Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Kibler & Kirch Bring Design and Balance to “The New Traditional”
October 10,
2023 by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
Romantic Age poet William Blake’s famous “tyger” is not the only one with “fearful symmetry.” Jeremiah Young, owner and creative director of Montana-based Kibler & Kirch is known for his mastery of timeless interiors—filled with interesting objects and often layering seemingly disparate colors and patterns—that find a grounding simplicity in the laws of symmetry.
“We always have clients buy things in pairs,” says Young. “It’s built-in symmetry, which is the basis of all things beautiful.” That duality and balance brings a feeling of calm that’s actually based on primitive hardwiring of the brain.
Humans experience “an inherent appreciation for many symmetrical aspects of the natural world” that goes “beyond signaling biological fitness, extending to a more general sense of aesthetics,” according to a study reported by the National institute of Health.
For 2023, Vogue named the return of neoclassicism a trend to watch, noting that the style, “with its focus on highly detailed and symmetrical lines, is a natural progression after the popularity of mid-century modern” that “blends easily with other periods and styles, and focuses on elegance and sophistication.”
Young agrees, pointing to a Billings, Montana, home he calls The New Traditional, where he incorporated the homeowners’ prized antiques with modern, custom-designed pieces.
“Symmetry requires balance,” says Young, “but lines don’t need to be perpendicular.” A case in point is the homeowners’ ornate Victorian piano, above, which offers a midline for four curvy butterscotch leather chairs centered on an oversize, round, tufted ottoman that Young upholstered in Ralph Lauren fabric to complement the antique Farahan rug.
Young’s use of powerful pairings extends to guest rooms, where he promotes the unusual practice of including not one but two full-size beds. “It’s an update on the past when guest rooms typically included two twin beds,” he says.
The bigger beds allow for more flexible guest sleeping arrangements—particularly useful in a home such as this where grandchildren of various ages are frequent visitors—and they make a stronger visual statement as well.
For the primary suite, symmetry can reinforce a sense of equity for a couple. “It’s kind of that old idea where siblings who share a room draw a line down the middle,” he says with a laugh. “It allows for both halves of the couple to feel a sense of personal space, yet for the design to work as a cohesive whole.”
And both sides don’t have to match exactly as long as they’re in balance. For the primary bedroom, the single long dresser includes a central decorative panel, and is flanked by a duo of floor lamps that allow even lighting for accessing the drawers.
On the room’s opposite axis, the window nook offers another symmetrical setting, where floor-to-ceiling floral Ralph Lauren drapes provide a strong vertical element, and matching Thomas O’Brien for Century wingback chairs rest on either side of a circular ottoman that doubles as footrest and table.
“We’ve never regretted a pair of anything as we ‘play house’ in a client’s home,” Young says of his embrace of duality. And referring to the quality and timelessness of Kibler & Kirch’s furniture selections that fill a home with heritage pieces, he adds, “Plus, I always imagine a brother and sister each inheriting a great chair someday.”