ProjectUDesign

When Cargill's BiOH® Polyols business, along with Toray Interational's Ultrasuede brand made with EcoDesign™ approached me to ask if Century would partner with them on ProjectUDesign, my only reaction was yes--how and when do we help. A design competion which has challenged 15 SCAD students to design an upholstered wing chair that would be both sustainable and sellable sounded fresh and exciting to me. For Century, the ability to work with a group of students, our industry's future designers and customers, and to see what their vision of such an iconic piece would be, has been educational and ultimately inspiring. Their energy and enthusiasm for furniture and furniture design is uplifting.

As part of the process, we hosted the students and their professor, Jason Wech, at our factories in Hickory, NC. We spent the morning touring our upholstery plant and meeting the various craftspeople who will be challenged to bring the winning design to life. Craig Staton (pictured below), the designer of Century's Natural upholstery collection, presented one of his new designs and spoke to the students about how a designer and manufacturer work together to create and what it takes to bring a design off the paper and into production.

They also were able to watch the complete upholstering process for a wing chair so that they could better understand the way materials combine to bring the furniture to completion. It's one thing to draw something, it is quite another to create it and ensure that what you intended on paper is represented in the actual piece.

The sponsors have already voted to narrowed down the designs to 6 and the public voting will open this Friday, September 3rd. At this point design lovers will be able to select their 3 favorites which we will then showcase in our High Point showroom this October. I am excited to see how people will engage with the designs in voting process and which design will ultimately become the next Century wing chair!

Century - "Philadelphia Style"

Across the country we have network of to-the-trade showrooms: each carries the entire Century Furniture line in addition to accessories, artwork, lighting, rugs and more - all set in inspirational displays.

While we sell to-the-design trade we are open for retail browsing and a great point to start for all "things Century"!! I thought as part of my travels it would be fun to introduce you all to each of our locations, first our showroom located in the Marketplace Design Center Philadelphia, PA.

(A photo of the design center which features a stunning mural done by Wyland, a renowned marine life artist.)

(The design center is technically located in downtown Philadelphia, just steps from the 30th Street Train Station and on the banks of the Schuylkill River.)

(Looking down Market Street to the entrance of the design center; you can see City Hall in the background just over the marquee.)

(Flowers on the reception desk - I though this was such a beautiful and different bouquet!)

(Looking into the front windows of the Century Showroom.)

(A stylish upholstery setting - featuring our Oscar de la Renta products.)


(A close-up of decorative throw pillows - isn't the fabric reminiscent of a Picasso or Matisse painting?)

(A desk from our Milan Collection - the showroom has a range of pieces and styles, but transitional and contemporary furniture continues to be popular.)

(Our Omni Dining Table - showing the gorgeous table top.)

(Another Milan piece - accessorized by comtemporary "leaves".)

(We also show a range of traditional rooms.)

(A classic four poster bed dressed with Ankasa bedding.)

(One of my favorite parts of this showroom is the huge deck which overlooks the river! What an amazing setting to show our entire outdoor furniture collection .... and a lovely place for lunch.)

(The view from our deck, looks down on the banks of the Schuylkill River which have been developed into a recreation walkway - great for a stroll, bike ride or run.)

(A beautiful mirrored bed from our Grand Tour collection shown with handpainted bedding from Dransfield & Ross.)

(A close up of luxurious feather pillows.)

(Our resource center in the showroom featuring all the Century fabrics as well as finish and other material sample references.)

(Some samples of our "Alternating Strips" rug collection.)

For more details "all about Philadelphia" please contact Gene Bruneau our showroom manager. His email is gbruneau@centuryfurniture.com and telephone (215)861-4984.

More than a table

My sister-in-law recently sent this poem out to me and others, and reading it I was struck by the meaning and how it relates to what we at Century do and strive to create. Furniture is certainly a commodity. We need it to sit on, sit around, sleep on, set things on, etc. But truly it is so much more. Enjoy!

Perhaps the World Ends Here
by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what,

we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the

table so it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe

at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what

it means to be human. We make men at it,

we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts

of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms

around our children. They laugh with us at our poor

falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back

together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella

in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place

to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate

the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared

our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow.

We pray of suffering and remorse.

We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table,

while we are laughing and crying,

eating of the last sweet bite.

Accessories Inspired by the Sea

We have been receiving AMAZING feedback from the Hampton Designer Showhouse! Visitors are loving the Riviera sectional and the dining set. We also have received many inquiries wanting to purchase the porcelain, shell centerpiece that decorates the dining table. This hurricane (pictured below) is from Vellum New York and is created of fine, Italian porcelain. This piece and all of Vellum's fabulously, chic line are available through any of the Century Furniture Showrooms. Please contact your local showroom for more details or to see the entire collection.

Coral, shells and other objects from the sea are a classic accent for any type of decor (and for any season). Here are some of my favorite Century Furniture accessories and lamps inspired by the sea.

(White Coral Chandelier SKU#SA8023)

(Set of 20 Silver Shells SKU#SA6049)

(Shell Accessory Dish SKU#SA6028)

(Starfish Accessory Lamp SKU#SA8101)

(Barnicle Lamp SKU#SA8141)

(Shell Sconce SKU#SA6008)

Century's entire accessory, lighting and mirror collection can be viewed on our website and can be purchased at a local Century Furniture showroom or retailer.

A Look Behind the Curtain .....

A few days ago I shared photos of this year's Hampton Designer Showhouse. As I am sure you can imagine the tremendous effort that goes into the conception, planning, coordinating, installation and finishing of all those small details needed to create a such a beautiful space. And of course any such undertaking is not without hurdles or challenges ..... or a mound of dirt in the driveway blocking the delivery truck thus requiring all the furniture to be carried up the very long driveway to the house (I only wish we had taken a photo of that!)

A huge thank you to Nancy Pearson, her staff as well as Mark Copeland, Sara Johnson and our amazing plant (who made the pieces in just 3 weeks) at Century for their efforts in making this a reality!! I thought I would share some photos taken during preparations and behind the scenes .....

2010 Hampton Designer Showhouse

The 10th Annual Hampton Designer Showhouse opened on Sunday, July 25th. Presented by Traditional Home magazine and benefiting the Southampton Hospital, this year's home is AMAZING! We at Century were THRILLED when approached by Nancy Pearson to work with her on the kitchen porch. Not only is Nancy a very talented designer but she's super sweet and so much fun to work with! We loved how she mixed our Riviera and Chatsworth collections (all 100% outdoor) in white with the bright purple & pink ikat pillows, chic garden stools and saffron china.

Who wouldn't want to spend a summer afternoon on this porch?


The Riviera sectional is shown above with our white, sailcloth fabric on the "half skirt" slipcovers. There are additional seating (sofa, chair, ottoman, cocktail and end tables) and dining (dining tables, chairs and barstools) pieces available. This collection can be done in any of our in-line fabrics (as well as COM) and the frame can be finished in 5 paint finishes: cloud, sky,crimson, jet, meadow and cafe. And did I mention it is 100% outdoor - it is!

Here are some additional pictures of the collection:

For more information on all of Century's outdoor furniture collections visit, www.centuryfurniture.com/leisure.

The showhouse is open until Sunday, September 5th. For tickets and more information regarding the showhouse visit, www.hamptondesignershowhouse.com/ or call (631)377-3500.