A North Carolina special-order sofa with a real menu. On the floor in Pennsauken.
The apartment sofa from Universal Furniture’s Modern U Choose program is on the floor at Interior Made, 6325 South Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken, as part of our collaboration with Elizabeth Crafton, award-winning designer and owner of Lilabeth Interiors Interior Design and Interior Made. It is covered in Cal Bone, a Crypton performance fabric. The seats are the standard Uni-Blend cushion, set up two over two. The backs are blown Dacron. The arm is the 6-inch track. The leg is the standard 6-inch block, in Latte.
A framework, not a blank sheet
Modern U Choose is a special-order program: frames, two depths, six arms, cushion cores, back fills, legs, finishes, and a large cover library. Universal hand-makes it in North Carolina. You choose inside a framework. You do not redraw the sofa.
That limit is also why the price holds. It is not as open as some of the newer lines I am looking at, where almost every dimension can move. Most houses do not need that. They need the right length, the right arm, a cushion that will be lived on, and a cloth that can take a Tuesday. This program does that, at a price I am comfortable recommending.
How it is built
Modern U Choose is bench-made in North Carolina. The diagram is the short version of what is under the Cal Bone cloth.
The frame is hardwood and engineered laminate, with reinforced mortise-and-tenon joints, double dowels, and corner blocks. The seat rides on 8- and 10-gauge sinuous wire, run front to back. Shaped decks and many accent chairs use webbing instead. The seat is Uni-Blend unless you upgrade it. The back is blown Dacron unless you upgrade that. The cover is the open part: more than 500 fabrics and 50 leathers.
The Pennsauken sofa is the standard path on that chart. Uni-Blend seat, blown Dacron back, 6-inch track arm.
Universal’s limited lifetime warranty covers the frame. Ask us for the current terms before you order. They are specific.
What is on the floor in Pennsauken
The piece at Interior Made is the 72-inch apartment sofa, standard depth.
Frame: Apartment sofa, 72 inches inside, plus the arms Depth: Standard, 42 inches overall, 22 inches inside, 20-inch seat height, 36 inches high Arm: 6-inch track arm Seats: Uni-Blend, two cushions over two backs — not a bench seat Backs: blown Dacron, the standard fill Leg: 6-inch square block, Latte finish Cover: Cal Bone, Crypton performance
Cal Bone is a warm neutral. Crypton is built into the cloth, not sprayed on. Liquids bead. Most spills blot. It still feels like a textile.
Two over two tailors better on a 72-inch sofa than one long bench, and the seats can be flipped. A bench seat is available. We chose the tailored setup. Each armed piece comes with a 22-inch knife-edge toss pillow. A corner comes with two. Luxe pieces also get kidney pillows in the body cloth. This one is standard depth, so no kidneys.
The framework, drawn to scale
I drew the component menu to scale so a plan can be checked before anyone falls in love with a picture. Universal allows a half-inch to an inch of variance. These drawings are the menu, not a guarantee to the eighth of an inch.
Standard depth is 42 inches overall. Deep enough to settle into, shallow enough for a room that still has to walk.
The standard-depth menu:
Sofa, 80 inches inside, plus two arms Apartment sofa, 72 inches inside, plus two arms — the Pennsauken piece Chair, 24 inches inside, plus two arms, and a 24-by-30 ottoman Armless sofa, armless loveseat, and armless chair Left-arm and right-arm loveseats and chairs Armless corner, left and right chaises, and the wider cuddle chaises A bumper, and a sectional ottoman
A queen sleeper is available on the standard-depth sofa, apartment sofa, and loveseats. Memory foam is the base. Air Dream is the upgrade. It is not on the floor piece.
Luxe depth, when the room can take it
Luxe is 45 inches overall. Inside depth is 22 inches with the kidney pillow and 25 inches without it. Seat height and arm height stay at 20 and 23. The kidney, in the body fabric, keeps the deeper seat from feeling like a ledge.
Same frames, more lounge. In a lot of South Jersey living rooms, standard is the better answer. Where the room can give up the extra three inches, Luxe is the one people stay in.
Six arms, and why the width changes
The arm changes the overall width. On two of them, it also changes the arm height.
6-inch track arm. Adds 6 inches per arm. This is the Pennsauken sofa. 8-inch track arm. Adds 8 inches per arm. Padded track arm. Adds 6 inches per arm, with a softer face. 8-inch sock arm. Adds 8 inches per arm. The roll reads softer against hard surfaces. Tusk arm. Adds 6 inches per arm, and raises the arm by three-quarters of an inch. Reverse key arm. Adds 9 inches per arm, and drops the arm by three-quarters of an inch. The most tailored of the six.
A 72-inch-inside apartment sofa with 6-inch tracks is about 84 inches overall. The same inside with reverse key arms is about 90. Measure the wall, then the arm, then the order.
Three seat constructions
The cushion is where these sofas earn their keep or disappoint in year three. The floor piece is the standard.
Uni-Blend is the down blend we show. A high-resiliency foam core, a soft foam wrap, and a feathers-and-down polyester blend in a channeled, down-proof ticking. Soft and casual, with a core that keeps it from collapsing. This is the one I spec most often in this program.
Ultra-Plush is the hypoallergenic upcharge: the same supportive core, with 2.5-inch high-density soft foam toppers instead of feathers.
Spring Down is the other upcharge. An innerspring unit with a foam cap, wrapped in high-resiliency foam and a feather blend. The most structured of the three. For a sofa sat in every night, it can be the right spend.
Backs are separate. Blown Dacron is standard, and it is what is on the Pennsauken sofa. A down-blend back is the upgrade. Dacron holds a line. With Cal Bone and a track arm, that was the right call.
Legs, and the Latte block
Square block or tapered at 6 inches, wood block or wood taper at 8 inches, or a hidden leg. Finishes run from Onyx and Espresso through Natural, Brownstone, Sand, Slate, and Picket Fence, to Latte.
Latte on Cal Bone disappears just enough. The sofa reads as fabric and proportion, not as a dark foot. An 8-inch leg shows more floor. A hidden leg drops the eye line. They are scale, not structure.
Cloth and leather
Inside the frame, the program is a menu. On the cover, it opens up. Universal’s library is more than 500 fabrics and leathers. Cal Bone is the cloth we chose to show because most houses need a performance neutral before they need a statement pattern. If it is not the color, the construction on the floor is still the reference. Sit it. Then change the cover.
Modern U Choose is not offered in hair-on-hide. A pattern repeat changes the yardage. We sort that before the order.
Why we show it
Upholstery has to live next to the wood we design, and it has to survive the house. Modern U Choose is a sensible answer: bench-made in North Carolina, a framework wide enough for a real room, a cover library deep enough that we are not forcing three fabrics on a rack, and a price that still leaves room for the rest of the room.
Some projects need a line where more of the pattern can move. This one does not pretend to be that. It is a good sofa, specified with some care, and available to sit in before anyone commits.
Where to see it
The apartment sofa is at Interior Made, 6325 South Crescent Boulevard, Pennsauken. Interior Made is Elizabeth Crafton’s materials showroom, and the working studio beside Lilabeth Interiors. The sofa is there as part of our collaboration with her — flooring, finishes, and this piece, in one stop.
Townehaus is at 300 Mill Street, Suite N, in Moorestown, behind Moorestown True Value. Appointments are how we work, and Open Haus days are when the door is open.
We work with homeowners and designers across South Jersey, Philadelphia, the Main Line, and the Shore. Bring the plan. The scale drawings are there so the conversation is about the room, not a guess.
Come sit in the Cal Bone sofa. If the framework fits, we will spec it. If it does not, we will say so.
FAQ
Where can I see Universal Modern U Choose near Philadelphia?
At Interior Made in Pennsauken, 6325 South Crescent Boulevard, as part of our collaboration with Elizabeth Crafton, award-winning designer and owner of Lilabeth Interiors Interior Design and Interior Made. The piece on the floor is the 72-inch apartment sofa in Crypton Cal Bone. Townehaus in Moorestown can specify the rest of the program.
What is actually on that sofa?
Standard depth, 6-inch track arms, Uni-Blend seats in a two-over-two configuration, blown Dacron backs, and a 6-inch block leg in Latte.
How custom is Modern U Choose?
Custom inside a framework. You choose the frame, standard or Luxe depth, one of six arms, a cushion core, a back fill, a leg, a finish, and a cover from a large fabric and leather library. You are not redrawing the pattern. That is why the value is there.
What is the difference between Standard and Luxe?
Standard is 42 inches overall, with a 22-inch inside depth. Luxe is 45 inches overall. With the kidney pillow the inside depth stays 22 inches; without it, 25. Luxe includes kidney pillows in the body fabric.
Which cushion should I pick?
Uni-Blend if you want the soft, casual down-blend sit that is standard on this program. Ultra-Plush if you want plush and hypoallergenic, without feathers. Spring Down if you want coil support and are willing to pay the upcharge. The Pennsauken sofa is Uni-Blend, so you can sit the standard before you upgrade it.
Is it made in North Carolina?
Yes. Universal’s special-order upholstery, including Modern U Choose, is hand-made in North Carolina. That is one of the reasons it is on our floor.
How do I visit Interior Made?
We would love to have you sit in it. The sofa is at Interior Made, 6325 South Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken, and we will meet you there. Visits are by appointment, so call or text 856-581-0378 and we will find a time that works. Bring a floor plan if you have one, or just come see how it feels.
