Custom Collaborations

Our Collaborative Process

Beyond our ready-to-love pieces, we're passionate about collaborative custom projects. Have a family heirloom that needs rejuvenation? A vintage find with untapped potential? We'd love to work with you to create something that perfectly suits your space and style. We also maintain our "Les Belles Endormies, (The Sleeping Beauties)" collection—carefully selected pieces awaiting transformation that are available for custom refurbishment if one captures your imagination.

Every custom project begins with a thoughtful consultation where we get to know both you and your piece. Whether you're bringing a treasured item from home, selecting from our Les Belles Endormies collection, or connecting with us to discuss your vision, this initial conversation helps us understand your goals, assess the piece's potential, and explore creative possibilities together. The more you tell us about your style, preferences, and how you'll use the piece, the better we can create your perfect transformation.

Clients are responsible for getting pieces to and from our workshop, though we provide personalized pickup and delivery quotes within a 300-mile radius of St. Louis or Champaign-Urbana. Contact us with your location and we'll provide a flat rate based on distance and service requirements. (See Shipping, Delivery, & Pickup section for complete details.)

Once we've discussed your vision and our artistic recommendations, we'll develop a design concept for your approval. This collaborative phase ensures the final result will be something you absolutely love. From there, we'll provide you with a timeline estimate based on your piece's size and the complexity of work involved—smaller accent pieces naturally require less time than larger statement furniture. Intricate work or specialty finishes may extend these timeframes. We believe good refurbishment can't be rushed, and we'll keep you updated on our progress throughout the journey.

For our communication response times, please see Communication Response Times section.

Our Creative Comfort Zone

We specialize in wooden furniture pieces that have good bones and untapped potential. Our favorites include dressers, dining tables, side tables, chairs, cabinets, bed frames, and accent pieces. We're particularly drawn to pieces that can showcase our signature artistic touches—from elegant French-inspired details to whimsical motifs that bring personality to any space.

We can handle most structural repairs including reattaching legs and rejoining pieces, but we don't take on elaborate work like wood inlay or extensive reconstruction. While we're always excited by new challenges, we focus on painted finishes, decorative techniques, and structural repairs rather than extensive reconstruction. We can handle upholstery work on accent chairs, dining chairs, and similar smaller seating pieces—including cushions and chair backs—but we're not equipped for larger upholstered furniture like sofas or sectionals.

We work primarily with wood furniture and prefer pieces that benefit from artistic transformation rather than historical preservation. We do not work on antiques valued over $1500 💰💰😱, as these pieces deserve specialized conservation rather than artistic transformation. For valuable antiques requiring period-specific expertise, we'd be happy to refer you to specialists who focus on maintaining historical integrity and value.

While your piece is in our care, we treat it with the same attention and respect we'd give our own treasured furniture. However, as with any refurbishment work, there are inherent risks in the process. We carry basic liability coverage, but recommend that clients with pieces of significant monetary or sentimental value consider their own insurance coverage for added peace of mind.

Pricing & Investment

Our custom work is priced at $40 per hour for labor, plus the cost of all materials used in your piece's transformation. We believe in complete transparency, so you'll receive a detailed, itemized receipt showing everything we use—from sanding blocks and wood glue to paints, embellishments, hardware, and any specialty supplies your piece requires.

Material costs vary depending on your piece's needs and your chosen finishes. During our initial consultation, we'll discuss your budget and design preferences to ensure we create something beautiful within your comfort zone. We'll provide you with a project estimate before beginning work.

Deposit, Payment & Cancellation: We require a 50% deposit to begin custom work, with the remaining balance due upon completion. For ready-to-purchase pieces, we're happy to hold items for up to 4 weeks with a 50% non-refundable deposit, with the remaining balance due upon pickup or delivery.

We know life gets complicated sometimes. If a custom project gets canceled, you'll receive the same itemized receipt we provide for every project showing materials used and time invested. The 50% deposit you've already paid goes toward these costs, with any additional amount due upon receipt of invoice. We'll do our best to make this as quick, transparent, and simple as possible.

Should any significant cost changes arise during the refurbishment process, we'll always discuss these with you before proceeding.

Sharing Your Transformation

We love celebrating the beautiful transformations we create together! Unless you specifically request otherwise, we may use photos and videos of your completed piece on our social media accounts, website, and shop listings to showcase our work and inspire future projects. If you prefer to keep your piece private, just let us know during our initial consultation.

Workshop & Storage

Client pieces will be safely stored in our workshop during the transformation process and for up to 4 weeks after completion while awaiting pickup. We take care to protect all pieces from dust 🤧, moisture 🌧️, and damage 💥, though we recommend prompt pickup of completed work when possible. Our workshop can accommodate pieces up to the size of a 6-person dining set, king bed frame, or large dresser.

We understand that life gets busy and sometimes you need extra time! We're happy to work with you on extended storage beyond 4 weeks when circumstances require it. Since storage needs vary - a single chair takes up much less space than a dining set - we'll discuss any additional costs on a case-by-case basis. And don't forget, we provide personalized delivery quotes to make the whole process even easier, so we can find the best solution that works for your situation.