The Sale Niche

The Sale Niche is the place to shop for that special customer who wants a unique Patina piece with the added advantage of immediate availability.

In addition, you’ll notice that not only are the pieces special, so are the prices. These pieces are available at these prices for a limited time and will be sold or removed from sale after 30 days.

This month we are featuring 2 special items:

A pair of Brianza Commodes (C23/ST/DW/IV/26X):
Murano Mirror (M39/XX/FT/YL/47DT/AG):

For pricing and other information about these very special pieces, visit the Patina web site at https://www.patinainc.com/sales.php (free registration required)

Patina’s Italian Connection

Patina Interviews Enrico Lenarduzzi

Enrico Lenarduzzi is Patina’s Italian connection. He oversees the construction and finishing of Patina’s entire line of furniture.

“On the construction we have basically 3 groups working, and on the finishing and decoration we have 4 groups all working in different shops. My job is to take care of everybody, to organize the work so it goes smoothly from one shop to another.”

Enrico was founders Ann and Waverly Graham’s original contact in Italy some 21 years ago. They were introduced through the Italian Trade Commission and their working relationship began when Enrico literally showed up on their doorstep, here in Atlanta, determined to help them find the artisans they needed to construct and finish the furniture Ann had envisioned.

“We went all over northern Italy; Venice, Verona, Milan, and Tuscany. We were on the road for many months”, Enrico remembered, “In the beginning, we were looking for artisans who were doing things the way they used to be done.”

Once the artisans had been identified, they began a painstaking process, encumbered somewhat by the language barrier, of experimenting and learning how to apply the 18th century construction and finishing techniques to Ann’s more modern designs. The entire process took almost 5 years.

Sixteen years later most of the original craftspeople found by Enrico and the Grahams are still producing high quality furniture for Patina, now even more skilled in their arts. Together they work with and train new artists who have joined Patina over the years.

“We try to make our artists happy to be working for Patina. It’s like a family business. We always try to do new things and since we work with artists, they are always coming up with new things.”

Enrico continues his work with Patina’s artists, experimenting with color and finishes and overseeing the construction of new frames.

“At this moment, we are starting to work on new ideas for the next collection but it will be two years until the release. That’s how we do it.”

Calendar Of Events
USA October 11 - Furniture Fair The Merchandise Mart Chicago, IL * October 18 -19 - Fall Mart D&D Building New York, NY * The 2005 Southern Accents Show House McLean, Virginia *	EUROPE October 2005 - Patina Italia showroom opening in Dubai Grand Opening Reception *Patina Exhibiting

Designer Profile

Laura Blanco

Designer Show Houses are notorious for short installation times. Months of design work and preparations often come down to a day or two to finally put it all together. Imagine a scenario in which you have to install a bathroom and dressing area in just an hour and a half!

That’s the dilemma New York designer Laura Blanco faced while working on Veranda Magazine’s New York’s Best at Trump Park Avenue show house.

Due to a combination of New York City traffic and parking, a bottleneck at the tiny service elevator and some union issues, everything was backed up, as all the participating designers scrambled to load in to the duplex penthouse on the 30th and 31st floors at Park Avenue & 59th Street.

“The logistics were a nightmare. The show house opened on April 12th, I’ll never forget it. It was at 5 o’clock that the cocktail party and tour started that day and at 3 o’clock in the afternoon the crew was still grouting my bathroom.”

Laura was able to take it all in stride because of her meticulous planning and preparation which included extensive consultations with Patina’s National Sales Manager, Jane Cumming, and many visits to the Patina web site.

“I needed something that would definitely make a statement and working with Jane, who was fantastic, I really got what I was looking for.

I used a Barbarini dresser with a geometric design. I wanted a piece that would bridge the concept of neutrality and exoticism and that piece really did it.”

The Patina web site was an important reference for Laura due to the necessity of accurate measurements.

“I love the web site and use it quite often. Those rooms are tight; the dressing area is really a closet. I needed my measurements to be right on the money and they were.”

Despite the last minute logistic nightmare, the Veranda Magazine event went off on time to rave reviews and appreciative crowds.

“People went crazy, they loved it. I was so happy; especially since that was the room I pulled off at 4:30 that afternoon. Before that day, I was ready to go in and install everything. I knew exactly where everything was going to go. It’s a great memory and I feel really good about it.”

For more information about Laura Blanco Interiors, visit her web site at www.laurablanco.com. Laura can also be reached at (212) 876-0053.

Part 1:

Venice—Home as a Metaphor

Renaissance Venetians believed that their homes were a physical and very public representation of their tastes, attitudes and values and they decorated them with that in mind.

The first expression of a family’s gentility, as well as its Venetian identity, was made at the entrance door of its casa, either on land or at the water’s edge. Sacred inscriptions were often carved onto facades or into the very frames of doorways themselves.

Above the doorway, a sculpted relief might feature enthroned personifications of Faith, Temperance and Justice, a family coat of arms and guardian angels. Passersby would have a constant reminder of the nobility of those who lived in the house.

The door itself also received a lot of attention and elaborate bronze doorknockers began to appear on doors throughout the city.

These pieces were meant to impress with their cost—bronze was expensive; with their artistry—they were beautifully sculpted; and with their ingenuity—transforming a simple doorway into a work of art.

The challenge to produce increasingly splendid entries to the casa stimulated the imaginations of the leading artists of the day. Eventually, as these bronze doorknockers came to be seen as true works of art, they disappeared into museums and private collections. Very few remain on Venetian doors today.

Next month, we’ll open the door, step across the threshold and look inside a real 18th century Venetian casa.