Eighteen years ago, Bob Williams and Mitchell Gold envisioned a furniture company defined by enthusiasm for good design and a willingness to take aesthetic risks. But above all, comfort was key.
Today Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams is one of the industry’s premiere tastemakers, producing several lines of furniture for various retailers, and often showing up in television and movie sets.
Recently, Bob Williams visited Colorado for a book-signing at HW Home in Cherry Creek North. He also took some time to speak with The Denver Post.
Is this your first time in Denver?
The first time I was here was when I was in high school. I remember seeing the State Capitol with the gold dome and also the Molly Brown House. Those were my two first impressions of this incredible city.
Where can shoppers find Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams furnishings in Colorado?
HW Home, Crate&Barrel, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. The products vary in style from one store to the next. The Crate&Barrel collection tends to be a little more modern. Our stuff at Restoration Hardware is more grand and traditional. At Pottery Barn, we do a lot of slipcovers and the classic leather Manhattan Chair. HW Home carries a big variety of stuff from our soft and modern look to our more casual cottagy look, which is what we’re really known for.
How much does Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams reflect broader industry trends?
I’ll see a color or a style that we did go into the (mainstream) marketplace, so I would say that we have a little bit of influence. In general, I believe people are influenced by what they see around them – pop culture, television, movies. Commercials also play a big role. They are always looking for the newest, hottest, neatest thing to grab people’s attention.
Lately, people are also moving back into houses that were build in the ’50s. So I’ve been consciously finding things that would fit in those spaces.
What are some of the biggest design faux pas that you see?
People need to think about how they live. They’re often too busy thinking about color or the size of something and not thinking about how they want to live in that room. But a room should work the way they need it to work. Like when you walk into a room and all the furniture is pushed up against the wall. You can’t see the TV or talk to guests because everybody is 20 feet apart.
Another important thing I believe in is first impressions. Wherever the entrance is into that room, you should stand there and think about what the focal point should be. Work that into the layout from the start.
What kind of feedback are you getting to the new Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams design book, “Let’s Get Comfortable” (Meredith, $34.95)?
The thing we’ve gotten the biggest reaction to are the floor plans (inside the book). People are just really intrigued by them. This goes back to how you set up a room. Not so much what color or what size something is, but how to actually set up a room. There are so many kinds of rooms out there, from old houses with one doorway to newer homes that are more open. But it’s all about creating natural pathways so that people are more comfortable.
Read more about Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams or search for a nearby store at mitchellgold.com.
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
