Roger + Chris are a delicious combination of good-looking men who are experts in the fields of home furnishings.
Roger Stout-Hazard and Chris Stout-Hazard have been making a name for themselves in this business for several years amid their brand continuing to blossom.
The Omaha, Nebraska mainstays offer everything from products to design services to helpful tips for the interior designer in all of us. Oh, and they are beyond hot. Not that it matters, but it matters.
In an Instinct Magazine exclusive, Roger and Chris chat with us about what their year has been like since we last chatted with them, trends in furniture this summer, how you can be balling on a budget in the world of interior designs and what’s next for this gorgeous duo. Take a look.
Can’t believe it’s been almost a year since we’ve talked! What has been the biggest development with Roger + Chris?
I can’t believe it, either! This year, we’ve opened our first Design Lab in Omaha, where we’ll be hosting regular talks on topics about home and garden design. We hope to open more across the country in the future. We’ve built up our design consulting services, and we’re assisting quite a few clients locally and nationally with their home renovation needs. We’re rapidly expanding our furniture line, with new styles and many, many more in development right now. Finally, Roger and I are trying to finish up our house here in Omaha. You can imagine how it goes: we spend all our time helping other people with their houses, so working on our own can get pushed to the bottom of the list.
Has your studly partner Roger done anymore television appearances?
Roger hasn’t done any TV this year. His schedule has been full with furniture, working with design clients, and working on our own home and garden.
Speaking of television, would the two of you ever consider doing a show on a streaming platform?
We get approached every once in a while by a production company. I think if we did a show, we would want to be on streaming so we could have more flexibility with the format. But Roger did twelve years of television – that might be enough!
What do you think will be the biggest trend this summer in furniture and overall home furnishings?
We’ve seen a lot of interest in colors with more punch, like yellow, melon, and lime. Sometimes we’re using those colors on sofas and armchairs, but they’re also frequently working their way into throw pillows and textiles. We’ve had a few years of very neutral rugs – you can only see so many white and black Beni Ourain knockoffs before your eyes permanently roll back into your skull. Thankfully, bolder options are getting hot now, like multi-color stripes, patterns with an organic or floral feel, and some wild vintage-look patterns with strong colors. On the furniture side, people continue to gravitate more towards sofas that have a tight or tufted backrest, where the padding is built into the sofa frame instead of loose pillows sitting against the back. They are more tailored and stylish and, unlike pillow back sofas, don’t need constant fussing to keep them looking tidy.
Do you recommend that people change their living space to reflect the season that they are in?
We suggest that you make small adjustments here and there. Depending on where you live and the climate, you may find yourself using your rooms very differently in summer than in winter. While winter can be all about coziness and lamp light, summer is about maximizing sunlight and keeping your space feeling cool and airy. Some changes we make to living spaces include putting away throw blankets and rugs, adjusting furniture layouts to offer better views out the windows, and sometimes removing blinds and drapes that can make a room feel a bit heavier. Some folks like sofas with slipcovers, so they can remove the covers in one season and put them back on when the weather changes. While making some seasonal adjustments makes sense, going too much beyond tweaks can be overkill – and remember that you have to find a place to store all the off-season stuff…
There are many (like me) who think of themselves as balling on a budget. What do you recommend people like us do who want to enhance their living space during the warmer months but don’t have the biggest funds to do so?
We love to see people get creative. You might be amazed at how much style you can add to a room without dropping a ton of cash. Some areas to focus on for maximizing your budget would include window treatments. Drapes can be pricey when bought from a store but are pretty easy to make yourself. You don’t even need to know how to sew. Just use an iron and heat-activated hem tape to finish the ends, and buy a drapery rod with ring clips that clamp onto the fabric panels. Lighting is another area where you can run up a big tab fast if you aren’t careful. We love finding funky vintage table lamps and updating them by adding inexpensive shades. For overhead light, huge paper lanterns add a ton of character as pendant lights and are very affordable. Then there’s always the world of DIY. While some people think of DIY projects as starting from scratch, you can also find deals on pieces of furniture that are “just okay” and enhance them by painting graphic patterns, changing out the hardware, or replacing the legs. It will take some imagination, time, and a little bit of knowledge, but steps like this can improve your space and make it feel one-of-a-kind.
I asked this last time, but I’ll ask again: what are your biggest hopes for Roger + Chris and are you happy with what you’ve accomplished thus far?
Sometimes, we’re happy just to make it through the day! We’re making progress but there’s so much more we want to do. We’re excited about introducing a series of talks at our Omaha location – I think we’re in a unique position to help people solve their home design and renovation challenges and it’s always fun to have people throw their questions at you. We’re also now working to roll out our furniture to retailers around the country, so hopefully your readers will start seeing Roger + Chris sofas popping up in their city soon.
For more information on Roger + Chris, click here.