Bespoke & off the peg

Bespoke and Off the Peg

Pair your uniqueness with the skills of artisans and make your home one of a kind. 2LG breaks down how you can add bespoke and off the peg items into your home to create a space that is tailor-made.

Lesson Summary

• Joinery is a great place to start with off-the-peg items.
• Part of your kitchen could be made bespoke.
• A kitchen island or freestanding, one-off piece of furniture could be bespoke.
• Work with craftsmen where possible for bespoke pieces.
• It's crucial to know the story of your scheme.
• It gives you the freedom and confidence to commission a piece that will fit in with that scheme.

One-off Pieces

• One-off pieces are a great way to make your home unique.
• You can commission an artist or joiner to craft pieces of furniture tailored to your home.
• In Victorian houses, the bookshelf in the alcoves is an example of the use of bespoke carpentry.
• Taking something that already exists and doing it in a bespoke colourway is another way to work one-off pieces into your space.
• They like mixing in vintage buys with high street ones.
• New and old can work great together, fitting in with your budget beautifully if you are clever.

Local Design

• Get out in your area and get inquisitive.
• Visit graduate shows and art galleries.
• Get to know the creators living around you.

It Can Be a Leap of Faith

• When thinking about bespoke pieces, allow yourself to be free and creative.
• Their Stanley table is an example of a bespoke table.
• Don't be afraid of failure.

Creating the Bespoke Look

• One can achieve the bespoke look by using an off-the-peg carcass.
• 2LG have used these in dressing rooms and fitting rooms.
• You can buy relatively inexpensive carcasses from IKEA and have a carpenter make a bespoke table.
• Utilising the skills of carpenters and tradesmen you can renovate and repurpose vintage elements. Reworking these pieces so that they fit into your scheme.
• You can repurpose vintage pieces by using vintage sideboards and dressers as bathroom vanities.

Case Study - St Albans

In this project, a tile with a bespoke colourway was used as it perfectly tied in with the theme. Jordan and Russell used Encaustic T146 from Alhambra tiles, they can be purchased here.

Your Assignment

Get out in your local area and compile a list of 10-15 tradesmen, welders, carpenters and joiners.