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6 Chin Hua Dining Chairs in Black by Raymond K. Sobota for Century Furniture

About the Item

Gorgeous set of six Chin Hua dining chairs 4 side and 2 armchairs by Raymond K. Sobota for Century Furniture. Comprised of ebonized deep brown ash wood and a textured stripe taupe and black fabric on the seat cushions. Beautiful vintage condition. The frames have been tightened if necessary and the wood has been brought back to life with Restore-a-Finish enhancing their gorgeous age patina which can consist of wear where more wood shows through the ebonizing, small nicks, and dings but nothing outstanding. The original upholstery has been professionally cleaned but may still have small signs of use and there is a faint red stain on one armchair that did not shampoo out. Please see photos, circa 1975-1998. Note: We have several other Chin Hua pieces listed for sale that would harmonize beautifully with these dining chairs. Oh, my goodness aren’t these dining chairs fabulous?? This set of 6 comes with four side and two armchairs and they are part of the original Chin Hua Collection designed by Raymond K. Sobota for Century Furniture in 1975. The entire collection was retired in 1998 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, these gorgeous pieces are not part of the new collection and are only available vintage. Playing with the Hollywood Regency and Chinoiseries style Sobota designed these dining chairs beautifully. They have a sultry ebonized black finish and the center splat on each chair has an incised motif. The frames are solid and durable with stretcher joined legs and base and the seats are upholstered in a textured stripe taupe and black fabric. They are gorgeous and will complete your dining room in Chin Hua style! 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. This set of Chin Hua dining chairs is exactly what you need for a prestigious dining experience! Make them yours!! Chairs: • Height 39.75 inches • Width side chairs 19 inches • Width armchairs 23 inches • Depth side chairs 21.5 inches • Depth armchairs 23.5 • Seat height 19 inches • Arm height 23.5 inches • Inside seat width side chairs 17 inches • Inside seat width armchairs 20 inches • Inside seat depth side chairs 15.5 inches • Inside seat depth armchairs 16.5 inches • Inside back height 22.5 inches • Weight side chairs – 17.7 pounds each • Weight armchairs- 20.9 pounds each Crated size: • Height 48 inches • Width 69 inches • Depth 39 inches • Weight – 400 pounds.

Creator:
Century Furniture (Maker),Raymond K. Sobota (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 39.75 in (100.97 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 23.5 in (59.69 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 6
Style:
Chinoiserie (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Burl,Wood
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1975-1998
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Frames were tightened & wood brought back to life with Restore-a-Finish. Retain gorgeous age patina. Wear where wood shows through the ebonizing, nicks dings nothing outstanding. Upholstery cleaned but still faint red stain on 1 armchair. See photos.
Seller Location:
Topeka, KS
Reference Number:
Seller: 414-SEA-3781stDibs: LU1873322747772
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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.