Handcrafted vs. Mass-produced Furniture

Woodworkers like us at Mahogany Millworks craft exquisite pieces by hand using Old World techniques and top-grade wood materials; doing so allows us to construct fully customized solid wood furniture. To serve demanding markets, modern innovation offers an alternative with mass-produced furniture; however, handcrafted and mass-produced furniture are vastly different.

Finely constructed from top-grade kiln-dried solid mahogany, this dining table and four side chairs are handcrafted with a light mahogany finish. The set has a glass top with a beveled edge, carved legs with acanthus leaves and scrolls, paw feet (table), cabriolet front legs and paw front feet (chairs), as well as carved backs with foliage and scroll accents (chairs).

A different take on solid mahogany construction, this dining set has a 52” round table with a center inlay and 4 carved round-back chairs. The set features mahogany wood and finish with burl inlay as well as inlaid edge banding, beautiful wood carving, and a four-legged pedestal base.

Quality or Quantity?
For furniture quality and durability, consider who manufactured the pieces. These items are usually handcrafted with great care by an artisan passionate about woodworking, making each piece unique. Traditionally, handcrafted furniture is passed down as a family heirloom, so longevity is important.

For mass-produced furniture, typically pieces produced in a factory by machines are more affordable and wear down faster than their handcrafted counterparts; however, furniture durability and longevity ultimately depend on the quality of construction materials and how the pieces were assembled. Mass-produced furniture can be built to quality standards, but obviously there will be hundreds of identical pieces out there.

Another incredible example of handcrafted furniture, these nesting tables were also finely constructed using Old World techniques in the Queen Anne style. We have purposely stained and finished these items to look slightly antiqued and distressed. They have beveled top edges, scalloped aprons, cabriole legs, and carved accents of flowers and foliage.

These handcrafted set consists of a sleigh bed, nightstand, and dresser in French style. The bed has scroll and acanthus accents. The nightstand and dresser have a bombe bow front, a cross-banded top surface, and 3 felt-lined dovetail drawers.

Interested in antiques or reproductions? At MMW we specialize in fine furniture such as imports and antiques—everything on our site can be fully customized: choose which top-grade wood, and further customize with any upholstery, finish, stain, paint color, level of distress, and hardware to your liking, even using your own samples or materials. Because we are involved in every aspect of production at MMW, we always guarantee excellent craftsmanship and quality control of your handcrafted fine furniture.