Born in Dallas, Bob moved often with his family during his father’s military career, living in Ohio, Indiana, Atlanta, and Houston. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1985 and then worked as a promotions art director for Seventeen in New York, where he met Mitchell. He currently lives in North Carolina, where he is co-founder and President of Design for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

Bob has worked alongside Mitchell since they founded their trendsetting home furnishings company in1989. The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. They both attribute their reaching this milestone of success to their strong synergy in all areas, from design to marketing to operations. So, you’d think, after so many years, nothing could surprise Bob when it comes to Mitchell…

However, in April 2005, Mitchell did something that did: He changed the company name from Mitchell Gold to Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams to reflect Bob’s vast contributions. Bob has led the award-winning design efforts—a combination of style, value, and quality that has made the firm a leader in its field.

Together, Bob and Mitchell expanded their offerings from upholstery to case goods, lighting, accessories, rugs, and a fine art photography collection by Tipper Gore. They strategize on creating product both unique and marketable, producing only items they'd want in their own homes. Bob then directs the execution, making pieces inviting, with “the same toasty feeling you’d get at grandma’s as a kid.” His goal is for customers to still be in love with their pieces a decade from now.

Twice a year, Bob and Mitchell define their overall design direction. Then Bob and team outfit the 40,000-sq.-ft. MG+BW Showroom in High Point, NC, for the International Home Furnishings Show. Bob gets rave reviews for his masterful mixes of color and texture, resulting in soothing and subtle settings notable for their comfort.

To keep current on trends and consumer behavior, Bob reads more than 30 fashion, gourmet, and shelter publications each month. He and Mitchell also tour stores to see shoppers in action. One of their earliest observations transformed the furniture industry—a look they call "Relaxed Design." It came from noting consumer preferences for the pre-washed broken-in cotton polos and leather bomber jackets at J. Crew and using those materials on furniture.

MG+BW furnishings have appeared in every major shelter and lifestyle publication, as well as on the sets of TV shows. Bob has been recognized by magazines such as Home, Elle Decor, Better Home & Gardens, and Metropolitan Home—from whom MG+BW has received “Design 100” awards. Along with Mitchell, he was one of Inc. magazine's "Entrepreneurs We Love.” In August 2008, he and Mitchell were two of the celebrity judges on HGTV’s Summer Showdown design contest.

MG+BW furnishings are sold at national retailers including Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, and Bloomingdales, as well as top home-furnishings specialty stores across the country. There are also a growing number of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Signature Stores displaying exclusively MG+BW product in cities including New York, Washington DC, Greenwich CT, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, Ann Arbor MI, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Juan, Mexico City, and Toronto. The company publishes a 60-page catalog twice a year and maintains a popular website, HYPERLINK "http://www.mgbwhome.com" www.mgbwhome.com, where you can see the catalog displayed on line.

Bob often lends his talents to charitable causes. He has created table settings for Elle Décor’s Dining by Design, a benefit for DIFFA, and styled rooms for The Hamptons Designer Showhouse by House & Garden, benefiting Southampton Hospital.

Bob is an avid gardener and fleamarket attendee. Many of his finds have been inspired offerings in the line and also appear in the two North Carolina homes he designed with Mitchell--Camp Hickory, Mitchell’s North Carolina lakeside retreat, their modern house in High Point—as well as his new Georgian-style house in Hickory, NC. He and Mitchell also have a beautiful 58th-floor apartment in Manhattan with incredibly comfortable furniture and panoramic views of the city on three sides. The apartment appeared in the New York Times, on the front page of the Home section, in August 2007.

Bob is co-author with Mitchell, of their first book, Let’s Get Comfortable: How to Furnish and Decorate a Welcoming Home, published by Meredith Books in March 2007. In 2007 he and Mitchell completed a national TV Satellite Media Tour for the book. He and Mitchell were also guests on The Today Show twice.

Early in their partnership, Bob inspired Mitchell by saying he simply wanted to create “the kind of company where people want to come to work.” Today, that $100 million company offers a truly inspiring work environment with a not-for-profit education-based daycare center, a chef-run health-conscious café, a gym and walking track, an annual health fair, and timesaving concierge services for employees.

Bob is also known for his extensive corporate and personal philanthropic work for equal rights for all as well as his commitment to the arts.