Wal-Mart desks, Target coffee tables, Value City bookshelves and chairs - they're all great deals for your wallet, but not so great for your home. Cobbled together from cheap, flimsy materials, discount furniture is inherently generic, making little artistic or aesthetic impact on your living space.

On the other hand, custom-made furniture, from handmade oak desks to cast-iron mail tables, can add the perfect accent to your room, tying individual elements like carpet and wall color into a cohesive theme. Artisan furniture has a personality, and it usually lasts for decades, making it a wise investment.

"A custom-made piece will be an heirloom that you can pass down for generations," says Craig Carlson, local furniture maker and chair of the Rochester Woodworking Society. "I hate to sound like a Mastercard commercial, but that's priceless, the value of heirlooms and the meaningfulness of our history."

Tailored benefits

The main benefit of custom-made furniture is obvious: it's customizable. You can fit exactly what you want to the space you want, in the colors, materials, and design you want. "You want a coffee table? Sure, I can do that," says John Dodd, a woodworker who runs John Dodd Studios in South Bristol. "You want it black, or circular, or made of oak, or whatever? I can do all that. This isn't just something you'd ship in from a factory somewhere; it's about two people building a relationship, and a story."

Custom furniture, he says, is interactive; a coffee table or desk becomes less a product a person buys and more of a process in which a person participates. Dodd often does in-home consultations, to assess customers' wants and needs, and he continually updates them with sketches and models of his plans, to make sure he's on track. "I think people really appreciate that connection they have to the artist that's making their piece," he says.

Working with an artist also opens up a larger range of potential pieces. Paul Knoblauch, the metal smith behind Knoblauch Metalworks on Halstead Street, is best known for his colorful benches and chairs, some of which can be seen on University Avenue's ArtWalk and in the Grove Place neighborhood. But he has built everything from coffee tables to mailboxes; recently, he started making fire pit tables, or outdoor tables with a fire pit inset into the center. "You wouldn't think a fire table was a piece of art," he says. "But people challenge me with new pieces, and that can set me in a new direction I can expand in and enjoy."

Put your money on the table

When you think "handmade furniture" you probably also think "really expensive." Not necessarily, says Carlson. "I think many people would be surprised," he says. "It is expensive, but if you go to a higher-end furniture store, then you're getting close to what custom-made furniture would cost anyway."

Dodd's foyer displays, the staple of his business, start at $2,000, often ranging between $8,000 and $10,000, while Knoblauch says his signature garden benches start at $4,000. "People spend $4,000 on a couch, or a nice TV," he says. "To buy a piece of artwork with that money, I don't see it as high-end or as being outrageous."

But the reality is that "most artists aren't sitting there trying to figure out how to make it cheaper. We're focused on making it better," says Dodd. "This isn't necessarily the cheapest way to go, but these are pieces that you'll always have a connection to."

Plus, inexpensive furniture has its own drawbacks. "It's college dorm furniture," says Carlson. "It will last four, maybe five years if you're lucky. And then you throw it out and buy more."

On top of that, "much of the mass-produced furniture isn't always made with the most ecologically responsible materials," he says. Particle board, often used in low-cost desks and bookcases, contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and respiratory irritant. Unlike many custom crafters, manufacturers often use stains and finishes containing petroleum-based solvents, which, as they age, release toxic chemicals that can create and aggravate health problems like allergies or asthma.

Then, there's the sheer amount of wasted materials. "Manufacturers toss out more wood in a year than I would use in a lifetime," says Dodd.

Custom-made furniture, on the other hand, is made from higher quality materials that last longer, meaning less strain on your wallet in the long run, not to mention less junkyard waste. And should something break, you always know who to call for repairs.

Local buzz

For custom furniture, you don't have to look far: Rochester is home to dozens of craftspeople, including nationally recognized artists like Albert Paley and Wendell Castle.

That's partly because upstate New York has such abundant natural resources. "We basically live a stone's throw from a forest," says Carlson. "The Appalachians have some of the best hardwoods in the world."

It also doesn't hurt that we have RIT in town, whose top-rated School for American Crafts attracts talent from across the country and even the world. Many of those artists stay in the area after they graduate.

But to find local furniture makers, you may have to do some digging, as many area craftspeople don't have websites. Try browsing the member directories of artist organizations like The Furniture Society (FurnitureSociety.org), the Rochester Woodworking Society (RochesterWoodworking.org), or the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester (ArtsRochester.org).

Also, keep your eye out for openings and shows, since many artists don't maintain public, year-round galleries. Knoblauch recently held an open studio in September, and Dodd is part of the Naples Open Studio Trail, where 22 artists open their studios to the public the first weekend in October.

But the hunt is worth it. "If I make someone a bench, and they enjoy taking their shoes off just a little bit more because of my bench, then life's just that much more pleasant," says Dodd. "It enhances the everyday rituals, and adds a bit of flavor to your day."