Purely Paula
With her bright blue eyes, ever-present smile, Georgia drawl and recipes that make you drool just by the list of the ingredients, Paula Deen has charmed the nation.
She makes viewers of her television cooking shows on Food Network and readers of her cookbooks and magazines feel like close friends and family. Her recipes are pure Americana and her name has almost become synonymous with the idea of comfort.
Now, with the Paula Dean Home Collection from Universal Furniture she has whipped up a new recipe for success, offering a unique look for the home by blending her sense of comfort and Southern hospitality — minus her trademark butter, of course.
“Comfort is a big part of my life,” Deen said. “Because this is our nest, it’s where we should be most at home and the most comfortable. It’s kinda rough out there when we walk out those front doors to go to work or school. When we walk back in those doors to our home, it’s our safety zone. It shouldn’t be hard.”
Deen knows all about the safety a home can provide. “Having my ride with agoraphobia, I spent a lot of time at home.”
And because she loves to decorate, she said the furniture collection was a natural step.
“Unlike some licensed furniture collections which involve the celebrity in name only, you will recognize Paula’s hand in each and every piece,” said Jeff Scheffer, president and chief executive officer of Universal Furniture International.
“Home has always been my first love and really my forte. The kitchen is definitely the heart of my home, but a lot of major veins come off that room,” she said.
The new 50-piece collection was inspired and modeled after the pieces in Deen’s home.
“Paula likes traditional design, but she also has a fun personality. Her Savannah home, which inspired many of the pieces, is inviting and comfortable. It is filled with relaxed 18th and 19th century antiques, many of which she has transformed to suit her welcoming lifestyle,” Scheffer said.
Deen calls it an eclectic look, but one that reflects her love of comfort with a touch of practicality.
“I like very utilitarian pieces — pieces that are really useful. I’m not one for things that are too good to touch,” she said.
The pieces gracing her home have been gathered throughout the years and were studied by the designers at Universal before creating the new collection.
“They went through my house, over my furniture with fine-toothed comb,” she said, adding that the folks at Universal “really got who I was. I’m definitely a Lowcountry, Southern girl.”
Textured, painted pieces blend with those with distressed finishes, adding to the lived-in feel of the collection. The furniture is made of hardwood solids and rustic pin-knotty cherry veneers. Pieces are available in a distressed Tobacco finish or painted in Linen, Spanish Moss and Sea Oat.
“Just like one spice isn’t enough for my favorite crab cakes, one finish isn’t enough for this collection. The variety of finishes really adds personality to my furniture.”
Deen also played a role in the selection of the colors used throughout the collection, visiting Universal’s showroom at World Market Center Las Vegas to look at finishes and fabric swatches.
The upholstery pieces are produced by Universal’s sister company, Craftmaster, and offer fabric choices that are exclusive to the collection.
Adding another personal touch are the names of the pieces themselves, which reflect her family and life. “I wanted people to know the collection was definitely inspired by my life and my lifestyle.”
One of her favorites, the Bag Lady’s cabinet, is named after the business she started 20 years ago. Available with a matching or contrasting finished interior, the piece has two glass doors that open to reveal an adjustable wood-framed glass shelf and eight drawers that mimic 16 narrow map drawers.
I love that piece. I love, love, love it,” she said. “It is very utilitarian. It looks great in the bathroom, bedroom, hallway, foyer, living room or kitchen. It can go anywhere and be whatever you want it to be.”
You’ll also find Paula’s table, Paula’s side and arm chairs, and Captain Mike’s bar, which is named after her husband, Michael Groover.
Another piece she adores is the Put Your Feet Up table. The coffee table has a split top that lifts up. “You put your hands on the side and pull it up toward you and all of a sudden it converts into an eating table. It’s phenomenal,” Deen said. “It’s great for people with small spaces who may not have a dining room.”
“I keep pinching myself about this collection,” she said, noting that the pieces make her feel like she is walking into her own home.
Deen said the initial response to the collection’s launch this spring has been tremendous and she has a feeling it will expand.
“We all hope to keep building that look.”
She is also said to be on the lookout for accessories and more to complement the furniture collection and her line of indoor and outdoor rugs with Kaleen that debuted in 2007.
The new collection is expected to be in retail stores by Labor Day with a suite of furniture priced in the $2,000s.
