Handmade vs. Machine-Made
Handmade vs. machine-made, which aesthetic do you prefer?
We like both! Each aesthetic can be attractive on its own or combined with the other.
Chuck and I both enjoy doing carpentry, furniture building and tinkering in general. We appreciate beautiful things made by hand. We also appreciate the more precise aesthetic and ease of assembly of machine-made elements. There’s a place for both options.
Whether we’re doing a project for our own homes or working on a commercial project for a client, cost and availability figure into our decisions as well.
What are the advantages of handmade over machine-made building elements? How do we decide what is right for each building project?
Handmade
The beauty of an object is a measure of the work that went into its creation.
We have to admit, handmade products are really appealing!
Craftsmen and artisans know their materials well and take advantage of their unique characteristics. They bring out the nature of the materials and present them in their own unique way. Custom-made building elements can convey special meaning and can make a project shine.
Handmade elements provide surprises and give the project a custom appearance. We like that handmade items suggest the artisan or craftsman from which they originated. On the jobsite, tradespeople will go out of their way to accommodate specialty items that add sparkle to the project.
Machine-made
The Bauhaus fights imitation, inferior craftsmanship and artistic dilettantism.
Machine-made items have their own unique appeal. Most elements of a building project require tight tolerances and machine-made elements are usually more precise than hand-made elements.
This means they fit together well with the other project elements. A poor fit can spell disaster in some situations. Precise building elements are easier and faster to assemble.
Machine-made elements provide precision, predictability, and reassurance. The workmen know what they are dealing with and can predict how their trade will interface with others. Needless to say, machine-made elements are usually produced and installed at a lower price – as a result, good design may become accessible to more people.
Advantages of Handmade
- Unique
- Irregular
- Artistic
- Surprising
- Reflects the hands of its maker
- Reinforces the business brand
Advantages of Machine-made
- Predictable
- Regular
- Precise
- Machined
- Works well in an assembly
- Usually lower cost
Best of Both Worlds: Combining Handmade and Machine-made
Often we combine handmade and machine-made elements within the same building project. This choice enables us to get the best of both worlds, at a price that clients can justify.
We also add small custom details within a large building element. Stained glass panels accent the teller and personal banking areas at several of our facilities for Wintrust. At the Plumbers Local 93 building lobby, we included the union’s seal within a large area of terrazzo flooring. Another example is the custom iron canopy and hand-carved stone details as part of the entrance at Mickey Finn’s Brewery.
Machine-made Products can Provide a Semi-Custom Look
Another approach is to use machine-made products that offer a semi-custom alternative.
Semi-custom elements bring a sense of uniqueness to the project. They can often be successfully combined with standard elements to create an attractive finished space. Because these semi-custom elements are factory-produced, they are installed in a fairly predictable way and are produced at a much cheaper cost than handmade elements.
Here are some examples of semi-custom elements we have used in client projects:
Sand-molded brick and machine-cut brick
Custom details on factory-produced structural steel
Stained or leaded glass in factory-made windows
Wood grills in factory-made doors
TIP: Standard parts can also be used in non-standard ways to achieve a custom look without the high price. As an example, we used machine-made ceiling parts in a non-standard arrangement for the Muller Trading Company conference room.
Whether you love a handmade or machine-made aesthetic, there are lots of options for you. Each aesthetic can be attractive on its own or combined with the other to create successful building projects.
