Last week I had the opportunity to take a private tour of my local Room & Board, and, I must say, in our mass-produced world, walking through their showroom is always a breath of fresh air. If you haven’t heard of Room & Board, here’s all you need to know: they sell furniture and accessories of timeless design and impeccable quality. The retailer achieves these feats by establishing relationships with family-owned companies who share their commitment to craftsmanship and sustainability.
Because of the relationships R & B has fostered for more than 25 years, they are able to set a specific aesthetic direction, designing 90 percent of the furnishings they sell, which, as my tour guide Preston put it, are ‘steeped in classic design.’ Their inspiration is Shaker, Asian, Danish Modern, Mid-Century Modern and Arts & Crafts. If that sounds like recipe for an unfocused collection, let me assure you, it is not. It’s the very reason why Room & Board pieces can seamless bridge the gap between centuries, countries and even generations.
Take the Shaker-inspired dining room pieces pictured above, from the new Adams Collection, for example. The clean lines of the cabinet and extension table pair perfectly with the mid-mod grasscloth pendant lamp and Danish modern Doyle chairs.
The next vignette shares those same straight Shaker lines, but the inspiration is definately Asian, as evidenced the table and cabinet’s hand-tooled bamboo construction. We still have the modern cylindrical lampshade but it and the Enzo leather side chairs turn the entire ensemble in a forward-looking direction.
Our straight lines have gone just a bit curvy in this grouping. The Ventura collection was surfboard-inspired and successfully marries the 21st and the middle of last century. A George Nelson saucer pendant lamp hangs from above, and the Georgia chairs upholstered in crimson and add a perfect little color pop.
Nearly all of the tables feature above are customizable, not only in finish, but in size….to the inch. You read that right. You can order tables customized to the inch at Room & Board. (The same can be said for most of the rugs they offer as well.) If you think that level of customization is remarkable, you’ll want to take a look at the Linear Collection.
A piece from this collection can suit a dining room, or any room in your home for that matter. It is the customizer’s dream come true. Basically, you pick the cabinet that fits your space, including height, width, depth, wood, hardware and inserts to fit your needs. Choose from single doors, double doors, media doors, drawers, shelves, wine racks, and pullout or drop-down work surfaces. As you can imagine, it’s like building the cabinet yourself–without the Allen wrench.
Because I spent about 2 hours at Room & Board and took over 100 pictures, I have much more to share. Come back tomorrow for the second installment of my 3 part series. We’ll be visiting the bedroom next!
