PROVIDENCE — Joyce Przystrzelski wanted a new sofa. So two months ago, she went to a furniture store, but didn’t buy. Last weekend, she went back.

She had questions. She wanted answers, and autographs.

But Przystrzelski didn’t want them from salespeople, but from the people who designed and manufactured the sofa: Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams.

The two men, who are something of celebrities in the world of furniture, happened to be in Providence. They were in the Butterfield furniture store in Wayland Square, one stop out of 40 in a national book tour.

“I’m interested in anything to do with design and fashion,” Przystrzelski said.

Gold and Williams, founders of their eponymous company, Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, recently published “The Comfortable Home” (Clarkson Potter Publishers, $35, 224 pages), which follows their 2007 book, “Let’s Get Comfortable.”

Clearly comfort is key to Gold and Williams. You might expect that from furniture makers. But then you’d be surprised.

“When we started, furniture makers talked about pricing and styles,” Gold said. “The word comfort was not used. It was unbelievable.”

In 1989, Gold and Williams started their company, after briefly thinking of starting another: a vineyard and Christmas tree farm in Virginia. Actually, they did more than think about it. They bought a 94-acre farm. Then thought better, and sold it a year later.

Gold, who had worked in furniture retail and in furniture manufacturing, said he wanted to make and sell furniture the right way.

“I didn’t like the way the companies took care of their customers or their employees. I wanted to create a jewel in the furniture industry.”

At the time, Williams was a graphic designer, working for a magazine and an ad agency. Initially, he set up the company’s showrooms, then Gold asked him if he’d like to design a company chair.

“One thing led to another and another,” Williams said.

The company, based in Taylorsville, N.C., and employing 600 people, creates couches, chairs and all kinds of furnishing accessories.

“I designed what I thought was wanted and needed,” Williams said. “Mitchell said I hadn’t been contaminated by other people’s ideas.”

The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and joined Butterfield in celebrating the store’s fourth.

“We’ve been carrying their furniture since day one,” said Mindy Matouk, Butterfield’s owner.

The quality, price and style of Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams furniture is what appeals to Matouk.

“They like to make clean, unfussy furniture that is comfortable. You’re not going to see a lot of extraneous details. I feel simplicity is very much a part of their design. There is a difference between boring and simple. They don’t pare it down to boring.”

Williams likes to think of his furniture as “vintage modern,” taking established styles and giving them subtle updates, and conveying a “relaxed and comfortable” mood.

Looks may matter, Williams said, but they’re not primary.

“Once you sit in a chair, it doesn’t matter how it looks. If it’s not comfortable, you won’t sit in it.”

The company started with dining room chairs, which generally aren’t associated with comfort.

“You want to be able to sit through a meal, dessert and coffee,” Williams said. “You shouldn’t have to get up and go to another room to be comfortable.”

While Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams furniture comes in 350 fabrics, most of them are solids. Furniture should be neutral, Gold says. It shouldn’t compete with what’s around it.

“We like to keep it clean and simple. A room shouldn’t be jumpy.”

Gold and Williams have recently appeared on NBC’s “Today Show.” And their furniture has appeared on numerous TV shows, including “Friends,” “Sex & the City” and “The Office.” Their furniture is carried by Pottery Barn and Bloomingdale’s and more than 60 independent stores.

Gold and Williams’ guidelines for furniture also serve as their guidelines for decorating: Keep it simple. They recommend solid colors, no more than three or four to a room, and colors are that are close on a color wheel. They recommend calm and muted colors. They recommend minimizing clutter and choosing a few good accent pieces. And most especially, they recommend that form follows function.

“Ask yourself what you want to do in a room,” Williams said. “That will determine your furniture.”

Everyone has different tastes. Some people, Williams said, need a little help in applying their taste to some simple decorating principles.

“This book is a starting point,” he said. “We ask people to ask themselves questions. Don’t just pick a color. Ask yourself what you want to do in a room.”

Przystrzelski wanted to know whether the fabric on the couch she liked was environmentally sensitive. Yes, Gold and Williams told her; it was made of cotton. She wanted to know whether her cat might be bothered by any chemicals in the fabric. No, they said, but the fabric might be bothered by her cat. And they recommended she train her cat not to claw the sofa.

“I wish you’d come to my house to help me,” Przystrzelski said.

“Well,” Gold said. “The book will do that.”