IN the throwaway society we've become accustomed to, most of us have visited a budget store and bought piece of furniture because 'it will do' and it's cheap.
Many of us have also experienced the frustration of having to put said item together – often badly – and then been disappointed when just a year later it's fallen to bits.
It's badly designed, perhaps it's uncomfortable, but despite reaching the c
onclusion that you've wasted your money, before you know it, you're back at the same shop, buying the latest trend in the colour of the moment.
If you add up all those purchases over the years, you'll no doubt arrive at a frightening figure – an amount of money in fact that could have been spent on piece of well-made furniture that would last a lifetime.
"If you add up what you have spent per year, I think it's much cheaper to have something custom made to your requirements because it will suit your room better, it will be more appropriate and it will be of a much higher quality," says Edinburgh College of Art lecturer Paul Kerlaff.
"In our parents' generation buying furniture was a major investment – you saved up, you bought something and that was it."
The idea that we can all have something original in our homes – even at a budget – is something that's been catching on.
For example, high street stores will offer sofas to order in a large range of textiles and furniture can be ordered in different kinds of wood.
"The existence of all these makeover programmes certainly inspires," points out Mark Hale, 53, a lecturer in product design at Edinburgh College of Art.
"People like the idea of choice – that's important – and we have a plethora of stores and access to various styles that we've never had in the past."
Paul's third year students are set to put on a show of chairs they have designed and made with the commercial market in mind.
When it opens on Monday it is hoped the exhibition will make the public think about the process that goes into making a piece of furniture.
Before they created their chairs, the students all visited the Bute Fabrics factory in the Western Isles to see how the materials they were going to use came into being.
"I think it's important for anyone working with materials to understand where they've come from and how it's manufactured," adds Mark.
"It allows them think about why they are using a particular type of fabric or type of wood and why it's best used for that particular form. It gives them a personal link to the environment and to the manufacturing process."
Paul who is also a designer and manufacturer based at Edinburgh's Albion Business Centre, believes people who buy furniture will also enjoy the piece more if they appreciate where the materials in its manufacture have come from.
And at a time when there is much talk of being environmentally friendly, choosing materials that are long lasting are of increasing importance.
"The most environmentally-friendly thing you can do is to buy something that's as nice as possible that lasts as long as possible," adds the 31-year-old.
As one-off pieces of furniture are as individual as those who commission them, they often defy the boundaries of fashion.
There are however trends in colour and materials and currently black walnut and wenge – a dark wood – are particularly popular.
However if you think buying custom furniture is just for the well-heeled, then think again as designers are usually willing to work to a budget, even if it's at the lower end of the scale.
"I think people are sometimes hesitant to have something custom made because they are worried that it might cost a lot," says Paul. "They are not sometimes aware that they might spend more in a high street shop on a table they could get made locally.
"The good thing about a custom made piece of furniture is you can choose what's important to you."
If it's a kitchen you need and your budget is tight, Paul suggests buying the basics like the cupboard shells from Ikea and commissioning a designer to make the doors.
If you have a dream for a table in a high-quality wood but the price is too high, he suggests having the top made and buying the legs "off the shelf".
He adds that designers shouldn't charge for a consultation or a quote and you should feel as though you're getting something that will last a lifetime.
It took students ten weeks to design and make the prototype chairs for their summer show and it is hoped that at its close the public will want to buy them.
For 20-year-old student Thomas Payne, of Bruntsfield, making his formal chair was a real labour of love.
He says: "My chair is a small compact square design and I wanted it to be very formal. I could see it sitting in a waiting room or a hallway. I also designed and made the steel tubing which is very dark and makes it look floated above the ground. It's got this simple clean look."
Mark, his tutor, adds: "I would imagine the chairs would appeal to people with largish rooms, to some businesses with foyers, or to the waiting areas of restaurants.
"There are all sorts of possibilities."
So what's the secret of success when it comes to becoming the happy owner of a one-off piece of furniture?
Paul says stick to your budget but buy as high quality as you can afford. He adds: "I would say buy as nice furniture as you possibly can – you should always buy something you really love whether it's custom made or not.
"I would say, spend as much money as you can on something that's really beautiful and really well made, something that's not a fad – less of the H&M and more of the Saville Row.
The bute@eca exhibition runs from August 1-22 at the product design department on the third floor of Evolution House, 78 Westport. It's free and open to the public from 10am until 5pm, Monday to Friday.
www.paulkerlaff.com
The full article contains 1050 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
