Century Furniture and the Rock House Farm Houses, Explained
Century Furniture is an American manufacturer based in Hickory, North Carolina, established in 1947, and one of the most specification-driven upholstery and casegoods houses available through Sutter & Vale. It belongs to RHF Investments, the Rock House Farm family of brands, which also includes Hickory Chair, Hancock & Moore, Highland House, Maitland-Smith, and Pearson. Understanding that structure changes how you shop across the group.
Who Owns Century, and What Other Houses Are in the Same Family?
RHF Investments, headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, owns all of the Rock House Farm houses under one parent company. The group operates nine domestic factories. Century, Hickory Chair, Hancock & Moore, Highland House, and Maitland-Smith are siblings in the same corporate family, not independent competitors.
For buyers and designers, this matters in two ways. First, the houses share manufacturing infrastructure, which supports consistency in lead times and finish quality across an order that mixes brands. Second, each house is kept genuinely distinct by design direction and product type. Knowing what separates them helps you choose the right one for each project.
| House | Primary category | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Century Furniture | Upholstery and casegoods | Deep customization, finishing leadership |
| Hickory Chair | Upholstery and seating | Designer collaborations, tailored scale |
| Hancock & Moore | Leather seating | American leather upholstery, frame depth |
| Highland House | Upholstery | Softer residential scale |
| Maitland-Smith | Decorative casegoods | Artisan materials, surface detail |
What Makes Century Different From the Other Houses in the Group?
Century is the customization house. Its registered tagline, "Infinite Possibilities. Unlimited Attention.," is a literal description of the specification system. Where another house sells a designed object, Century sells a decision tree, and it owns the factories to honor it.
The upholstery program runs fabric grades from 1 through 92 and leather grades from L1 through L13. Finish options number more than 50, organized into Group A, Group B, and Group D tiers, with two-tone combinations, hand wax passes, and decorative embellishments available as add-ons. Every casegood carries a published distressing grade on a five-point scale: N/A, Very Light, Light, Medium, or Heavy. Light is the house default. You can confirm the exact distressing level of a piece before it is built.
The finishing process runs approximately 25 steps. Three hand techniques define the upper end of that process:
- Hand Waxing: a beeswax and carnauba formula rubbed to a high sheen by a skilled artisan
- Leafing: gold or silver foil applied by hand to carved details, then worn through and burnished to simulate aging
- Dry Brushing: metallic powder mixed into a clear glaze, applied on a nearly dry brush for an effect more restrained than leafing
Century is recognized in the trade as a design leader specifically for its finishing expertise. Sheen is specified numerically: Low (5 or 10), Medium (20 or 30), High (50 or 70). One house rule worth knowing: a high sheen finish is not recommended on heavily distressed pieces.
What Collections Should I Know When Shopping Century at Sutter & Vale?
Century carries roughly 50 of its own branded collections once the sibling-brand lines are separated out. The full Century range at Sutter & Vale covers dining, bedroom, occasional, upholstery, and lighting.
A few collections orient the range well:
Grand Tour is the house's richest material story: solid hardwood, dovetailed drawer boxes, every surface hand finished in Hickory, in materials that run from parchment and shagreen to mahogany, pine, and walnut.
Bridgeton sits in the transitional register. The Bridgeton Rectangular Dining Table shows the collection's balance of classical proportion and contemporary restraint at the dining scale.
Chelsea Club works in an English-influenced idiom. The Cadogan Garden Credenza in Cognac is a strong example of the collection's composed storage pieces.
Citation, introduced in 1952, is still in production. That continuity across more than 70 years is rare for any furniture house.
Mesa and Paragon Club address the bedroom. The Carew Nightstand from Paragon Club illustrates how Century handles bedside scale: furniture in the fullest sense, not an afterthought to the bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Century Furniture produced in the United States?
The vast majority of Century's furniture is produced in Hickory, North Carolina, using predominantly domestic materials. The company operates within a group that runs nine domestic factories, which supports the custom specification process at scale.
Can I order Century in my own fabric (COM)?
Yes. Century supports COM (customer's own material) across the upholstery program alongside its own fabric and leather grades. Your designer can confirm which frames accept COM and what yardage requirements apply for a specific piece.
How long has Century been in business?
Harley Ferguson Shuford, Sr. established Century in 1947 in Hickory, North Carolina, initially as a selling agent for local upholstery lines. The house built its first casegoods plant in 1948 and shipped its first dining suite that January. It is now in its third generation of Shuford family leadership through RHF Investments.
The Sutter & Vale Team
