Has anyone in the NYC area ever had a bed custom made? It sounds a bit princess-&-pea-ish, but we've been looking for months and the closest we've found to what we want is a combination of these two beds from CB2 — the Alpine Bed and the Harmonica Storage Bed — in wood. Extant storage-bed solutions seem to be either too pricey or too dorm-y, so we were wondering about a custom job. Any thoughts or recommendations?
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Anyone have experience with custom-made beds?
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Comments (9)
You could find a local carpenter to make one. But then it wouldn't come in easy-to-install pieces, it would probably have to be built on-site or at least really friggin' difficult to move if you ever had to...Plus, the price would be pretty damn prohibitive, I imagine.
Go to Metropolitan Design Center (located in the Flatiron area and the UWS):
http://www.mdcint.com
I had a semi-custom platform storage bed made there about 8 years ago out of maple ply and it set me back just a smidge over $1000. Not bad... I think the prices would be a bit higher now, but not too much higher. Anyway, I still have the bed and I love it- a very solid piece! They do 100% custom work as well, but that's when we're talking about many more $$$...
We had the same issue finding a storage bed last year. We ending up having WonkNYC make us a custom bed based on one of the showroom samples they had. They don't advertise the fact (no idea why) but every order is custom made in Brooklyn so it doesn't cost much more to have them build the bed exactly like you want.
Made of high quality MDF and lament. This is not Ikea quality either it's very well built. Takes them a few months to make but completely worth it. We even had them build a custom desk and bed side tables.
http://www.wonknyc.com/furniture/knickerbocker?img0=1
Gothic Cabinet Craft (http://gothiccabinetcraft.com/) allows a pretty decent degree of customization. Their site is kinda craptastic, but if you have a good idea of what you want, you should stop into one of their stores to chat.
Wonk is a good option. True, each piece of furniture they make is built-to-order, but they have pre-existing templates that keep the prices low. If you don't order a bed within their standard options, they are still a very good resource, but the prices go up significantly. I had the same problem last year, and after asking around for months finally found a great carpenter who was a friend of a friend. He has outstanding credentials, does amazing work for very fair prices, and can be reached at jeanguysimard@mac.com.
I looked for about a year for a new bed. Finally I just gave up and built my own. It was a lot of work but I got mostly what I wanted. It was an excellent learning experience and I got a great bed.
That said you may want to call a couple of custom cabinetry shops if you want someone to build it for you. They would have access to the tools and wood/veneers and the cabinet building shop would be perfectly sized for such a large project. Additionally they would already have the truck and installers able to bring it to you when it's finished.
With the economy so slow, I would think a smaller local cabinet builder would love to get some extra business. And if they couldn't do it I would bet they know a local carpenter who could. Price would probably be dependent on the builder and what materials you need. Drawing up a basic prototype in google sketchup would probably help too in giving them a more precise idea what you want.
Having gone the custom route a few times now, you should probably brace yourself for a slight dose of sticker shock. Since both of your inspirations are CB2, your eyes have adjusted to some artificially low prices courtesy of foreign factories filling very large orders at rock bottom prices. If you assume it will take 2 skilled american cabinetmakers 2.5 days to make your bed, that is in the neighborhood of $1000 in labor right there. No wood. No overhead. No veneer. No supplies. Just labor. I don't find it crazy or outrageous myself (people got to eat...), but I know from experience that if you have never done custom, it can take some time to wrap your head around the price differences.
If you get a quote in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500 for a veneered, well made, custom storage bed from a reputable source, I think you are probably looking at a good deal.
I had a friend/cabinet builder custom build four boxes that inter lock, and have flush lids that I use for a platform bed. The four box design allows me to flip two on the height edge, slide behind the two on the floor for makeshift seating.
Cedar lined inside for storage.
I have buy a Custom Bed in Italy.
It's very beatiful...
Their Site international is:
www.bedsrus.eu