Made For You Magazine - HC Minneapolis Issue Fall 2022

Image courtesy of Kibler & Kirch

Photography by

Interiors by Kibler & Kirch

Photography by Lucy Call

The Made For You magazine is published by Hickory Chair, manufacturer of fine personalized wood and upholstered furniture. From classic to modern, each piece is made by hand and to order. Over 90% of Hickory Chair’s products are made to order in America.

Shuford III CEO - Rock House Farm President - Hickory Chair Laura Holland Editor-In-Chief

The staff of Made For You, based in Hickory, North Carolina, welcomes your feedback. Comments and queries can be referred to:

Send traditional mail to: Made For You Attn: Laura Holland PO Box 2147 Hickory, NC 28602

Electronic mail should be directed to: made.for.you@hickorychair.com

Please note that submissions for future publication, including photographs and articles, should be clearly identified with contact information and full project details. hickorychair.com

Produced in USA © 2022

ON THE COVER: The Jules™ Configurable Swivel Chair and Textures™ Credenza from the new Made For You™ configurable programs.

issue five contributors

ANNE BURESH is the owner of Anne Buresh Interior Design, an award-winning, full-service interior design firm that delivers a personalized experience in creating beautiful sanctuaries. With offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Anne brings a passion for defining each client’s unique taste to every project. Her signature style blends Southern charm with traces of a well-traveled lifestyle.

AUDREY HALL is known for her poignant and ethereal equine images. Her first trip to the American West as a young girl made a life-long impression and she keeps one toe in Montana and another in Santa Fe, considering the West home and profoundly inspiring to her personal work.

BEVERLY FARRINGTON is a Huntsville, Alabama-based interior designer and the owner of Accents of the South. With more than forty years of experience as an interior designer, owner Beverly Farrington has a distinguished eye for quality home furnishings. She and her team of trained designers offer a wealth of expertise on everything from furniture style, size, and finish to fabric content, texture, and color.

CARRIE BRIGHAM, owner of Carrie Brigham Design firm, is a Naples, Florida based, award winning interior designer. Carrie's ability to capture the spirit of her client's individual design style in less than a few conversations is due in part to her collaborative and thoughtful approach. While her signature style is the details, her interiors are carefully curated, inviting, casually elegant and of course, timeless.

HECTOR SANCHEZ is a Birmingham, Alabama based photographer special izing in interiors, lifestyle, home goods, still life, and architecture. He is the owner of Hector Sanchez Photography and serves as a staff photographer for Southern Living magazine. He is known for his soulful imagery and his ability to capture the true essence of his subject.

JEREMIAH YOUNG is the Creative Director and Principal of Kibler & Kirch, a Billings, Montana based interior design firm with an extraordinary shopping ex perience. He always felt like he was a part of Kibler & Kirch from the day he walked into the doors when he was in high school. This fate brought him the opportunity to purchase the amazing company many years later. Today Kibler & Kirch is known for timeless style with a subtly Western attitude.

LUCY CALL is a Salt Lake City based photographer who specializes in archi tecture and interior design. Her approach mixes a fervent curiosity with dedicated patience which has led to her work being featured in Arch Digest, Luxe Interiors and People Magazine. She's driven by the challenges and rewards that come with capturing her clients' visions and connecting them in a meaningful way to their audi ences by way of thoughtful photography.

LAURA HOLLAND has proudly been a part of the Hickory Chair family since 1985. Throughout her storied career, she has become known for her passion and determination. She is responsible for company marketing initiatives, Hickory Chair University and serves on the Board of Directors of The Common Thread of The Cure® Foundation.

Alex

greetings from the chair

T he journey our Made For You™ magazine has taken since its inception in September 2020 has allowed us to introduce and share the beautiful work by a group of incredibly talented interior designers from across the country. While each designer we have featured has their own point of view, what we celebrate in each issue is what makes them an individual. It is what makes their work unique and delights their clients. We have found a consistent trait - it is their attention to detail and a desire to create deeply personal spaces that reflect the lifestyle and passions of their clients. In the pages of this fifth issue, we profile the talents of Anne Buresh, Beverly Farrington, Jeremiah Young, Carrie Bingham and celebrate the lifetime achievement of the late H. F. 'Harry' du Pont. Each contributor has opened their heart to us and have shared intimate details about themselves, their design philosophy and their business.

This new issue spans the country with contributors from Delaware to Montana, from Charlotte to Alabama and from Florida to Wyoming. Each has seamlessly bridged their client's personality, hopes and passions with the architecture and topography of the area to create a home that is appropriate, personal and most of all, loved. Fortunately for us, each of these talented individuals have turned to our Hickory Chair workroom to have special pieces made for their clients. It is the prowess of our people that allow them to upholster a piece in a fine silk and then the next piece in a handsome leather. It is their ability to apply a custom Benjamin Moore® paint as a match panel finish and then apply an antiqued stain finish on the next. While we are a manufacturing facility, we have the heart and soul of a custom workroom. We know we are making special pieces for people and not just for a box going on a truck.

We are fortunate that the people of Hickory Chair have always been nimble and able to evolve. For these 111 years since the charter was written to create our company, we have dug in our heels with an eye to the future and a passion to excel. We have encountered challenging times that have seemed unrelenting but our determination to overcome has created new thinking, new products, new systems and most importantly, an unyielding passion for excellence. Thank you for your trust. We are here for you.

All my best, Editor-in-Chief

The House on Gates

Living Modern History

Written By Beverly Farrington Photography by Hector Sanchez

I kept finding myself drawn to the house on Gates Avenue and to the historical area called Twickenham in downtown Huntsville, Alabama just as residents were drawn in some 200 years ago. Historians surmise that some of the founding fathers chose this name after a village in England. For this particular village was a place noted for its “cordial society, handsome houses, beautiful gardens and famous residents.” It was the home of the famed English poet Alexander Pope and many other scholars and celebrities of the time. In America, the name Twickenham was a byword among cultivated Virginians for learning, creative talent and social polish. It was the embodiment of these 19th-century ideals that lead Leroy Pope, Thomas Bibb (both true Virginians), and other Huntsville founding fathers to choose this name for their new town. They felt it was synonymous with sophistication and announced specific and qualitative aims for a small American town . These founders came to further their prosperity. As historian Eleanor Hutchins writes, “Now, as we all know, the founders of our Twickenham came here rich to make themselves richer. They bought large tracts of land, cleared them and planted cotton. Some of them were merchants or professional men as well. Their primary energies went into the building of their fortunes. But they had as their end the creation of a certain kind of life. They built their houses not mainly on their plantations but here close together, to make a town. And they named that town Twickenham.“

Today those cotton fields have metamorphosed into high tech buildings for NASA, the Army and science, engineering and technology companies. But the pursuits of many are still the same. To find their fortune as they embrace the culture and sophistication found in all that downtown Huntsville has to offer. It’s society, sym phony, theatre, museums and landscape.

After graduating as one of the first from the interior design curriculum at Auburn Uni versity in the late 70s I came home to Huntsville. I moved into a quaint cottage, really a barn, in the downtown area called Twickenham and it was then I first remember admir ing the House on Gates, a handsome Dutch Colonial, with a solid white stucco facade

Beverly Farrington

Accents of the South ~ Huntsville, Alabama

and an expansive faded red shingled roof. It was originally built in the Federal style in 1818, a year before Alabama was to be come a state. In the 1920s, the house was remodeled changing its original Federal style. A gambrel roof was constructed over the main part of the 1818 house and parapet walls were added around the side wings, part of an 1834 addition, to hind its flat roof. The house was beautifully detailed with its strong Doric columns, standing 12 feet tall and 24 inches round and its ex tra-large hand-blown glass windows. A charming pergola was set off to the side and invited guest in from the side street. When I first saw it thought it was one of the best looking houses in Twickenham.

The house at that time was owned by the same family for more than 100 years, one of the first prominent Jewish families in Huntsville, the Bernstein’s. Yet it would be many years later that the House on Gates, the house that had drawn me in so long ago would come available for purchase.

I felt I had already lived a whole life by then, my first husband had died and I was about to embarked on a new journey with a wonderful man I had recently fallen in love with, Danny Alm. My interior design business, Accents of the South, had flour ished and prospered. And now, as my personal life was begin ning anew, the House on Gates had been waiting patiently for renewal. Soon after we would become an inseparable pair.

I was smitten the moment I walked through the front door. Nat ural light flooded through the stair case windows above, casting magical shadows into the Grand Hall below, a wide-open cor ridor than ran the width of the home. As I turned around in the entry way, I could see the bright golden cross shining from high atop the steeple of my church, Nativity Episcopal. It aligned perfectly with the front door. It was amazing. There were lots of windows everywhere, all huge and impressive. Beautiful, bril liantly lit spaces has always been an essential element in my designs and this house had it naturally in spades. The house was solid and neat. The ceilings were high, all a little over eleven feet. And the rooms were large, airy and beautifully propor tioned. The details were simple and elegant. The main rooms all had floor to ceiling decorative panels with clipped corners that gave an Art Deco feel. This popular style was prevalent in many home interiors when the house was last remodeled and updated in the 1920's.

The mantels in both the living room and dining room were of a different period, they were of the Federal style and therefore may have been original to the 1834 addition.

The kitchen reminded me of my grandmothers on her farm, very simple. A place for a stove, a place for a refrigerator and a work table. The only built-in cabinet was just large enough to hold a kitchen sink. There were three bathrooms, all were outdated. The bathroom on the main floor was constructed in the 1920's and I'm sure was the first indoor bath room to be incorporated into the house. It was actually just a small area taken in on the back porch. The bedrooms downstairs were of lovely proportion but all were oriented to a very public street corner of the house.

The house had been leased as an office for the last twenty years, so the electrical was new. The problem was all the wires ran in conduit on the outside of the walls. And the wiring that was concealed in the plaster walls was knob and tub. Yet despite all its negatives there was just something about the house. The house felt special. The tall and gracious rooms were warm and you could feel their sense

of place in time. The natural light was amazing. So, Danny and I decided we would make this house our home.

As I began the process, I knew the main floor rooms would need to be reassigned and adjusted not just because of their placement, but they were no longer functional for today's living standards. I would think the 1920's renovation was done for many of the same reasons.

The historic house celebrated southern style and for Danny and I, we felt it was important to stay attuned of its southern sensibilities. We wanted to celebrate life there with our family and friends just as those before us had. I therefore took the challenge to create a timeless and emotionally stimulating home while preserving its historic architectural character.

"We made thoughtful decisions to assure that the interior spaces flowed seamlessly to the exterior and that there were beautiful positioned site lines and vistas."

To help with the project, I called my village, and friends, three amazing men in their fields, architect Frank Nola, contractor Glenn Cope and landscape architect Drew Crow. These men I trusted and knew were all were committed to good design and a quality product. Together we worked to kept the significance of the historic edifice preserved while designing a home for today.

The original kitchen, breakfast room and dining room were transformed to a master bedroom suite. Allowing for a master bedroom suite to be in a more private part of the house. A new kitchen and den area were thoughtfully repositioned to the central part of the space so that it acted like the hub of a wheel from which and guest house were added to the rear of the house and connected with a wonderful light filled breezeway.

We made thoughtful decisions to assure that the interior spaces flowed seamlessly to the exterior and that there were beautiful positioned site lines and vistas.

The main front rooms are painted the perfect off white, Sherwin Williams®, Nacre. This off white is a favorite because it has no creamy undertones. In the furnishings I chose to use corals and powder blues and accented with yellow ocher. The furniture selected was a mixture of treasured antiques from my family, antique’s newly found and new furnishings that were either custom or procured. And I find it’s in this mixing of these modern and classical furnishings comfort can be found. In the Dining Room I liked placing the Alfonso Marina® cane chairs around an 18th Century Sheraton table. Then making the table eye catching by topping it with a glittering Art Deco crystal chandelier by Visual Comfort®.

The Living Room had beautiful natural light with windows on three sides and a door open ing to the courtyard beyond. It was a room off to itself, only attached by one corner to the rest of the house. Though you might be drawn in by the light, I felt it seemed removed. So it was with many deliberate details, I set out to achieve a feel ing of invitation and warmth for this space. I selected two different styles of Hickory Chair® sofas to give it a more relaxed and casual feel. A large off-white cof fee table by Alfonso Marina® stores lots of personal books that tells something about us and helps makes others feel more comfortable. The antique mirrored wall backdrop gives the illusion of time past, a history you want to know more about. The paintings were collected over time, each have their own story to tell.

Though my living room is not used on a daily bases, it’s used a lot. I love to sit in it in the morning to read and meditate or to have a cocktail with a friend in the afternoon. It holds a permanent antique game table and chairs, so it’s a natural place to play cards and many times in the winter that same table is used by Danny and I to dine by the fire. It’s a room that gives us a reprieve from the stresses of the day. For the kitch en we wanted to make sure it truly would be the heart

“Such homes have strong, personal they walk through

of the home. The kitchen was originally on the side of the house and I moved it to the middle. Over sized windows were designed to give it abundant light. The cabinets wrapped around the windows and we centered a large island in the space. It was important to Danny that we have a living area with a TV in the same space so we could be together. So, on the interior side of the kitchen a small cozy den area was configured.

The cabinets are in a cerused finish, a gray pick ling effect over white oak. The counters are in soft whites, gray and violet. The marble is Calcutta Vag li. I think there is no equal to the softness in both appearance and hand that marble gives.

The foyer is a large and gracious space that runs the width of the house and connects the main front rooms, it was built in 1834 and called the “Grand Hall”. In decorating this space, it was important for me that the hall remained open, so very little fur niture was used and the pieces I did use had pur pose. An antique black lacquered chinoiserie bar was placed at one end of the hall. It works great for parties, when dinner guests arrive, I feel there is nothing better than the site of an open bar to say welcome. Nina Campbell was recently a dinner guest and she felt the same. I was glad this grand designer approved.

Against the longest wall is an Italian entry table from Bennett and Company®. It can be pulled out and used for extra dining when needed. I have had so much fun with the two antique celadon vases that sit tall on their acrylic pedestals across from it. They are always getting filled with fresh flowers, tree branches or balloons and they just seem to set the tone of the party at hand.

It’s hard to believe the transformation of the master suite. What now is the master bath was the kitchen, the master bedroom the dining room, and master closet and corridor, the breakfast room. The size of the original rooms perfectly accommodate their new roles. The master bedroom is largest room with its original federal fireplace and across the room rest the bed, the focal point of the room. The East wood bed is from the Made to Order Bed collec tion of Hickory Chair.

The walls in this space are painted a very chame leon color of gray, Sherwin Williams®, Gossamer Veil . The color is a soft warm gray with hints of li lac. A perfect complement for the pink accents that were chosen to add lightness to the space. From the bedroom, a mirrored hall hides the master closets and moves you to the white Statuary marble bath. The bath too has gorgeous light filled windows that carry your eye into a private garden. At the end of the garden, stands, the large bronze statue, Tita nia. The queen fairy in Shakespeare’s play “A Mid Nights Summer Dream”. And just as she invites you in so does the House on Gates Avenue, as it too opens its arms to receive family and friends where that comfortable sense of place can be found.

personal characteristics that lift one up as through the door.”

PURELY AMERICAN H.F. DU PONT

rom his dining room, Henry Fran cis “Harry” du Pont gazed out to the gardens beyond and made meticulous notes. The colors of the flowers, the blossoming bush es, and majestic poplars all suggest ed a theme that he would create on his table through care ful choices of chi na, linens, crystal, silver, and flower arrangements.

Du Pont was many things, including farmer, master gar dener, interior de signer, and host. His notes would guide his staff’s preparations for large weekend par ties. The gardener would present him with flowers to se lect for the dozens of arrangements needed in the enter-

Painting of Henry Francis du Pont by Ellen Emmet Rand, 1914. Courtesy, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

taining spaces and guest rooms. The farm manager would bring fresh fruits and vegetables from the fields and greenhouses. Every detail mattered. Du Pont would never repeat a menu or decorating scheme for any guest—and he hosted dozens at a time.

Du Pont was also the foremost collector and scholar of American decorative arts of his day. He had fallen in love with American furnishings while visiting fellow cattle breeder J. Watson Webb, a grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt and James Watson, and his Americana-collecting wife, Electra Havermeyer Webb. Upon see ing a large pine cupboard she had filled with pink and white Staf fordshire china, he realized that domestic craftsmen had produced high quality furniture that was distinctly American.

That discovery ignited a passion. Inheriting Winterthur three years later allowed du Pont to begin his life’s work. He immediately began to transform his 56-room French chateau to a 175-room house that would eventually become a museum with the world’s largest collection of American decorative arts.

Du Pont collected the finest examples of furniture, fabrics, historic

wallpaper and millwork, ceramics, glassware, flatware, paintings, and objets d'art. He arranged them in rooms to be as com fortable as they were beautiful. He did not decorate as designers of the era did. He had a new way.

Du Pont embraced color and pattern and brought the hues of the season into each room. In his Port Royal Parlor, for exam ple, he used a beautiful jewel-toned rug to anchor the bold yel lows of the sofas, chairs, and draperies. He eschewed traditional placement of furnishings. He preferred symmetry. He faced a pair of sofas perpendicular to the fireplace and flanked them with matching side tables. He placed high chests facing each other from opposite sides of the space and carefully placed wing chairs to their sides. He centered a desk-and-bookcase be tween a pair of doorways.

One cannot imagine a style of design that is now so prevalent as being avant garde, yet du Pont was an original. One of his favorite practices was changing the draperies and slip covers with the season. In each room he wanted to celebrate the col ors of his beloved garden as seen through the windows of his home. At Winterthur today, visitors walk into rooms that simply spring to life.

Du Pont loved nothing more than sharing his collection with family and friends. Guests such as socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor and Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Field would arrive by train at the private Winterthur Station or by car. They would arrive knowing that every detail has been carefully planned.

Guests enjoyed afternoons of bridge, golf, tennis, and swim ming. Dinners included up to eight courses. The evenings were spent at grand parties with libations and live music.

Dresser by Unknown Maker. New England, U.S. c. 1750-1790. White Pine. 1961.0432. Gift of the Webb Family, in Memory of Mr. and Mrs. J. Watson Webb, Courtesy of Winterthur Museum.

HORTICULTURIST, COLLECTOR OF AMERICAN CRAFTSMANSHIP, HOST & INTERIOR DECORATOR

“Small tables were set up temporarily outside the drawing room or in the hall, and formal place cards were placed at each seat so that you could have the fun of talking to two different people plate with a knife and napkin. One could enjoy the delicious treat comfortably and to the full, which one cannot do standing up with a plate in one hand and a glass in the other.”

In 1951, Harry and his family moved to a smaller house and turned the 175-room great house into a museum. Today, visitors can take self-paced or docent-guided tours through the same rooms where

du Pont and his family entertained their many guests while explaining the significance of the Winterthur collection.

In 1961, the First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, invited du Pont to lead her Fine Arts Committee, which was charged with finding historic furniture and decorative pieces for her resto ration of the White House. In May of that year, she visited du Pont to see Winterthur, which inspired her vision. Kennedy and du Pont’s work together culminated in a televised tour.

The Port Royal Parlor at Winterthur Museum today and as envisioned by H. F. du Pont. Courtesy, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

It became the most watched program in American televi sion history and immediately awakened an interest in pres ervation of American furniture and design.

The American public, enamored with the young Kenne dys and their “Camelot,” turned to local designers and furniture stores to find similar furnishings for their own homes. Manufacturers responded with reproductions and adaptations of timeless American styles—which are now mixed with modern forms, colors, and furnishings. We be lieve Harry would have been pleased with his influence on the world of design, horticulture, and American crafts manship.

Today one can enjoy living and entertaining with licensed products from the former home of Henry Francis du Pont. Hickory Chair, Kindel, and Currey & Company make licensed furniture for the home. Lane Venture man ufactures a beautiful outdoor furniture collection. Mot tahedeh is the authorized source for china. For lighting, Heritage Metalworks. For paintings, Michael John Hunt. These are but a sampling of the licensed products that one may collect for their own home.

Winterthur Hospitality

“From the founding of the estate in 1839 until the death of its owner, Harry du Pont, in 1969, food at Winterthur was remarkable for its continuity. In every generation, meals began with soup and, following French custom, salad followed the main course.

The history of Winterthur begins with Evelina du Pont and her husband, An toine Bidermann, who formed the estate and named it after his ancestral home town in Switzerland. Evelina and Antoine blended French cooking practices with homegrown foods of the Brandywine Valley—a tradition that endured more than a century.” – an excerpt from Maggie Lidz in A Country Estate Cookbook: Recipes from Winterthur.

The menus were created from the produce of 22 greenhouses and 20 working farms. Fine wines, caviar, and other items that could not be grown on the Delaware estate were brought from afar. Footmen poured wine and held platters, allowing each dinner or luncheon guest to serve themselves.

Pauline Foster du Pont, Harry’s mother, hand-wrote a journal of her favorite recipes. It is said that Harry treasured it and kept it close to preserve her memory. We hope you enjoy this simple selection from Pauline’s recipe book.

Corn Pudding

what’s modern now

Wallpaper has returned as a distinctive anchor in modern design projects. Whether off the shelf or as a custom printed wallpaper, wall art has become the starting point for designers and their clients. Wallpaper truly is a pure form of self expression that allows you to choose from wall-scaled murals to smaller prints. The choice is yours as you choose the scale that suits your taste and your room.

Image courtesy of Anne Buresh. Custom Schumacher® Wallpaper. Photography by Audrey Hall

when east heads WEST

Written by Anne Buresh Photography by Audrey Hall

Good design is not a particular style or object, but noticed when one enters a room and it just feels right. It’s not just one specific element that can be distinguished but, in its entirety, the feeling and the flow of the space are harmonious. Recently, the Anne Buresh Interior Design (ABID) team revealed a designer showroom at the Western Design Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. A space originally a blank canvas was transformed into a worldly and luxurious retreat for gathering.

Initially inspired by a stunning hand-painted wallpaper design by California-based artist Colette Cosentino, Buresh resonated with the design as a symbol of the whispering trees that adorn the Teton Mountains. ABID connected with Schumacher® in New York and partnered with them. “The scale of wallpaper was grand,” says Buresh. “We were working with 10-foot walls, and we covered the entire surface with the wallpaper. It was crucial to how it made you feel in the room.” The scale encourages guests to relax, escape, and take root in the beauty of the outdoors. “Design is about the mood and how a room makes you feel. As soon as I saw the delicate wallpaper design, I instantly felt the impact of Jackson among the vastness of the environment and its grounding sensation,” explains Buresh of her selection.

ANNE BURESH

With many years of designing for Southern elegance, wallpaper holds additional significance and links Buresh’s Southern heritage to her contemporary design work in the west. With a sophisticated eye for detail that results in thoughtful and refined designs, the organic nature of the room was strong.

Inspired by Parisian style and culture, Buresh incorporated two framed antique handwritten letters as well as two French Louis XVI antique chairs from Paris that gave the room an additional layer of depth and elegance. The space also displayed an artisanal handcrafted woven wood chair with a raw green leather seat, as well as a customized Hickory Chair sofa upholstered in a white silk-linen blend with a crisp, linear silhouette.

ABID placed a 60”x60” black and white photo by world-renowned Austrian photographer Josef Hoflehner over the sofa. The image of a jet taking off honors world travel. ABID partnered with Anne Neilson Fine Art out of Charlotte for the photo.

The large-scale sofa was finished with aubergine Fortuny® pillows and an alpaca throw. Dark metal accents and accessories serve as a more rugged counterpoint to the softer elements and give a balance to the materials and textures. A console is set up as a bar and creates a more calming feeling in the room, inviting people to sit down and enjoy themselves to a drink. Contrasting textures and hints of aubergine tell the story of a well-traveled life.

“In a matter of three days, we installed the wallpaper and handpainted trim,” Buresh explains. “We laid a custom seagrass rug, installed a hand-blown glass chandelier, and completely furnished the room with purpose and intention. We wanted to design a space where people felt comfortable and relaxed – where you could kick your feet up, enjoy each other’s company, and share a toast to the beauty of life. The space had a familiar, comforting mood and was able to connect with the variety of guests who entered.”

Buresh’s global design perspective reflects a greater awareness that our lives are not linear. “One person’s life has so many layers,” she articulates. “Travel opens doors and allows us to understand new ideas and become receptive to new inspiration. Designing from a worldly perspective is so important because it honors a person’s history, preferences, and influences.”

ABID has studios in both Charlotte, North Carolina and Jackson, Wyoming. The firm designs for a lifestyle that celebrates a global perspective, community, and the outdoor environment.

“Design is about the mood and how a room makes you feel."

Subtly Western well-designed living

Written by Jeremiah Young Photography by Lucy Call

that every person who settles here probably brings something special with them, brings tastes and influ ences from another place.

Imagine even the earliest folks who came across the plains in wagons. They could only carry the most meaningful objects with them to start a life, to make a home. Then they slowly accumulated furnishings, art, and objects that were regional. They brought their grandmother’s heirloom table from back East and a traditional rug, let’s say, but then added some thing primitive or rustic, something decidedly West ern, something in the current fashion, then eventually something new and sleek. Maybe the next generation of occupants incorporated what they loved—keeping only the best of the past. Since we believe that any successful home has layers of history and an eclec tic mix of furnishings, our design work tells this story of accumulation over time. We build a foundation of traditional, made-as-well-as-possible, timeless things. That’s Hickory Chair. We layer upon that solid founda tion a surprising mix: a rustic stool or mirror, mid-cen tury lamps, something from travels, a contemporary Native American painting, a fresh coat of paint now and then.

Over the last 30 plus years of design work here in Montana, we’ve told one story over and over. Though our clients’ tastes are diverse— leaning either traditional, rustic, transitional, or modern—we try to always tell the story of place. Hickory Chair helps us tell that story ex ceedingly well. Unlike the Eastern and Southern parts of our country, pretty much every one here is a “recent transplant.” We’re only a few generations into the West. This means

The way we achieve timeless interiors is to find quality things from across time. Quality wins, after all. Styles come and go, but classic silhouettes have a place in any home now or in the future. They are not too heavily influenced by trends and so don’t need to be replaced when they go out of style. They are worth recover ing when the upholstery fails and probably look better with patina from use. We don’t want anything in our designs that isn’t capable of lasting for generations.

“We create interiors that are subtly Western. It’s always surprising how we can transform a piece of furniture with fabric or incorporate details to make it fit a Western interior.”

"We might use more leather and nail heads than any other design firm passing things through the workroom."

We can’t count how many times we started a room with two fantastic sofas from Hickory Chair or we’ve made the choice to make the largest objects in the room the most classic ones. We can’t count how many times we’ve made the choice to make the largest objects in the room the most classic ones. As more and more people discov er the West as a place to call home, we’re busy detailing and customizing interiors for them. It’s remarkable how adaptable traditional furniture can be to a variety of in teriors—how mohair or the right nailhead detail can alter a piece. It’s our secret to making interiors that are subtly Western but always timeless. Hickory Chair’s quality is a lasting partnership in that endeavor.

“I cannot think of another brand I’d rather incorporate into our interiors; I know the final product will be impeccably detailed and made to last.”

Behind the Curtain

A behind the scenes series of tips for purchasing and living with fine furniture.

Velvet is a luxurious material and it has never been more popular! The term velvet describes a closely woven fabric that has evenly cut fibers that create a thick short pile on one side, Velvets are known for their shimmering, smooth surface. Velvet fabrics are woven from silk, cotton, wool, rayon or nylon yarn. Each yarn has its own properties for wear and use. Understanding what type of velvet your furniture is upholstered in will help you care for it properly and keep it looking luxurious for years to come.

When choosing a velvet for your home, you should consider how you will use your furniture. For example, if you have a high traffic area, children or pets, a synthetic velvet made from nylon, acrylic or rayon is more forgiving than a natural fiber velvet such as cotton, silk or wool. In fact, today one can choose 'performance' velvet made by mills such as Crypton Home®. Performance fabrics are easy to clean and typically very durable. The sheen and hand of silk and cotton velvets are elegant and luxurious, but would not be as friendly in high traffic areas.

Ask your designer or sales person about the velvet that is being recommended for your new furniture. If you already own furniture upholstered in velvet, they should be able to provide this information. What type is it? Does the manufacturer provide any care or cleaning instructions? If this information is not available, most velvet can be cared for with these simple steps.

- Direct sunlight can cause fading. Consider window coverings that would prevent full exposure to the sun or place pieces away from direct sunlight. Window film to block the sun's rays are another great method to preserve the view while protecting your furniture.

- Dust in the air will settle on the surface. Furniture manufacturers and fabric mills recommend regular dusting and vacuuming the surface as well as under the seat cushions.

- A soft brush will loosen surface dirt and dust. Always brush the direction of the pile and most particles will simply brush away.

- If a spill occurs, quickly blot the area with a clean, dry absorbent cloth. Do not use force as you blot and never rub in a direction as you could permanently damage the surface.

- If your velvet furniture has a dried stain that cannot be released by brushing and vacuuming, a mix of water with a gentle soap such as Neutrogena® can be used. Simply create a sudsy solution and use a soft cloth. Blot the stain with the sudsy soft cloth and then blot it dry with a fresh, dry absorbent cloth and allow the fabric to dry completely. Lastly, brush the surface with a soft, dry brush following the direction of the pile. This will allow you to restore the direction and pile. Only use a soft bristle brush that was designed for use on velvet fabrics and furniture.

- Never be afraid to turn to a professional service. They can professionally clean your entire piece to ensure the color remains uniform, remains in great condition. They will use water-free solvents.

These tips will help you maintain your velvet furniture to keep that new look for years to come.

Finding just the right piece for a client can prove to be a daunting challenge. With nearly endless product available, the skill of an interior designer or sales professional to provide a solution that exceeds the customer's expectation is something to admire. The task requires more than finding a suitable piece for a price, it also requires comfort, the proper scale, aesthetically appropriate for the room and quality that exceeds the price. This creates value and potentially a very happy client.

Carrie Brigham of Naples, Florida faces these challenges with each client. Recently she shared her thoughts about comfort and luxury. She shares, "The Jules Chair is with out question the most comfortable chair if you are looking for quality, with a relaxed feel. The softness of the back cushion and the 'Goldilocks' feel of the seat cushion is loved by my clients. It is easy for us to in corporate into our designs by customizing the fabric and the finish. We are constantly challenging ourselves to make each interior unique and our signature style is in the details. We cannot always use the same profile chair even if we know it would be perfect for the home. Several years ago we inquired about customizing this chair and at the time, the lead time for a special construction prevented us from moving forward. Recently we had a great opportunity to use the Jules Chair again but it needed to be made more modern and we were able to have this chair made with a track arm. When you find a piece of furniture that has the unicorn proportions that is literally comfortable for all body shapes, heights and sizes, why not modify that perfect pitch and proportion by simply editing the details by changing the arm and profile to a track arm, it immediately makes it more con temporary and transitional for our clients that are looking for comfort and style."

Carrie became the voice for other designers yearning for a way to transform this iconic chair. While some echoed Carrie's wish for a more modern profile, others expressed the need for a more traditional vibe. These Special Construction requests fueled the devel opment of a configurable Jules that not only provided optional arms but also swivel and stationary bases. She shares, "We always trust that Hickory Chair will have our best inter ests at heart when making the customization between their expertise and furniture and product design with our imagination we love coming together to create a really beautiful piece of furniture."

She continues, "The Jules Chair is really special piece of furniture. The proportions work really well in small-scaled condos as well as full-scaled family homes. It is literally a unicorn. And now with the ability to customize the arm and bases, the new program Hickory Chair has developed, is really exciting for us because we trust that it will be really comfortable for our clients and now styled to meet the different aesthetics that we work on."

Now more than ever, clients are really interested in the comfort level of their furniture. Carrie shares, "Even pre-pandemic our clients were keenly interested in having furniture that is comfortable. I always say comfort is the ultimate luxury. I am always questioning the dynamic between luxury and comfort. Is comfort luxury or is luxury comfort? The two ideas go hand-in-hand for our clients."

HC9509-24C Jules Chair

Fan Pleated Arm & Exposed Wood with Tapered Leg Base

HC9509-24C Jules Chair

Key Arm with optional nail trim & Tapered Leg Base

HC9509-27C Jules Swivel Chair

Track Arm & Wood Trim Swivel Base

HC9509-27C Jules Swivel Chair

Saddle Arm and Upholstered Swivel Base

HC9509-27C Jules Swivel Chair

Flare Arm & Dressmaker Skirt Swivel Base

From FACTORY to Workroom

TURNING THEIR WORKROOM INTO MY WORKROOM

- Carrie Brigham

HC9509-24 Jules Chair (Standard Version)

"We always trust that Hickory Chair will have our best interests at heart when making the customization between their expertise and furniture and product design with our imagina tion we love coming together to create a really beautiful piece of furniture."

looking ahead

Its Beyond Simply Having an "Idea"...

O ne of the favorite parts of my job is watching a top-notch creative talent develop new ideas into products. This process of dreaming, drawing, iterating and refining is happening all the time at nearly every company as our big, messy, creative industry ex plores every nook and cranny of style and form. At its most pe destrian, it’s an interesting though sometimes formulaic march, but when a true talent is the artist and the leader, then it’s like watch ing a conductor refining a new piece of music with live musicians.

This Autumn Hickory Chair will be introducing our second collec tion with Ray Booth, a high energy, expressive master talent in the home space. I’ve been lucky over the years to be present as a many of the industry’s best creatives have worked out their new collections. It’s an emotional process as dynamic visions run into the limitations of materials and physics. Because it’s a collaboration with dozens of craftspeople and engineers playing the role of the orchestra, the artist has to adapt, adjust, refine and perfect by literally conducting the phys ical work of others. Its beyond simply having “an idea”. The process of developing a new product and collection is about com munication, coercion, and compromise all while the “orchestra” acts both as an early audience and as the means of expression.

When I was young, I used to wonder what a conductor really did. I saw the players and heard the music, but the person stand ing in the front waving a wand didn’t strike me as an “artist” or a talent. How hard, my young mind would wonder, could that really be. What we realize as we grow and age is that any seamless act of grace and beauty is derived from countless hours of practice, effort, and refinement. The art of the conductor is in large part performed and created long before the music is ever played in a concert hall. In watching a talent like Ray Booth work through the development process, I wonder if the final performance, the presentation at Market, is perhaps impossible to truly appreciate. After all, the audience will always struggle to comprehend all that went into the deceptively simple act of moving the wand while the final performance plays. The art of creation at that point, is beautifully hidden. It’s just a sofa, how hard can it be.

Alex Shuford President, Hickory Chair CEO, Rock House Farm