If you’ve scrolled through Instagram, Pinterest, or any high-end design blog in the past 18 months, chances are you’ve seen a Kibard piece without even realizing it. A sculptural oak dining table with impossibly thin legs. A lounge chair that looks like it was carved by wind and time itself. A modular shelving system that somehow makes minimalism feel warm. These aren’t just furniture—they’re quiet statements. And the brand behind them, Kibard, has exploded from a tiny Lithuanian workshop in 2018 to one of the most talked-about names in sustainable luxury design in 2025.
But who exactly is Kibard, where did it come from, and why are architects, interior designers, and eco-conscious millionaires suddenly unable to shut up about it? Let’s pull the curtain back on one of the most exciting furniture stories of the decade.
The Origin Story: From Soviet-Era Factories to Scandinavian-Level Craftsmanship
Kibard was founded in 2018 by two brothers, Lukas and Jonas Kibartas, in the small city of Panevėžys, Lithuania—an industrial town once dotted with Soviet-era furniture factories that churned out particleboard nightmares for the entire Eastern Bloc.
The Kibartas brothers grew up watching those factories collapse after 1991. By the early 2000s, most were abandoned skeletons. Instead of seeing decay, Lukas (a trained carpenter) and Jonas (an industrial designer who studied at the Vilnius Academy of Arts) saw opportunity. They bought one of the old factories for pennies in 2017, kept the original 1960s solid-wood machinery (which, ironically, was built to last forever), and set out to prove that Eastern European craftsmanship could rival Denmark or Sweden—without the Scandinavian price tag.
Their first collection launched quietly in 2019 with exactly seven pieces. No press releases. No influencers. Just a simple Shopify store and an Instagram account. Within six months, every single item was sold out. By 2021, waitlists stretched nine months. Today, in late 2025, some limited-edition Kibard pieces have resale markups of 300–400 % on 1stDibs and Pamono.
What Actually Makes Kibard Different?
You’ve heard the buzzwords before: “sustainable,” “handcrafted,” “heirloom quality.” Most brands slap those terms on marketing copy and call it a day. Kibard actually walks the walk—and has the third-party certifications to prove it.
1. 100 % FSC-Certified, Locally Sourced Hardwoods
Every single Kibard piece is made from oak, ash, or black walnut harvested within a 150 km radius of their Panevėžys workshop. The company owns 180 hectares of forest in northern Lithuania and works exclusively with FSC-certified suppliers for the rest. They publish annual timber traceability reports—something even many legacy Scandinavian brands still don’t do.
2. Zero-VOC, Bio-Based Finishes Only
Kibard uses a proprietary blend of linseed oil, beeswax, and plant resins hardened with natural UV light. No polyurethane, no formaldehyde, no synthetic solvents. The result? You can literally eat off a Kibard table (not that you should, but the finish is food-safe).
3. Lifetime Repair Guarantee + Take-Back Program
Buy a Kibard chair in 2025? The company promises to repair it for free, forever. When you (or your grandchildren) finally decide you’re done with it, Kibard will take it back, refurbish it, and resell it as “Kibard Reissue”—with a new 50-year warranty. That’s not marketing fluff; it’s written into their terms of service.
4. Carbon-Negative Production (Yes, Negative)
Thanks to on-site solar, biomass heating from their own wood waste, and a reforestation program that plants 10 trees for every 1 harvested, Kibard became carbon-negative in 2023, as verified by South Pole’s third-party audit. That means buying a Kibard dining table literally removes CO₂ from the atmosphere.
The Design Philosophy: “Emotional Durability”
Lukas Kibartas famously said in a 2024 Monocle interview: “We don’t design furniture. We design relationships.”
What does that mean? In an age where fast furniture from Wayfair lasts 18 months before heading to landfill, Kibard obsesses over “emotional durability”—the idea that you should love an object so much that you never want to throw it away.
Their pieces achieve this through:
- Imperfect perfection: Visible hand-planed marks, natural wood figuring, and subtle asymmetry that make every single item unique.
- Tactile honesty: No veneers. Ever. What you see is 25–40 mm solid hardwood all the way through.
- Timeless proportions: Kibard refuses to chase trends. A Kibard chair from 2019 looks just as contemporary in 2025 as it did on launch day.
Also Read: Markiseteppe: The Outdoor Upgrade You’ll Regret Missing
The Cult Collections You Need to Know
1. The “Dune” Series (2019–present)
The collection that started it all. Inspired by the windswept dunes of Lithuania’s Curonian Spit, every piece looks like it was sculpted by nature. The flagship Dune Dining Table—with its 4-meter-long single slab top balanced on two curved legs no thicker than your wrist—has been called “the new Noguchi table” by Architectural Digest.
Price new: $18,000–$38,000 depending on size and wood species.
Resale: routinely 2–3× retail.
2. The “Loom” Modular Shelving (2021)
A shelving system that grows with you. Start with one unit, add more as needed. Connectors are solid brass with a patented hidden dovetail system—no visible screws. Currently used in projects by Norm Architects, Studio Giancarlo Valle, and Apple’s new Copenhagen campus.
3. The “Ember” Lounge Chair (2023)
Possibly the most comfortable wooden chair ever made. Steam-bent oak slats conform to your body, with an optional hand-woven Danish paper cord seat. Elle Decor named it “Chair of the Year” 2024. Waitlist: 14 months.
4. The “Nocturne” Bed (2025 limited drop)
Just launched last month—only 150 units worldwide. A floating solid oak platform with integrated nightstands that appear to hover. Already sold out in 48 hours.
How Kibard Is Changing the Luxury Furniture Game
- Direct-to-Consumer (Mostly)
Despite demand from retailers like The Conran Shop and Design Within Reach, Kibard still sells ~70 % of its pieces directly through kibard.com. This keeps prices 30–50 % lower than comparable Scandinavian brands while maintaining margins—because there’s no middleman taking 60 %. - Transparency as a Luxury Feature
Every single piece ships with a QR code linking to a digital “passport” that shows:
- Exact tree the wood came from (with GPS coordinates)
- Name of the craftsperson who built it
- Carbon footprint calculation
- 3D exploded view for future repairs
- Democratizing Heirloom Furniture
Yes, a Dune table costs $25,000. But their new “Kibard Essentials” ash collection starts at just €1,800 for a bench—less than many mass-market “solid wood” pieces from big-box retailers that are actually veneer over MDF.
Where to Buy (or Dream)
Official site: kibard.com (expect 4–18 month lead times)
Showrooms: Vilnius, Copenhagen, New York (SoHo—opened October 2025), Tokyo (Aoyama—coming spring 2026)
Verified resellers: Pamono, 1stDibs, The Conran Shop (limited selection)
Pro tip: Sign up for their newsletter. They do unannounced “archive drops” of returned or showroom pieces at 30–40 % off. Those sell out in minutes.
You may find valuable: The Slylar Box: How A Magic Container Is Quietly Fixing My Life
The Bigger Picture: Why Kibard Matters in 2025
We’re at a turning point. After decades of disposable IKEA culture and $20,000 “luxury” sofas held together by staples and hope, a new generation of buyers—Gen Z millionaires, tech founders, conscious celebrities—is rejecting both extremes.
They don’t want cheap particleboard, but they also don’t want to pay $60,000 for a table just because a famous Danish designer signed it. They want honesty, permanence, and a story they can feel good telling at a dinner party.
Kibard delivers exactly that: heirloom-quality furniture that doesn’t rape the planet, doesn’t cost as much as a car (well, most pieces don’t), and actually gets more beautiful with age.
In a world of greenwashing and planned obsolescence, Kibard isn’t just making furniture. They’re making furniture you’ll never want to replace—and ensuring the earth won’t ask you to.
And honestly? In 2025, that feels like radical luxury.
Henry Kirby is a Chicago-based writer covering design, architecture, and conscious living. His work has appeared in Dwell, Sight Unseen, and The Chicago Tribune. He definitely has a Kibard wish list longer than his arm.
