From Sketch to Production Drawing: Custom Furniture Without a Technical Designer
Written by Andrius Misiunas, Founder & Commercial Director, WOODAIM.
Many good furniture projects start without a technical drawing. A sketch on paper, a photo of a piece someone liked, a set of measurements. That is enough to start with us.
Who is this for?
Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality clients without a technical designer on the project.
Interior designers and architects who know exactly how a piece should look, but not the wood-specific details that make it buildable and durable.
How do you turn a sketch into something buildable?
For one-off pieces, our team works by hand from the measurements, using techniques we have developed in our own workshop.
For more complex or repeat projects, we can produce drawings in software.
Either way, the people making the drawing are the people who will build the piece.
What gets decided at the drawing stage?
Joinery. Which wood suits the piece. Dimensions that hold up in solid wood. How the wood moves with humidity. How a design can be repeated identically across a batch.
These are the details a general designer often doesn't know, and they decide whether a piece lasts.
Why does this save money?
Problems are caught on paper instead of in a prototype or a finished batch.
Nothing gets lost between a separate draftsperson and a separate workshop, because one team is responsible from the drawing to the finished piece.
Where it helps the budget, we can suggest a different joint, dimension or wood that keeps the look.
What happens after the drawing is approved?
Prototype, your approval, then production.
Typical timing: roughly 6–8 weeks from approved drawing to prototype, and 4–8 weeks from approved prototype to a finished batch. One-off custom pieces run 4–12 weeks.
What if the setting has its own rules?
Some environments come with their own requirements. One example: we once made ladders for a cruise ship, where the brief included requirements for humidity and fire safety.
When a setting has requirements like these, we build to the specification the client or their project sets.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need technical drawings before contacting a furniture manufacturer?
Not with us. A sketch, a reference image or a set of measurements is enough to start. We produce the production drawings ourselves before anything is built.
Can you make furniture from a photo or a sketch?
Yes. We work out the joinery, wood and dimensions from what you send, and turn it into a production drawing. You approve the drawing and then a prototype before production starts.
Do you use CAD or drawing software?
When the project needs it, yes. For one-off pieces we often work by hand from measurements, using techniques developed in our own workshop.
Can you work with my interior designer's drawings?
Yes. We work from their drawings and adapt them where needed, so the piece is buildable in solid wood and holds up in use.
If you have a sketch, a photo or just measurements, send us what you have and we will tell you what it takes to build. Design brands looking for a long-term production partner can read more about how we work together.