Forbes Riley Biography

A decade ago, there were essentially only two ways to purchase classic modern furniture for your home, such as an Eames chaise longue: either you had to be friends with a commercial office designer who could order you a piece from the supplier, or you had to wait until your local psychiatrist redecorated his office and threw all of the 1960s-vintage Eames chairs out on the street. Rob Forbes, a potter with a history in retail, recognized a need for affordable, clean-lined modern design and developed the outstanding national chain and catalog Design Within Reach. Along with offering modern and vintage home products, DWR evolved into a forum for Forbes' perspective. The DWR newsletters from the early 2000s were full of news about designers Forbes adored as well as vibrant photos from his trips. Not to mention the yearly champagne chair competition held around the holidays, in which DWR lovers were asked to fashion a little contemporary masterpiece out of the foil, wire, and cork from a bottle of champagne. Forbes left DWR in July 2007 to concentrate on a new initiative called PUBLIC, which creates and sells urban bikes. He advocates for excellent design in lectures given across the world and in his insightful and persuasive DWR internet newsletter, not only as a retailer but as a missionary. 2003 Awards for Russell Wright.

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