How to write a commission brief, with a fill-in template
A commission brief is one page that tells a maker what you want, where it goes, how it will be used, what you can spend, and when you need it. Makers quote faster and more accurately from a written brief than from a conversation, and the quality of the brief is the single biggest thing you control in the whole process. The template at the bottom takes about twenty minutes to fill in.
Reviewed
The reason to bother: every ambiguity in the brief becomes either a question that delays the quote, or an assumption that surfaces at delivery. Neither is good.
The seven things every brief needs
1. What the piece is, in one sentence.
"A dining table for eight, replacing a round table that is too small." Not "a table."
2. The constraint that actually binds.
There is almost always one: a wall length, an alcove, a ceiling slope, a doorway the piece has to come through, a chair you already own that has to fit under it. Name it explicitly and give the number. If you do not know which constraint binds, list every dimension of the space.
3. How it will be used.
Daily family meals with young children is a different piece from a formal room used six times a year. This drives species, finish, and edge detail more than aesthetics do. Say if there will be homework, hot dishes, laptops, or a cat.
4. What you want it to look like.
Three to five reference images, each with a sentence on what specifically you like about it. "I like the leg taper" is useful. "I like this" is not. Include one image of something you do not want and say why. Makers find that as informative as the ones you like.
5. Materials, or a direction if you do not know.
Species if you have a view. If you do not, describe tone and character: light or dark, plain or figured, warm or cool. A good maker will recommend. See our wood species guide.
6. Budget range, honestly.
The most common self-inflicted wound in commissioning is withholding this. It does not get you a better price. It gets you a quote for something you cannot afford and two wasted weeks. A range is fine. "Under $5,000" is fine.
7. Timing, and whether it is real.
"Before my daughter's wedding on 14 June" is a deadline. "Sometime this year" invites a maker to schedule you behind three other jobs. Say which you have.
What to include that people forget
- Photographs of the actual room, in daylight, including the floor and any existing woodwork. A piece that looks right in a showroom can fight a room.
- Access. Doorway widths, stair turns, elevator dimensions, ceiling height on the route. Measure them. A table that will not go up the stairs is a design-phase problem and a delivery-day catastrophe.
- Existing pieces it must live with, photographed. If it has to match, say match. If it only has to coexist, say that, because matching is much harder and costs more.
- Who else has a say. A partner, a designer, a committee. Makers would rather know now.
- Anything sentimental going into it. Wood from a family property, salvaged material, a piece being rebuilt. This changes the whole approach and belongs at the top, not as a footnote.
What not to put in a brief
- Construction instructions, unless you know what you are asking for. "Use mortise and tenon joinery" is fine if you understand why. Specifying methods you have read about but do not understand narrows the maker's options without improving the piece.
- A price you saw somewhere else as an anchor. Give your budget, not someone else's quote.
- Every idea you have ever had. Five references beat twenty. Twenty references means you have not decided.
The template
Copy this, fill it in, send it.
COMMISSION BRIEF
THE PIECE
What it is:
What it replaces or sits beside:
Quantity:
DIMENSIONS
Target size:
The binding constraint (wall, alcove, doorway, ceiling):
Room dimensions:
Ceiling height:
USE
Who uses it, how often:
What happens on or in it:
Children, pets, heat, moisture:
Indoor or outdoor:
LOOK
Reference images attached: [yes/no, how many]
What I like about each:
What I do not want, and why:
Existing pieces it must match or coexist with:
MATERIALS
Wood species, or tone direction:
Finish preference, or how much maintenance I will accept:
Hardware preference:
Upholstery, if any:
MEANINGFUL MATERIAL
Am I supplying wood or an existing piece: [yes/no]
If yes, what, where it came from, how long it has been dry:
BUDGET
Range:
Is this firm:
TIMING
Needed by:
Is that date real:
Any event it is for:
ACCESS AND DELIVERY
Narrowest doorway on the route:
Stairs, turns, elevator:
Floor the piece is going to:
Delivery help available on the day:
DECISIONS
Who else approves this:
How you should reach me:
How a good maker will respond
Expect questions, not an immediate number. A maker who quotes off this brief without asking anything is guessing. Good follow-ups sound like:
- "What is the floor in that room, and what color?"
- "How tall are the people who will sit at this?"
- "Is the alcove square? Old houses rarely are."
- "Do you want to see the boards before I cut?"
- "What happens if this runs two weeks late?"
Those questions are the value you are buying. Answer them properly.
