Day 3

Day 3 at Hickory Chair University started bright and early with a tour of the upholstery factory. I’ve been to several upholstery manufacturer’s before, but this operation is different. The employees of Hickory Chair are challenged to perfect their systems and think “outside the box.”  I firmly believe that the management style of Hickory Chair is what has allowed them to succeed in a very challenging industry.

Check out all of the color-coded pattern pieces for the upholstered furniture frames…

Skilled craftsmen are found throughout the factory constructing the Hickory Chair frames. The quality of construction is why this furniture can be reupholstered over and over again….becoming true heirloom pieces for generations.

Laura Holland explains the construction of this beautiful chair. Hickory Chair President, Jay Reardon, stayed with us for three days and facilitated much of our training. I cannot begin to tell you how impressed I was by these two talented individuals. I truly believe they could build any piece of furniture in the entire line all by themselves!

Once the frames are complete, it’s time to apply the upholstery. Each fabric is meticulously cut for proper positioning….

And carefully sewn together for a perfect fit….

We’ve all heard of eight-way-hand-tied. Well, here it is..actually tied by hand and secured tightly. No inexpensive spring alternatives in this product.

Laura and Jay explaining the many finishing options available on each piece. Hickory Chair has implemented the Silhouettes program that allows complete custom construction of chairs and sofas….you pick your seat depth, seat height, arm style, cushion style, skirt options, and other details such as nailheads. The possibilities never seem to end.

We ended our visit with a traditional North Carolina pig pickin’ which happened to double as a celebration for the entire plant for achieving unprecedented safety goals. After spending three days in this small North Carolina town, it became very clear why I’m so excited about using these beautiful furnishings in my projects!

Thank you, Laura, Jay and the entire Hickory Chair team for your gracious hospitality and quality education! It was well worth the three days away from the studio….now back to creating!