Bespoke Olive Wood Gifts — How to Order a Custom Piece

Most of what is sold as "custom" in the gift industry is not custom at all. It is a standard product with your name printed on it. The object existed before you arrived. Your involvement was a label.

A bespoke olive wood piece from Arpi Woodworking in Cortona is something different. It is an object that does not exist before you commission it — that begins as a conversation about what you need, becomes a specific piece of Tuscan olive wood selected for that purpose, and ends as a finished object made by hand in a workshop that has been doing this work for years.

The process is straightforward. Here is exactly how it works.

What Bespoke Means Here

Bespoke, in the context of this workshop, means made to your specifications from beginning to end.

This includes the dimensions — the exact size and shape that serves your purpose, not a standard size that approximately fits. It includes the wood selection — choosing from available material for the specific grain character, color, and natural features that suit the piece you have in mind. It includes any additional elements: epoxy-filled knots in a color you specify, laser engraving of a name or date or logo, a specific finish, a specific edge profile.

It also means the piece is made once. There is no stock version. There is no batch production run. The object made for you is the only one of its kind that will ever exist, because the wood from which it is made is itself unrepeatable — a specific section of a specific tree from the Val di Chiana or the Chianti hills, with a specific grain pattern that no other section of any other tree will exactly replicate.

This is what bespoke means. Not personalization applied to a standard product. An object created specifically for you, from material that exists nowhere else.

What Can Be Made

The range of bespoke pieces we make falls into several categories, though the list is not exhaustive — if you have something specific in mind that is not listed here, the right approach is simply to ask.

Serving and kitchen pieces: Boards in any dimension, from small personal serving pieces to large statement boards suitable for hosting groups. Bowls in various depths and diameters. Kitchen utensils matched to specific cooking styles or ergonomic preferences.

Decorative and display pieces: Objects made primarily for their visual presence rather than functional use. Sculptural forms. Pieces that showcase extraordinary grain or unusual natural features of a specific section of wood.

Gift pieces with engraving: Any of the above, with the addition of laser-engraved text, dates, names, logos, or designs. Wedding gifts with the couple's names and date. Corporate gifts with a company logo. Commemorative pieces marking specific occasions.

Wine accessories: Wine boxes in multiple formats — single bottle, Magnum, multi-bottle — for gifting specific bottles or collections. Wine coolers. Hosting pieces designed around the presentation of wine.

Furniture elements: Smaller furniture pieces, handles, and functional elements for integration into existing furniture or interiors. These require more detailed discussion than smaller pieces — contact us to begin that conversation.

Workshop pieces: Objects made during a workshop session, shaped by the client's own hands under guidance, finished to a higher standard than the session alone would allow.

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The Process — Step by Step

Step 1: The Initial Conversation

Every bespoke commission begins with a conversation. Not a form. Not a catalogue selection. A direct exchange — by WhatsApp, email, or in person at the workshop — about what you are looking for.

In this conversation, we discuss:

Purpose: What is this piece for? Who is it for? How will it be used, displayed, or given? Understanding the purpose shapes every subsequent decision about the piece.

Dimensions: Do you have specific size requirements? Is the piece replacing something of a known size? Is it going into a specific space with specific constraints? Or do you want a recommendation based on the purpose?

Features: Do you want engraving? If so, what text or design? Do you have a preference regarding the natural features of the wood — do you want a clean, uniform piece, or do you appreciate the knots and cracks that tell the story of the tree? Do you have a preference for finish — matte, satin, or oiled?

Timeline: When do you need it? Bespoke pieces require more time than stock items — typically two to four weeks for most pieces, longer for complex commissions or engraving-intensive work. Urgent commissions are sometimes possible — discuss this directly.

There is no charge for the initial conversation. The conversation exists to determine whether we can make what you need, and to give you enough information to decide whether you want to proceed.

Step 2: The Proposal and Price

After the initial conversation, we provide a written proposal that includes the specific piece we would make, the materials we would use, the timeline, and the price.

The price of a bespoke piece reflects several factors:

Dimensions: Larger pieces require more material and more time. The pricing scales accordingly.

Wood selection: Standard workshop material is included in the base price. Exceptional pieces — unusually figured wood, large sections from old-growth trees, material with particularly striking natural features — carry a premium that reflects both the rarity of the material and the additional time required to select and prepare it.

Engraving: Laser engraving is priced per piece based on the complexity of the design and the number of elements. Simple text engraving — a name, a date — is straightforward. Complex logo engraving or multi-element designs require more time and are priced accordingly.

Finish: Standard oil finish is included. Beeswax conditioning, specialized finishes, or multiple finish coats are included in the price discussion.

There are no hidden costs. The price in the proposal is the price of the finished piece.

A deposit of 50% is required to begin work on a bespoke commission. The balance is due on completion, before shipping or collection.

Step 3: Wood Selection

Once the commission is confirmed, we select the specific piece of wood for your project from available workshop material.

For significant commissions, we offer the option to be involved in this selection — either in person at the workshop if you are in Cortona, or via photographs and video if you are not. Seeing the actual wood that will become your piece before work begins is a meaningful part of the bespoke experience for many clients.

The wood we use comes from olive trees in the Val di Chiana and the Chianti hills — sourced from pruning and agricultural byproduct, sustainably in the most literal sense. No tree is cut down for these pieces. The wood is the byproduct of olive farming that has been happening in this landscape for millennia.

Step 4: Making the Piece

This is the part of the process that happens in the workshop and that most clients, understandably, do not see. We document the making of significant commissions with photographs — of the wood before work begins, of key stages in the shaping process, and of the finished piece — which we send to the client throughout.

The making of a bespoke olive wood piece involves:

Preparation: The selected wood is checked for moisture content, surfaced, and prepared for shaping. Any knots or cracks that will be filled with epoxy are treated at this stage.

Shaping: The piece is brought to its final dimensions using a combination of power tools for the primary shaping and hand tools for the refinement and detail work. The hand tool stage is where the character of the piece is determined — where decisions are made about specific curves, edges, and surfaces.

Finishing: Multiple rounds of sanding bring the surface to its final smoothness. The finish — oil, beeswax, or a combination — is applied in several coats, with drying time between each.

Engraving: If the piece includes laser engraving, this is done after the final sanding but before the finish coats, so that the engraved areas absorb the finish along with the rest of the surface.

Final inspection: The finished piece is inspected, photographed, and prepared for collection or shipping.

Step 5: Delivery

Finished pieces can be collected in person at the workshop in Cortona — an option that many clients choose, as it provides the opportunity to see the workshop and meet the craftsman who made their piece.

For clients who cannot collect in person, we ship worldwide. Shipping is calculated based on the size and weight of the piece and the destination, and is confirmed as part of the proposal. We use carriers that provide tracking and insurance for the declared value of the piece.

For pieces going to the United States — our largest international market — shipping typically takes five to ten business days. For European destinations, three to seven days.

Pieces are packed with appropriate protection for their size and fragility — larger pieces in custom-cut foam within wooden crates for maximum protection during transit.

Who Orders Bespoke Pieces

The clients who commission bespoke work from Arpi Woodworking fall into a few consistent categories — not because the work is exclusive, but because the nature of bespoke commissioning attracts specific kinds of people.

Gift givers with a specific vision: Someone who wants to give an extraordinary gift for a wedding, a significant anniversary, a retirement, or a major life event — and who wants something that could not be bought anywhere else. These clients often have a clear vision of what they want and need someone with the skill to execute it.

Travelers who visited the workshop: Guests who spent time in the workshop during a MyTuscanDays experience, who handled the wood, who understand what it is and what it can do — and who return home and realize they want a specific piece made for their kitchen or as a gift.

Corporate clients: Companies looking for distinctive gifts for clients, partners, or significant employees. A handcrafted olive wood piece from a specific artisan in a specific town in Tuscany carries a story and a provenance that generic corporate gifts cannot replicate.

Wine producers and hospitality businesses: Wineries, restaurants, and hotels that want pieces that reflect their own identity and quality — serving boards for a specific wine pairing, coasters with their logo, gift boxes for their premium bottles.

Begin Your Commission

The first step is a conversation. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing. It simply tells us what you need and tells you whether we can make it.

Contact us through any of the channels below. We respond to all enquiries within 24 hours.

👉 Start your commission 📩 arpi@arpiwoodworking.com 📞 +39 333 4638251 💬 WhatsApp

Browse our existing work for reference: 👉 Tuscany Crafted collection 👉 Workshop experiences in Cortona

📍 Via Guelfa 24-26, Cortona (AR), Tuscany, Italy