We are often asked why a given piece costs X or Y, and here is a rather long-winded explanation. In a general sense, most goods are priced based on the materials, labor, and other overhead used to create them, and balanced with what the market for those goods will bear. So let’s take a look at some of those details, and what drives the price.
Premium Materials
From the raw wood to resins to finishes to mechanical internal components, we strive to use only the best quality materials available, that we ourselves would want in our home or office for long term use. The costs of using premium materials adds up, but we feel this is worth it to deliver above and beyond expectations.
Solid Wood Only
Unlike most woodworkers or stores you will come across, we do not use MDF, plywood, or other engineered wood, anywhere in our pieces. Whether big manufacturers or individual high end makers, there is a tendency with about 99% of other woodworkers who make pieces out of hardwood to often use plywood or laminates to build some internal components (such as dividers, box bottoms, cabinet backs, etc.), because of the cost savings. We do not use any of these, because while they may look similar (or even use a matching plywood exterior for visual purposes), over time they will simply not hold up as well as hardwood does. If we are building heirloom quality functional artwork designed to last a lifetime and beyond, we are not interested in cutting corners to save money here or there. The costs of using hardwood only may add up substantially in some cases, but we feel that it is worth it in the long run, and most of our clients do as well.
Epoxy and Resin
In many of our pieces we will use epoxy/resin, either as a design feature, or for small and subtle spot fills of cracks and knots in the wood. In all of these cases we only use Fiberglass Coatings SuperClear and EcoPoxy brand epoxies. These are among the most expensive resins available, but consistently deliver the best results over time in terms of initial appearance, UV resistance, and durability. They are also low or no VOC products, meaning they are healthier than other alternatives.
Mechanical Components
For mechanical internal components such as hinges, drawer slides, and more, we generally use Blum products when available, which are pricey, but are the best quality we can find in the world. With soft close and push to open options (often paired together in the same hardware), Blum components also offer unique modern usability features.
Craftsmanship
Labor costs can vary all over the world, and even within a small region inside of a single country. Experienced builders and artisans will often have a “shop rate” of $100-200+ per hour in the United States, while labor, even for more experienced builders, tends to be an order of magnitude cheaper in Asia and Latin America, which is where the vast majority of the big box products you find will be produced in an assembly line or large shops (such as Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Wayfair, West Elm, Restoration Hardware, Amazon, etc.).
This is not to say that the labor of workers in other countries is not of value, but standards of living and pay vary wildly for a variety of reasons. The years of experience of a single artisan here in the United States will often yield exceptional work, and this craftsmanship is one of the underlying reasons that products made in countries with higher labor costs and standard of living will cost dramatically more. The labor cost alone of something created in America will often cost more than a finished product made overseas that you might find at Wayfair or Pottery Barn.
All of these factors and more go into pricing, and because even the materials or processes used are usually starkly different (and not a true apples to apples comparison), it is often difficult to judge what you are getting for your hard earned money. As with most other things in life you will purchase, there are sliding scales of cost, features, quality, usability, and durability, and how you balance those factors ultimately will decide the value of a given product to you, and if it matches your desired budget.