Century’s designs mirror trends

During the spring home-furnishings market in High Point, N.C., the Hickory, N.C.-based furniture maker proved it’s perfectly in tune with what sophisticated consumers are seeking with its introductions that mirror trends in today’s home furnishings.

Haberdashery comes home

Houndstooth prints. Tartan-inspired plaids. Classic argyle. Rich leathers that evoke the scent of cigar smoke and the clink of ice in whisky glasses.

Masculine style has hit the home-furnishings industry full force. The same fabrics you’ll see in GQ or a Brooks Brothers catalog are showing up on fine furniture.

The houndstooth club chair, clad in a tomato, spruce and wheat herringbone weave, epitomizes the “strong, silent type.” Broad, deep and substantial, it has simple Lawson arms, a low back and heavy wood legs.

The Woodsman settee, on the other hand, is a bit more assertive. There’s a lot going on here — exotic leathers (including hand-stitched diamonds and woven belt patterns), turned wood, brass nail-head trim. Throw pillows in hair-on-hide, dyed in tartan-inspired plaid and classic argyle patterns, provide a dash of Scottish élan.

“The finely tailored fabrics that make for a well-dressed man also make for a well-dressed room,” notes Anne Hood, vice president of upholstery fashion. “Masculine style is always appropriate. It’s classic and quietly confident. It wears well.”

Shining moments

What’s hotter than the cool look of metal? Open any fashion magazine and you’ll see the answer: not much. No surprise that consumers also are taking a shine to lustrous, metallic-like fabrics for their homes.

“These fabrics give the look of spun silver or gold or bronze or platinum,” says Alex Shuford III, vice president of upholstery. “They’re spectacular. And what’s interesting is they can’t be typecast. They work equally well on modern or more traditional frames.”

Case in point? Century’s copper tree settee. The fabric is a finely woven bronze silk adorned with an exquisite “tree” embroidered in copper threading. It’s carefully applied to a graceful settee with carved-wood scroll arms, tapered legs and a fanciful serpentine stretcher.

On the other end of the style spectrum is the gold crescent swivel chair. This curvaceous and decidedly modern piece features a high-tech gold fabric that replicates the look of leather but is far more forgiving. It has a sleek, almost glassy luster.

New Orleans revival

The carpe diem spirit that defined old New Orleans — not to mention the mélange of cultural influences — is making a comeback in homes across America. It’s a joyous celebration of life translated into furniture.

“People can’t get enough of vintage colors and Renaissance and Gothic influences,” Hood said. “They’re mixing leather with lavish fabrics; they’re going wild with fringes, tassels and all the trimmings. They’re piling on the pillows several layers deep.”

The French Quarter sofa has tufted gull-wing arms, a dramatic wave-like back and chocolate leather studded with brass nail-head trim, and — if you need one more soupçon of decadence — an exotic fringed skirt. But it’s the fabrics, created by famed textile designer Wes Mancini, that really make the piece.

The sofa’s inside back is dressed in a dark burgundy matelassé fabric with an extravagant scroll pattern that evokes New Orleans ironwork. The material appears again in the bevy of luxurious throw pillows, along with a red, burgundy and gold striped fabric (also Mancini), a lush paisley and a burnished gold velvet.

Asian persuasion

The allure of the Orient is back. The look has long been a favorite of consumers who appreciate the balance and harmony it creates. But now, a broader trend is bringing all things Asian to the furniture forefront: bamboo.

“Bamboo is really big right now,” Shuford said. “It’s a natural offshoot of the ‘green’ outlook everyone’s talking about, and it’s also wonderfully stylish.”

Century introduced an array of benches and ottomans crafted to resemble bamboo. Dress their cushioned tops as you wish. You might choose a gold bamboo lattice fabric for a look that’s pure Asian, or go in a different direction with a sky blue and white stripe, a rose-colored silk with twisted knots, or a pink and ivory herringbone (a feminine twist on the men’s wear trend).

Other Asian accents join the bamboo pieces. Among them is a square lamp table from the new Metro Luxe collection, complete with raised gallery edge, a scalloped apron and graceful bow-top legs.

These pieces will fit into any room, however modern or traditional.