Made By Hickory Chair

A Hickory Chair With Personality

From our early beginnings as a dining chair company we at Hickory Chair have continued our affinity for chairs of all types.  Recently I discovered a blog that I had not visited before by Tracery Interiors.  The story that I discovered titled Subtle Elegance, featured a beautiful home in Mountain Brook, Alabama.  To my pleasure the designer had chosen Hickory Chair dining chairs for the beautiful dining room!

The Birmingham based designer, Doug Davis, worked with Hickory Chair to transform a set of simple Chippendale Side Chairs with graceful mahogany legs with stretchers to a soft and elegant form with the addition of to the floor kick pleat skirts. The graceful curve of the back posts that begin at the top of the back to the floor creates elegant lines with the kick pleat skirt.  The side skirts were custom made to follow the swoop of the back legs. What is typical is to only make skirts for legs that are straight.  Most would not have attempted a kick pleat skirt for a chair with this type of legs.  The resulting chairs create a soft elegance in the room.

Another designer asked that we make a mini-skirt for their set of Chippendale Side Chairs.  They wanted a box pleated skirt that was 6-inches long.  In addition they asked that we add a contrasting welt down the center of the outback and apply a pair of buttons at the base of the back just above the skirt.  The result was stunning!  We ordered a set for the Hickory Chair showroom and added a graceful motif monogram to the inback.  This mix of options created a unique personality for this classic.

Special construction comes easy for the talented craftsmen in the Hickory Chair workroom.  Every day we are challenged with one of a kind requests. Every day we learn new skill levels as we say yes to the vast majority of requests.  Every day our craftsmen leave the workroom knowing that they have more talent than when they arrived.  They return each morning ready to embrace the new opportunities to learn and please the many designers who entrust their client's pieces to us.  We know that as long as we can say yes, complete pieces in just a few weeks from order at a quality level that exceeds their expectations, then this humble 99-year old furniture company will be able to reach its 100th anniversary in 2011 and beyond making one of a kind pieces in Hickory, North Carolina. 

99 Years And Counting - Part Two

Today we are continuing our story "99 Years And Counting" that we began on February 11th.  In the first story, we shared our early beginnings in 1911 as a dining chair company.  As the story progressed, we recounted our legacy of licensed reproductions that began in 1931 with the Dorothy Robinson Collection.  This lead to the launch of the James River Collection in 1941 that is today the industry's oldest and continuously made furniture collection.  We left off with a request to watch for the next installment that would begin with the Mark Hampton Collection. 

It was 1988 when Hickory Chair introduced the Mark Hampton Collection.  This was Hickory Chair's first collection that collaborated with an interior designer.  Licensed designer collections for the furniture industry were in its infancy and the Mark Hampton Collection not only successful for Hickory Chair but it paved a path for designer and non-designer collections around the industry.  The collection is adorned with pieces from the English countryside, Regency, European and West Indies inspiration.  Even though the world lost Mark Hampton in 1998, his timeless designs continue to be made in our workroom. His widow, Duane Hampton, has published a new book to be released on April 20, 2010 named "Mark Hampton: An American Decorator".  A book signing will be held in the Hickory Chair Showroom on Saturday, April 17th. An excerpt from the publisher, Rizzoli, states that the book is "Rich with original materials including Hampton’s watercolors, sketches, and notebooks, as well as hundreds of images of Hampton’s important commissions, and impeccably researched and intimately written by his widow, Duane Hampton, this will be a visual feast for everyone interested in interiors as well as an important addition to the history of interior design."

In 1989, Hickory Chair built on the success of the new Mark Hampton Collection with the French Collection.  This new collection was inspired by the French countryside and was an immediate success.  Over these 21 years, new pieces, finishes and fabrics have been added as well as other European inspired collections such as San Marino (introduced in 1997), Atelier (introduced in 2004), and most recently, the Suzanne Kasler Collection (introduced in 2008). While each collection is unique in its own way, the true proportion and scale of the pieces make them timeless and mixable allowing the collector to purchase pieces they love instead of matched suits.   These European inspired collections provide a less formal approach to luxurious living.

Stay tuned for Part Three in the series as we pick up with the Winterthur Country Estate Collection...

My Hickory Chair Home - Rich Bodin, Hudson Home, Hudson, NY

Our friends at Hudson Home sent their newsletter to us recently.  In the newsletter it shared that Hudson Home is pictured on the covers of Berkshire Homestyle and Capital District Homestyle Magazines in February. In March, both magazines will include an article on interior design featuring an interview of Hudson Home co-owner Richard Bodin.  We felt that this was a great story to share in our weekly post "My Hickory Chair Home".

In the image on the cover, a dining room in Garrison, NY by Interior Designer Gregory Feller, ASID for Hudson Home, Hudson, NY is featured. Gregory and Richard are the owners of Hudson Home.  The photographer is Mick Hales. The room features the graceful Kimball Dining Table by Thomas O'Brien that was adapted from an 1810 original.  A set of 1817-11 Chippendale Side Chairs upholstered in two fabrics that have been seamed down the middle of the seat and back, fiished in Sable finish and have been trimmed in hand nailed trim.  A pair of Delaware Host Chairs flank the breakfront.  Both the Delaware Host Chairs and the Chippendale Side Chairs are part of the historic James River Collection that has been continuously made since 1941. An antique ivory breakfront serves as a counterpoint to the deep rich wood finish of the table. The foundation of the room is a silver-hued natural sisal rug.  The room has a timeless quality about it because of the balance created by classic 18th Century forms mixed with modern finishes and fabrics. 

Great rooms are a result of talented designers like Gregory Feller.  Do you have a great room to share?  We would love to share your home in "My Hickory Chair Home" in a coming Friday edition!  Just email us at press@hickorychair.com.

Marilyn Akins - A Classic Story

Marilyn Akins, ASID, owner of Marilyn Akins Interiorsrecently shared with us these beautiful pictures after returning home from HCC University.  The pictures are of a show house in Hinsdale, Illinois that she completed using some new and vintage Hickory Chair pieces. 

In this beautiful dining room she selected a retired Hickory Chair dining room table that was made about 10 years ago.  The host chairs are Hickory Chair wing chairs.  The classic dining table and wing chairs are complemented by the transitional side chairs.   In the second image that Marilyn shared, a classic James River Sideboard.  The traditional mahogany dining table and sideboard in the rich hand applied, polished stained finishes bring out the natural grain of the mahogany. 

The favorite part of the story from Marilyn is that the owner of the show house loved the pieces so much she ended up buying the table and host chairs!  She had learned that classic pieces like Hickory Chair pieces are timeless.  They can be mixed with painted finishes, transitional forms and classic forms.  Classic forms allow you the flexibility to use them in countless ways. 

Do you have a Hickory Chair classic story to share?  Email your story and pictures to press@hickorychair.com !

 

My Hickory Chair Home - Ray Forehand, Fairfield, CT

This beautiful room is the living room of Ray Forehand.  Ray is the owner of Raymond Forehand Interiors & Architecture in Fairfield, Connecticut.  We had the honor of getting to know him and two talented members of his design team during our early February HCC University event.  He shared this picture with us after his return to show us how he had incorporated three pieces of our hand made custom upholstery in his home.  

His living room features a balance of traditional architecture and modern furnishings.  Some pieces are very contemporary in form such as the paintings, chaise and tables.  He has used leather and natural fabrics to create a textural plane.  The furniture is angular while the lamps, vase and accessories are round.  The chairs are a pair of Modern Club Chairs from the Thomas O'Brien Collection that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  The sofa is a Made To Measure^TM Sofa made from the Modern Club Chairs.  He turned to Hickory Chair's custom length upholstery because he needed a sofa that was the right width for his wall.  He wanted to use these side tables and that determined the sofa size.  He chose 84 inches as the right size to not crowd the space.  He selected COM fabrics and contrasting trim to accentuate the lines of the sofa and chairs. The result of the textures, fabrics, leather, architecture and accessories is a very warm and inviting room.  We at Hickory Chair are proud to have been chosen for Ray's own home.

Please share your "My Hickory Chair Home" story with us.  Send your story and pictures to press@hickorychair.com.

99 Years And Counting - Part One

Yesterday a writer contacted us about a story he was writing on licensed furniture collections.  He had heard of the Alexa Hampton Collection and knew it would be a licensed collection.  Little did he realize the rich licensing experience of Hickory Chair.  I asked if he would like me to start at the beginning and he said "please!"

Hickory Chair began 99 years ago in 1911 as a dining chair company henceforth how we named our company.  By the Great Depression we were making bedroom, dining room and living room furniture.  The country was in the midst of a Colonial Revival as the country started slowly improving from the Depression.  Manufacturers in Michigan, New York and other northern states had introduced licensed collections that were historical in origin.  No manufacturer in North Carolina had licensed collections.  In 1931 Hickory Chair introduced its first licensed group, The Dorothy Robinson Collection.  With immediate success this first licensed collection flourished.  Mr. Parker, co-owner of Bishop Parker Furniture in Montgomery, Alabama shared with us "...Times were hard in 1931.  We were barely able to keep the store open.  We decided we had to go to Chicago to the Furniture Market and try to find something that was a good value and style for the type homes in our area.  We visited Hickory Chair and decided the new Dorothy Robinson Collection was right for our need.  We bought a boxcar load to test it.  It was an immediate success! Our business soon flourished and am proud to say that now 70 years later (quote made around 2001), we are likely still in business because of the success we had with Hickory Chair's Dorothy Robinson Collection.  Without it, we may not have survived..." 

By World War II, all manufacturing efforts turned to support the war effort.  Hickory Chair signed a licensing agreement with the James River Plantation foundation in 1941 and launched the James River Collection.  These plantations line the James River in Virginia.  Four of our early presidents were raised in these homes and most are filled with fine 18th Century antiques from America's early cabinetmakers and England.  Another huge success for Hickory Chair!  The Dorothy Robinson Collection waned and eventually ended production in the 1940's.  The James River Collection is still in production and is the industry's oldest and continuously manufactured collection!  It is hard to imagine that the James River Collection will celebrate 70 years as the company celebrates 100 years in 2011!  The Sherwood Forest Plantation is where we found the antique reproduced as the Sherwood Forest Wing Chair.

Stay tuned for Part II in the series as we pick up with the Mark Hampton Collection...

Made Not Manufactured

Because of our talented employees abilities at Hickory Chair, we have transformed our factory into a giant workroom where one of a kind pieces are made every day!  Walking through the workroom this week opened eyes as unimagineable pieces were being made for clients.

For example, the Morgan Media Cabinet by Thomas O'Brien is a stately piece with a television lift that operates by remote control.  The designer loved it for their client's room but it was too large at its length of 89 1/4 inches.  They only had room for a piece that was no more than 70 inches long.  The designer asked if we could shorten it by 19 inches.  This proved to be more than we were prepared to do but offered that we could eliminate one door section.  The piece then would have the stack of drawers and one door section.  The customer chose to have the door on the left facing side.  Our craftsmen were able to make this custom piece for the client! 

Need something special for a client?  Give the craftsmen at Hickory Chair the opportunity to create a custom piece for you!

Blue - Today's Hot New Color?

How many words can you think of that describe blue? navy, Carolina blue, Duke blue, powder blue, aqumarine, sapphire, azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, denim, indigo, royal, sky blue, baby blue, robin's egg blue, cyan, cornflower blue, midnight blue, slate, steel blue, Prussian blue and the list goes on and on.

There are emotions evolked by blue as well.  Blue is a calming color that can be either warm or cool depending on its hue and how it is used. Blue can evoke strength, loyalty and steadfastness.  Blue is a natural color, from the blue of the sky or water and is a a universal color.  Most people like some color of blue.  Experts tell us that the color blue can help you sleep or pass time more quickly.  In some cultures the color blue brings peace while in other cultures is blue is believed to keep evil spirits away.  Obviously, we do know that if we feel blue it is a feeling of sadness.  Maybe this is why many designers mix yellow, green, white or red with blue to keep it 'happy'!

In the past couple of weeks blue has been everywhere!  Our HCC University participants have asked for more blue fabrics.  Blogging friends have sung the praises of blue as well.  Our friend Tobi Fairley is featured on the front color of the new March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.  Her client selected many Hickory Chair pieces for their beautiful home!  We really appreciate Tobi for sharing our hand made pieces with her client!

- Kimball Dining Table by Thomas O'Brien in the Breakfast room
- 12 Hunt Dining Chairs by Suzanne Kasler in the Dining Room
- 3 Hickory Chair Swivel lounge chairs surrounding the Inman Ottoman by Suzanne Kasler in the hearth room
- Suzanne’s mirrored Belvedere Bedside Tables in the master bedroom.

In reading other blogs recently, blue was a central theme with some of our favorite blogs such as A Peak Of Chic with My Favorite Blue Room, La Dolce Vita's Fabulous Room Friday 02.05.2010 and Cote De Texas with her post on Blue and White Rugs.  Each of these unique posts were tied together with the color blue.

Sounds to us that these writers share a passion for blue and all the positive forces and emotions that surround it.  What do we say about blue? We love Suzanne Kasler's Alexandra Chair in this luxurious blue silk.  Alexa Hampton's Macdonald Chair is crisply upholstered in this blue and white striped fabric and the Somerset Bed with low footrail shows off its hand tufted upholstery in this blue and white print. We love blue and its calming effect on these pieces.  Enjoy!

 

My Hickory Chair Home - Gabberts, Minneapolis, MN

In this third edition of My Hickory Chair Home, we are pleased to feature a room shared by Randy Nelson, ASID.  We enjoyed getting to know Randy during HCC University this week. He shared this beautiful room that he and his design partner for this project, Lori Berg created.  Randy and Lori are part of the talented design team at Gabberts in Minneapolis, MN.  The room was selected for the front cover of the August/September issue of Midwest Living Magazine .  The issue was devoted to luxury homes. 

Randy and his associate Lori Berg took the challenge presented from the new Medina, Minnesota home.  The article, Serene Design, features the new home, its builder and the contributing businesses.  Randy and Lori worked together on the design aesthetic. They selected several Hickory Chair pieces in their quest to furnish this home.   Image courtesy of Midwest Home - August/September 2009

In the living room, Randy and Lori selected a pair of M2M Knole sofas.   Because Hickory Chair can make custom length upholstery, they determined that 90 inches would be a better scale than the standard longer length.  They chose a Hickory Chair fabric for the body of the sofas and then provided a COM fabric for the pillows and seat cushion along with COM tassel ties.  They requested that we replace the standard smooth finials for a more ornately carved style that was standard on another sofa and finish them in American Antique finish.  Image courtesy of Randy Nelson and Midwest Home - August/September 2009

 In the dining room, a pair of Emma Arm Chairs by Thomas O'Brien for Hickory Chair were selected as the host chairs.  The intricately carved chairs finished in a rustic painted finish provide the balance to the upholstered balloon-back side chairs and dining table finished in a dark wood stain.  Notice how the top rail of the Emma Chair is repeated in the shape of the mirror behind it.  These talented designers think about these elements.  By repeating motifs, colors, textures, fabrics, finishes the room is tied together.  By mixing styles such as the dining chairs, it adds interest to the room and enhances the head of the table.  Image courtesy of Midwest Home - August/September 2009

I am sure that many of you have great Hickory Chair product stories to share.  Please send your story and pictures to lholland@hickorychair.com.  We would love to share with everyone!