BESPOKE FURNITURE - WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?
Ok, so most people probably don’t use the word ‘bespoke’ as much in their day to day vocabulary. Bespoke is, put simply, something that is custom made, completely tailored to what you want. Here at dumped & ditched that means a custom restoration job from frame to finished piece.
Most of the pieces we breathe life back into come through commission work, heirlooms that customers already own. But what about if you’re looking for furniture, but you don’t want to add to the throwaway consumerism or go trawling second hand shops? Or maybe you just want a new chair, but something unique and more sustainable, still have the convenience of ‘window shopping’ and also get customised service? We have you covered.
Featured from left to right: 1950’s kitchen chair, 1950’s armchair and 1950’s recliner armchair (one of two)
One of our passions is rescuing old pieces of furniture in hopes that they can once again be restored and loved. Our collection of pre-loved furniture is ready to be customised to your personal design needs and preferences. In our ‘Bespoke’ section you can find a selection of our made-to-order furniture. These are rescued pieces that have a history, unique pieces of furniture waiting for a new life. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, get in touch. We usually have bespoke stock that has not yet been listed.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Once you have embraced your ‘new’ piece of furniture, we start the process of designing it together, tailored to your home. Don’t worry, we know that the idea of designing any piece of furniture can be overwhelming. We also know that sometimes it’s hard to envision the finished piece when you’re looking at something that has, frankly, seen better days. It requires a leap of faith. But we’re not asking you to jump in blind, we disclose everything about our process. And we also know that a picture says more than a thousand words, so we highly recommend having a look at our before and after gallery for inspiration.
From rags to unique eye-catchers
It might sound pompous, but upholstery, like any true craftsmanship, is an art form when it’s done treating each piece of furniture with integrity. We don’t believe in ‘quick, easy and out the door’.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
At dumped & ditched we have made a choice to be as sustainable as possible. While you end up with ‘new’ furniture when you choose to refurbish, you have also kept something perfectly good from becoming waste. For a high-quality piece of furniture, bought brand new, and often mass produced, you are looking at a similar dollar price tag, but you are also looking at something much bigger.
Part of our storytelling is about sustainability, conscious consumerism and the dark sides of the fast fashion and throw away culture. We believe in a circular economy where resource input and waste are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing material loops. This can be achieved through long-lasting design, repair, refurbishing, and recycling. This regenerative approach is in contrast to the traditional linear economy, which has a 'take, make, dispose' model of production.
Durability is quintessential if you want to hang onto your furniture pieces for years to come. High quality furniture will last for decades as vintage has proven to withstand the test of time. Hard wearing upholstery fabrics will extend the lifespan of a piece by many years. It is an investment that will pay itself back over the years. We carry a large selection of fabrics that are made from post-consumer products, and we re-use original parts wherever possible while still maintaining the highest standard.
We’re a ‘whole picture’ service. Literally. We have developed a visual language to complete our storytelling with artworks that tell the (yet hopeful) story of our consumerist society. We can’t help but envision a home where a photograph hangs over a stunning piece of furniture, a before and after like no other, functional pieces of art that combined tell a story of reverence of the past & hope for the future.
Images by Dida Sundet Photography