History

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History Heritage
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Infinite Possibilities
Our slogan is more than a platitude. It is a
promise that each employee and purveyor of our
products makes to you. With our unrivaled
breadth of product styles and the numerous
options we offer, the possibilities are truly
infinite.
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Unlimited Attention
Unlimited attention means just what it says
Attention to detail in design, craftsmanship, and
shipping. When you choose Century Furniture you
can be confident you are getting quality
furniture personalized to your distinctive tastes
at an extraordinary value.
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History
Harley Ferguson Shuford, Sr., established Century
Furniture Company in 1947. He started with 500
of paid-in capital, according to a financial
summary he later wrote for the bank when he
sought a loan. In the beginning, Century was a
selling agent for local upholstery lines. Mr.
Shufords new company sold the output of
these small companies, stabilized their sometimes
shaky finances, and advised them on market trends
and quality issues.
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History
A couple of years later, having built a
successful sales organization and turned a good
profit, Mr. Shuford dreamed of managing his own
production under one roof with the use of modern
equipment and sophisticated management practices.
He recognized the pent-up demand in the years
following World War II, and he convinced a
brother-in-law and three close friends to join
him in capitalizing and operating a modern
physical plant.
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History
Century Furniture is one of the world's largest
privately owned manufacturers of upper-end
residential furniture. Its broad product line of
wood and upholstered and outdoor furniture
consists of bedroom, dining and occasional
collections in traditional, transitional and
contemporary styling.
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History
Century is recognized in the industry as a design
leader, ranked in the forefront for its expertise
in finishing and the many details of fine
craftsmanship.
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History
The average length of employment is greater than
10 years, and many boast more than 40 years of
distinguished service. In many cases three
generations of the same family have passed their
specialized skills from one generation to the
next. It is the kind of company that once you
join, you never want to leave.
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History
You will find Century Furniture in the finest
homes in America, including the Whitehouse.
From our extraordinary designs, through our
exquisite craftsmanship details, you cannot buy
better furniture.
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Superb Craftsmanship
While construction features may not always be
visible, they nevertheless allow for comfort and
durability for life. State of the art frame
construction combined with 8-way hand-tied double
cone coils, layers of foam and fiber and a coated
steel-mesh base provide solid support, insulation
and comfort. Hardwood legs are engineered into
the frame for strength and stability. Apparent
luxury lies in the well-padded back, sides and
pillows of all Century upholstery.
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Product Scope
Century makes a dazzling array of fine
furniturecustomized to suit the needs of each
individual consumerfor every room in the home.
Our categories include Wood Collections for the
Dining Room, Bedroom, and Living Room, Custom
Dining Tables Chairs, Upholstered Seating,
Outdoor/Indoor Leisure, Home Entertainment, Home
Office
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One Standard The Best.
At Century, we have only one standard The
Best. That means only the best materials,
design, and craftsmanship. We expect every
piece we make to be perfect and we stand behind
it, hand-in-hand with the finest retailers,
interior designers, and other partners.
Century is all about luxury, innovation, and
speed. These three concepts permeate our
corporate culture and every aspect of the
customer experience.
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Materials
Only the finest materials are worthy of Century
furniture. Exotic woods. Imported Italian stone.
Hand-hammered wrought iron. Luscious silks,
velvets, jacquards, and leathers. All of these
elements are brought together by a team of
talented designers and craftspeople, worked and
finished by hand, to create furniture thats more
than just furnitureits a work of art.
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Drawer Construction
The true superiority of fine furniture is often
found in the hidden details of design and
craftsmanship. Our patented double dovetail
drawer glides are found only in Century Furniture
products to ensure heirloom quality for future
generations. They are more than twice as
strong as conventional construction and the
double glide is smoother than ordinary drawer
glides. The English dovetail joints provide
unrivaled strength and craftsmanship. Corner and
reinforcement blocks ensure rattle free
operation.
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Distressing
Unlike mass-produced furniture, each piece is
distressed and finished by hand.
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Gold Silver Leaf
Thin foil sheets of silver or gold are applied by
hand to accent design details such as carvings
and mouldings. They are worn through and
burnished to a fine patina to simulate aging.
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Gold Silver Dry Brushing
A gold or silver paint is made by combining a
mixture of gold or silver powder to a clear glaze
or gloss lacquer. The brush is dipped into the
mixture, and then is brushed on an absorbent
surface until it is nearly dry. Only then is it
applied to furniture. As a result, it is more
subtle than leafing.
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Hand Waxing
Hand rubbing brings out the luster in fine wood
finishes. A skilled artisan applies a special
formulation of wax and rubs it to a high sheen.
The formula, which contains beeswax and carnuba,
produces a long-lasting shine which brings out
the depth of complex multi step finishes.
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Flow Matching
We Believe Flow Matching is an Art Form. We have
a dedicated production process to ensure
dressmaker tailoring and detailed personal
attention. There is nothing more pleasing to the
eye that a perfectly 4-way flow matched piece of
upholstery. But achieving it requires great
skill in visualization, which comes from years of
experience in cutting and sewing. We make all of
our Signature Upholstery by hand in our factory
in Hickory, NC.
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Customization
Customization is another aspect of luxury. Each
piece of our furniture is its own creation.
Consumers can choose from dozens of fine
finishes, hundreds of fabrics, and a dazzling
array of upholstery skirts, fringes, nail head
trim, and other extras. We even have a custom
dining group that lets you build a stunning table
from the floor up. Finally, when all the
decisions are made, you get your custom-designed
furniture fastso you dont have to wait to bask
in the luxury at home.
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Custom Finishes
All of our finishes are expertly rendered
hand-applied layer after layer, polished to
perfection, carefully distressed to create the
timeworn patina of a well-loved antique. Unlike
ordinary furniture, most of our casegoods may be
finished in a multitude of options. Each
expertly crafted piece is hand finished one at a
time by our skilled artisans. To personalize a
piece for your distinctive tastes, choose from
one of the more than 50 finishes offered. You
can even choose a different finish for the top
and the base.
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Innovation
Century creates unique pieces that simply cannot
be mass produced. Take the Radial Table from our
Oscar de la Renta Home collection, shown here.
It's based on an 1835 design by an inventor named
Jupe. Unfortunately, the tolerances required were
so narrow that minor changes in humidity made the
mechanism unworkable. Modern wood and metal
working techniques, along with engineering
know-how, solved this problem.
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Speed
Century is known for its speed of delivery. After
a consumer places his/her order, we typically
have his/her customized furniture available for
delivery in four weeks or lessby far the fastest
turnaround time in the luxury segment of the
furniture industry.
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Creative Alliances
We have found that collaboration generates
tremendous creative energy. In recent years weve
joined forces with fashion giant Oscar de la
Renta, and international furniture designer
Richard Frinier. The results? Diverseand
breathtakingfurniture collections that are
fresh, and unexpected.
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Extreme Customization
Our goal is to never say no. We offer a
practically unlimited range of custom upholstery
built to your exact requirements. This includes
custom widths, depths and heights, skirt options,
cushion and back details along with the plushest
seat and back fills, and application of unique
trims. More than likely, if you can design it,
we can build it. Our skilled craftsmen have
worked miracles in creating one-of-a-kind pieces.
If it is possible, we will quote you a price.
Then you can decide whether or not to proceed.
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• We strive to make furniture of such impeccable
  quality that it brings joy not only to the people
  who own it, but also to the craftsmen who build
  it.
• Harley F. Shuford 1947