Commissioning Furniture

James Ryan

I am the designer and manager of Edward Barnsley Workshop. It is my job to take a client through the commissioning process and make it easy and enjoyable.

At the Edward Barnsley Workshop we take pride in both the quality of our furniture and the personal service we offer.

Clients quickly appreciate how well made our furniture is. It is immediately apparent when you open a smooth-running drawer or sit in one of our comfortable dining chairs. Beyond this we aim to achieve complete customer satisfaction throughout the commissioning process. We can do it because we have built up a deep knowledge of furniture making over many years and through good communication with our clients we develop a clear understanding of their requirements.

Commissioning a bespoke piece of furniture is the best way to obtain the piece of furniture you really want; a piece that is unique, made to suit your requirements precisely.

The first stage of the commissioning process is the time for exploration and investigation. We discuss the options available within your budget, explain our fee structure and talk about a time scale. I spend time with the client in their home or in our workshop. This is when they can find out more about me and the Barnsley Workshop. I find out what the client’s requirements are. I look at the space where the work will go. Clients sometimes have a clear idea of their requirements but frequently I will suggest an idea that may not have occurred to them. I can show examples of work we have done in the past. We use design details and construction techniques that we know work but I always say we are going to produce a unique piece. The ingredients that go into making this unique piece are the client’s wishes, the site where it will go and my contribution of design ideas and practical knowledge.

The next step is for me to go away and work on some proposals and then to communicate my ideas to the client. I can do this using drawings, models, mock-ups and timber samples. The important thing is to help the client visualize my ideas. Once we have agreed a design and a final price the making process begins. Initially we select the timber and give it time to acclimatize to the atmosphere inside the workshop. Our clients often visit the workshop to see their work in progress and meet the person making it.

With our wealth of experience we believe we can make commissioning a piece of Barnsley furniture a pleasure and provide the owner with something beautiful to be treasured for many years. It pleases me that a lot of our work comes from clients returning to the Barnsley Workshop to commission more pieces.

Terms & Conditions

Upon acceptance of the proposal, our normal terms are one-third deposit followed by a further one-third payment halfway through production. The final one-third payment is due on delivery.

Design Fee

The amount is not fixed and depends upon the client’s location and the complexity of the proposed piece.