Holly Hunt Daybeds
The success of Holly Hunt — both the designer and her eponymous empire of textile and furnishings showrooms — is based on instinct.
The Chicago-based Hunt trusts her own tastes, reflected in her signature lines of elegant, low-key furniture, lighting and fabrics. She also trusts her judgment about the wants of the buying public, and this savvy sensibility has allowed her to cultivate and market the work of a range of contemporary talents, from minimalists like Christian Liaigre to eccentrics like Christian Astuguevieille.
Hunt is a design world impresario — a prominent arbiter for stylish modern interiors and known foremost for fabrics, seating designs and light fixtures. Modern sophistication, attention to detail, and a desire to cultivate talented contemporary designers are at the crux of the company’s success.
Born in central Texas to schoolteacher parents, Hunt was a creative girl who made her own clothes and bickered with her mother about decor. After graduating from Texas Tech, Hunt worked as department-store buyer and costume jewelry designer before marrying and helping her husband build a multimillion dollar transport company. Her hobby was decorating their homes. After the two divorced, Hunt purchased a showroom in the Chicago Merchandise Mart in 1983. Within 10 years, she was winning applause for her understated designs, her lavish showroom parties and her eye for rising design stars. Liaigre was her first discovery. Correctly surmising that his pared-down furniture in dark wood would play well in the United States in the aftermath of the go-go ’80s, Hunt began marketing the French designer’s work in 1994.
Over the subsequent years Hunt has added a half-dozen showrooms and, following her own style barometer, has taken on other fresh talents, including glassmaker Alison Berger, French designer Christophe Pillet and couturier Ralph Rucci, making a foray into home design.
One constant over that time have been the aesthetics of Hunt’s own designs. Her fabrics — the first choice of many dealers when re-upholstering vintage seating — are understated, mixing muted colors and updates of classic patterns. Her furniture is simple and refined. As you will see on 1stDibs, the name Holly Hunt represents a sense of timelessness and sophistication.
2010s Unknown Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Bouclé, Oak
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Holly Hunt Daybeds
Leather, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Holly Hunt Daybeds
Bamboo
Late 20th Century Italian Other Holly Hunt Daybeds
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Nickel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Holly Hunt Daybeds
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Fabric, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Holly Hunt Daybeds
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Fabric, Plastic
Early 2000s American Holly Hunt Daybeds
Upholstery, Hardwood
1930s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Holly Hunt Daybeds
Steel, Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Holly Hunt Daybeds
Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Holly Hunt Daybeds
Canvas
