SITTING PRETTY

THROUGH THEIR CUSTOM FURNITURE COMPANY, ROGER AND CHRIS STOUT-HAZARD ARE BUILDING STYLISH, PERSONALITY-PACKED SOFAS AND ARMCHAIRS THAT ACTUALLY LAST.

- 

When Roger Stout-Hazard was hosting his A&E show Sell This House, he noticed something in home after home: People cycled through furniture like hotcakes. As a designer with access to quality pieces built to last, he knew there had to be a better way. His husband, Chris, was on board. Together, they created a business—Roger and Chris. Based in Nebraska and North Carolina, the company furnishes homes coast to coast with American-made, custom sofas and chairs, each designed to handle kids, dogs, and decades. Interview by Jacqueline Kehoe.

MWL Bring us up to speed—how did a TV host wind up in the furniture business?

RSH I was speaking at a home improvement expo in North Carolina when some guys stood up and said, “Why don’t you get in the furniture business? We're out of work because everybody’s shipped jobs overseas.” I went back and told Chris about the idea. I'd been on the road for 12 years—I was ready to get out of television, and this felt like an opportunity.

MWL Chris, what made you agree?