China QC visit: custom furniture, checked before it ships

Custom furniture is made once, for one space. Drawings and samples take you most of the way; the last step is standing next to the finished piece. On our recent quality-control visit to China, we reviewed custom pieces on the factory floor before shipment, so that what arrives on site is exactly what was designed.

What we review

Every piece is checked against the approved drawings and finish samples before we sign it off:

• Proportion: overall size, seat and arm heights, and how the piece will sit in the room it was drawn for.
• Finish quality: colour and sheen against the approved sample, edges, corners and the faces you only see when you bend down.
• Upholstery: fabric direction and pattern match, seams, stitching and how cushions recover.
• Joinery: corners, fixings and the inside of drawers and cabinets, not just the show faces.
• Hardware: fit, alignment and smooth operation of pulls, hinges and runners.

Seating: scale and silhouette

Bar seating was checked for height, proportion, finish and overall visual balance. A stool that is a little too tall, or a back that is slightly too upright, is easy to miss on a drawing and impossible to miss once it is in the room.

Accent pieces and finishes

Comfort, scale, finish and detail were checked across seating and occasional pieces still in production, which is the best time to correct anything. From bedroom pieces to lounge seating, we looked at scale, material consistency and execution side by side.

Why we go in person

Factory photos are useful, but they are lit and framed to look good. In person we can open the drawers, sit in the chairs, run a hand along an edge and compare a finish with its sample in daylight. Anything we find is corrected before the piece is crated, which is far simpler than fixing it after it has crossed an ocean.

The same standard applies wherever furniture is made, in Erode, elsewhere in India or overseas: clear drawings, approved samples, a check at the workshop and a final check on site.

Planning a project? Book an appointment or call us on +91 424 356 0508.