The Cost of Custom

If you want a custom interior design look but you don’t want to pay a hefty price tag, go to Azzulina. Located in the Danville Livery, Azzulina provides interior design services and carries unique handcrafted fine furniture, custom upholstery, lighting, wrought-iron furniture, and accessories. The owner, Susan Saul, designed most of the pieces.  

Originally Susan sourced furniture from around the world. However, after a few years she concluded that most of it looked the same and the “uniqueness” factor was missing. So she put her art degree in design to work by creating her own furniture line. “People say custom is expensive,” says Susan. “It’s a myth. You can have it your way, just like a tailor-made suit. By designing and constructing the pieces ourselves we can make beautiful pieces at half the price.”

In Susan’s opinion, some of the most beautiful pieces they build are their home entertainment centers. “We integrate iron with the wood, which is rarely done,” says Susan. “Also, the finishes are divine—old-world finishes slowly hand rubbed to create a deep, rich look with special touches like scraping, worm holes, gold leaf, or antiquing.” The furniture is made by a select group of carpenters and carvers in LA, and then finished at Azzulina’s manufacturing facility in Livermore.

One of Azzulina’s specialty items are hand painted glass chandeliers. Initially a Danish artist, the only person in the world who painted on glass lighting fixtures, did these. When the artist retired, Susan worked for two years practicing with slumped glass, paint colors, designs, and forged iron hangings to replicate the look at a fraction of the original cost. Now customers can choose a chandelier, pendants, table lamps, floor lamps, or sconces. Then they select from fifty different designs and a variety of sizes. Finally, Susan visits the customer’s home so that she can custom blend sample color options that match the home’s color scheme. The result is a uniquely designed and stunning focal point.

Choices abound. Like the variety available in the hand-painted chandeliers, every furniture piece comes in multiple sizes, and there are over 2000 fabrics and 300 leather samples on site to choose from. And since each piece is custom, if the client wants arms added, shorter legs, more depth to the seat, or any other change, it can be done.

Often custom furniture can take up to six months to arrive. Azzulina’s upholstered items can be delivered to your home in about two weeks. Wood and iron pieces are completed in under six weeks.Custom no longer has to cost an arm and a leg. At Azzulina you can have unique, well-crafted custom furniture with a lifetime warranty and 100% satisfaction. Oh, and did I mention the great prices?