Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Nina Magon for Universal Brings Modern European Style to High Point
March 27,
2019 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
For the last several years, Houston-based interior designer Nina Magon reduced her trips to 
market because she couldn’t find what she wanted – sleek, contemporary furnishings with modern European style. That will change in April as Universal Furniture debuts Nina Magon for Universal Furniture: A Design Collaboration.
“My style is luxurious with a contemporary European aesthetic,” says Magon, “and much of that comes in the way of Italian influence.” Magon’s design point-of-view is finely tuned, having spent the early part of her career in fashion before moving to interior design. “I like to work with clients who believe in the authenticity of design, and those who appreciate an international approach.”
Magon’s collection is designed to bring accessible, livable luxury to apartment dwellers, homeowners and designers. Sleek surfaces, modern shapes and bold colors dominate the collection, which takes a whole home approach with approximately 50 pieces between casegoods and upholstery. The European-styled look encompasses scale and dimension to include lower seat and bed heights.
“Nina’s insight and vision were instrumental in ensuring we created something that was authentic to her style,” said Director of Marketing Neil MacKenzie. “The end result is a collection that’s truly stunning and unique, and quite a departure from the rest of our product, giving consumers a wide range of different looks all under the Universal brand.”
Signature materials include colorful performance velvets, smoked glass, bronze metal, lacquered finishes and tiger stripe veneer. Wood finishes encompass Ebony, Washed Walnut, Ash, Sand lacquer and Gray lacquer. Carefully crafted details make the difference: bronze tubular metal, reeding and fluting on select case pieces, and leather wrapped case pieces and upholstery. A mixture of velvet, mohair, leather and neutral fabrics dominate upholstery pieces, most of them performance textiles. Swivels and leather wraps provide additional style and function.