Simon Meiklejohn BA hons
All work represented on this website was exclusively designed, made and installed by myself unless otherwise stated. Most was commissioned by a customer wanting a bespoke article, and therefor is an example of my work and not itself available for purchase. I am happy to take commissions based on work seen here, all pieces are hand made and will have their own idiosyncrasies and never be exactly alike.
Don't be afraid to commission an artist or crafts-person - If you're looking for that perfect feature or finishing touch that you can't find anywhere else, then asking someone to make it for you is the only way - it's not so scary as you might think.
A hand made object is going to be more expensive than one bought off the shelf, but might not be as expensive as you think and you can still control your costs.
Basic ways to order work by commission and control your cost -
1 - Inform your maker what your budget is, they will be happy to advise you whether this budget is practical for what you're asking and whether a low budget will impose limitations on quality of finish or materials used.
2 - You can request an estimate, your maker will briefly look at your request and estimate the final cost, which may vary by 20 or 30%, but the price you pay will be exactly the cost of the makers time plus materials.
3 - You can request a quote - your maker will look in detail at your request and provide a fixed price. This price will include the time it took to prepare the quote and may include provision for practical complications the maker may foresee. But you will know exactly what the cost will be.
Do your research and choose a maker whose skills and style you have confidence in, then trust their judgement, the more you can leave to them, the quicker they work and the less you pay.