Saturday, October 23, 2010

Introducing: the "Roma" Sofa

I've been in this business long enough to have come to the painful realization that, as much as I would like otherwise -- Man can't live on antiques alone. No, indeed. He just can't. He may love them, he may appreciate them, he may even collect them, but when it comes time for his Sunday golf game or Monday night football, that beautiful swedish settee just won't cut it. He wants a sofa -- a nice, comfortable sofa that he can lounge on, kick his feet up on, and even fall asleep on, labrador retriever and all.

And if your man is anything like my man -- 6'3", 200 lbs. -- you need a sofa that will stand the test of time, lots of time.

But then comes woman. Woman can in fact live on antiques alone. Yes, indeed, the more, the merrier. Forget function. Give me form or give me death!!!!!!

Hence, the age old marital dilema. He wants the comfortable sofa; she wants the beautiful furnishings.

For years now, I've struggled with how to merge beautiful antiques and furnishings with a practical and comfortable sofa in the living or family room. Frankly, finding the right sofa has always been one of those painful and frustrating experiences for me that ends up in a fight between my husband and I or, worse yet, one of those standoffs where no sofa gets bought. Hence, we continue with the old, mushy sofa that has a dent on the very spot where my husband sits day in and day out to watch tv. It's embarrassing. And, with kids and dogs, I opted for years to slipcover my sofa in a white cotton duck fabric only to have it end up looking grey and dingy no matter how many times I oxycleaned it. Talk about disgusting. There it was -- my house -- all nice and tidy with pretty vintage and antique furnishings and then this "thing" in the middle of the room, looking like it belonged on the front porch of a fraternity house. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.



Finally, I decided to put an end to this. If the right sofa could not be found, then I was going to create one.

And I did.

Named after the most beautiful city in the world (and my own daughter), the tightly slipcovered Roma sofa is inspired by Swedish design. The tight cushionless seat and slightly tapered arms give the Roma sofa an updated modern feel. The soft yet durable Belgian linen fabric is completely washable and comes in a variety of colors including natural, white and oyster (my favorite and pictured here).



And the Roma chair, the perfect accompaniment.



And if you're wondering how the Roma sofa and chair blend with beautiful antiques, well, you be the judge ...



The Roma sofa and chair are both available on 1stdibs and can be made to any specification and size. COM also available.

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful, but what else would I expect from you!
    We solved the problem 30 odd years ago with a Scottish deer hide chesterfield which has got softer with age and the dogs don't make it dirty.
    I am sorry you don't live in Australia I really want to come and see everything you have.
    Will pass the award on in the next few days so thank you again xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julienne, thank you for reading (once again!). Frankly, and I told my husband this, I wish I lived in Australia too. Seems like a paradise.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful solution you have provided us readers .. this I'm certain will be having many saying THANK YOU!! xo HHL

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow I love this, looks so comfortable.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear High Heeled, glad you could stop by! How are you? I need to hop on over to your blog and catch up.

    Dear French Inspiration, welcome aboard! And all the way from Canada! Kick your shoes off and stay for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Karina ...the Roma sofa is fantastic! You definitely have to market it and it looks gorgeous with the antiques. You are so clever. I have to laugh when you mentioned about the men in our life just wanting it to be comfortable!!!!! Well I am truly lucky as I am getting a comfortable sofa and an antique from you!!!I do love this sofa and perfect with the antiques!!
    hugs always
    Fran xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Brilliance Karina, pure brilliance! My husband and I struggled with this quite recently ourselves and managed to find a sofa with narrow arms, button tufting and the clean lines that make me happy, and the soft cushions, both deep and wide enough to slouch against or lay down in. And the back cushions come off so it can turn into a day bed for ultimate snuggling! But if we had not already found our treasure I'd sorely tempted to order one of yours!

    I love the new banner picture!
    Hope Ava

    ReplyDelete
  8. You rock. For so many reasons. I loved your home, shop, and city and I am so proud to feature you in my book and/or magazines. My love to AJ, the kids, and the poochies.

    Love,

    Sandy

    Sandy @ My Shabby Streamside Studio
    http://myshabbystreamsidestudio.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your vintage asthetics. I too had to create the sofa I wanted which has a timeless vintage feel to it. I also loved the beautiful chandeliers you put on either side of the mirror. Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you. Please don't be shy and share your thoughts.