Western Design House Kibler & Kirch Think A Lot About Chairs

December 7, 2022  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

Some of his favorites combine classic silhouettes and fabulous U.S.A. workmanship with gold-standard comfort. So, when “Yellowstone” star Luke Grimes showed up in a recent Country Living cover story in the Lolo folding chair that Young had designed for Old Hickory, the designer was honored, but not exactly surprised.

Handcrafted from hickory saplings with a sling of Pendleton wool backed in sturdy, supple leather, and named for the Montana town of Lolo near a historic 1805 Lewis and Clark campsite, the chair provides the ideal “camp-style” combination of “incredibly primitive and perfect in operation,” Young says.

“The great thing about the Lolo is that it seems like something Old Hickory should have invented; I’m pretty sure this should have been in the Old Hickory 1913 catalog,” he adds with a laugh.

While the Lolo may say “chair” in its simplest form, its nod to history, fine level of detail and suggestion of a nostalgic honesty are attributes Young reveres in all his favorite pieces, “What makes a ‘perfect’ chair is that it can be ‘perfect’ in a variety of interiors.”

“It must have elements of masculine and feminine, be both soft and hard. The best pieces of furniture are the ones that you can’t exactly pin down what style it is but know it can be transformed by fabric or leather to sit gracefully in lots of different interiors,” he says.

Kibler & Kirch sometimes memorialize favorite furnishings in its “Design School” blog – many of them chairs. One such chair, the Eliza, originally created by iconic designer Thomas O’Brien for the lobby of the 60 Thompson Hotel in New York City, is “chameleon-like. We’ve made these in all manner of fabric and leather combinations – for all manner of design clients – to rave reviews,” writes one post.

The blog calls the Ludon Chair by Classic Leather a Kibler & Kirch “all-time favorite” – a “handsome stunner” with “a small footprint but a big sit. This chair isn’t over-scaled but fits nearly every body type.”

North Carolina-based Hickory Chair is another Kibler & Kirch top source, prized for their master craftsmanship. “Though our clients tastes are diverse – leaning traditional, rustic, transitional or contemporary – we try to always tell the story of place,” which includes embracing a “subtly Western” vibe, Young tells the latest issue of Hickory Chair’s Made for You magazine.

Ultimately, “Quality wins,” Young says of Kibler & Kirch’s timeless approach. “We don’t want anything in our designs that isn’t capable of lasting for generations.” And when it comes to chairs, he adds, think in pairs.

“We always have clients buy things in pairs,” he says. “It’s built-in symmetry, which is the basis of all things beautiful. We’ve never regretted having a pair of anything as we ‘play house’ in a client’s home. Plus, I always imagine a brother and sister each inheriting a great chair someday.”