The Importance of the Hand-Made & Bespoke

One of the first pieces of furniture I ever bought was when I was twenty-five, living in London. A friend introduced me to the work of Marianna Kennedy, and it was love at first sight: a handmade table painstakingly painted with thirty layers of lacquer, made according to an eighteenth century formula. I was then working on a PhD in art history and living in a tiny cellar apartment, so I was not in a financial position to buy even one of her smaller pieces.

When my PhD was ultimately completed, I started working, and I began scraping together the funds I needed to have this particular table in my life. I have lived in many homes in the twenty years since, and Marianna’s table has accompanied me on every move. While my tastes and aesthetics have undergone massive transformations during that time, I still adore the table and never fail to find the perfect place for it. This singular work and the intention imbued in it fills my days with joy. It reminds me of a particular time in my life and of the artist, and it brings with it her values and stories.

Living as we do surrounded by digital, high-resolution images, and mass-produced, perfectly identical items, there is something relaxing and peaceful about the qualities of handcrafted objects. Think of the undulating surfaces of handmade tiles, distemper paint that shows the brush strokes of the painter, deliberately patinated Tadelakt lime-plastered walls, metals that evolve subtly with wear, coarse linens made by family mills in Belgium, hand-painted wallpapers created by artists in China. Each such item tells a story and adds a richness that cannot be achieved by their factory-made counterparts.

We thrive in spaces graced by human touch: spaces that are crafted by skilled artisanal hands, bespoke furniture, and fittings and finishes that are imbued with intention. They elevate a space from interesting to sublime. That indefinable trace of soul greatly influences how we engage with a space —how it becomes home. Items made with care by specialty craftspeople have an almost alchemical aura about them.

Unlike items mass-produced in a factory, handmade pieces that have been slowly and mindfully crafted have texture, charisma and personality. It is akin to inviting an intriguing but slightly eccentric new person to a party: they add something exhilarating to an otherwise predictable environment.

My grandparents’ house was one of the most evocative houses I have known, and it shaped my views about interiors. It was neither lavish nor pretentious but simply an extension of them, their interests, books, art, and furniture. They married during World War II, and their first purchase as a couple was a vase made by a Sydney potter, followed by an early modernist bed made by a local craftsman. They could barely afford it, but they commissioned it nevertheless. It was with them their entire lives, my grandmother birthing her children on it. They wrote their diaries there every evening, and we grandchildren played on it, and both my grandparents grew old on it. When my grandfather died at age ninety-four, the bed was more beautiful than it had been when they bought it some seven decades earlier.

Working with artists, craftspeople and tradespeople who bring generations of knowledge and passion to their craft is incredibly inspiring and rewarding. As designers, we scour the world to source something, or we commission one-off furniture and furnishings: pieces made by artists, superb objects from the secondary market, contemporary items from designers, and brands committed to quality. These we thoughtfully combine to create an artful, richly textured space, that fluently fits the marvellously unique people for whom we design.

For interior designers, curating a unique space with antiques and personalised bespoke pieces is more time-consuming than employing a signature style to be rolled out in different ‘versions’ to a variety of clients. However, this is your home, and it is where you will spend years of your life—it is worth every bit of thoughtfulness, time, and care. Bespoke fittings, finishes, furniture and furnishings are the heart of a home that lives and breathes with vitality and personality.

So, embrace the idea of slow and thoughtful design. You should love each piece in your home and have the intention of keeping it for a long time.

Kate Challis