Custom Ski Furniture Built From The Idea In Your Head
Most orders in this category start with the same phone call. I saw a chair on your site, but what I really want is, and then comes something we have never built before. A mural of the run where two people got engaged. A hockey stick bench for a basement bar. Four chairs stained to match a deck in Breckenridge. That call is the front door to this whole category, and nearly everything in the grid above began exactly that way.
Custom Designs is the made to order side of Colorado Ski Chairs. Every piece is built in Manitou Springs, Colorado from real retired skis, snowboards and other gear that already had a first life on the hill. Nothing here gets stamped out of a mold, so treat this page as a set of starting points rather than a catalog.
Find the closest thing to what you want in the grid, then tell us how yours should be different. Colors, scene, size, wood stain, one chair or a matched set of four. If the idea does not appear anywhere on this site, that is a normal Tuesday around here.
Built from your own gear
Send us the skis that have been living behind the lawn mower since 2009. They come back as something you sit in with a beer.
Hand painted murals
Peaks, sunsets, national parks, dogs, camper vans. Painted by hand in exterior oils, never a decal.
Branded and logo work
Your brand color painted on, your logo floated on top as a decal so the mark stays exact. Quoted on a call.
How a custom order actually works
One. Tell us the idea in whatever shape it is in
Photos, a screenshot, a rough sketch on the back of a trail map, or just a description over the phone. People send a picture of the view from a cabin deck and ask for that. Others send a logo file and a brand color. Both are plenty to start with. You get a person who builds these things, not a form that emails you back on Thursday.
Two. We price it before anything gets cut
Size, how much painting the scene needs, how the mark goes on and how many pieces you want all move the number, which is why custom and branded work is quoted on a call instead of listed. You know the price and the timeline before we touch a saw.
Three. We build it, and you see it happen
Skis get cut, shaped and mounted on a Douglas Fir base, the painting happens in exterior oils, and the piece cures before it goes anywhere. Most customers get progress photos along the way, partly because we like showing them off and partly because it is the easiest way to catch a change while a change is still cheap.
What we build from, and how much of it a piece takes
The most common surprise on a first custom call is the quantity. A finished chair looks like it should be one pair of skis. It is not.
- One Adirondack ski chair takes four to five pairs of skis. A matched set of two takes eight to ten pairs.
- A snowboard chair needs at least three boards. A single snowboard, on the other hand, does make a coffee table or a bench, which is a different piece and a very good one.
- A hockey stick chair takes twelve to fifteen sticks.
- A golf club chair takes one full set, so eleven or twelve clubs.
- Oak wine barrel staves come into the mix for rockers, side tables and bar pieces.
If you are sending your own gear and you do not have enough of it, that is fine, and it is the usual case. Send the pairs that actually mean something, we fill in the rest from our stock of vintage and retro skis, and yours go in the spots you will look at. If the skis are long gone entirely, tell us the brand and the era and we will get close.
Murals are painted. Logos are not.
Worth knowing before you call, because it comes up on every branded job. A hand painted mural is painted by hand in exterior oils, never a decal. Peaks, sunsets, aspens, a national park skyline, a dog, a van on a dirt road, all of that goes on with brushes.
A logo is a different animal. A logo is never painted. It goes on as a logo decal floated onto the painted background so the mark holds its exact shape and its exact color, which is what a marketing director actually wants to see in a lobby photo. Aluminum appliques and plastic appliques are alternatives, each priced differently, and the logo can sit on the front or the back. Branded pricing is quoted on a call.
The parts that do not change
However far a design wanders, the bones stay the same.
- Adirondack chairs run 45 inches tall by 36 deep by 32 wide, with some builds at 55 tall. Comfortable for people from 3 feet to 6 feet 10.
- Douglas Fir base, so the piece sits flat on a stone patio instead of teetering.
- A cup holder made from a repurposed ski binding, gripping a drink the way it once gripped a boot.
- High quality exterior oil paint, colorful and weatherproof, so the piece can live outside all year.
- 400 lb weight capacity. Feel free to snuggle with your sweetie!
- 3 year hassle free warranty. Yup.
- Rocker conversion runs $75 more on repurposed oak wine barrel slats.
Timing, delivery and shipping
Made to order work runs two to four weeks, depending on how much painting is involved and how busy the shop is. Heavily detailed murals and large sets sit at the long end of that. If your date is tight, say so on the first call, and take a look at our ready to ship pieces, which are finished and waiting.
We deliver locally across Colorado, including Colorado Springs, Denver, Breckenridge, Vail and Aspen, and we ship nationwide to the lower 48. Most chairs ship free to the lower 48. Oversized and multi piece orders get quoted separately, because a set of four does not travel the way one chair does.
Frequently asked questions
I have an idea but no drawing. Can you still build it?
Yes. Most custom orders arrive as one photo and a paragraph. Describe the scene, the colors and where the piece is going to live, and our painters take it from there. Nobody has ever been turned away for a bad sketch.
Do I see the design before you build it?
Yes, on anything with artwork involved. We confirm the layout, the colors and the placement up front, and you get photos as the piece comes together. Changes are easy early and painful late, so we front load that conversation on purpose.
Can you paint a specific mountain, resort or trail?
Yes, and it is one of the most requested jobs in this category. Send a photo taken from the angle you remember rather than a postcard shot, because the version in your head is usually one particular view from one particular chairlift.
Can you build something that is not a chair?
Yes. Benches, tables, wall murals and panels, porch swings, cornhole sets, birdhouses, guitar stands, office wall art and handcrafted ski lift bench replicas have all come out of this shop. Tell us what the room needs and we will tell you honestly whether we can build it well.
Can I send my own skis for a custom build?
Yes, and it is a big part of what happens here. Call before you ship anything so we can talk through quantities and confirm that what you have will work. Mismatched pairs are welcome and usually look more interesting anyway.
Do you do custom work for businesses?
Yes. Breweries, ski shops, resorts, real estate offices and corporate lobbies order branded chairs, benches and wall panels, sometimes one for an entryway and sometimes a dozen for an office. Logo work goes on as a decal or an applique, and pricing is quoted on a call rather than listed.
