CUSTOM & MADE-TO-MEASURE OTTOMANS
What Does Bespoke And Made-to-Measure Mean?
Bespoke and made-to-measure are often used interchangeably, but when it comes to ottomans, there’s a useful difference between adapting something that already exists and creating something completely new.
🕓 3 min read | Expert advice from our workshop
Quick Answer
Made-to-measure usually means starting with one of our existing ottoman designs and adjusting it to suit you — perhaps changing the width, length or proportions.
Bespoke is the next step: creating an ottoman that doesn’t already exist in our collection, whether that’s an unusual shape, construction or entirely new design.
Neither needs to be complicated — the difference is simply where we start.
Extended Answer
Made-to-Measure adapts something you already love, that we already make
Perhaps you’ve found exactly the ottoman you want, but the standard size isn’t quite right for your room.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go bespoke.
If we’re taking an existing Ottoman Workshop design and changing its dimensions to better suit your space, we’d think of that as made-to-measure. The original ottoman is still our starting point — we’re simply making that design work better for you.
DESIGN TIP Before assuming you need bespoke, have a good look through our existing designs. Very often the ottoman you want already exists and simply needs a tweak.
Bespoke Starts With Your Idea
A truly bespoke project starts when the ottoman you want doesn’t already exist.
Perhaps you need an unusual shape, have a very particular design in mind or want us to create something for a space that none of our existing ottomans can quite solve.
Rather than adapting one of our designs, we start with what you need and work from there.
EXAMPLE You love one of our standard ottomans, but need it 10cm shorter to fit neatly between two sofas. Same ottoman, different dimensions: That’s made-to-measure.
Don’t Make It More Complicated Than It Needs to Be
This is the important bit.
Choosing your own fabric, legs or trim doesn’t automatically turn an ottoman into a bespoke commission — those choices are simply part of making one of our ottomans yours.
Likewise, needing a slightly different size doesn’t mean starting again from a blank sheet of paper.
BALANCE TIP Start with the simplest route. If an existing design can be adapted to give you exactly what you need, brilliant. If it can’t, that’s when a genuinely bespoke piece starts to make sense.
Expert Tip
If you’re not sure which camp your idea falls into, show us what you’re trying to achieve rather than worrying about the terminology. We can tell you whether it’s a straightforward tweak, made-to-measure or something that needs a bespoke approach.
Key Takeaways
- Made-to-measure starts with an existing design and adjusts its dimensions.
- Bespoke starts with something that doesn’t already exist in our collection.
- Choosing fabric, legs and trim is normal customisation, not necessarily bespoke.
- A different size doesn’t automatically mean you need a completely bespoke piece.
- Start with an existing design wherever possible and adapt it if necessary.
- If you genuinely need something unique, that’s what our dedicated bespoke service is for.
IN THIS GUIDE
• What made-to-measure means
• What makes and ottoman truly bespoke
• When a simple tweak is enough
Still Need Help?
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