Made By Hickory Chair

Hickory Chair Is In The Pink!

No color says 'Spring' like pink! We are surrounded by blooming trees and flowers as Spring has arrived. Maybe it is a coincidence, but, pink has been a popular color at Hickory Chair as well!

Recently this picture of the Alexandra Chair by Suzanne Kasler upholstered in a hot pink COM fabric was shared with us because of the ray of light being enjoyed by the family's dog!

A pair of Bolero Chairs by Mariette Himes Gomez upholstered in a pink zebra chenille COM fabric were photographed in our workroom.

A match paint hot pink paint brings the Linwood Side Chair from Suzanne Kasler's collection to life!

A pink chenille Hickory Chair fabric sewn to linen adds swagger to the Fisk Chair from the Winterthur Country Estates Collection.

The Murano Chest was being made in a combination of the subtle Birch paint with match panel hot pink drawer fronts.

With our 600 artisans and craftsmen in our Hickory, NC workroom we can make a personalized piece for you... We would rather make it one of a kind than standard. Your trust has allowed us to add 100 to our team since July 2012! We are still recruiting additional craftsmen due to our increasing orders. It feels like 'spring' at our 102 year old Hickory Chair. Thanks for keeping this American company 'in the pink'!

A Walk Through Our Workroom

It is easy to get so wrapped up in the office that you can miss the exciting pieces being made each day in our workroom! Yesterday As I walked through our upholstery area I had to smile at the creativity that surrounded our talented team!

Shown below are a few of the amazing pieces being made by hand to order. A pair of Bolero Chairs from the Mariette Himes Gomez collection in a hot pink zebra patterned COM chenille, a pair of Elliott Wing Chairs from the 1911 collection in a luxurious purple velvet, a Brooks Chaise from the Thomas O'Brien collection in a Hickory Chair tie dyed print fabric and from Suzanne Kasler, a Linwood Side Chair in a hot pink match panel paint as well as a set of Belmont Side Chairs in a white linen fabric with black grosgrain ribbon sewn as horizontal stripes.

We feel honored to be entrusted each day with COM fabrics from all over the world, custom sized wood and upholstered items and special construction pieces a rainbow of fabrics, leathers and finishes. Because of this trust and the growing number of pieces ordered, we have added approximately 100 additional artisans and craftsmen to our Hickory Chair team since July 2012! Thank you for helping us keep this great American brand strong and growing!

Waiting Can Be Great!

Recently our representative was working in Salt Lake City, Utah. He chose to have dinner at the new Brio restaurant. To his pleasant surprise, the waiting area was filled with Hickory Chair pieces! Waiting for a table was a comfortable experience!

A pair of curved Christian Sofas were the perfect solution for the circular walls in the waiting area. A pair of Edward Lounge Chairs in leather make a cozy conversation area. On another wall the designer chose a Gentry Ottoman in leather because it is made by the inch. It could be made exactly the right size for the area!

Most Hickory Chair products feature contract grade construction as standard. We make our shaped frames from kiln dried American hardwoods such as cherry, maple and poplar. We test each style in our lab to insure that they will withstand the rigors of commercial use. We do have a few delicate styles not designed for this type of use which we would not recommend.

Contract grade construction is why Hickory Chair pieces have proven to be heirloom quality. It is no wonder why so many vintage pieces are passed down, found on ebay, in antique shops and other venues other than landfills! They can be recycled or repurposed. The 'greenest' thing of all is something that never goes to the landfill. Why not let our craftsmen create a timeless classic for you?

Personalizing For Your Room

Our craftsmen at Hickory Chair want to make personalized pieces to order for you. They do not believe in making you settle for standard when some modifications would make our piece just right for your room.

Our Hickory, North Carolina workroom proudly provides a place where nearly 600 artisans, craftsmen, woodworkers, seamstresses and upholsterers collaborate to make heirloom quality furniture. Almost 100 of this group have joined our family since July 2012! Our sustained surge in orders has allowed us to grow and provide work to many.

We think you will enjoy seeing some of our recent customizations shown below. If you are a designer and are in New York this week and want to learn more we invite you to a special presentation and a CEU on furniture construction on Wednesday, March 20th beginning at 10:00 am. For details and to register, email Scott at sprentiss@hickorychairpearson.com.

If You Can Describe It We Will try To Make It!

Our 102-year journey as a company is marked by many milestones. We hold the honor of being the first furniture maker in Hickory to make upholstered furniture. We were the first furniture company in North Carolina to create a licensed collection in 1931. In the decades that have followed we have had other milestones from ownership changes, war, recession and depression. as we have survived these challenges it has made us stronger. In fact, it iis said that we have the only integrated.wood and upholstery workroom in America.

It is a can do attitude that had fueled our determination to overcome obstacles. This attitude benefits you as well. Each of the pieces shown below are customized and made to order. i.e. not 'standard'. First is the Chelsea Bed from the Thomas O'Brien Collection. The designer selected white ultra suede, asked us to cut and sew it and then requested that we mail it to another address. The headboard fabric was returned with rhinestones applied in an eagle pattern. After contacting the designer we learned that the lady that bejeweled Elvis' jumpsuits had created this motif for Dale Earnhardt Jr. His bedroom was to be in the Elvis spirit and was to be on MTV's show Cribs. The eagle is also in honor of Budweiser that was his sponsor.

The Eton M2M Sofa is standard as a skirted love seat. This customer did not want the skirt, selected legs from a different sofa and specified the custom length that was right for her room.

The Ceylon M2M Dining Table is custom in every way. The designer wanted it made as 72 by 52-inches, painted White and then a have custom silver Greek key motif be hand-painted on the reveal of the apron.

The pair of tufted leather settees are actually a pair of Townsend Wing Chairs. The designer specified the length, remove the seat cushion and then tuft the seat, back, arms and wings.

In the last image is the back view of a custom length M2M Wakeley Sofa and a custom height, length and depth Milo Console table. The designer was able to get exactly what she needed for her client's home.

Each designer sent sketches along with their wish. Our Hickory Chair workroom became their workroom. Why would you ever settle for standard?

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Putting On The Ritz

 

You might remember the very talented interior designers, Don Easterling and Nina Nash, from previous posts on our blog.  We are excited to share with you their Atlanta Ritz Carlton Residences project! They are part of the team at the beautiful Mathews Furniture in Atlanta.  (Recently Mathews Furniture was the location for an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta and they filmed in the Hickory Chair display with our banner hanging proudly in the background!) 

Don and Nina collaborated on this beautiful luxury model for the Ritz Residences in Atlanta.  We are honored that they found so many pieces perfect for the residence in our assortment!  In the living room below our Sutton Sofa is flanked by a pair of Austell Side Tables with wood tops. Both the sofa and tables are great examples of what our craftsmen can do in our Hickory, NC workroom!  The Sutton Sofa is available in 1-inch incredments from a chair width all the way to 120 inches and is available skirted or with wooden feet finished in your choice of stain or paint. The Austell Side Table by Suzanne Kasler is available in countless stain and painted finishes as well as a choice of a wood top, as shown, or with a White Onyx stone top.  Suzanne Kasler is an Atlanta based designer. 

In the Master Bedroom, the Simone Bed also by Suzanne Kasler, was selected and finished in an antique painted finish.  It is flanked by a painted Angus Pedestal Table and Andrew Side Table from the Alexa Hampton Collection.  The Simone Bed is also available upholstered and like the tables, available in dozens of stained and painted finish options. 

Facing the Simone Bed is the Murano Chest with Wood Top in a painted finish and the Perlini Mirror.  The Mirror is from the Alexa Hampton collection. 

In the other Bedroom, the Chelsea Bed and Chelsea Side Tables were selected from the Thomas O'Brien Collection.  They are finished in the standard Chelsea finish. (This beautiful bed was also in the luxurious bedroom on 'Something's Gotta Give' that featured Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson! Their's was the first made without the standard nail head trim!)

The Dining Room has an amazing view.  The graceful Choate Dining Table was selected also from the Suzanne Kasler Collection.  A beautiful stain finish has been highlighted by hand gold striping from the artists at Hickory Chair.  A set of our classic Chippendale Side Chairs accompany the table.  In the background a Carrie Chair from the Mariette Himes Gomez Collection is used with a mirrored desk.

We appreciate Don and Nina giving our artisans and craftsmen the opportunity to make pieces for this and their other projects.  Their thoughtful selections of finish, fabric, hardware and size provide their clients with luxurious homes and models while our craftsmen hone their skills making each piece one at a time to order.  We are proud to make nearly 90% of our line in America.  This allows you to personalize instead of settling! 

 

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Hickory Chair is Well Crafted

Recently Hickory Chair was honored with a very special award!  The Hickory Business Development Committee selected Hickory Chair as the first recipient of their "Business.Well Crafted.Award"!  This new award is part of the city of Hickory's ongoing 'Life. Well Crafted.' initiative where local businesses, artisans and craftsmen are celebrated that make or manufacture products in the Hickory area.  This very special award does have a unique criteria - the company must have been doing business in the community for 75 years or more!

The city has a blog that featured Hickory Chair in its 'Well Crafted' series.  After the presentation, the local Hickory Daily Record newspaper released this story, 'Hickory Chair gets first 'Business. Well Crafted.' award. These great articles pay tribute to the talented artisans and craftsmen that choose fine furniture making as their vocation.  We are proud to report that 86 additional artisans and craftsmen joined our Hickory Chair team in 2012 AND we have approximately 40 additional openings now!  Contact Hickory Chair for more information 828-328-1801 or info@hickorychair.com.

We enter 2013 as a company dedicated to continuous improvement, teamwork and collaboration between our 580 employees, practicing lean manufacturing while making fine furniture  one piece at a time by hand.  It is the talent and vision of our team that allow us to create custom pieces to order.  For example, we can take a classic wing chair and make it as tufted settee...turn a console into a bar table...add a dressmaker skirt to a sofa with legs...hand stripe a wicker chair.  We call these 'special construction requests'.  We receive them every day and try to say yes to most!  Every time we say yes this means we have accepted the challenge to hone our skills by making something we have never conceived in our imagination.  Each completed piece gives us confidence to stretch and do things we might have declined in the past. We at Hickory Chair would like to say THANK YOU to all of you that have allowed us to make pieces for you. 

Why settle when you can have it MADE? Thank you for visiting your local Hickory Chair dealer or our website to view our extensive selection of products, options and customization possiblities. 

 

Nothing Says Hand Made More Than Hand Tufted

Tufted furniture has reappeared leading fashion, comfort and luxury. Real tufting is a centuries old craft that is hand made by only the most skilled craftsmen.

In these pictures we have featured a wide variety of tufted pieces made in our Hickory, NC workroom! From classic 18th Century custom tufted settees to custom banquettes made for a restaurant to the new Syrie Maugham Sofa, our craftsmen are eager to create special pieces in just a few weeks from order.

Real hand tufting entails using a needle that is just over 12 inches long that is threaded with polyester thread and a hand made button. The tufter inserts the needle through the fabric, padding and frame and then creates the diamond shaped tuft, folds the pleats and then ties the buttons to the correct depth. This process requires about 3-4 hours for a chair and as long as 8 hours for a large sofa.

It is this type of careful precision found at Hickory Chair whether it is in hand sanding, hand inlay, hand finishing, hand sewing, hand painting, hand nailing or any other area. It is Made not manufactured. Made by hand. Made to order. Made to last. Made for over 100 years. Made for you?

Celebrating Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furniture

Sophia Mirror, Artisan Chest with Overlay, Madigan Benches, Charleston Dining Table

One of the premier high end furniture stores in America is Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furniture in Edina, Minnesota.  They have other locations in Souix Falls, SD, Fargo, ND and in Souix City, IA.  For decades Hickory Chair's talented artisans and craftsmen have had the honor to make fine furniture for this prestigious store.  Recently the talented team at Gabberts collaborated with Hickory Chair to create a truly inspirational display for the Edina location.

Kent M2M Sofa, Bowman Cocktail Table and Jules Chair

The display is located on the main level of the store in the Design Center area.  A beautiful display was created that illustrates the skill and personalization from our nearly 600 talented artisans and craftsmen in our HIckory, North Carolina workroom. 

Halden Sofa, Davis Drop Leaf Table, Ingold Table, Surry Side Chair

Pieces from many collections were selected to make beautiful displays to show area families how they could add special pieces to their homes.  Hickory Chair's centennial collection, the 1911 Collection, is mixed with licensed collections by four of the most famous American interior designers - Alexa Hampton, Mariette Himes Gomez, Suzanne Kasler and Thomas O'Brien.  In fact, in January 2012, Architectural Digest magazine named them in their listing of the new top 100 interior designers in America! 

Hallings Secretary, Wakeley Sofa, Alexa Ottoman, Alex Tray, Wabi Cocktail Table, Hunt Side Chair, Charles Hassock, Ian Bench

In each of the room scenes shown, a mix of interesting furniture forms were personalized through finish, hardware, fabric, leather and nail head trim from the extensive options at Hickory Chair.  As each piece is made to order, the craftsmen at Hickory Chair encourage you to select from these extensive options to create a very personal piece that suits your taste instead of settling on the standard.  It is this spirit that has allowed Hickory Chair to celebrate its 101st year of making fine furniture this year!

9th Street Sofa, Wabi Cocktail Table, Wakeley Sofa, Alex Ottoman, Alex Tray, Silhouettes Lounge Chair, David Lounge Chair

Many of the talented designers and sales associates at Gabberts are graduates of HCC University.  These individuals have traveled to Hickory, North Carolina to sharpen their skills on how high end custom furniture is made.  They have talked with woodworkers, upholsterers, cutters, finishers, sewers and all sorts of other craftsmen.  They have seen how kiln-dried lumber is transformed into the skeletal frame that is then hand-upholstered to order.  They have spent time in our showroom with an extensive assortment of furniture so that they know how each piece sits, what is behind the doors and most importantly they know it personally.

We hope you will go experience Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furniture for yourself when you are in the Minneapolis area.  If you are not in the Minneapolis area, please visit our website to locate a dealer near you.  Our team in Hickory would love nothing more than have the honor of making a special piece for your home.

 

One At A Time

Every day Hickory's 'Made To Order Made To Last' tag line is proven as designers and sales associates challenge our workroom with one of a kind pieces.  Every day drawings and sketches arrive with wishes of how existing pieces could be transformed for their clients.  Every day we try to make the majority of these wishes come true. We would like to share some recent pieces with you that are on display in our High Point Showoom!

Shown in this image is the 1271-55 Townsend Wing Chair from the rear and facing it is a special construction where we stretched it to an overall 77 inches wide and then hand-tufted the back, seat, arms and wings.  This custom settee proves our ability to create an entirely new style by modifying an existing item.

Custom 1271-55 Townsend Wing Chair as a Settee

1271-55 Townsend Wing Chair

We needed a large square glass top cocktail table for the setting below but did not have the right style or size. We selected the Hutton M2M 20-inch Cocktail Table but make it 19-inches high, added a Starfire 1/2" thick glass top, finisedh it in Dark Walnut and apply the Antique Brass collars to the posts.  This custom Hutton table looks very different from the standard construction of a wood panel top.

Custom 176-51 Hutton M2M Cocktail Table with Glass Top

176-51 Hutton M2M Cocktail Table with Wood Top

The Carved Bed from the French Collection has a wood headboard.  We made it for the showroom with an upholstered headboard with nail head trim and painted it in Artisan Birch. 

9621-70 Carved Bed with Upholstered Headboard with Nail Head Trim

9621-00 Carved Bed in Antique French finish

These are but a few of the special pieces made to order by our talented craftsmen in our Hickory, North Carolina workroom.  We are honored to be trusted to make custom pieces and challenged to learn new ideas and skills. Why settle for standard when you can have it made?