Barbara Hobart has been developing products for clients since 1994 – including her own line which launched HomePlates Worldwide.

It began back in Los Angeles when she was working as a television comedy writer/producer and while on hiatus she started making decorative light switch plates as a hobby.  In 2003, while visiting friends in London, she offered to make them a switch plate to replace their plain, boring, white switch. She was told: “You can’t. UK switches are wired into the wall and are not removable.” “Can’t” isn’t a word in Barbara's vocabulary. And so, a challenge became an opportunity –- and a business.

In 2004, Barbara invented and introduced the first injection-molded decorative light switch cover to the UK -- which required no rewiring. A few years later, wanting to leave no continent undecorated, in 2008, HomePlates Switch Covers were introduced to the Australian and New Zealand marketplaces.

Since that time, Barbara has expanded her company and now sources, develops, manufactures, and consults with companies large and small to help strengthen their brand identity and awareness through custom products that reflect and enhance their message.

Some of her clients include Laura Ashley, British Home Stores, John Lewis Department Store, Aspace, BBC America, Live Nation, House of Blues, The Coca Cola Company, The Campbell's Soup Company, Blake Shelton, Netflix, Comcast, Carnival Cruises, Opry Entertainment, Dark Matter Coffee, Gifford’s Ice Cream, and many others.

In addition to creating products for brands and teaching others how to do so, in May 2019, she created and is the manufacturer of Best Ever Backdrops™, a line of waterproof, stain-resistant, lightweight backdrops for bloggers, stylists, and photographers.