Large Chin Hua Raymond Sobota Entertainment Storage Armoire by Century Furniture

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Large Chin Hua Raymond Sobota Entertainment Storage Armoire by Century Furniture

About the Item

Incredible Hollywood Regency chinoiserie entertainment cabinet or storage armoire designed by Raymond K. Sobota for his Chin Hua collection for Century Furniture. It is in wonderful vintage condition overall. It does have normal signs of age and use but nothing outstanding. We have replaced a portion of the back. Please see photos, circa 1975-1998. You say you never have enough storage? Well this gorgeous cabinet will solve that issue for you and do it beautifully. Or, use it for its intended purpose as an entertainment cabinet to hide all your electronics. This outstanding piece of furniture is part of the original Chin Hua collection designed by Raymond K. Sobota for Century Furniture in 1975. The entire collection was retired in1998 after a 23-year successful run. So successful that Century Furniture reissued the collection in 2012. And it is no wonder they revived it. The Chin Hua collection was one of century’s most revered collections of all time. However, this gorgeous piece is not part of the new collection and is only available vintage. Playing with the Hollywood Regency and Chinoiserie style Sobota designed this piece beautifully. It is comprised of a white ash burl wood cabinet with ebonized maple accents and brass hardware. It has tall double opening doors which hide a huge open area for a large monitor if you wish, or install shelves for storage of clothing, bedding, towels, or maybe games. And below is a shorter set of double opening doors covering shelved storage. The top shelf has pull-outs originally designed for electronics but will make storage of anything easier. Raymond Karl Sobota (1914-2010) is an award-winning American furniture designer. He attended and obtained his degree in design from Kendall college of art and design in his native home of Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating in 1946 Sobota apprenticed with his namesake and uncle, a furniture designer as well, Karl Schmidt, who designed for Berkey and Gay Furniture company. He apprenticed for seven years leading to his designing for Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Co., the Mt. Airy Furniture Co., Hekman Furniture and finally Century Furniture for whom he designed from 1952 until 1995. He designed all the company’s wood furniture during that time totally over 150 collections. The most notable being Citation, Chin Hua, Claridge, and the Henry Ford Museum and the British National Trust collections. Sobota is credited for helping to making Century Furniture the industry leader it is today. Century Furniture company, one of the world’s largest privately owned upper-end residential furniture manufacturers, was founded in 1947 by Harley Ferguson Shuford, Sr. when first formed Century Furniture was a selling agent for local upholstery lines. But as soon as a year later Shuford had built a case goods plant in Hickory, North Carolina and that started it all. Harley Shuford along with his siblings and children acquired company after company expanding into upholstered furniture, chair manufacturing, and even a leather division. Century has made it through feast and famine in the furniture business and today retains their long-standing role as a leading force in the American home furnishings market Even though you may not need an entertainment cabinet don’t overlook the plethora of things this handsome wonderful cabinet can house. Make it yours. Cabinet measures: Height 85 inches Width 50.5 inches Depth 23.25 inches Crated size: Height 91 inches Width 56 inches Depth 29 inches Weight 500 pounds.

Creator:
Century Furniture (Maker),Raymond K. Sobota (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 85 in (215.9 cm)Width: 50.5 in (128.27 cm)Depth: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
Style:
Hollywood Regency (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Ash,Brass,Maple,Ebonized
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1975-1998
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. It is in wonderful vintage condition overall. It does have normal signs of age and use but nothing outstanding. We have replaced a portion of the back. Please see photos.
Seller Location:
Topeka, KS
Reference Number:
Seller: 414-CSG-0751stDibs: LU1873313800162

Shop All Century Furniture

Century Furniture

Known for its durable vintage display cabinets, nightstands and dressers made of cherry, oak, walnut and more, Century Furniture of Hickory, North Carolina, began as an upholstered goods company in 1947 but added case goods and sophisticated mahogany dining-room furnishings shortly thereafter.

Launched by Harley Ferguson Shuford Sr., a Hickory native who was born to a family of textile mill owners, Century Furniture was intended to be “the best furniture company in the world.” With respect to speed and efficiency, the brand found its footing midway through production on a government contract that Shuford had secured in the early days to manufacture thousands of five-drawer chests. The effort was significant, but it was also a teachable moment as far as Shuford and his team’s learning the ropes of running a factory.

After hiring designer Raymond K. Sobota in 1950 and introducing the enormously popular Citation Collection in 1954, Century established its reputation as a leader in stylishly designed high-quality furniture. Sobota had furniture in his blood — after graduating from Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he worked for his uncle Karl Schmidt, who was at the time a well-known furniture designer for Berkey and Gay and other makers in the Grand Rapids area, then known as America’s furniture capital. Sobota soon launched his own studio, designing furniture as a freelancer for various local manufacturers. Shuford found him by happenstance, journeying to Michigan’s second-largest city to offer a job to another designer who turned him down but recommended Sobota instead.

Century’s Citation line — a sizable collection for the brand that spanned furnishings for the bedroom, dining room and more — is revered in the world of vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors. The pieces sold very well during the 1950s, and the line is an oft-cited success story for Sobota, who would go on to win awards for his work and whose own catalogue of designs for the brand is massive.

In his 40-year career at Century, until he retired in 1995, he designed well over 100 furniture lines. Sobota’s nightstands, cabinets, side tables and more are characterized by his interest in Asian design, distinctly and brilliantly expressed in his Hollywood Regency–style Chin Hua line, which debuted during the 1970s. With its geometrically decorative brass drawer pulls and door handles as well as dining-chair seat-back carvings — all inspired by Asian motifs — this collection has rendered vintage pieces that saw Century’s craftsmen working with alluring ebonized walnut and more, some of the company’s most sought-after work today.

Also in the 1970s as well as in the 1980s, Manhattan interior designer Jay Spectre introduced an Art Deco–informed spirit at Century Furniture, creating oversize, inviting lounge chairs and bentwood benches that featured plush tufted leather cushions. Spectre’s Eclipse collection was at one point among the largest-selling lines for the brand.

Century licensed collections with celebrity interior designers such as Thomas O’Brien, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams among others. In 2013, when Alex Shuford III was named president of Century Furniture, the move marked the succession of the third generation to lead this company, which is today one of the world’s largest privately held manufacturers of high-end furniture.

Find Century Furniture lounge chairs and dining chairs as well as vintage mid-century modern credenzas, dressers and more on 1stDibs.