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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The amazing High Point Market – Century Furniture

My first stop at the High Point Market was Century Furniture.  I will admit to having a very fond spot in my heart for Century; their furniture truly resonates with me, and I have purchased many pieces of Century furniture over the years.  The tour of the beautiful Century showroom was guided by the granddaughter of the founder of Century, Comer Wear; Century is a family business now in its third generation.  Founded in 1947, Century Furniture prides itself on being an American brand primarily made in the USA.  Century offers over 50 finishes, and thousands of customization options, and the dazzling number of items in their line were on full display in their showroom at High Point.  Their showroom was truly amazing!

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I particularly liked a new line of furniture introduced by Century at this market, called Monarch.  The light tones and relaxed elegance had great appeal to me.  I particularly liked this dining table, which has the aged oak look that I love but in a more refined finish that protects the surface and eliminates the raw edges often found in furniture of this style.

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Also a favorite from this collection was a center table with beautifully turned legs, and a detailed top that reminded me of a rose window.

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Century has everything from traditional to contemporary in their line.  I have admired this Kelly Hoppen screen for years, and it was great to see it in real life! Click here to see more of the Kelly Hoppen collection.

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Some of the rooms featured Century’s more traditional lines, and there is a large market for furnishings that are rooted in traditional design.  However, what Century is seeing is a desire to have ‘traditional with a twist’ – classic lines and forms, but mixed up with vintage inspired pieces, or contempory art, or even bright and vibrant wood finishes and hardware to make the design more 21st century.

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The Bob Timberlake Home Collection by Century, which spread out over at least five large rooms, truly made me feel as if I had been transported to either the mountains or a lake house.  Bob himself is very involved in the styling of the rooms, and many of the accessories and wall hangings are from his personal collection.  Here is a great YouTube video of the new Bob Timberlake collection, featuring an interview with Bob himself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCFYwar2gHM

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One way that Century keeps their lines fresh and updated is with a vast array of finishes.  This is a Greek Key chest is from the Oscar de la Renta collection (click here to see more from this collection); on the left is a green finish in the showroom (my picture), on the right it is shown in a darker finish (picture from the Century website).  Century has a list of recommended finishes for each of their items, but the sky is the limit with Century’s customized approach to furniture making.

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The blue finish are one of my favorites! Both of these pieces are from Century’s New Traditional collection (a style that really resonates with me). Click here to see more from the New Traditional collection. (Picture on the left taken in the showroom, picture on the right from the Century website).

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The silver captured my eye too…

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A peek at the outdoor furniture area of the showroom.  The new hot pink Sunbrella fabric took almost five years to develop (as I understand it, a tricky color to capture in outdoor fabric).  I am loving the huge variety in color dinishes on the outdoor furniture, as seen on the chairs perched on the shelves!

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As a way to encourage and mentor new design talent, Century sponsored Project UDesign, and SCAD student Ryland Quillen’s wing chair was the winner.  It is now in production and here it is!

I hope you enjoyed getting a view into the Century showroom – I found it to be so inspirational and very interesting.  This just reflects a small, small glimpse into the vast array of furnishings that Century offers.  Much more can be found on the comprehensive, newly redesigned web site that can be found here: http://www.centuryfurniture.com.


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16 comments:

  1. Hello Holly!

    How are you doing?

    Oh, I'm honestly loving all the light blue furniture! Aren't they so fresh, welcoming and elegant at the same time? It's beautiful!

    Thank you for sharing this. What a great post!


    Have a great day!

    xo

    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  2. The Oscar de la Renta chest - LOVE!

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  3. Greek Key chest in green and maybe another one in blue.

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  4. Love the Kelly Hoppen screen and the green Greek Key chest is fabulous!!

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  5. LOve the Black Chest and the silver stack tables!

    Holly it is so great to see the lines from Century through your eyes!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  6. I love their showroom, that whole building has such a special feel !

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  7. Love this post Holly, and jealous of your showroom tour. I agree that Century is a great source for investment pieces for so many different aesthetics.

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  8. Holly, the Sunbrella Hot Pink fabric took -- and this is hard to believe -- almost five years to bring to market, but its finally here! Thanks for the shout out!

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  9. Holly, thank you for your beautiful post about our High Point showroom and company! We pour ourselves into the creation of this space hoping that it will surprise and inspire. Thanks for letting me tour you through. I enjoyed meeting you and look forward to seeing you again!

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  10. How fun and informative. Thanks for sharing. I dream of going to Highpoint some day. Guess I need to get to know someone in the trade better, to tag along with...
    Love the greek key motifs on that sleek black dresser.

    I am so curious what woods you are using in the new house - light? colours?

    xo Terri

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  11. Holly, I went to the Century website and looked at the Monarch collection, and it doesn't look like your pictures. It is Spanish style. Do you have any information on the pieces that you showed in the first pictures of this blog?

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  12. I don't think there is a single item that I wouldn't want for my home! I've always had a spot in my heart for Century Furniture as well! Great quality and just beautiful!

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  13. Love the blue piece. That would be a hard one to walk away from.

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  14. Big fan of Century furniture..the traditional with a twist pieces are right up my ally.

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  15. i love the key chest more! thanks for posting great pictures!

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  16. I think your photography is very good! I took quite a few pictures last time I was there and I will just tell you that not many came out very well. I love,Love that round table! OMG! And that light blue cabinet! Traditional with a twist. That's what I love. Great post- thanks for sharing!

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Thank you for your comments! I strive to make my blog positive in tone, and appreciate the same courtesy when comments are made. Thank you!

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