutting sheet provides a clear record.
Choose Finishes Wisely
Finishes can completely change the character of a piece, but they also need to suit the level of use. A dining table that’s used daily must be durable and easy to clean, while an occasional table or console can afford to be more delicate and decorative.
If a piece sits near a window, consider how sunlight might affect the materials. Certain veneers and finishes can fade or discolour over time when exposed to UV light. It’s worth specifying UV-protective coatings or placing more sensitive pieces away from direct sunlight.
Get the Details Right
Small details are what make bespoke furniture design truly special. It’s about understanding how clients live and finding ways to make their everyday life easier and more beautiful through design. This might mean integrating practical touches such as built-in reading lights within a headboard, hidden cable management for a desk, or discreet storage within a bench. These considered features elevate a design from simply bespoke to truly personal, ensuring every piece not only looks beautiful but enhances the way a space is used.
If you’re adding drawers to a desk or dressing table, check that the seat height still works comfortably underneath. I often omit drawers altogether to preserve knee space and a clean silhouette. However, we have recently designed a desk with Loom that allows for both drawers and leg room.
When it comes to dining tables, make sure to allow space on the underside of the table and the top of the chair seat for comfort. The position of the legs or pedestal also matters. A beautiful design can quickly become impractical if guests constantly bump their knees.
If you’re designing an extendable table, integrate storage for the extra leaves within the table itself. It’s a small touch, but it keeps everything seamless and clutter-free.
Sometimes even the most beautiful furniture can feel impractical if it doesn’t fit the space perfectly. This is one of the reasons I recently collaborated with Loom to create a new collection of narrow floating consoles. London homes often have tight entranceways, and I could never find any standard consoles to buy off-the-shelf that were narrow enough.
These consoles are a perfect example of bespoke thinking in action: designed specifically for narrow spaces, they are sleek, elegant, and practical; providing just enough surface for keys, a small vase, or a candle. The larger design can also sit above a small radiator if required. Designing furniture with both the space and everyday use in mind is at the heart of bespoke design, and these consoles show how thoughtful proportions and tailored solutions can transform even the smallest areas of a home.
Fabric and Feel
Upholstered pieces are as much about texture as they are about tone. For dining chairs, I like to treat the seat and back as two opportunities: the seat should prioritise practicality, with stain-resistant or wipeable fabrics; the back is where you can introduce texture, contrast, or pattern for visual interest.
Always test fabrics in person. Sit on them, touch them, and imagine how they’ll feel during a long dinner party. Some materials look exquisite but squeak, crush, or mark easily – these subtleties are what separate good design from great design.
For beds, the height and shape of the headboard set the tone for the room. Low, clean-lined designs feel contemporary, while taller or shaped headboards lend a more classic feel. Consider how the finish performs too, leather or robust fabrics like mohair or performance velvet are ideal for durability. As beautiful as it looks, silk isn’t practical as it can absorb oils from hair and skin over time.
When it comes to choosing fabrics and materials for bespoke furniture, there’s no substitute for experiencing them in real life. One of my favourite places to do this is the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre. It’s a treasure trove for designers, with showrooms from some of the UK’s best fabric suppliers all under one roof.
Visiting Chelsea Harbour allows you to:
- Experience fabrics beyond swatches and photos – online images rarely convey the full story: how a fabric feels to the touch, its weight, how it drapes, its sheen, and whether it is soft, supple, or structured.
- See fabrics at full scale – small samples online or in swatches don’t always capture the full design
- Speak directly to suppliers – gaining insights on durability, maintenance, and even special custom dyeing options.
- Find inspiration – many showrooms feature fully upholstered pieces in unique and creative designs, offering ideas for textures, combinations, and unexpected details to incorporate into your own projects.
Getting Inspiration
Finding inspiration is an essential part of designing bespoke furniture. Pinterest is a fantastic place to start, offering a wealth of ideas for materials, finishes, and design details. Look for elements that will elevate your design and set it apart from mass-produced pieces – subtle touches like piping or trim details, interesting fabric combinations, or unexpected textures can transform a simple piece into something truly special. Inspiration can come from anywhere: historic furniture, contemporary design, nature, or even architectural details. The key is to collect ideas that feel personal and that you can adapt thoughtfully into your own bespoke designs.
Bringing It All Together
Designing bespoke furniture is about balance between creativity and practicality, beauty and usability. It allows you to shape the environment entirely around the way people live. When done well, these pieces become the quiet heroes of a space: effortless, timeless, and tailored to perfection.
Inside the Sophie Paterson Academy, we explore these principles in depth from technical drawings and ergonomics to finishes, proportions, and sourcing. It’s where design ideas become real-world expertise, giving you the confidence to commission or design bespoke pieces that truly elevate your interiors.
For more inspiration, explore our portfolio to see how I translate timeless design principles into distinctive, character-filled homes. For exclusive behind-the-scenes content, including project reveals, product collaborations, and more insights into our design process, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
And for daily inspiration, updates, and a closer look at life inside the studio, follow us on Instagram @sophiepatersoninteriors and Tik Tok @sophiepatersoninteriors
