Commissioning furniture sounds daunting if you have never done it — but the process is straightforward, and knowing the steps helps you brief us well and get exactly what you pictured. Here is how a piece travels from a rough idea to a finished item in your villa.
1. The Brief
It starts with whatever you have. A phone sketch, a Pinterest screenshot, a photo of a piece you love, or just measurements and a description — all of it works. The most useful things you can send are the dimensions of the space, how the piece will be used, and a sense of the style. From there we ask the practical questions: wood, finish, seating or storage needs, budget. Most briefs begin with a few messages on WhatsApp.
2. Design & Drawings
We turn the brief into a scaled drawing — proportions, dimensions, joinery and finish all specified. This is the stage to change your mind freely: moving a shelf or adjusting a tabletop on paper costs nothing, whereas changing it after the wood is cut does not. You approve the drawing and a fixed quote before anything begins, so there are no surprises.
3. Selecting the Timber
This is where custom furniture pulls ahead of anything off a shelf. For each commission we select the actual boards — matching grain across a tabletop, choosing a live-edge slab for its character, or picking reclaimed stock with the right marks and tone. We check the timber is properly seasoned, because unseasoned wood is the single biggest cause of furniture moving and splitting in Bali's humidity. The guide on teak vs reclaimed wood covers how we choose.
4. The Build
In the workshop the piece is cut, shaped and assembled by carpenters who have worked teak for decades. The detail that matters most is the joinery: proper mortise-and-tenon joints, dowels and frames that stay tight as the wood expands and contracts through wet and dry seasons. This is the invisible craftsmanship that decides whether a chair is still solid in ten years or wobbling in one. Drawers are fitted, doors hung and aligned, and everything is dry-assembled and checked before finishing.
5. Finishing
The finish is chosen for the piece and the place. Hard-wax oils give a natural, matte, touchable surface that is easy to repair. Lacquers give a tougher, more wipeable skin for dining tables and commercial use. Teak oil keeps outdoor pieces golden, or they can be left to silver. We sand through progressively finer grits so the surface feels right, then apply and cure the finish properly — rushing this stage is how cheap furniture ends up sticky or blotchy.
6. Delivery, Installation & Export
Finished pieces are delivered and placed across Bali; built-in cabinetry is assembled and scribed to fit on site. For clients furnishing from abroad, we crate pieces for sea or air freight and can work with your forwarder — teak and rattan travel well when packed properly. Wherever you are in our coverage area, the piece arrives ready to use.
How Long It Takes
A single piece is typically 3–6 weeks from approved drawings; reclaimed-wood pieces can be quicker because the timber is already seasoned. A full villa or hotel order runs 6–12 weeks depending on volume, with delivery often staged to suit a fit-out. For project planning, see the villa & hotel furnishing guide.
That is the whole journey — brief, drawing, timber, build, finish, delivery. None of it requires you to know anything about woodworking; it just requires a clear idea of what you want and a few photos of where it is going. Send those on WhatsApp and we will take it from there.