Well-Designed Living Since 1990

Timeless, delicate, and yet very robust design from Hickory Chair. Years of hard use will patina this chair beautifully. You will love it more as the years pass. The Gunnison Chair sits comfortably in rooms across a spectrum of styles–from modern to traditional to rustic.  Chameleon-like and a true expression of style we are proud to place in any home or office.

1. Angular metal frame with exposed leather stitching inspired by French designer Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941). Sumptuous, yet minimalist.

2. In addition, Natural variations in leather give each chair a one-of-a-kind appeal.

3. Unfinished leather exposed on back and side for subtle contrast.

4. Rolled leather arms and slung back prove exceptionally comfortable over long sits.

5. The Gunnison chair is equally stunning as an accent, living room, bedroom, or (our favorite!) as a dining table chair.

Our first upholstery company is also our most Earth friendly.

Over the last 20+ years, we’ve sold thousands of Lee Industries sofas, chairs, ottomans, and beds.  We have re-upholstered many of them for clients two or three times.  As the very first upholstery company we ever used, Lee always contributed heavily to the Kibler & Kirch look. The infinite range of possibilities available through their selection of frames, fabrics, leather, welts, nail heads, stitching, sizes, and cushion options allow us to do our very best work creating interiors that reflect the personality of our customers.  We love selling Lee products because we know they will faithfully serve the needs of generations. We’ve always thought that the most environmentally sound choice is to begin with an eye for quality and to invest in furniture that will provide product longevity to our customers–something that Lee helps us achieve every day.

An American Manufacturing Renaissance

We recently accepted an invitation to attend Hickory Chair University–in the small town of Hickory, North Carolina–for an intensive and inspiring peek into a 101 year old company charting the way forward for American manufacturing.

Hickory Chair invited our design staff to their facility completely confident that we’d never seen anything like it. This isn’t an assembly line in a faraway country with tired-looking faces turning out thousands of the same sofa, this is a team of 500 people whose passion and ingenuity we count on to create heirlooms for our customers and clients. This is a workroom of skill, attention to detail, and craft learned through many years of refinement and practice. This is a place where creativity is turned into tomorrow’s antiques. The pictures you see here are from our time at Hickory Chair University.

The company’s slogan in the early 1900s was “Chairs Made Better Than Seems Necessary,” which could easily be their motto today. As both an upholstery and a wood products company, they make any kind of furniture our designers can dream up: tables, dressers, beds, desks, sofas, and of course spectacular, iconic chairs. We are completely confident in their ability to deliver what they promise: the best furniture in your home. We are also completely confident that every Hickory Chair item is a testament to how an American business can embrace innovation and still adhere to the traditional principles that made it great in the first place. Hickory Chair employees have probably forgotten more about making furniture than most companies will ever learn. That’s why old companies are cultural treasures that deserve our support.

Several years ago they switched to a lean manufacturing concept made famous by Toyota—where employees are charged with suggesting and implementing refinements in the way things are done. Hickory Chair calls this EDGE (Employees Dedicated to Growth and Excellence). They don’t have a traditional factory anymore; they have a “workroom” that’s completely focused on continuous improvement in the art of fine furniture. Company president Jay Reardon and his team took three days from their busy schedule to educate us on how all great furniture is “crafted” not “manufactured” in this way.  We witnessed first hand the focus and collaboration that workers put into each piece. We also witnessed excitement in their eyes as they worked on pieces in the line that a customer had customized in some unexpected way–a challenge they rise to every day.

This may seem simple, but furniture companies just don’t operate this way; they have set methods for doing things and don’t deviate.  Hickory Chair makes certain that employees’ minds are used as much as their bodies to produce furniture that is still “better than necessary.”  Because their craftspeople completely understand the ins and outs of the production, they are uniquely able to understand how to execute a design modification our designers suggest to them. They approach each piece as a new work of art and are thrilled to make it a reality.

We came away from our stay in Hickory impressed with the culture of continuous improvement that pervades the staff-improving outcomes in tiny ways while keeping cost down.  Hickory Chair hasn’t raised prices in over 5 years because of the savings they’ve found through elimination of waste, recycling, reduced energy and labor, better safety, etc.  The company’s products are not inexpensive, but they become a better value and better quality every day. That’s the way forward for American companies.  Kibler & Kirch shares that core philosophy with Hickory Chair: to engage our customers with the highest quality for the money, the most creativity and attention to detail possible, and the hope that our customers will understand the value of American made goods.”

Text and Photos by Jeremiah Young

Generations of Style and Craft

Great rooms begin with great rugs. As a foundation to build upon, we often take clients through a selection and education process about the virtues of authentic, handmade rugs in the beginning of design projects. Always preferring something made by humans rather than manufactured by machines, we layer textiles and furniture over a quality rug to give a sense of craft and permanence. As the lead pattern and source of color inspiration (rugs sometimes have 10, 12, or 15 colors), we work closely with clients to choose rugs they respond to emotionally. We won’t let you buy it unless you completely love it. Some say that the “soul” of any room is in the rug. We agree and want your rug to speak to your soul.

Handmade rugs are a naturally “green” product in the sense that they are not full of petroleum-based substances as found in machine-made carpet. They don’t expel toxic gases and are made from renewable, recyclable wool and cotton Most rugs mix vegetable and synthetic dyes depending on the kind of color saturation required. With minimal maintenance, rugs will provide generations of use while gaining character and beauty through the years. They are the single best way to alter the tone of a room. After all, when one enters a space our eyes usually look at the floor covering first and then work up to furnishings and walls.

Our rugs are unique–taking months or even years to construct–and we take great pride in knowing that these rugs are produced in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India by workers skilled in an art form that goes back many hundreds of years. Our buyer travels to the Middle East regularly to employ widows with families in the rug making-trade. Knowing the conditions and the supply chain of our merchandise is important to many of our customers. We are comfortable saying that these rugs are not made with child labor in any ethically compromised manner.

Kibler & Kirch is the only place to purchase these kinds of rugs in our area. We would be happy to show you our selection, guide you through the process, and let you try a rug in your home for a day or two. We have styles to suit every taste and work in any interior. We have florals, geometrics, and contemporary pieces. Rugs are essential in our climate and an investment in your home that you’ll be glad you made. 

This handsome stunner is one of our all-time favorite chairs. Easily customizable, we can create a look that fits any home. Classic Leather’s attention to detail and quality design mean this chair will last a lifetime. Made right here in the USA.

Customizable and luxurious in any fabric or shade, Daniel Stuart produces top-of-the-line textiles. In rich colors and unique textures, every detail is thought through. With bedding as fine as this, it’s easy to transform the place you lay your head into a cozy retreat.