About one in four wall-panel orders we ship out of Kostopil is custom — a size, a wood, or a pattern that is not in the standard catalog. This piece explains how the process works, what is easy, what is difficult, and what to expect from beginning to end. It exists because customers often assume custom means expensive and slow when in most cases neither is true.
What custom means at our workshop
Custom is not a separate factory or a premium tier. It is the same three people (Eugene on design, Roman on production, Alex on client contact) making a piece to your specification instead of to a catalog specification. The tools, wood, and finishing are identical.
The four things that can be customized
- Size. Any diameter from 25 cm to 150 cm. Rectangular panels from 30×40 cm to 100×150 cm.
- Wood species. Ash (light, prominent grain), alder (warm mid-tone, subtle grain), ironwood (dense, dark, ages beautifully).
- Pattern. Any sacred geometry — Flower of Life, Sri Yantra, Metatron's Cube, Tree of Life, mandala, lotus, or a design you sketch.
- Finish. Natural oil (default), tinted oil (subtle color shift), or unfinished (for customers who want to oil themselves later).
The five things we cannot do
Setting expectations early saves time:
- Metal or resin inlay. We work in solid wood.
- Painted colored images. Carving only.
- Photorealistic portraits. The medium does not support it.
- Backlit LED panels. Not our craft.
- Rush jobs under 2 weeks. The wood needs to acclimate between cutting stages.
How the process actually goes
Step 1: initial email
Write to Alex at metadeskukraine@gmail.com. Include:
- A photo of the wall or space where the piece will go.
- A rough target size (or the wall dimensions).
- A pattern preference or a reference image.
- Wood species preference (or ask us to recommend).
- Delivery country and any deadline.
Alex typically replies within one business day.
Step 2: design proposal
We send back a sketch or digital rendering, a wood sample photo, and a quote. This step usually happens within 3–5 days of your initial email. Revisions are included — we work through 1–3 iterations on average until the design is right.
Step 3: deposit and production
Once the design is approved, we take a 50% deposit and begin cutting. Production runs 2–4 weeks depending on wood availability, pattern complexity, and current workshop queue. For very large or intricate pieces, up to 6 weeks.
Step 4: finish inspection and photos
Before packaging we photograph the finished piece and send images for your approval. If anything is off, we correct before shipping.
Step 5: shipping
Final 50% is paid before shipping. Panels ship in foam-cornered boxes with tracking. Delivery to Europe: 5–10 business days. North America: 7–14 days. Asia and Oceania: 10–21 days.
Pricing patterns
Custom is typically 20–40% more than the closest catalog piece for equivalent size and complexity. The premium reflects the design time, extra iterations, and non-standard material selection — not a markup. For simple custom size changes on standard patterns (a Tree of Life in a specific dimension), the premium is closer to 10–15%.
What our recent custom work looks like
A sampling from the last quarter:
- A 120Â cm ironwood mandala for a yoga studio in Melbourne, sized to a specific back wall.
- An ash Tree of Life 90Â cm tall with an oak tree silhouette for a family in Bavaria whose grandparents lived under one.
- A three-panel Flower of Life set in alder, each 50Â cm, for a meditation retreat in Portugal.
- A rectangular Sri Yantra 60×80 cm in ash for a home office in Toronto.
- An unfinished mandala 70Â cm for a woodworker in Colorado who wanted to oil it himself.
Referencing our existing pieces
The fastest way to a good custom outcome is to point us to an existing piece and describe the modifications. "Like your wooden mandala and lotus panel but in ironwood at 80Â cm" is a five-minute email that produces an accurate quote. Similarly, "your Tree of Life panel but with a specific silhouette" is easy to work from.
Custom for altars and paired pieces
We often build custom wall panels sized to pair with existing altar tables from our altar collection. Include the altar dimensions in your request and we design the wall piece to visually resolve with it as a single arrangement.
Ownership and permissions
Custom pieces belong entirely to you. We keep a photo for our own portfolio unless you ask us not to. We do not sell copies of your custom design to other customers. If you have submitted a design of your own, we treat it as yours and do not reuse the pattern.
Starting the conversation
The most common reason people do not commission a custom piece is that they think their idea is too vague to send. It is not. Alex is used to reading rough sketches, blurry wall photos, and paragraph-long descriptions. Write to metadeskukraine@gmail.com with whatever you have. We will do the rest.
You can also browse the standard catalog first to identify what to modify.