For most people, sketching a piece of furniture on a serviette or in a notebook is where the story ends, but at Homewood, it’s just the beginning. Below, we have a look at the journey of custom furniture from pencil line to polished heirloom.
Sit down and Talk
Every custom order starts with a conversation. Come into a showroom and bring us your photos, Pinterest boards and hand-drawn sketches. Our experienced sales managers will be able to talk you through what is possible and how to bring your piece to life. We listen, measure, tweak proportions, and add joinery notes. By the end of the meeting the doodle has grown into a working drawing ready for timber talk.
Here are the beginnings of two beautiful pieces: the “snake” table and a baby crib with woven rail caps for softness and style.
Choose Your Wood, Weave, and Upholstery
All Homewood timber comes from alien-invasive species removed from South African rivers and wetlands, giving a second life to wood that once choked our ecosystems.
Picking timber is more than colour swatches:
- Inside vs. outside: Cottonwood shines indoors; Sugar/Spotted Gum and Blackwood are more suited to shrug off inclement weather.
- Story in the grain: We don’t cut out “imperfections”, as the conditions the tree has grown in are what form each piece of wood’s unique character, which is ultimately passed on to the furniture. A red flash might reveal that the tree lived through a drought or faced strong winds, while a yellow streak could record an insect battle. Those unplanned fingerprints are what make each piece art, not product.
Choosing the weave and upholstery is where you can let your uniqueness show. With practically endless variations on colour and pattern, you can go wild!
Our customers chose rich [customer’s choice hardwood] for the snake table and Cottonwood for the crib. The crib also feature [weave] for a soft finish.
Production: People Over Machines
Sketch approved, timber stacked; now 100 skilled hands take over. We hire locally and train newcomers until they earn “artisan” status.
Watching a recruit from rural KZN become a master weaver or joiner is our proudest metric. When you buy a Homewood crib, you’re not just paying for your item, you’re investing in someone’s career arc.
The Snake Table was particularly difficult to construct, but we enjoyed the challenge!
Delivery Day
Perfection isn’t a sprint. Our standard lead time is eight weeks from payment and final measurements, and your sales manager will keep you updated on the progress of your piece.
A sinuous dining table now anchors the room, and a crib waits for lullabies.
The Takeaway
A good maker will tweak your drawing, match wood to purpose, and refuse to rush. In other words, we won’t always give you exactly what you asked for, but we will deliver a showpiece that honours your idea, the tree’s history, and the hands that shaped it.
Ready to turn your scribble into solid timber?
Visit a Homewood showroom or start your custom design journey online today.