Furniturespot.co.za wants to make IKEA look old-school by making sure all your furniture dreams come to life by simply allowing you to upload your idea, receive quotations from makers, chose your favourite and wait for your furniture to be delivered.
The new online marketplace for custom made furniture connects the public to best artisanal craftsmen in South Africa to have their furniture custom-made at affordable prices. The platform simply connects furniture shoppers and craftsmen all across South Africa.
Founded by Wouter van Bockel and Lizet Bloo, Furniturespot.co.za was inspired by the fact that the founders couldn’t find what they were looking for when they were redecorating their house.
“It took much more time than expected,” said Wouter. “We drove hundreds of kilometres in the city of Johannesburg. These artisanal craftsmen are difficult to find because they don’t have a website and there is no rating system available where you can pick the best furniture makers.”
“It was either too expensive, too big, too small or just not the right colour,” said Bloo. “To create exactly the pieces we had in mind, we went custom. But we couldn’t find furniture makers to be trusted. This is how we got the idea to start Furniturespot.co.za.”
Focusing on supporting local artisans and building the South African economy that relying on imported furniture, Furniturespot.co.za aims to build trust between local artisans and furniture shoppers as well as bring the convenience and speed needed in the furniture market vetting the artisans for quality and trustworthiness.
The two are also reminding shoppers that custom made furniture is way more affordable than what people think as they have cut out middlemen and costs involved in shipping and customs duty.
