Custom furniture is the best kind of furniture. Sure, it’s easy to find mass-produced pieces in stores from coast to coast, but those items tend to offer a relatively low level of quality and simply aren’t as enjoyable to use or look at as a high-end custom piece. When a homeowner wants to outfit their property with items that are perfect for the space and will last for generations, custom is the way to go.
This page is going to dive deep into the custom home furniture market to better understand where it is currently, what’s popular in the market, and where we are likely to go from here. Anyone interested in any part of the custom home furniture market should find this discussion interesting and enlightening, so let’s get started!
An Overview of the Current Market
We can’t get any idea of where we are going without first figuring out where we are. Toward that end, we are going to get started by analyzing the current custom home furniture market to see just how many of these types of pieces are being sold now by retailers in the United States.
- A huge market. If there was any doubt that custom furniture played a major role in the market already, you only need to look at one number to dispel that notion – in 2023 alone, it is estimated that custom furniture accounted for a market value of over $102 billion. This includes products in a range of home furnishings categories, but all of those custom pieces are marked by the desire of the buyer to have something that is uniquely suited to their needs and tastes.
- Room for growth. Is the custom home furniture market tapped out at its current level? Far from it. In fact, research shows that there is significant room for growth here, as it is projected to add another $50 billion in market value by 2030. We will talk more about the potential drivers of this kind of growth later in the article, but there are many things going on in custom home furniture that make it ripe for extreme growth in the years ahead.
- The trends are strong. In addition to dollars spent, internet searches are a good way to track the interest that exists in any one specific market. There are signs based on web data that custom home furnishings continue to get more and more popular. For example, some of the searches performed on Etsy for things related to custom home goods have increased over 4,000% recently. Along with the search numbers, custom furniture makers will report that interest in their products has shot up in the post-pandemic years, often leading to significant backlogs of work that can take months or years to clear out.
- Desirable items. Even if a given homeowner or consumer hasn’t yet made a purchase of a custom piece of furniture, they may still have a strong desire to do so in the future. According to one report, 71% of customers would like to purchase custom-made pieces for their bathrooms. Another report highlights the desire of 42% of consumers to buy from companies that give them the option to customize their furniture products.
Far from a thing of the past, custom furniture may be more popular today than ever before, with the arrow pointing up for more growth to come. Consumers now have tons of options for custom pieces that will fit nicely into their available spaces, and companies that work in this market will find many willing and interested buyers ready to do business.
Four Notable Trends to Monitor
Now that we’ve gained an understanding of just how massive this space is and how many people are interested in buying custom furniture for their homes, it makes sense to next zoom in on the trends that are being seen in the market. What do customers want in their custom furniture, and how has that changed in recent years?
We’ve identified four notable trends to watch in this space moving forward –
- Personalization. It might seem odd to include “personalization” on this list, since the whole point of custom furniture is to have something built to custom specifications. Aren’t all custom home furniture pieces personalized? Well, yes, but the level of personalization that is available has been rapidly increasing recently. Where it used to be the case that maybe only a couple of components of a custom piece could be altered to suit the needs and preferences of the buyer, today nearly everything about a piece of furniture can be changed. This includes the materials that are used, the finishes that the piece features, the dimensions, and more. With the ability to go into such great detail when placing an order, the customer will find more value in a custom order and will be even more likely to go in this direction rather than buying something off the shelf.
- Sustainability. More and more people care about the impact they are having on the world around them. Rather than just buying a piece of furniture that they like, and not worrying about where it comes from or what materials were used to make it, consumers increasingly want to feel good about the whole process that led to the furniture landing in their home. Many custom furniture makers are embracing this positive trend by responsibly sourcing materials, using non-toxic finishes, and taking other steps that will lessen the impact that each piece has on the surrounding environment.
- Space Efficiency. For some custom furniture buyers – such as those living in a big city – space is at a premium in their homes. This is leading buyers to want to get as much use out of each available space as possible. That might mean buying something that can serve a dual purpose for them to make sure no square foot goes wasted inside the space. One great example is a bed that includes storage compartments. A custom piece that is designed to fit perfectly in a specific bedroom and brings extra storage space along with it can make even a small room feel luxurious and comfortable. This same type of thinking applies to a small dining room that can be made to feel bigger when a custom table is crafted specifically to suit that space.
- Artisanal Craftsmanship. Consumers in many different market niches are moving away from mass-produced goods and towards one-off pieces that are created by artisans. These kinds of pieces feel like they have more personality and character than something that rolled off of an assembly line in a massive factory. Of course, artisanal craftsmanship goes hand-in-hand with custom designs and dimensions, so it’s often the case that you’ll find custom furniture makers offering pieces that have been personally created by a talented craftsman.
Popular Applications for Custom Furniture
Custom furniture can effectively be used throughout the home. In fact, some custom home furniture retailers offer pieces that are suitable for use outside of the home, as well, such as on decks and patios for outdoor living. Part of the ongoing success – and growth – of this market is the fact that there are so many different applications in which custom furniture can be put to use.
How might custom furniture that is available in today’s market be used to elevate a home? Consider the following options –
- Creating a Dream Bedroom. There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking into your bedroom after a long day and finding a comfortable, welcoming space. Of course, the furniture in that bedroom is going to have a lot to do with how it looks and functions, and this is a common space for custom furniture to be used. Buyers will often use custom furniture to make sure their bed and other pieces fit ideally into the space while delivering an aesthetic that they love. Building out an ideal bedroom involves more than just the bed itself, as well – a custom wardrobe can be placed in the corner of the room to add storage in addition to function.
- A Perfect Living Room. The furniture placed in a living room is a core component of how the entire house looks and feels. A custom couch, for example, with just the right fabric and firmness, can set the tone of the rest of the space. Custom-ordered furniture for a living room is a great choice in particularly large, luxury homes where it may be ideal to order a couch or coffee table that is bigger than what is typically available on the market.
- Mastering Outdoor Living. Many of the same benefits that are offered by custom furniture inside a house will still apply when the furniture is placed outside of the home on a deck or patio. Going with custom pieces in this space makes it easy to optimize the use of the available space, control the aesthetic, and match the pieces to the climate that exists in that area. Rather than shopping for weeks or months to try to find the right pre-existing pieces for an outdoor living area, more and more homeowners are simply opting to order a custom item that they know is going to be created exactly to their specifications.
A home without furniture is an empty shell that is waiting to be filled, and custom furniture represents an opportunity that simply isn’t available with mass-produced items. The continued growth of this market is owed not only to how custom pieces can shape a bedroom, living room, or outdoor living space, but also how they can be applied to any area of the home with a little creativity and the right retail partner.
Two Categories of Market Segmentation
One of the notable differences between custom and mass-produced home furniture is the way the market is targeted by companies operating in these spaces. For mass-produced furniture companies, the target market is virtually everyone – these companies place low-cost, generic pieces in their stores and open the doors to anyone who may walk through.
Things are a little different in the world of custom furniture. Generally speaking, most custom home furniture companies are going to be targeting either mid-range or luxury price points – or, perhaps, a blend of the two. The nature of the process involved with producing custom home furniture means it doesn’t make sense to target the low end of the price range in the market, but there are plenty of interested customers willing to spend more in exchange for a perfect piece that will last for decades.
The benefits that custom furniture companies promote – in exchange for a higher price point – don’t end with quality, although that’s a big piece of the puzzle. In addition to quality, you’ll be able to enjoy dimensions that are perfectly matched to the space you have available, and perhaps some specific personal requirements that you apply to the project. For example, if ordering a table for a family where everyone is taller than average, having the table constructed an inch or two taller than standard could be ideal. By dialing in the details of the design, and knowing that the finished piece is going to exceed quality expectations, the higher price of buying custom compared to mass-produced furniture is going to be more than worth it.
Projections for Growth Ahead
It’s true that the custom furniture market is already a big one in the U.S., with many billions of transactions being completed annually. Even from that lofty mark, it is expected that custom furniture will continue to grow moving forward. What is behind that projected growth? Consider the following –
- Improving Tech. One of the biggest hesitations held by potential custom furniture buyers over the years has been the inability to picture what a custom piece will look like once it is created and put in place in their home. Despite the concerns that come with mass-produced items – such as quality and the lack of any real personality – the one advantage they offer is the fact that the potential buyer can see exactly what the item looks like because it already exists. For some, not being able to see the item is enough of a concern that they won’t want to go ahead with a project. Fortunately, this is changing thanks to advances in technology. Now, there are 3D modeling tools available for consumer use that can show the buyer exactly what the item is going to look like when it is done. This takes away some of the anxiety that can come with buying a piece that doesn’t yet exist, and can help people make design decisions that they may have been stuck on previously. As more and more custom furniture builders make this technology available to their customers, it should become easier to close deals and secure orders.
- Push Back Against Cheap and Disposable. There is a lot to dislike about the previous trend of cheap and disposable furniture. For one thing, it just isn’t pleasant to use – a cheap table will always feel cheap, no matter what is done to dress it up. And, perhaps more importantly, this kind of furniture is bad for the environment. It uses up ample raw materials and needs to be replaced soon after it is purchased. A better approach for everyone involved is to create custom pieces that stand the test of time and won’t need to be replaced anytime soon. Good furniture is better for the environment specifically because of its durability, and as more and more people care about the well-being of the world around them, custom pieces will gain more of an edge over the mass-produced stock that fills warehouses.
- Ease of access. In years gone by, it was necessary to connect with a custom furniture company in person to ask about having a piece created. If you didn’t know who to call, or where you could go in your city to buy such an item, you were out of luck. That’s not the story today, of course, as anyone with an internet connection can quickly and easily get in touch with furniture makers across the country or around the world. This ease of access to the best companies in the business is another powerful driver of growth in the segment. Custom furniture companies typically can’t have big storefronts in major cities, as the cost is prohibitive, but they can absolutely have a strong digital presence that displays their work for the world to see.
An Exciting Future
While it’s never possible to predict the future with complete certainty, it does seem likely that custom home furniture will continue to be seen as the ideal option for designing and outfitting a home of any age. With so many customization options available in today’s market, and with so many quality custom retailers vying for attention from consumers, it’s exciting to think about what will be possible in the years ahead. Whether you are involved in this market on the professional end or simply as a customer, many great things will be happening in this space as we move forward.