I tried Benchmade Modern, a startup that lets you design furniture with custom dimensions — here's the end result

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I'm a big proponent of shopping for furniture online. It allows you to easily compare products, prices, and ship times, and it's often cheaper and faster than shopping in a store. Some of the best couches and best bed frames we've tested have been from online-only furniture companies. That said, it's difficult to envision online furniture in your space. Sizes, materials, and colors shown on a screen don't always translate to what you get in real life. 

Benchmade Modern is an online furniture company that aims to solve some of the pain points of shopping online by bringing you into the design process. The goal is that you end up with a custom-built piece that looks and feels exactly like you envisioned. 

The brand had been on my radar for some time, so when I got the opportunity to design a chair with Benchmade Modern to fill an awkward space in my home, I was excited to test it out. Read on for my thoughts on the design process, delivery, comfort, and durability of my Benchmade Modern chair.

Design process

I was initially overwhelmed by all the customization options, so I ordered the free fabric swatches and a true-to-size printout to visualize the chair in my space. 

Both proved to be super helpful. While we were initially leaning toward a 35-inch wide chair, the printout made it clear that a 40-inch chair was actually the best size to fill the space. The swatches gave us a great feel for how the texture and color would match our existing furniture and floors, something that is really hard to visualize by just looking at a swatch on a computer screen. Ultimately we chose to order the 40-inch Tyler Chair in Marfa Caramel leather. 

Delivery

Benchmade Modern offers two delivery options: standard ($249) and white glove ($399). For standard delivery, your furniture is dropped off at your door, and you'll have to unbox it (and potentially do a small bit of assembly) on your own. With white glove delivery, two delivery people bring the furniture into your home, do any unboxing and assembly needed, place the item where you want it, and dispose of any packaging.

I opted for white glove delivery because I had just unboxed and assembled nine giant boxes worth of furniture for our Burrow outdoor furniture review, and my garage was overtaken by all the leftover packaging. A few days before my chair was set to be delivered, I got a call confirming the time window. 

My two delivery people were kind and pleasant. There was some initial confusion over the leg assembly, but we sorted out which screws went where, and they used their own tools to finish attaching the legs. They carted away the boxes and we were left to admire our new leather chair.

Comfort and durability

We immediately fell in love with our Benchmade Modern Tyler Chair. We initially had ordered it to fill an awkward gap in our office, but after receiving the chair, we actually decided we'd rather have it as a statement piece in our living room. The chair is attractive, comfortable, and well-made. We get lots of compliments on it whenever we have visitors. 

As of the original publish date of this review, we've only had the chair for a few months — but despite extensive use, it still looks brand new.

An update after nearly two years of use

Over the past year and a half or so, the leather has aged really nicely, loosening around the curves of the chair for an attractive, lived-in look that I prefer over the super-taught look the leather had when the chair was freshly delivered.

We sit in it every day, and the leather shows no worn spots or discoloration. There are a few scratches, but I think they add to the patina of the piece rather than detract from it. It's survived two moves, including one cross-country.

Cons to consider

This isn't so much a con, but a consideration: the customizations Benchmade Modern offers only go so far. If you're looking to commission something totally different or one-of-a-kind, you'll have to work with an interior designer or tradesperson. (It'll also likely be a more significant investment in both time and money.) Benchmade Modern is a good middle ground between ready-to-ship and true custom — best for when you want to make small personalizations in size or color to an existing furniture design. 

What are your alternatives?

These days there is an abundance of online, direct-to-consumer furniture companies to choose from. If you're looking for the best couch for your home, we recommend also checking out Burrow and Article, which offer a similar shopping experience to Benchmade Modern. For the best bed frames, our favorites are Thuma and Floyd, but keep in mind they have significantly fewer customization options than Benchmade.

The bottom line

Benchmade Modern is a great place to shop if you're looking for furniture that feels custom-made to fit your space, but don't want to spend the time or money to commission a design from scratch. It's similarly priced to other direct-to-consumer furniture brands, but offers the most customizations in fabric, color, and size that we've seen from an online furniture store. Pieces are made to order and still ship fast, making Benchmade Modern a great option for outfitting your home stylishly and quickly.

Pros: Can customize size, color, and fabric to fit your space; made to order; ships relatively fast; free swatches and full-size printouts so you can visualize the furniture in your space; high quality and comfortable 

Cons: Shipping is a bit pricey, need to use one of their base designs (no option to work with a designer on something truly custom)

Shop all Benchmade Modern furniture.