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Our Story
Albert de Matteo, Founder
1932 – 2013
Carlyle is a full service custom upholstered furniture maker. We make everything from sofas and sectionals to daybeds, headboards, beds and more. Each custom piece is crafted just for you at our own factory located 30 minutes from Manhattan.
We first opened our shop in 1966. Back then we called ourselves Carlyle Custom Convertibles. A convertible in those days was a popular term for a sleep sofa and we made the best one around All these years later, we’re still told that no one does it better.
Our founder, Albert de Matteo, invented something called Steelweave, an intricate mechanism of chain link, spring and wire, that replaces the synthetic canvas "support" deck found beneath most sofa bed mattresses.
This exclusive all-steel device makes all of our frames sag-proof. And when coupled with our indulgently comfortable mattresses, it guarantees a good night's sleep.
It wasn’t long before the word spread of the remarkable quality and comfort of a Carlyle sofa and soon Al’s modest Upper Eastside shop became a trusted resource for generations of New Yorkers.
Today we go by Carlyle—and we now make furniture for just about every room in the house. Just as we we've done from the start, we build every piece of furniture one at a time and by hand, with a commitment to your comfort. At Carlyle, that's our mission--providing you comfort day and night.