CustomMade.com the start of a movement

Before we became finalists of MassChallenge and moved into our new digs at Fan Pier, we were renting space over at the CustomMade headquarters in Cambridge – what will forever fondly be known as Open Runway’s  first home away from home.  Sharing space with a team that shares the same mission and passion about beautiful design and customization as we do was great fun and we were very sad to leave.

On our last day at CustomMade, I sat down with Mike Salguero, co-founder of CustomMade, and had him tell me about the past, present, and future of CustomMade. To give you a little background, CustomMade is an online marketplace that connects buyers looking for custom made furniture to skilled artisans who can make it for them.

At CustomMade.com, artisans set up profiles where they can display a gallery of their work, check their page views, and add listings. “The idea is to give artisans the tools to market themselves more effectively.” Much like how Open Runway gives exposure to emerging designers, CustomMade gives artisans an opportunity to showcase their designs.

Shoppers looking to buy a custom made piece of furniture can go to CustomMade.com and search by artisan or by location.  Once they have found an artisan they like they can contact them about a custom job. With thousands of beautiful and unique works on display for inspiration, it’s easy to spend a few hours on this site dreaming up ideas for furnishing or remodeling your home, like I did.  The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite pieces that I came across was the “Missis Key” chair  by artisan, MasterandMargaritaArt which was made out of 561 recycled keys. How cool is that?

Another breathtaking piece was the gravity defying cantilevered design of the “Whale Tail” desk made by Wiggers Custom Furniture. This desk was inspired by the natural form of the rare North Atlantic Right Whale, as it breaches in preparation for a deep dive.

CustomMade as it exists today started as an idea to take an already profitable business and bring it to new heights. In 2009, founders Mike Salguero and Seth Rosen purchased CustomMade with the intent to revolutionize the way custom products are bought and sold. Their hard work catapulted CustomMade from a community of just 350 woodworkers to one that includes over 1,000 high caliber artisans.

In the future, CustomMade plans to be the source for everything custom. Starting with custom in the home: furnishings, rugs, carpets, and drapes. Then adding custom in the garage: bikes, cars, and boats. And finally custom for the person: shoes, pants, and shirts. According to Mike “the idea is that once someone has had one thing custom-made they are going to want everything custom-made.” We couldn’t agree with him more.