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.