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Design Collaboration Reunites Universal Furniture With Fashion Icon Alexander Julian

Furniture World News Desk on 4/4/2017





Universal Furniture and award-winning fashion designer Alexander Julian recently announced that they are coming together again for Postscript, a design collaboration that renews the best of traditional furniture design and fashion while keeping comfort top of mind.

“Our first collection in 1994 broke retail records,” says Universal Furniture CEO Jeff Scheffer. “Part of what made it popular was that we transformed a formal look into something livable.”

The new collaboration between Julian and Universal some 23 years later, the aptly named Postscript, brings traditional furniture design into focus again, with a distinct eye toward making the look and feel of the collection relaxed and comfortable. “It’s tradition without the formality,” says Scheffer.

There’s also a sartorial influence that pays homage to Julian’s fashion roots. Buttons, argyle, tortoiseshell and a combination of performance fabrics and patterns elevate both the casegood and upholstery designs.

“I’m excited and honored to work with Universal again,” said Alexander Julian. “This project maximized the strengths of all involved and leveraged the evolution of Universal as a whole home provider while reflecting on the influence that fashion has in the home. We want to be comfortable in what we wear and how we live our lives. Comfort is confidence, and I’m proud of what we’ve been able create.”


Collection specifics:

  • Collection houses 32 pieces
  • Wood species: Birch, walnut and maple (inlays)
  • Finishes: five wood and one metal finish range from gray browns to off-whites
  • Hardware: metal knobs with tortoiseshell inset on diamond-shaped escutcheons; ring pulls

Collection highlights:


Bedroom
The collection introduces three beds. A diamond-tufted sleigh bed accented with real metal buttons. Upholstered in a flax colored Crypton fabric.

The second bed is a wooden panel bed accented in antique silver. The headboard is inset with diamond-shaped antique brass metal fretwork.

A signature metal canopy bed in antique silver with upholstered headboard rounds out the bed selections. A diamond pattern is woven into the tester, metal footboard and rails. The headboard features a washed blue paisley fabric.

Dining
A parquet floor in a Paris restaurant inspired the collections two dining table designs which incorporate an argyle pattern bordered with maple inlay. An 82-inch rectangular table with turned legs and a 54-inch round pedestal table both showcase a field of diamonds on their tabletops. A wooden dining chair features diamond fretwork in the back splat. And the fully upholstered dining chairs take on a parson’s shape and feature faux pearl buttons with loops down the back of the chair. The chair’s pleated skirt reveals a contrasting underskirt.

Living
The fully-upholstered cocktail table will steal the show in any living room with its diamond-patterned nail head detailing on the table top and nail head trim on the apron and legs. Upholstered in a gray Crypton fabric. Nail heads in antique silver finish.

A petite side table, the perfect size for parking a drink, makes the most direct fashion reference in the collection. The tabletop resembles a button, including its four holes, using a contrasting wooden inlay. The base and frame are metal.

Postscript upholstery uses Crypton body cloths and down-filled accent pillows. Two signature sofas debut, the first an 89-inch Charles of London design with upholstered waterfall skirt. The white body cloth contrasts with a gray linen border skirt. The hand-pleated skirt splits to reveal contrasting fabric underneath. Four down accent pillows are covered in blue and gray wovens.

The second sofa is an 87-inch wave-back style with track arms and exposed legs. The undulating top rail and the sofa base are accented with a double row of pewter nail heads. Covered in soft, gray Crypton body cloth, its accent pillows feature a wool window pane plaid and a textured gray and oatmeal fabric.

More about Universal: Universal Furniture creates quality furnishings for the whole home with a focus on function and lifestyle. The company’s casegood, upholstery, accent and accessory designs are developed under the brand names Universal Furniture (Lifestyle Collections), To The Trade (Interior Design) and Smartstuff™ (Baby and Child), and sold through retailers and interior designers throughout North America and around the world. Founded in 1968, Universal Furniture is a brand of Samson Holdings, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated furniture manufacturers. For more information, visit www.universalfurniture.com.