There is a distinct tactile and visceral pleasure in designing and building your own furniture that goes beyond the pleasure I receive design and building compl

There is a distinct tactile and visceral pleasure in designing and building your own furniture that goes beyond the pleasure I receive design and building complex software projects. The permanence, the necessity of planning, the measuring, the careful diligence required at each step. Most of the furniture in the condo I inhabit with my wife is either designed by us and built by me, or designed by us and built by a local craftsman. We have been very happy with everything we've acquired so far. There are a few "stock pieces" that came from various furniture stores, those themselves either being one offs or antiques, but for most part, it is all custom. The prices however? Oh how those prices cause us pain. The raw material costs alone are eye-opening. Having a craftsman build furniture for us after we have designed it, causes frequent sticker shock. I just know if I walk in and want something, we are talking North of $2,000 as just the opening price. We have been on a bit of a spree this year buying five new pieces in the first half of the year whereas normally we buy one piece per year. The one thing I know about the furniture that is our home is that it will last probably longer than our lifetimes and other families will hopefully derive pleasure and utility from the items long after my wife and I are both gone.