SAAQAH workshop where bespoke furniture is made

Bespoke commissions

Bring the awkward wall, the family habit and the measurements nobody put on the plan.

A bespoke piece is useful when a collection size is close but wrong, when access is difficult, or when a room needs a piece to solve more than one problem at once.

What bespoke means here

Not a blank cheque for every idea

We design and build original furniture from our El Nozha atelier. That can mean a reading wall around an AC vent, a table that arrives through a narrow Maadi stair, or a media cabinet that makes a real home for wires, speakers and a changing collection of devices.

It does not mean we will copy another maker's exact work, promise a complex solid-wood piece next week, or make something we do not believe will survive the room it is going into. A good commission has a clear reason to exist. We start there.

A strong first message includesRoom photos from each corner, one overall width and height, the building area, an approximate deadline, and a sentence about how the piece will be used. A rough drawing is helpful. A polished mood board is optional.
  • AtelierEl Saaqah St, Sheraton Al Matar, El Nozha, Cairo Governorate 4472111, Egypt
  • Call+201023005500
  • Email[email protected]
  • CoverageSite work and installation across Greater Cairo

The commission sequence

Six stages, with time for the parts that should not be rushed

01

First brief

We read the problem before discussing finish. You tell us what needs to live in the piece, who uses it, what is currently frustrating, and whether a deadline is fixed or merely hoped for.

Usually 2-4 working days for a useful response. We may ask for more photographs rather than guessing from one flattering angle.

02

Site measure and access check

We measure walls, skirting, sockets, vents, opening swings and the route from street to room. Narrow stairs in older buildings, small lifts, parking access and turnings are design inputs.

One visit in Greater Cairo. Do this before the final price, not after the workshop has made a beautiful problem.

03

Drawing and estimate

You receive clear elevations, key dimensions, material notes, a price and a schedule. This is the point to move a shelf, question a handle or decide that a cabinet should breathe around the AC return.

Allow 1-2 weeks for most furniture. Complex built-ins or several rooms may take longer because coordination is part of the drawing.

04

Samples and sign-off

We put timber and finish samples beside your floor, paint and daylight. West glare, warm bulbs and balcony humidity all alter the sensible choice. Once drawings and samples are signed, boards and hardware are reserved.

Allow several days if a finish needs mixing. We do not promise a tint from a phone image will be exact in a real room.

05

Workshop build

Timber is selected, milled, joined, assembled, sanded and finished. Large tops may be dry-fitted before final assembly. We invite a grain review when it will make a meaningful difference, not as a performance.

Most commissions take 10-14 weeks after sign-off. Larger fitted work can take 14-18 weeks, particularly around summer finishing and delivery calendars.

06

Delivery and settling in

We coordinate the installation window, protect the route and place the piece. Built-ins are fitted after the room is ready, not while painters, plumbers and electricians are still claiming the same wall.

We leave care guidance and remain available for the small adjustments that a real installation sometimes reveals.

Oak boards selected for a custom commission

Lead times without theatre

Fast is possible. Fast and properly cured is not always the same thing.

We can sometimes make a simple side table or a pair of shelves in 6-8 weeks if the workshop calendar and materials allow. That is not a standing promise. A dining table with a new stain, a wall of joinery, or a piece that requires special hardware needs its full slot.

Cairo heat changes how timber, oil and lacquer behave. A finish rushed because a handover date moved is not a favour to the client. If your date is immovable, say so in the first message and we will tell you plainly whether the scope can meet it.

6-8 weeksOccasional small pieces when the calendar and materials line up
10-14 weeksMost made-to-measure furniture after approved drawings
14-18 weeksLarge fitted joinery, multiple rooms or specialised finishes
1 site checkThe minimum before a fitted piece goes into production

What we decline

A no early on is better than a disappointed room later.

We decline exact copies of other studios' designs, structural work that should be handled by a contractor, pieces designed around measurements we cannot verify, and rush jobs that ask the workshop to skip curing or testing.

We also question briefs that ask a single wall unit to store everything, hide every cable, frame a television, contain a library and cost like a flat-pack shelf. Sometimes the honest answer is to split the problem into two pieces or phase the work.

We will happily referIf metalwork, stone, upholstery, kitchens or major renovation is the real need, we will say so. Furniture is better when it is not pretending to be a whole construction project.
The best brief gives a piece a job, not just a look.

Start with a sketch, a photo or the stubborn corner itself.

Begin a commission