Century Furniture featured in 'Traditional Home'

Traditional Home's annual Before and After issue features full coverage of Jill Zarin's renovations. Click the image to see the full article.

From the frame construction, to the hand-application of your choice of finish and distressing, to the sewing and application of the fabric or leather, each piece of Century Furniture passes through the hands of some of the most experienced artisans and craftsman in the industry.

No detail is overlooked, and every measure is taken to insure that every piece of Century Furniture you purchase is precisely as you wish.

Century Furniture on 'The Real Housewives'

Century Furniture pick of Jill Zarin: as seen on The Real Housewives of New York City on Bravo Television. Century’s product was recently featured prominently in the renovation of Jill Zarin’s penthouse apartment in New York City.

In addition to the furniture identified in the photographs below, the china cabinets in the entry are also by Century: Omni Bunching China Cabinets 559-421.

For more information on Century Furniture, the pieces pictured or to purchase the furniture for yourself visit www.CenturyFurniture.com

Oscar de la Renta Collection 60-11-728 Lattice Back Chair in Chalk White with COM fabric, paired with the 60P-606 Parson’s Cocktail Tables.

Video Presentation - Century Furniture

Click Here to see an interview with Maria Parasugo, Vice President of Century Showrooms, discusses how the company is moving away from a traditional manufacturing style of business and toward a customer-focused service strategy.

Denpasar Collection in Australia

A client in Australia used our Denpasar Collection to decorate the outdoor areas of this spectacular new home.

As the capital city of Bali, Indonesia, Denpasar was largely a market area at the turn of the 20th century. Later, in the 1920s and 1930s, it became an early home to the tourist trade.

No wonder. The city is in the heart of a spiritual culture that began thousands of years ago and still flourishes today.

Folklore reads that Bali—a place rich with villages, temples,gardens and beaches—is the home of the gods on earth.

* The Denpasar Collection features articulately hand-woven Hularo® framework in the rich and textural colors of Timor and Borneo.
* Distinctive architectural styling interprets design elements from the Dutch and Indonesian Colonial periods.
* The sweeping arcs andromantic spiral volutes reflect the artistry, color and diversity of the island’s villages and people.
* This graciously scaled leisure collection for the home and garden is woven using traditional herringbone and cane weaving techniques embellishing the Dutch and Indonesian Colonial period styling.
* Faux stone tabletops balance with either woven or faux stone table bases with references to authentic Balinese architecture.

To learn more about our international furniture collection, please visit our site.

Water Hyacinth

Often, when a plant or animal is removed from its natural environment and introduced into a new one, the ecological balance is upset. Such was the case when the water hyacinth was introduced into Thailand. It quickly invaded the local canals and waterways, creating a nuisance much the same way kudzu has in the southeastern United States.

An extremely fast-growing plant, water hyacinth is an ecologically responsible alternative to wicker and rattan, as it is a raw material that can be used in its natural state and one of the few that quickly replenishes itself. Compared to wicker and rattan, water hyacinth is much softer and smoother to the touch, as well as lighter and less brittle.

The plant is what Century calls “green,” meaning it needs hardly any processing to manufacture – again, making it a more environmentally conscious material than wicker or rattan. Even the few teak parts that are used in this collection are made from wood purchased from strictly monitored “farms” that are replanted under Thailand government supervision.
The young hyacinth stems are hand-picked from the waterways and sun-dried. The finest stems are then selected and braided. The braids are then interwoven between hundreds of small reeds to become the upholstery for the hand-cut wood and rattan frames. Once these frames are “upholstered,” the pieces are sprayed with three coats of water-based flat lacquer to add stain and dirt resistance. Since Century uses absolutely no stain, dye, or varnish on the finished pieces, the natural, rich golden hue of the dried hyacinth is not compromised. The entire process can take weeks from start to finish, but the result is a beautiful and distinctive piece of hand-woven furniture.

Water hyacinth, a waterway pest, now provides furniture of heirloom quality. Whether you are choosing furniture for your bedroom, family room or sun room, Century’s Water Hyacinth will grace your home beautifully for many years.

Furniture Survives Hurrican Katrina

From time to time we receive letters from customers that have had unususual experiences relating to furnitiure they have purchased from us. Here's a story about some furniture that lived through as hurricane! This furniture was from our Coddington Square Collection.
Hi Gaye,

We are so very pleased to have saved the Century Furniture in our home that went through being submerged in 3 feet of water from Hurricane Katrina for several days in Slidell, Louisiana. The dining room Century Furniture was the only furniture to survive the storm's damage. I have attached photos of several of the pieces.

We saved the dining room table and chairs by removing them from the soaked oriental rug and placing them on the hardwood floor to dry out. Despite the intense heat of the house, the furniture dried perfectly.

We had to pull off the back of the Sideboard to remove water-soaked linens that caused the drawers to swell and seal. I used a solution of bleach and water to kill the mold and mildew that developed. The piece also dried to its original beautiful form. One drawer had to be re-built, but it's front piece remained in tact.

The dual china cabinets survived very well. The lower cabinet doors were in tact and I removed the water-filled china, etc, that the piece contained.

We are so very pleased that the furniture survived the devastation, and so grateful to the excellent craftsmanship and pride that Century puts into its products. The story of how the furniture survived is retold each time the family gathers for meals and holidays.

The days and months following Katrina have been very painful, but their is comfort knowing that we have not lost EVERYTHNG that is so dear to us. The Century furniture survived and will be handed down from generation to generation in our family.

Best Regards,

Ann and Luke Cutrone
Lafayette, LA 70508

How to Buy a Quality Sofa

When it comes to selecting a sofa, the choices are endless. Fabric, leather, or a combination of both … every possibility is available to create stylish seating in your living space.

But before you get carried away with finishes or features, there are a few basic considerations and decisions that will ensure you will be sitting comfortably with your new purchase.

Sofa Check List
Examine the space – Each room has a natural location for the main seating. Generally this will be parallel to the fireplace or perpindicular to the television. Check that there is enough access to other features in the room, make sure that doorways are not obstructed and power points are accessible. Is there suitable floor space to place a coffee table and lamps?

Measuring Up – An effective way of judging what size of sofa, apartment sofa, Love Seat or Setee will suit the space is to place a large piece of paper matching the sofa's footprint on the floor. This 'map' will give you a feel for the maximum dimensions available and how the sofa will work with existing furniture.

If you are good with a computer, many websites have floor planners where you can draw the room and rearrange furniture to your hearts content.

Make sure you can get the sofa in the room! Get the tape measure out to take a note of the dimensions of the doorways – both into the living space and through the main access point. The last thing you want is to have to remove doors to make way for your new purchase! Many larger designs (such as the corner groups) come as modular units which can un-click for this very reason.

Usage – As with any other practical feature of your home, your new sofa must reflect your lifestyle. Do you have young children or pets? Do you eat in this room? Do you entertain regularly? Is there access to the garden from the living space? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, a sturdy frame and an easy-to-clean surface are essential. There is little point setting your heart on the beautifully upholstered cream chaise, only to have it soiled or damaged in a short space of time. Function must follow form.

Time to Buy
With your check list examined it is time to make more decisions!

Dynamic shapes work to great effect in modern settings. Once considered a luxury item, leather sofas are now widely available and affordable. The considerable advantage of leather is its longevity. A great choice for families with youngsters or pets, this hardy material is easy to clean and will better with age. However, the price tag will relate to the 'grade' of leather and the more you spend, generally, the better the quality. If you plan not to change the seating for several years, avoid leather look-a-likes. Always check stitching and the quality of the cushion's zips.

Upholstered sofas are enjoying a renaissance in popularity, with plush fabrics and exquisite patterns extensively available. Previously only accessible from bespoke furniture upholsterers, great quality fabric sofas with professional finishes are available from many High Street retailers. However, it is important to be mindful of existing furnishings to ensure the patterns work together.

Fillings – What is inside your sofa is probably the last consideration on your mind, but it will affect the look, feel and comfort of your seating. There are three main categories: foam, fibre or feather-filled. If the seating is not used a great deal, foam is an adequate and cheaper choice. Fibre has a softer feel and is less expensive than feather filling. The latter is the most luxurious, moulding to your form. Plumping of cushions is required to maintain shape.

Style and Shape – Contemporary or classic; angular or curved? High back or low roll-back? There are a bewildering number of style choices, but having identified the practical considerations in our check list, you will now know the best type of sofa for you and your home. The style will be denoted by your preference of furnishings. A modern home will provide the best setting for a stunning angular sofa with minimalist styling. A period home will therefore be home to traditional forms, such as Chesterfields, button back details and carved legs.

By doing your homework before you begin searching, you will be able to identify the perfect sofa, and avoid costly mistakes.

Getting to Market--Before & After

Okay, full disclosure, I started this post months before April's High Point market and got a bit sidetracked by press releases and market preparations so never finished it! The idea was to show our design process, start to finish, for our showroom here in High Point. If you are anything like me, the task of outfitting your own home is daunting, much less 80,000 square feet twice a year! Often I get asked, "How do you do that? I can't imagine recreating this space for each market." So I thought I would show some of the behind the scenes process.

2 MONTHS BEFORE MARKETA sea of folding tables hold brand new fabrics samples that our Creative Director, Laurie Reed, and Vice President of Upholstery Fashion, Anne Hood, hunt through in order to find just the right one to tell our spring story. This is what this Century Signature Upholstery gallery looked like in February.

OPENING DAY APRIL MARKET 2010 It is hard to even recognize this as the same room! All tables put aside and we are dressed up and ready for company. Here the dramatic Oscar de la Renta shell benches in a chalk white finish start to tell the tale of Century Signature Upholstery with a new sofa from this market positioned directly behind. This market gray was our neutral for this gallery, livened up with celery greens.

BEFORE MARKETIn this room Laurie and Anne literally map out each room in our showroom in fabric. The walls are lined with cardboard. Fabric memos and showroom renderings are pinned up by room and product line. You can see on the back wall the Pagoda fabric which was the beginning of our lobby plans.

APRIL MARKET 2010

Here all the cardboard has been tucked away to showcase another Century Signature Upholstery room. Laurie and Anne mixed metallics in a dramatic and sophisticated way. Note the stainless steel chair in a metallic floral!

While I did not get around to posting this when intended, it is the design cycle that we go through before each High Point market. I leave you with this shot that I took this morning on my phone, walking back to my office. As you can see, the process has already started for October 2010! Full circle. ~~~

Farewell 2009-Welcome 2010!

I know most of us are probably glad to bid farewell to 2009 and welcome 2010 but I wanted to share some of the many highlights for Century in the past year. A big "thank you" to the entire Century team and extended family of partners for making these accomplishments happen.

• Achieved EFEC certification in all of our plants. EFEC – or "Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture" – is a voluntary environmental management program created for the residential furniture industry by AHFA-American Home Furnishings Alliance. We were among five manufacturers that have achieved EFEC registration for all domestic manufacturing facilities in 2009.
  http://www.ahfa.us/news/viewArticleDetail.asp?ID=500
  

• Finalist for the 2009 Sustainable By Design Sage Awards. This award recognizes those in the home furnishings and bedding industries for their commitment to sustainable business practices, social responsibility and profitable growth. We were honored to be apart of this elite and innovative group of manufacturers.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Century Furniture was proud to be a participant on recent high-end home rescue in particiation with Christopher Hyland. This rescue was featured on the 12/20 episode of NBC's "Open House NY", and among several pieces selected was our Stiletto Chair.

Featured above: Stiletto Chair

• Debut of the new collection by Oscar de la Renta for Century at the 2009 fall furniture market in High Point with subsequent launch parties in New York and Dania Beach, Florida. The reception in New York co-hosted by Mr. de la Renta and Century Furniture showcased the bespoke styling, rich reds, deep bronze accents and fresh details of tortoiseshell which capture the sophistication of Mr. de la Renta's new designs for Century. “Mr. de la Renta has again found the critical line between the classics and today. His collection does such a wonderful job of appealing to all of our youthful energy, while never wavering from the highest taste.” - Alex Shuford Sr., President of Century Furniture.
  

Featured above: 60-22-716SK Sofa, 60-22-723 Wing Chair and 60B-601M Cocktail