New trends in fitted furniture. It’s new trends that keep the wheels turning in most industries and the bespoke fitted furniture market is no different.

Mostly in  the wardrobe or bedroom market and to some extent in lounge furniture and to a lesser extent in home offices, high-gloss is the flavour of the month.

Let’s take a look at what’s out there: High gloss is available in vynil wrap, laminate, curtain coated polyester, acrylic and hand-polished lacquered mdf. Most high-gloss doors are plain and flat but vinyl wrap also comes on panelled or ‘routered’ doors.

There are wide variations in the price, and quality of the various types of cupboard doors and broadly they are as follows:

Vinyl wrap. This is one of the cheapest door types but has two disadvantages: vinyl is a soft material, easily damaged and will dull down over time. Also, the wrap is quite thin and will show the imperfections in the  surface of the mdf substrate on which it is applied. The imperfections cannot normally be seen in the matt finish wood effects or plain colours but the light reflecting off the gloss finish will reveal every bump in the surface.

Laminate. Also, cheap and tougher than vinyl but is cut from large sheets of melamine faced chipboard that needs to be edged with an applied edging strip made from a softer pvc material that will not match the melamine surface and is often done as a contrast detail. You either like the look or you don’t. Again, the bumpy surface of the chipboard tends to show through and the gloss is duller. The manufacturers of the boards sometimes descibe this as an ‘entry level’ product.

Curtain coated polyester. The toughest and highest gloss of all with a mirror like finish. The high-tec, high cost plant required to curtain coat means that this product is only made in long production runs and it is only available in standard sizes and is not really suitable for bespoke or custom-made furniture.

Acrylic. Bright colours and good depth of gloss but scratches easily and expensive.

Hand-polished, lacquered mdf. The ideal material for the bespoke cabinet maker to work with. Any colour is possible and the hand-polishing removes all imperfections. Not the cheapest way to go but the lacquers (developed in the motor industry) provide a tough, durable surface and the only one that can be repaired just as your car can be resprayed.

The lacquers are sprayed on by hand, so the components can be individually made  with all the flexibility required for truly bespoke manufacture.

For the discerning client looking for  top-end high quality, high-gloss fitted bedroom or living room furniture click here to talk to a designer.