Made By Hickory Chair

My Hickory Chair Home - Shannon Murray Interiors

One of our HCC University Alumni, Shannon Murray, shared with us a beautiful home that she completed using mostly Hickory Chair pieces!  Her young client moved from Greenwich, CT to Boca Raton, FL.  She chose to work with Shannon instead of starting over with a new designer.  She trusted Shannon and knew that she would be able to guide her to create very personal interiors in her brand new Florida home. 

Shannon selected Hickory Chair as her primary source for this exciting new home. She knew that the Hickory Chair pieces were appropriate for this project and met budget.  She also knew that with the many options offered, she would be able to personalize the pieces for the color scheme and needs of this young family.  We appreciate that most rooms of the house are adorned with Hickory Chair pieces.

In the Living Room, Shannon chose the Elinor Sofa  and Guilded Lily Cocktail Table in Silver Leaf from the Mariette Himes Collection as well as a pair of Nanette Chairs with Slipcovers from the Suzanne Kasler Collection.  The Mark Desk by Alexa Hampton is used as a sofa table.  She chose our Antique Ivory paint with Antique Silver hardware from our Customer's Own Hardware^TM program.  The fabrics and finishes have created a warm, inviting room for this active family.

The Master Bedroom has great natural light and Shannon used soft blues and whites to make a sanctuary.  The Left Bank Bed was selected and installed without its options four tall posts.  Removeable posts allow you to change the look of your room as your needs or wishes change.  In addition, a sitting area was created using an Oval Pedestal Cocktail Table from the James River Collection in a painted white finish instead of the standard Medium Mahogany traditional finish.  A pair of Stanton Skirted Lounge Chairs flank the cocktail table.  

A retreat was created using the Porter Divan by Mariette Himes Gomez, a Hallings Secretary by Thomas O'Brien and a Hunt Chair by Suzanne Kasler.  Shannon enjoyed selecting the right pieces for each room from the entire Hickory Chair assortment.  She was not bound to pick pieces from one collection so they would match.  She could pick finish, fabric and hardware to tie these pieces together so that she created 'her own collection' for her client. 

Shannon is a professional designer who continues to invest in her training and knowledge base.  She has visited Hickory Chair's workroom in Hickory, North Carolina where over 87% of its wood and upholstered pieces are made to order.  She knows that our talented artisans and craftsmen make each piece one at a time by hand.  We appreciate how she entrusted us to make pieces for her client. 

Do you have a Hickory Chair home to share?  Contact us at press@hickorychair.com

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!

Ringing In The New Year!

All of us at Hickory Chair have returned ready for an exciting year after our annual holiday closing between Christmas and New Year.  This year, 2010, is exciting for us at Hickory Chair because we are celebrating our 99th year in business!  In the beginning, we only made dining chairs with slip seats but within a few short years we were also making sofas, rocking chairs, and every type of chair imagineable!  By 1930 we had expanded into bedroom, dining room and living room pieces as well.  This great foundation of experience and craftsmanship have given us the ability to have one of the most extensive product assortments available today!

Classic Dining Room

Do you love classic forms?  Our extensive assortment of 18th Century reproductions and adaptations may be ordered in their standard finish for a classic traditional look.  The joy we have is when you take one of these classic forms and then personalize them through finish, hardware, striping, de-construction or other ways to make it fit your room.  Shown above is the Graham Dining Table, Evan Cabinet, Brandywine Sofa, Cabriole Side Chair, Avon Chair and Charles Hassock.

Continental Living Room

Do you love continental pieces?  Do you love pieces that look as if you have traveled Europe and found special antiques for your home?  We share this passion for the collected, traveled look.  Our Suzanne Kasler collection along with pieces from other collections such as Atelier, French, Winterthur and San Marino allow you to easily find the continental forms.  Shown above is the Frederica Bench, Alexandra Side Chair, Antoinette Side Table and Anastasic Bench by Suzanne Kasler.

Modern Bed Room

Do you appreciate a modern aesthetic? Ten years ago we introduced the Thomas O'Brien Collection that allowed Hickory Chair to embrace a modern aesthetic we were not known for.  Today every collection and every piece we make may be used in a modern interior.  Shown in this scene is the Chelsea Bed, Keith Desk, Madison Chair, Modern Club Chair and Studio Accessory Table all by Thomas O'Brien.  This modern room is filled with pieces that are undeniablely classic, timeless forms. 

What is your style?  You can make it with Hickory Chair!

Vintage Hickory Chair

With our HCC University events over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to spend time with our employees sharing their amazing skill with our guests. Each time I hear their enthusiasm for continuous improvement and joy in making one of a kind pieces to order, it makes me so proud that our 600,000 square foot workshop is still here in Hickory, North Carolina. Our ability to make personalized pieces are a result of these artisans being located here in our American facility.

My day was made earlier this week when I received an email through our web site that said: "Just thought someone in your company may be interested in the fact that we have in our family a set of well used, twin maple bedsteads, dating to about 1928. The name on the back of the headboard is Hickory Chair Mfg. Co., Hickory, NC. It was purchased in a store in Poughkeepsie, NY, as a wedding gift for my parents. Though a tad scarred, the bedsteads are still extraordinarily sturdy and in no danger of falling apart. Excellent quality. Should last for centuries." I have asked for a picture of these amazing vintage pieces which the owner promises to share.

My thoughts have wandered to this family that has cherished these heirloom pieces of Hickory Chair. What an honor it is to know that our pieces have so many of their family's memories surrounding them. I bet there are many families with similar stories to share. We are listening if you have one to share.