The Patina BulletinMarch 2006

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 two special items—the Veneto Chest and the Cortona Cabinet:

  • Veneto Chest (C05/ST/DW/BKR-01/00R):
  • Cortona Cabinet (C28/LG/CA/BL/29):

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)

New Reps — New Trends

Patina is delighted to announce that it has chosen The Martin Group, Inc., as its exclusive representative in the New England area.

The Martin Group, Inc., a sixteen year old family owned and operated company, offers the finest fabric, wall covering, furniture, lighting and accessories available and now proudly represents Patina Inc.

“It’s a particularly exciting time for us to be going with The Martin Group because they’re expanding their showroom space,” explains Patina president Marylu Stevens, “And Garry Martin has a great plan for exhibiting his furniture lines in the new showroom.”

The expansion doubles the showroom size from 4,000 square feet to 8,000 and gives the Martin Group the opportunity to add a new line to their furniture offerings.

“Patina has a great reputation,” says Martin Group president Garry Martin, “The pieces, in person, are much more beautiful than they are in the catalog. When I went down to Atlanta and saw what they had I absolutely loved it.”

“In the new showroom, we’re doing a vignette of the Patina furniture in its own area with about 8 -12 pieces. They’ll be at different heights on risers to better show off the details. We’ll also have some pieces mixed with our other furniture lines to show the versatility of the designs and how easily they can be mixed and matched with other styles.”

Because he spends a great deal of his time out on the showroom floor, talking directly with his clients, Garry is able to spot new trends in the furniture business as they develop. Most recently, in response to customer demand, The Martin Group is putting a greater emphasis on quicker turnarounds and delivery.

“The young affluent client is increasingly unwilling to wait for long lead times,” he says, “Designers are also looking to do things more quickly so that they can turn their money more quickly and make their money faster.”

“Patina has a fantastic inventory available right here in the states and we’re going to be pushing to sell a lot right out of that inventory. I think, in most cases, a designer can find something that works very well right from stock and have it in hand in 2 - 3 weeks.”

Both The Martin Group and Patina are very energized by this new relationship and are looking forward to a great first year together.

“I really like Garry’s enthusiasm and philosophy about the business in general and specifically about Patina,” says Marylu, “In addition, The Martin Group sales staff shares Garry’s enthusiasm; they’re anxious to learn everything about Patina so that they can efficiently and effectively assist their customers. This is going to be a great partnership.”

The Martin Group, Inc., is located at:

One Design Center place, Suite 111
Boston, MA 02210
617-951-2526
Online at www.martingroupinc.com

Calendar Of Events
  • March 15 & 16 - Seattle Design Center - 2006 Northwest Designers Expo (NORDEX) *
    The event provides design professionals the opportunity to view new products, hear keynote presentations from nationally recognized designers and take part in a host of showroom-sponsored seminars and events.

* Patina Exhibiting
  • April 27 - May 3 - High Point - The International Home Furnishings Market *
    With a history of excellence and unparalleled service, High Point is the primary destination for buyers and manufacturers of home furnishings and accessories. Twice a year, High Point becomes home to more than 80,000 attendees and buyers from around the globe for a week dedicated to sourcing product from the industry’s top manufacturers.

Pompeii Highlight

The Palestrina Day Bed

Classic design, texture, rich color and comfort are the hallmarks of the new Pompeii Collection from Patina, Inc. This month, we’d like to take a closer look at one of the most popular designs in the new collection... the Palestrina Day Bed.

Inspired by a Swedish youth bed, it is the same size as a single bed or twin bed and works equally well as a bed or a lounge, against a wall or “floating” in a room.

The Day Bed is available in any of the standard finishes as well as the new “Pompeii finish” which is a “premium” finish, distinguished by the additional layers of gesso and texture.

The Day Bed is particularly nice in that the large, flat end panels lend themselves beautifully to decorative paint.

For more information about the Pompeii collection and the Palestrina Day bed, in addition to all the other Patina collections, call or visit your local Patina representative. To find a rep near you visit us online at www.patinainc.com/globe.php.

Historical Perspective

Construction and Finish Part 2

In the next few issues, we thought we’d take a look at some of the construction and finishing techniques that Patina uses today and compare them to the old world techniques artists have used for centuries to created fine hand painted furniture.

Patina still uses a traditional gesso, based on the gesso used for centuries by Italian artists. This formula has been changed only slightly in that Patina no longer uses powdered lead.

By using an “old world” style of gesso the pieces maintain a more traditional look than could be achieved with a modern acrylic based gesso. Acrylic gesso is much more flexible and less expensive, but it cannot be worked or distressed in the same way as the traditional gesso.

The gesso is applied directly to the wood with a rabbit hide glue base that adheres it to the surface. The gesso can then be sanded to create a smooth surface or the gesso can be built up with several applications and then carved to create details or more textured looks as in the Pompeii collection.

Either way, you’re getting a highly crafted surface that uses the best of traditional techniques combined with modern durability and quality control.

Next month, we’ll take a look at the actual painting process and the materials and techniques involved in creating fine Italian hand painted furniture in the Patina style.