Teardrop Earrings Inspire Nickel & Suede’s Office by Matthew Hufft
It’s the usual success story: A Missouri mom/fashion blogger needs statement earrings, so she crafts a pair from scrap leather in a simple teardrop shape. That was 2013. Today, the resulting Nickel & Suede, founded by Kilee Nickels and her husband Soren, is a multimillion-dollar company with 30 employees—plus part-time help from their five toddler sons. No longer able to work out of their basement, the Nickels turned to fellow Missourian, architect Matthew Hufft, to design their 12,500-square-foot headquarters in Liberty. Hufft and co-principal Jeff Kloch responded with elements inspired by N&S packaging and product. The charcoal-stained stair nods to the dark, minimal ribbon wrapping each gift box. The conference table was fabricated by Hufft’s in-house shop in the form of the brand’s Gem earrings, and it’s backed by a mural abstracting the letters in the company name. In restrooms, mirrors mimic the jewelry that started it all.
