Toby Roberts Launches Furniture Design Company

Furniture World Magazine

Toby Roberts announced the launch of Toby Roberts Design Inc., offering product design services to furniture manufacturers and distributors. Roberts graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York and has worked as a freelance furniture designer for companies like Norwalk Furniture Corp. and American Leather. “Toby Roberts Design Inc. was launched to create original furniture designs for a diverse marketplace,” says Roberts. “I want to uniquely address both emotional and functional needs of consumers.” Roberts is the son of furniture industry veteran Martin Roberts, founder and president of leading strategic retail design firm GRID2. While maintaining his responsibilities at GRID2, the elder Roberts will provide some product design direction and additionally serve in an advisory role for Toby Roberts Design. Both Roberts received training in industrial design and place a high value on the product construction process and requirements. From his tenure at Conran’s in the U.K., Martin Roberts’ best product design work is archived at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “While I design furniture by using free-hand sketches and full-scale models, Toby designs using the computer,” says Martin Roberts. “The combined approach allows for photographic-quality visualization, prior to prototype building, and dramatically increases the product’s speed to market, while reducing overall development costs.” Another family member, Emma Roberts-Artz, will be responsible for marketing for the new company. “Its not enough to design furniture that is simply stylish,” says Roberts-Artz. “You have to understand how the construction will effect the environment, the building process and the end result, which is the consumer’s lifestyle.” For Norwalk, the Roberts team created Cabo, a contemporary upholstery group, introduced at the spring High Point Market and now selling through to both dealers and end consumers. At this week’s Market, Roberts’ will debut Roadster Recliner for the Midwest –based upholstery specialist, inspired by the classic automotive design. For more information or to view latest work by Toby Roberts Designs Inc., please visit www.tobyroberts.net, or call Emma Artz at 631-421-8973