Saint Objets works fastest from a brief that covers five things. Give us those and the first drawing is close, not a guess.
What to Put in the Brief
Five lines do most of the work. Each one narrows the design before we draw it:
- Exact dimensions, or the site drawing
- The real use: hospitality, residential, or high-traffic
- An upholstery direction
- A budget band
- Your install window
Start With Access, Not Aesthetics
The brief that saves a designer weeks is specific about constraints, not aesthetics. Send the plan with the clearances marked:
- Door widths
- Lift dimensions
- The turn on the stairwell
A sofa that reads perfectly on the floor plan but cannot enter the apartment is the most expensive mistake in made-to-order work, and it is entirely avoidable at brief stage.
Tell Us the Real Use
Tell us the real use, too. A seat for a show villa and a seat for a short-let that turns over fifty times a year are not the same object underneath, even when they look identical. That single line changes the frame, the construction, and the fabric we steer you toward.
Give a Material Direction, Not a Code
On materials, give us a direction rather than a code. "Warm, tactile, has to survive kids and a housekeeper" tells us more than a swatch name, and it lets us propose high-performance, hospitality-grade cloth that actually holds up.
Because everything is designed in Paris and made here in the Emirates, we can match a reference piece, adjust a depth by a few centimetres, or build to a non-standard footprint without importing a whole range.
Ask early about safe, non-toxic construction if the room is a bedroom or a child's space. It is core to how we build, and where the certificate is available for the chosen cloth we will show it.
Budget and Time Move Everything
Two things designers underweight are budget and time. A budget band is not vulgar, it is the fastest way to a proposal you can actually present to a client, because it tells us where to spend the money and where to hold it.
And give us your install date, not just "soon". Made to order runs on a real production calendar, so the earlier the date is locked, the more of the process we can protect.
If you want the full picture of how commissions run before you write the brief, read our guide to made-to-order furniture in Dubai, then send the drawing. We work by appointment from the studio, one project at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single most important thing to include in a furniture brief?
Access dimensions. Door widths, lift size, and stair turns decide whether a finished piece can enter the space at all. At Saint Objets we can build almost any form, but the room's entry points are fixed, so we design the frame around them from the first drawing.
Do I need to choose the exact fabric before briefing Saint Objets?
No. A direction is enough to start: the mood, the traffic level, and how it will be cleaned. From that we propose high-performance, hospitality-grade options that suit the use, and where the certificate is available for the chosen cloth we share it. You confirm the final cloth later.
Can Saint Objets match a reference piece or work to non-standard dimensions?
Yes. Because pieces are designed in Paris and made here in the Emirates, we build to your footprint rather than a fixed range. Send a reference image or a marked plan and we adjust depth, height, and proportion to the room instead of forcing the room to fit the furniture.