Her Story is Your Story

K2 Studio owner Kim Hubbard is here to listen

By: Alison Fields

HERE FIRST
Entrepreneur Kim Hubbard is an Asheville native.
Photo by Colby Rabon

Kim Hubbard’s edge is her deep insider’s knowledge. The rare Asheville native, she left the city and returned in the mid 1990s to put her mark on a critical piece of downtown’s architectural history with her purchase and restoration of the 1928-era Kress Building, where her business still thrives.

Opening K2 Studio in 1997 allowed Hubbard to show some of her favorite North Carolina-made furniture, art, antiques, and treasures. (It’s a companion business to Kress Emporium, which displays the work of more than 80 regional makers.) Her sense of local style has made her a sought-after design consultant for more than two decades.

“I’m now selling furniture to the children of my original clients,” she says. 

Hubbard played a leading role in downtown’s extraordinary cultural revitalization. She is clear about who she is and how that informs her taste. “I am Asheville,” she says, with a laugh. 

How did Kress grow into K2 Studio?

Asheville [in the ’90s] was still a very different place than it is today. We decided to buy and restore the Kress. It was such an architectural gem, and I like the idea of creating a place for people who sell and show their work. But it was a real leap of faith. When we bought the building it was vacant, pretty much in shambles. We literally found a skateboard ramp on the third floor. Renovating the building gave me the confidence to explore what a space could be and the process to get it there. 

What’s your process when you work with clients?

I’m not trained as a designer, but I like the challenge of trying to translate what people want. Like, if I get a woman in the store who has bought a house in Asheville and tells me she wants to “get her groove back,” I have to figure out what that means to her. 

A lot of it is intuition, bridging that gap between what is there and what can be. I believe the things we choose to have around us tell a story. One of the first things I like to do with a client is go into their basement or attic and storage room and help them find the pieces they haven’t used but still mean something to them. They are also a clear part of this person’s story—how they got there, where they’re going—and can help me get a sense of who they are. 

So your approach is not centered around one particular style or aesthetic?

Different clients require different approaches, but I’m not a minimalist. I like a space that is soft and fluffy and kind of Bohemian. My brain doesn’t allow me to just throw things out. I’m always looking for opportunities to adapt and reuse. 

As an example, I was once gifted a fur coat. I wasn’t wearing it, so I pulled it out of storage and it had it made into throw pillows that I sold at the store. A customer that bought one of them still reminds me every now and then how much she’s enjoying her piece of my old coat. I love that. It’s so cool. 

Anything you wish people would know when they embark on a design project?

Real places don’t look like pictures on a website. I don’t sell that in my shop, and I don’t create it in people’s homes. My clients have busy lives with kids, pets, and diverse needs for space. Whatever I do for them has to be functional and multi-faceted. Spaces are interesting and beautiful when you can use them. My favorite projects are not grand and monumental. They are rooms in vibrant, lively households where people can just hang out with their dogs and kids and relax. 

The trickiest jobs for me are when you have a couple with a clash of sensibilities. It can be really tough to find a compromise on taste. You can make it all flow, but it’s definitely a challenge.

You talk about how important Asheville has been to your own sensibility. Anything else you want to say about that?

I’ve been to a lot of places — this city is not like other towns. People are so invested in the community, and there’s such a relationship with the art and design, the endless creativity. I wanted to capture that when I opened K2. I think the customers that come to my store are looking for a little of that, too. 

K2 Studio, 59 College St., Asheville, 828-250-0500; k2furniture.com. 

0 replies on “Her Story is Your Story”