about Design on a Dime... Pull Up a Chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

When I knew I would be doing a vignette for Design on a Dime, there was one place I knew I wanted to go for my primary seating: where I usually steer clients: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

Not just because of their great range of styles. Not just because their pieces are highly usable, or because their quick-deliver upholstery has been the foundation of many a room I've designed, with pricepoints and quality that keep my clients happy. Not just because I had the pleasure of interviewing (handsome Texan) Bob for Apartment Therapy. Not just because they give great parties with drag diva DJs. Not just because they were the manufacturers behind a lot of great companies (like Crate & Barrel and Room & Board) before they became a standalone brand. Not just because they publish great and friendly books that generously share their strategy for stylish, comfortable living. And not even because they were among the first in the industry to feature the occasional shirtless hunk in their advertising.

But because I love what these seating guys stand for.

Mitchell has made a name for himself by living a good and open life. He speaks out often and passionately about coming of age as a Gay man. He has lived without apology for his sexual orientation, and has worked tirelessly to make sure religion does not create a culture of fear or isolation when it comes to LGBT issues of equality. He is the man behind Faith in America. His amazing book, "Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America" predated the It Gets Better Project, and has found its way into the White House, and many an American school library (although, arguably, not enough of them). It was at a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams event where I met Daniel Karslake, the director of "For the Bible Tells Me So," (a must see) and met the lovely actress/advocate Judith Light, herself a friend and fan of Mitchell and his work.

Mitchell is also a walking advertisement for generosity, personal and public... he risked some potential branding reputation when he changed the company name to include and acknowledge past-partner and creative guy Bob. And their company has been a pioneer in on-site childcare, workplace equality, American-made product and eco-sensitive practices before Green became a buzzword. He's also recently married, and to hear him gush about his nuptials, you'd be hardpressed to remember why there is any argument against same-sex unions. He's also been a big force (even if he doesn't realize it) behind my own small steps into activism and living openly.

So, to add anything of theirs to my room would be an absolute honor, and so true to the spirit of this event, but I figured with so much giving, I'd not stand a chance of tapping into their generosity.

Happily, I was wrong. They delivered. Beautifully. WIth two Quinn armchairs. Love.

So, you know why I love Mitchell and Bob. But why do I love these chairs? They look great from any angle (important, since they may be floating in the three-walled vignette space), they add lovely curves to the largely geometric scheme, and they are time-neutral, with a vague vintage feel, but cleaned up enough to be totally modern.

They'll be in a SEXY metallic vinyl... "Gunmetal" in Alloy, which will only accentuate all those curves, like lamé on a red carpet starlet.

Kimora Buffet

But the generosity didn't stop with the pair of chairs... Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams also chipped in their super-versatile Kimora Buffet, the perfect anchor point, and a piece that can make its way from living room to dining room to bedroom. I've used consoles as anchors before, in the Bloomingdale's Big WIndow Challenge, and my own living room. I love the legginess of this, perfect for a small space where precious inches are added when you get anything up off the floor. And its clean lines make it a neutral foil to anything more lively happening around it. Those lines also add great shelf-life to what might typically be one of the bigger investments in a room.

Read more about the other pieces to my Design on a Dime room vignette puzzle, ground up and piece by piece, here, here, here, and here!