Tennis Superstar Maria Sharapova Ventures Into Furniture Design

In her first foray into the arena of furniture design, Maria Sharapova—tennis star, entrepreneur, aficionado of art and architecture—reaffirms the maxim that less is more. Her collection for Vancouver-based Rove Concepts gathers strength from elegantly distilled forms, refined details, neutral colors, and a marked emphasis on versatility and function. “I wanted to make sure that all the pieces work as extensions of people’s lives—pieces that complement the things they already live with,” says Sharapova, who honed her design bona fides during her travels across the globe as well as the process of crafting her own home in Los Angeles (AD, July/August 2019). “It was important that the collection look and feel as beautiful today as it will in five or ten years.”

The initial offering encompasses a mix of multifunctional essentials—a sofa deep enough to be a guest bed, a comfy upholstered bench, signature fabrics in taupe and olive, shapely cocktail and side tables, a minimalist lamp, and a monochromatic rug that swings traditional to modern. Amid the cacophony of contrived avant-gardism in design, Sharapova dares to deliver a message of beauty and comfort sotto voce. “The designs don’t dictate how you use them or what they say about you. They’re versatile enough to allow people to make them their own.” roveconcepts.com —MAYER RUS

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest