What separates a truly fine interior from an expensive one is rarely the brand of the furniture. It is the hand that made it, the material it was made from, and the care with which both were chosen.
Much of my working life is spent not in drawing offices but in quarries, workshops, weaving mills and foundries. Over more than three decades I have built relationships with artisans whose skills cannot be bought from a catalogue. For a client, that network is one of the most valuable things a designer brings.
Stone: choose the block, not the sample
Natural stone varies from slab to slab and from one part of a quarry to another. For a significant room, I prefer to select the blocks or slabs in person, plan the book-matching before cutting, and lay the slabs out before they are installed. A small sample tells you the colour. Only the full slab tells you the room.
Joinery: the backbone of a fine house
Panelling, doors, libraries, dressing rooms and kitchens are where a house shows its quality most clearly. The best joinery is drawn in full detail, approved through shop drawings, and inspected at the workshop before it is finished. Veneers are chosen as a set so that the grain flows from panel to panel. Hardware is selected for its weight and action as much as for its appearance.
Textiles: where a room becomes soft
Silks, velvets, linens and wools give a room its warmth and its acoustics. Our Vice President and textile expert, Diana Mendez, works with mills and workrooms to source and make curtains, upholstery and wall coverings to a standard that will last. Hand-sewn headings, interlined curtains and properly built upholstery feel and wear entirely differently from their mass-produced equivalents.
Metalwork and lighting
Bronze, brass and iron, hand-finished, give a house a quiet permanence. Lighting is often where bespoke work makes the greatest difference: a chandelier scaled to a particular ceiling, wall lights made in pairs for a particular room, concealed light designed into the joinery. These are commissions, not purchases.
How a bespoke piece is commissioned
- A design drawing with dimensions, materials and finish.
- A sample or mock-up of the critical detail for approval.
- Shop drawings from the workshop, checked against the room.
- A workshop inspection before final finishing.
- Careful packing, shipping and installation by the maker or a trusted installer.
Materials that are good for the household
Craftsmanship and health go together. Natural, well-made materials with honest finishes are generally better for the air in a home than many synthetic alternatives, and they age with grace. That is why I ask for composition and emissions information on finishes and adhesives, and why so much of my work favours solid timber, stone, natural fibres and mineral plasters.
To discuss a commission in confidence, contact kenneth@bhli.us or call +1 (310) 467-5635.
Frequently Asked
How do luxury interior designers source materials and craftsmen?
Through long-standing relationships with quarries, joinery workshops, weaving mills, foundries and lighting makers, selecting materials in person and commissioning bespoke pieces through drawings, samples, shop drawings and workshop inspections.
Is bespoke furniture worth it in a luxury home?
For key rooms, usually yes. Bespoke pieces are made to fit the room's proportions and the client's needs, are built to a higher standard, and can be repaired and refinished for decades.
Why should natural stone be selected in person?
Natural stone varies significantly between slabs. Selecting the slabs and planning the book-matching before cutting ensures the finished floor or wall looks as intended rather than as a small sample suggested.
Does Kenneth Bordewick visit workshops and quarries?
Yes. Kenneth Bordewick selects stone and inspects bespoke joinery, textiles and lighting at source for Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors commissions wherever the project calls for it.