Roman Thomas

What Roman Thomas does

Roman Thomas is a New York-based designer and manufacturer of handmade custom furniture, seating, lighting, and cabinetry, founded in 2000 and operating as a fully vertical producer with in-house cabinetmakers, metalsmiths, upholsterers, and finishers at RT Workrooms in Long Island City. The product line centers on natural materials — walnut, mahogany, brass, bronze, horsehair, feather and down, hide parchment, and hand-applied specialty finishes — applied through time-honored techniques, with selective collaborations with named artists (Shane Gabier, Herve Salgado, Elke Sada) producing numbered, signed limited editions. The company splits its go-to-market into two channels: a trade-only Made to Order catalog (gated behind registered-professional resale certification, with 50%–65% deposits and rush, standard, and custom tiers) and a direct-to-consumer retail channel called The Shop, which sells in-stock pieces, editions, and series via the romanthomas.com e-commerce platform and the 501 Madison Avenue showroom by appointment.

The business model is one-time project sales rather than recurring revenue. Pricing is quote-based (not publicly disclosed), with 50% deposit on standard orders, 65% deposit on custom orders, and a 25% rush upcharge; price quotes are valid for 30 days and exclude shipping, delivery, installation, insurance, and taxes. The customer base spans interior designers and architects (primary segment, trade) and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) procuring for luxury residential interiors, served through the showroom district flagship, an e-commerce storefront with white-glove or UPS delivery within the contiguous US, and international shipping via approved partners. Distribution is supported by an editorial Prolog content property, multilingual site support (English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese), and an Instagram presence (@romanthomasny). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; ownership commentary points to founder/management retention.

Name

Roman Thomas

Legal name

Roman Thomas

Website

https://romanthomas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roman Thomas is a New York-based, fully vertical manufacturer of handmade custom furniture, seating, lighting, and cabinetry, serving interior designers and architects through a trade-only Made to Order catalog and high-net-worth retail buyers through The Shop e-commerce and a Madison Avenue showroom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Handmade Furniture

NAICS

Household and Institutional Furniture and Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing (3371), Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture Manufacturing (337122), Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212), Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing (3379)

SIC

Household Furniture (2510), Wood Household Furniture, (No Upholstered) (2511), Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Cabinet Design & Build (HSAPAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dining Room Furniture Retail (Dining Tables, Chairs, Bar Stools, Buffets/Sideboards) (CRAIAAAB), Decorative Accessories Retail (Vases, Bowls, Sculptures, Figurines, Trays) (CRAIACAB)

Keywords

• Handmade custom furniture
• Artisan furniture manufacturing
• Made to order cabinetry
• Bespoke lighting design
• Trade interior furnishings

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Made-to-Order Furniture Sales: Custom furniture manufactured to order for trade professionals. Orders placed via purchase order with 50% deposit (standard) or 65% deposit (custom). Rush orders available with 25% upcharge. Net pricing provided to registered professionals with valid resale certification.
2. The Shop (Retail Inventory): Pre-made furniture and lighting sold individually, in editions, or series from NYC workrooms. In-stock items with white glove delivery or UPS shipping. 50% charge at order placement, remainder at fulfillment.
3. Edition/Series Sales: Limited edition pieces (e.g., series of 20 pairs, edition of 12, series of 10) sold through The Shop. Includes collaborations with artists like Shane Gabier and Herve Salgado.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Roman Thomas designs and manufactures handmade custom furniture, seating, lighting, and cabinetry using natural materials (walnut, mahogany, brass, bronze, horsehair, hide parchment) and time-honored techniques at its fully vertical NYC workrooms. The company sells through two channels: a trade-only Made to Order catalog offering customizable cabinets, tables, upholstery, lighting, and mirrors to registered interior design professionals, and The Shop — a retail storefront selling in-stock pieces, limited editions, and artist collaborations directly to consumers.

Product overview

Roman Thomas is a New York City-based furniture company that creates handcrafted furniture and lighting using time-honored techniques and natural materials. As a fully vertical manufacturer, the company operates its own workrooms with cabinetmakers, metalsmiths, upholsterers, and finishers. The product portfolio consists of two main channels: (1) The Shop (ready-to-purchase inventory including pieces from NYC workrooms and partner Artisan Studios), offering individual items, editions, or series such as the Nolan Sofa, Preston Sofa, Ludlow Chair, Jacob Table, Orbit Table, Stanton Table, Wolcott Chest, Derby Magazine Stand, and various ceramic and bronze lamps by collaborating artists; and (2) Made to Order, a trade-only catalog offering fully customizable furniture across five categories—Cabinets/Chests (Yarrow, Arne, Hollister, Emilio, Wolcott, Emmet, Hanover, Hawthorne, Holland, Logan, Paley, Ballard), Tables (Low, Side/Center/Card, Occasional, Dining/Writing, Consoles), Upholstery/Seating (Side/Arm Chairs, Sofas/Settees, Lounge Chairs, Beds, Occasional Chairs, Benches/Ottomans), Lighting (Table, Floor, Ceiling, Wall Lamps), and Mirrors/Accessories. The company also collaborates with external artists such as Shane Gabier, Herve Salgado, and Elke Sada on limited edition ceramic and metalwork pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Made to Order Cabinets/Chests

Quantifiable outcome

• Handcrafted furniture with natural materials and traditional techniques

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Elke SadaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on glazed MEADOW lamp - hand-built spiral of clay slabs with polychrome glaze by Elke Sada (Finalist, Loewe Craft Prize 2019), combined with Roman Thomas steel fittings, laminated silk shades and twisted cloth cording. Series of 20 signed pairs produced in Germany 2024.
• ARTISAN StudiosminorOthers · 1 January 2024Selection from NYC workrooms and partner ARTISAN Studios featured in The Shop, offering items available individually, in editions, or series.
• Shane GabiercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Ongoing collaboration with clothing designer Shane Gabier on Oba plateau tables and Stanton tables. Gabier designs investigate psychedelic and biomorphic forms; pieces numbered, signed and marked Roman Thomas. Oba series of 10, Stanton pieces in multiple variants.
• Herve SalgadominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaboration on CALLIOUX lamp - patinated wax cast bronze by Herve Salgado (signed) with Roman Thomas steel fittings, laminated silk shades and twisted cloth cording. Edition of 12 produced in Paris.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Knoll: Design-driven furniture and textiles company with deep contract and residential presence. Comparable as a design-led furnishings incumbent in the A&D channel, but with a much broader portfolio including modern/contemporary designs versus Roman Thomas's traditional handmade craft.
• RH (Restoration Hardware): Large public luxury home furnishings retailer and brand spanning furniture, lighting, and décor across galleries and e-commerce. Comparable as a luxury home furnishings incumbent in adjacent product categories but at vastly greater scale and with mass-luxury positioning versus Roman Thomas's bespoke craft model.
• Roche Bobois: Global luxury furniture brand offering designer-led sofas, tables, and accessories through its own retail network. Comparable as a higher-volume luxury furnishings incumbent but with industrial production and brand collaborations at a different scale and price architecture than Roman Thomas.
• Baker | McGuire: Heritage luxury furniture manufacturer offering broad casegoods, upholstery, and outdoor collections through to-the-trade showrooms. Comparable as a larger established luxury furniture maker with overlapping designer channel but at much greater scale and assortment breadth than Roman Thomas.

Direct peers

• Donghia: Luxury home furnishings brand (furniture, textiles, lighting) traditionally serving the A&D community. Comparable to Roman Thomas in trade-oriented luxury distribution and curated, design-led collections.
• Holly Hunt: Luxury furniture, lighting, and textiles brand serving interior designers and architects with high-end residential and hospitality projects. Closely comparable in trade-channel focus, designer-spec-in distribution, and premium pricing tier.
• BDDW: Philadelphia-based maker of handmade, bench-produced furniture using solid hardwoods and traditional joinery. Closely comparable to Roman Thomas in its craft-first, small-batch, made-in-America positioning and designer/specifier go-to-market.
• Christopher Peacock: Luxury custom cabinetry and furniture maker targeting high-end residential interiors and design professionals. Directly comparable to Roman Thomas in bespoke cabinet design/build, premium pricing, and trade-driven distribution.

Others

• ARTISAN Studios: NYC-based workroom partner whose pieces are featured alongside Roman Thomas's in The Shop. Comparable not as a competitor but as an adjacent artisan production ecosystem partner, helping illuminate the small-scale NYC craft network Roman Thomas operates within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Roman-Thomas-224690575150196
• Instagraminstagram.com/romanthomasny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roman-thomas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roman Thomas