Custom-made furniture is not the first thing on everyone’s mind or budget, but one Kansas City area couple regards it as financially practical, according to The Kansas City Star.
Tony Stewart of Overland Park, Kansas, and his wife Teri recently commissioned furniture for their 1959 split-level house. They needed a piece of furniture that would work as a room divider between their entryway and living room that could store wine. But after shopping around for shelving, they had no luck.
On a First Fridays art walk, the Stewarts spotted a wooden tree-shaped wine rack made by Deadleaf and thought it was perfect for their home. Owner of Deadleaf Designs, Ryan Bennett worked with the Stewarts in the Crossroads Arts District.
“Why spend money on something that’s not quite what you want?” asks Stewart, who decided to go down the custom avenue.
Bennett visited the Stewarts’ house to measure and get a feel for the space so he could sketch his plan.
“It helps to see the space to envision possibilities,” Bennett told the Kansas City Star. “Clients and I can communicate well that way.”
Bennett and the Stewarts put their heads together and came up with a large, light wood abstract divider that does not obstruct the view from the kitchen to the living room, and vice versa.
“They’re also like sculpture,” says Tony Stewart, who has hired Deadleaf to make more storage pieces. “They get lots of compliments.”
Usually custom pieces cost an average of 15 percent more than store-bought, Kansas City furniture makers say. And the Stewarts found out that getting just what you want has no price. For more information, contact Deadleaf Designs, Kansas City, Mo., deadleafdesigns.com.