Universal Furniture Debuts Fabric Designed by Local Art Ingenue

Furniture World News Desk on 3/28/2022

Universal Furniture announced a special addition to their Spring Market showroom—the Bahia Honda Accent Chair upholstered in a custom Kandinsky-inspired fabric created by high school junior Isabella Rocque. The chair will be part of a silent auction at the Universal showroom where attendees can bid on the chair (retail value of $1,595) and proceeds will benefit the New York School for the Deaf.

Rocque’s joyfully abstract print was a result of a school art project that her mother shared on Instagram, where executives at Hamilton Fabric took notice. Hamilton transformed Rocque’s watercolor into a textile. When the Universal Furniture upholstery team saw the fabric, they felt the warm and playful print would be a perfect fit for the brand’s Bahia Honda Accent Chair, a modern form which features an upholstered body and gently arced wooden arms.

The eye-catching print, which Rocque named Noetic, started as a journal cover image for an art project on Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky. According to Rocque, she called the stimulating print Noetic as the term relates to mental activity or the intellect, and rhymes with poetic.

“I set out to test abstract watercolor shapes and swirls on a simple piece of copy paper and Noetic was born,” says Rocque. “From the time I was a young child, creating artwork has been my passion—painting, sketching, taking photographs and creating in other mediums. Having my artwork featured on a chair at the Universal Furniture showroom this spring is a dream come true for me.”

When she’s not honing her creative talents, Rocque is a busy high school junior from Greensboro who is looking forward to studying art and business in college. She enjoys playing competitive soccer, tennis and traveling with her family.

“My travels within the U.S. have spanned the East and West Coasts and several states in-between. Abroad, I’ve been to Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and several Caribbean Islands. My travels exposed me to inspiring cultures and broadened my perspective on the world. These experiences have shaped my artwork, faith, and life.”

In loving memory of her grandmother, who fostered her passion for art, Rocque has chosen the New York School for the Deaf as her charity for Universal’s silent auction. Rocque’s grandmother taught at the NYSD for 27 years, helping children overcome challenges and have the courage to reach for their dreams.

Marketgoers interested in the Noetic/Bahia Honda Accent Chair may place bids at Universal’s showroom at 101 S. Hamilton Thursday, March 31–Tuesday April 5.

About Universal

Retailers and interior designers around the world trust Universal Furniture’s award-winning, smart and stylish designs to create modern, well-appointed living spaces for the whole home. The company’s casegood, upholstery, accent and outdoor designs are developed under the brand names Universal Furniture, Miranda Kerr Home and Coastal Living.

Universal Furniture, founded in 1968 and based in High Point, N.C., is the recipient of 13 Pinnacle awards for design excellence from the International Society of Furniture Designers. It is a brand of Samson Holdings, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated furniture manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.universalfurniture.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @UniversalFurn.