Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Forrest Glover. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Forrest, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Real world innovation doesn’t always show up a TED Talk. Sometimes it looks like a stack of fabric bolts in your dining room, a pile of rejected estimates, and twenty somewhat polite “no’s” in Spanish.
Before relocating to Guadalajara, I operated my custom drapery and furniture fabrication business in California, working with some great workrooms in and around the Bay Area. But by 2020, a number of mounting challenges were making the business unsustainable: fewer skilled tradespeople, pricing that even my high-end clients were starting to side-eye, wildfire disruptions, and a serious loss of affordable housing that pushed out the very people who made the work possible.
Then the pandemic hit. Lead times exploded, labor became even harder to source, and everything just… stalled. That’s when I made the difficult decision to move our entire manufacturing operation to Guadalajara, where I had already been living for a couple of years.
Now, to be clear, I was still relatively new to the language and had just crossed the 40-year-old mark. So I spent the better part of a year walking all corners of this massive metro area, getting turned down by more than twenty manufacturers who all essentially said, “We don’t make drapes that way, and we’re not going to start.” Eventually, one gave me a shot. I ended up teaching a few members of their team how to fabricate draperies the way high-end U.S. designers expect — down to the stitch.
But the biggest challenge wasn’t the language barrier. It was translating the cultural differences in craftsmanship, quality control, and workflow. That part took time, patience, and the ability to communicate technical standards in a completely different context — often with a calculator to convert inches to cm in one hand and a translation app in the other just in case.
Today, we collaborate with a network of highly skilled artisans and independent shops across Guadalajara — upholsterers, carpenters, seamstresses — and produce some of the best work I’ve seen in my career. Our role isn’t to design showrooms full of our own ideas — it’s to bring other designers’ and homeowners’ visions to life with engineering precision and materials expertise. We translate not just between languages and cultures, but between aesthetic and execution.
What started as a logistical pivot has become something much deeper: a commitment to expanding awareness that Guadalajara is the true design and furniture capital of Latin America, while also creating meaningful opportunities for local craftspeople to access the U.S. interior design market. It’s a win-win that took a few wrong turns (and a lot of stubborn optimism) to find — but I wouldn’t redo it any other way if given the chance.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Let’s start with the basics: who I am, what I do, and why I do it.
I’m Forrest Glover, founder of Forrest Glover Design and Custom Curtains of Auburn and Lake Martin. I’m a Southern-born, California-educated, Mexico-based maker with a background in fashion design and a serious obsession with materials, proportion, and how things are actually made — not just how they look on a Pinterest board.
We are not an interior design firm, although many assume we are. What we do is bring other designers’ and homeowners’ visions to life. We engineer, fabricate, and deliver custom window treatments and furniture of the highest quality — the kind that requires technical finesse, craftsmanship, and deep knowledge of materials. Our specialty is translating a concept into a piece that not only looks beautiful but works beautifully — functional, long-lasting, and tailored to the way people actually live.
After years of operating in the U.S., I moved our production to Guadalajara, Mexico. Why? Because lead times had become unsustainable, pricing was spiraling, and the skilled labor pool in California was already nearly nonexistent and shrinking fast. It wasn’t an easy shift — especially doing it in my early 40s with only a few years of Spanish under my belt — but I believed in the long-term vision. I walked the city, met with dozens of fabricators, got turned down (a lot), and eventually built a network of incredible artisans who now sew, cut, upholster, stitch, sand, and build everything we produce.
What sets us apart isn’t just our location or lead times — it’s the precision of our process. Most of our clients are seasoned designers or high-end homeowners. They don’t always need hand-holding — they need someone who understands how to calculate yardage for ripplefold drapes, how a cushion fill will behave over time, or what hardware is worth shipping versus sourcing locally. I’m also a trained and seasoned interior designer and speak their language fluently and I obsess over the boring stuff — the engineering, fit, installation prep, and construction details that turn a good design into a great finished product.
What I’m most proud of? Honestly, it’s building a binational business rooted in respect — for the craft, for the makers, and for the people who are trusting us to deliver their vision. I’ve taught local teams how to sew to American luxury standards, while learning a new language and culture myself. And I’ve helped U.S.-based designers start producing in Mexico with confidence — usually walking them through their very first international project and occasionally providing the support, knowledge, and expertise needed to launch their very own furniture line with us.
What I want people to know about me and my work: I take the quality of our work very seriously. But I don’t take myself too seriously. I believe design should be fun, thoughtful, and grounded in reality but rarely have any critiques of designs and spaces. But it is a completely different story if I see something that doesn’t or won’t function properly. I always point them out if they are still at a stage that can be easily corrected. I care deeply about preserving craftsmanship, empowering local economies, and making it easier for great designers to create great work — without going broke or waiting 18 – 30 weeks for a sofa.
I don’t just make beautiful things. I make beautiful things that function correctly — and last.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
Absolutely — our business has be built by slowly but consistently adding more multiple, intentionally layered revenue streams that not only complement each other but also give our clients a more complete experience.
We manufacture custom furniture and drapery for U.S.-based designers and homeowners, but that’s just the foundation. We also lead Furniture Purchasing Tours here in Guadalajara for ex-pats and design professionals. These tours give clients an insider’s look at the region’s top manufacturers and showrooms, with access to high-quality goods at a fraction of U.S. pricing.
For those who can’t—or don’t want to—navigate logistics themselves, we offer add-on services like coordination, delivery, and set-up.
I also run a growing Facebook group called “Guadalajara Furniture and Decor – Everything You Need to Know,” where we post curated finds, offer sourcing guidance, and even sell select furniture designs to buyers throughout Mexico.
On the creative side, I publish Interior Design Trend Reports twice a year as downloadable e-books. Trend forecasting has always been second nature to me. My first fashion design instructor actually pulled me aside and told me to never stop developing that skill after seeing the final project I created. I think I just pay attention to everything—design, culture, economics, what people are actually doing—and I have a strange but reliable ability to recognize patterns before they hit the mainstream.
Finally, we provide technical design services like CAD drafting, scale drawings, and furniture engineering for custom production. Many of our clients are interior designers who have a vision but need help refining it into something that can actually be built.
Each of these revenue streams supports the others, and that’s by design. The goal is to offer expertise, access, and creative insight from different angles—whether you’re furnishing a home, running a design firm, or just looking to source smarter.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Hands down, word of mouth—especially from other interior designers. Most of my clients are seasoned professionals who’ve spent years developing their own signature aesthetic. They know exactly what they want but often don’t have the time (or interest) to figure out how to get it built properly in Mexico. Once I help them bring their vision to life with custom drapery or furniture that meets their standards (and then some), they usually tell their design friends—and that’s where the real magic happens.
Beyond that, I’ve leaned into community-building instead of traditional marketing. My Facebook group Guadalajara Furniture and Decor – Everything You Need to Know has become a hub for ex-pats, designers, and savvy homeowners trying to navigate the furniture scene here. It’s been a surprisingly powerful source of referrals, especially for furniture tours, logistics help, and custom projects.
I think people respond to transparency and a little humor. I don’t try to dazzle anyone with smoke and mirrors—I just tell them the truth about what’s available, what’s worth it, and how to make the most of the unique manufacturing ecosystem in Guadalajara. That builds trust fast. And trust tends to turn into really loyal, really fun clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.forrestgloverdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forrestgloverdesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forrestgloverdesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestglover/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ForrestGlover
- Other: Facebook group: Guadalajara Furniture and Decor – Everything You Need to Know
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1036662397570993
(This is a community created for ex-pats, designers, and savvy homeowners both in Mexico and international.)
Image Credits
Geremia Design, Laure Joliet, Forrest Glover