Century Furniture's Grand Tour Collection: A Story Told in Furniture
Century Furniture's Grand Tour collection takes its name from the 18th-century aristocratic circuit that taught collectors how to look. The collection translates that sensibility into American rooms through solid hardwood construction, dovetailed drawer boxes, and hand-applied finishes completed in Century's Hickory, North Carolina workshops. Sutter & Vale carries the full Century line.
What Inspired the Name and the Design Direction?
The Grand Tour was the defining educational circuit of 18th-century aristocracy, a passage through cities, studios, and antiquities that formed the collecting instincts of a generation. Century Furniture named this collection for that idea deliberately. The pieces draw on a material vocabulary that suits the reference: parchment, shagreen-inspired textures, stone, mahogany, pine, and walnut, with details the house describes as "hand wrought." The result is furniture that carries a sense of provenance without leaning into pastiche.
How Is Each Piece Actually Made?
Every surface is finished by hand in Hickory. That is not a general claim; it is the specific production record for this collection.
Century's finishing process runs to roughly 25 steps. Three named hand techniques distinguish the house:
- Hand Waxing: a formula of beeswax and carnauba applied and rubbed to sheen by a single artisan
- Leafing: thin foil sheets of gold or silver leaf applied by hand to carvings and mouldings, then worn through and burnished to simulate aging
- Dry Brushing: gold or silver powder mixed into a clear glaze, worked nearly dry on the brush before application, producing a result more understated than leafing
Drawer boxes are dovetailed. Construction is solid hardwood. The house states its production standard plainly: "the vast majority of our furniture is manufactured in Hickory, NC from predominantly domestic materials."
What Finish and Distressing Options Are Available?
Century grades distressing on every casegood it produces, on a five-point scale from none through Very Light, Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light is the house default. You can confirm the exact distressing grade of a piece before it is ordered, which is a specific and useful thing to be able to tell a client.
Sheen is specified numerically:
| Sheen Level | Numeric Range |
|---|---|
| Low | 5, 10 |
| Medium | 20, 30 |
| High | 50, 70 |
One house rule is worth knowing: a high-sheen finish is not recommended on heavily distressed pieces. That kind of guidance reflects real production knowledge, not just a catalogue note.
Finish tiers run from Group A through Group D, with options for two-tone combinations, hand waxing as a standalone upgrade, and embellishments including leafing and dry brushing.
How Does Grand Tour Fit Within the Broader Century Line?
Grand Tour is the second-largest collection in the Century line by SKU count, with 313 pieces. It sits alongside long-running programs like Curate, Monarch, and Thomas O'Brien, each with its own material and finish logic. You can browse the full range of Century collections at Sutter & Vale. The Tribeca line, represented by pieces such as the Tribeca Rectangular Dining Table and the Tribeca Cocktail Table, shares Century's commitment to proportion and finish depth but reads as transitional rather than travel-inspired. Grand Tour occupies a more particular register: it is for rooms that want a material story and a clear sense of origin.
The house's customization program spans over 2,000 fabrics, leathers, and trims alongside more than 50 finishes, and it runs through Grand Tour as it does through the rest of the line. Century's own phrase for the proposition is "Infinite Possibilities. Unlimited Attention."
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Grand Tour collection made in the United States?
Every surface is hand finished in Century's Hickory, North Carolina workshops. The house uses predominantly domestic materials, with solid hardwood construction throughout the Grand Tour line.
Can I specify a custom finish on a Grand Tour piece?
Yes. Century's finish program applies across its collections, including Grand Tour. You can select from Group A through Group D finishes, request hand waxing, or add embellishments such as leafing or dry brushing, depending on the piece.
How do I know what distressing level a specific piece carries?
Century publishes distressing grades on its casegood specifications using a five-point scale. Your Sutter & Vale account representative can confirm the grade for any Grand Tour piece before you place an order.
The Sutter & Vale Team
