1.   Get there early, and I mean as soon as the tent opens.   This is competitive shopping at its finest- you have practically every designer in NY (and many from LA) waiting at the gates. Plus, many of the big retailers send out their merchandising teams to buy up everything they can get their hands on we spotted people from Anthro, ABC, Rag and Bone, Tommy Hilfiger who scooped up just about everything in sight.  Many dealers replenish their inventory every day so even if you get there on day 3 you’ve still got to hustle.    Don’t forget to bring your granny cart so you don’t have to waste valuable shopping time going back for the small stuff.

2.   Layer up. Temperatures fluctuate dramatically during the spring up in Brimfield, we were freezing yesterday but its supposed to be hot on Thursday- you never know, be prepared with lots of layers.

3.    Eating = buying.  While the food court is no Smorgasburg, it’s important that you stop and eat.  Its easy to get carried away shopping all day but there was a study recent study that showed people are more likely to say” Yes”, than “No” just after they eat, so eating can positively affect your shopping mojo.  I highly suggest the lobster place in the main food court- it is Wicked Awesome.

4.    Bring cash, and a card.    Many of the larger vendors accept cards but are more likely to give you a better deal if you flash cash.

5.    Know your price limit. Just because it’s at a flea market doesn’t mean it’s a good price.    Some of vendors (you know who you are Meadows people) jack up their prices so much for Brimfield, when you see the same vendors, or same things at other flea markets for much less.   But, everyone is willing to negotiate so expect about 20% off the asking price, and more if  it’s late in the day, late in the show, or part of a bundle.   Know what you are willing to pay, give it your best shot, and don’t feel bad about walking away if the price isn’t for you.

Bonus tip- Yes, the Faddy’s apple cider donuts do taste as good as they smell.  Follow your nose, wait on the line and enjoy the best $1 you will spend all day.

Most of all, have fun!

Ben and the guys at the Brooklyn Grange set out with a few donated shovels and a mission to create a thriving urban farming community in New York.  Now, just three years later, they have 2 rooftop locations in Brooklyn and Queens they are producing  and selling over 40,000 lbs of vegitables to some of our favorite restaurants like Roberta’s here in Bushwick.  We got to spend some time with them last year at their Brooklyn Navy Yard location and were blown away by the people and the passion behind the project.   Aside from the yummy veggies our favorites from the Grange are the Bloody Mary mix which is hands- down makes the best Bloody Mary we’ve had this side of New Orleans ( available at Smorgesburg,) and their new Flower CSA which hooks you up with weekly bunches of fresh flowers for 4 months for only $200.  As if there weren’t already enough reasons to love them,  they are now opening up their Brooklyn location for events-  and let me tell you, it is really something special to be on a rooftop farm overlooking Manhattan-  surreal.   Check out some photos from a shoot we did there last year for Brooklyn Magazine.

Flowers (and model): Rebecca Shepherd

Venue: Brooklyn Grange and Pier 92

Photography: Kristina Hill

Makeup: Annie Bruno

Planning and Styling Team:  Brooklyn Betrothed

In honor of the most stylish artist at Coachella this weekend,  I put together a Theophilus London inspired room.  This Trinidadian Brooklynite has some serious style cred.  His signature hat + glasses, the way he embraces bold color, and his love of vintage makes him a favorite amongst fashion devotees everywhere.

I’d use our Lola Sofa which is upholstered in this vintage red velvet, this Palm Prond wallpaper from the Beverly Hotel, add some bling with this Italian Chandelier and Gold Leaf mirror from 1st dibs.   I’d use or Sweet Jane Chair and a stack of vintage leather luggage or trunks as a coffee table.  I’d style the place with a few vintage cameras and other cool finds.  And I’d hang this orange beauty by Guy Bourdin.

Have no fear, our fridge is still stocked with Brooklyn lager, we’re talking furniture.  We find a lot of cool pieces that need some extra lovin, sometimes it’s a few nips and tucks and sometimes a complete makeover.   When people visit our place they’re often surprised to see our upholstery goddess Colleen Ford White  in the workshop  lovingly rehab some of our pieces.   Check out the 1940’s English Gentlemen’s leather sofa she just did. The piece is beautiful, but it was lacking a cushion, so we scored some vintage army tent canvas and she made a really cool custom cushion for it.  She was careful to preserve the detail of the original tent buttons, loops, rope and all.   Its my new fave.   Colleen teaches upholstery at 3^rd ward and I highly recommend her class.  She’ll also be teaching a one day dining chair rehab workshop here at the Studio this spring.    Check out more detail on how Colleen created this cushion, and more before and afters of our Daniel and Gwen chairs.

Here’s the finished sofa with the new cushion.

Check out the detail, original buttons, loops and ropes from the army tent. Loving the contrast between the more refined piece and the industrial army detail.

This is the Rehab Workshop at Patina where Colleen works her magic

This is the piece she’s working on now… can’t wait to see how it turns out. 

Us:  We are Patina, a creative young company who helps event designers create beautiful events through our curated vintage décor and props collection.We have a great studio in Bushwick filled with pretty vintage wonders where we rehab and rent our goods.   This is where you come in-  we need someone to keep our studio operations in ship shape.

You:  You love creating order out of chaos.  You are a self-starter who sees something that needs to be done and jumps at it- you don’t need to be asked twice, and often not even once.   You are a fun- loving, hard working gal ( or guy) who  knows how to make yourself indispensible, and are willing to tackle any task large or small.   You are not afraid to get your hands dirty; you live and love the DIY ethos and have and incurable penchant for pretty.  You are always up for a challenge and thrive in a creative, growing business.     This isn’t your first time up at bat- you’ve been around and know a thing or two about how things work.  You have good experience and even better references.    And you are a super, duper nice person.

Some things you’ll take on:

- General studio and operations management

-Accounts payable/ receivable

-Supply ordering and management

- Taking appointments/ phones

- Site updates ( photoshop skills a major plus!)

-Event planning

-Photo shoot coordinating

-A million other things that will undoubtedly be thrown your way.

Sound like you?   Send an email our way hello@rentpatina.com

2012 was awesome for Patina. We’ve had so many amazing things happen in the last half of last year.  In just a few short months I launched the biz,  hired on the lovely Kim, moved to an amazing new studio, added a bunch of great new pieces,  and did events for Nylon Magazine, Levi’s, Bravo, H&M,  ABC Carpet plus tons of  cool weddings and photo shoots.  We’ve met some inspiring people who are super creative and love what they do- which makes me love what I do even more.   There is so much to be grateful for in 2012 and Kim and I are so optimistic and energized about 2013. We’re starting the year by expanding our inventory- we’ve gotten so much good feedback and lots of requests for some great new additions- can’t wait to show you the goods.   We are also expanding our team-  we’re hiring a new studio assistant and looking for a few good interns ( if you know anyone good send the our way!).   We also have a few great events and workshops coming up in our studio and can’t wait to invite you all.    I’m so grateful to everyone who touched Patina in some way  in 2012-  we are ready to rock 2013 with you all.

We are almost all moved into our new Studio + Workshop in Brooklyn.  I’m so psyched to be here and can’t wait to unleash some new design experiments on the place.  I’m planning a whole slew of workshops and a party or two here at our place so stay tuned for more info.  Here’s  a sneak peak at how things are shaping up. Kim and I love visitors so drop us a line and set up a time to come by.

We are fully restored and ready to rock.    For those of you who have had a more difficult time weathering this storm- we’re ready to help, just say the word.

We’re getting settled into our new studio in Brooklyn. It’s been fun getting to know the space, decorating and organizing.  We’ve also been getting to know our neighbors who have made us feel right at home.   It’s only been a few days but it doesn’t take long to make friends at Pearl’s Social and Billy Club just down the block on St Nicholas.  We stopped in for a mid-afternoon pint and the guys were playing their 90’s play lists- so one turned into uh, a few more. Needless to say, it was not a productive day.  Also love popping by Cobra Club to get the perfect cup of iced coffee and plug in while our internet gets hooked up.   And tonight were off to Roberta’s tonight for dinner.  There is so much creativity and progress all around us, our corner called the 5 points,  is an outdoor street art gallery featuring work from talented artists from all over the world.  Our building has some pretty talented and creative people in it too, we’ve got an artists collective, a milliner, and a modern woodworker who does some amazing stuff, so we’re   So far dear Bushwick, we’re smitten.

Over the summer I fell in love with a beautiful table that I saw in a cool little shop up in Saugerties NY.   It turns out it was made by an artisan in Woodstock out of old barn wood.  I was smitten with the honesty of the design and soulfulness of the old barn slats and beams.   I tracked down the guy and worked with him to design our new Barn Wood tables and Barn wood Benches.  We found and collected more old wood from a barn built in Woodstock in the late 1800’s.  He cut and sanded each piece down to show its true character,  knots, nail holes and old paint all revealed themselves beautifully under his expert eye. So we grabbed a few of them along with some of our other pieces and some fall flowers from the flower district and headed over to the  The Kaaterskill  to shoot everything with our good friends Nils and Lisa.   We had lots of company when we arrived, Victoria, a crazy friendly and playful pig hung out with us most of the day. We also had some rescue horses, hens, goats and llamas watching us with intense curiosity.  It was a pretty great day, thanks so much to the cool people at The Kaaterskill for letting us hang out.  Check out the pics:

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Pantone released the colors of 2013 just in time for Fashion Week.  They were spot on with 2011’s Honeysuckle and 2012’s awesome Tango Tangerine, but this year they chose a less inspired Monaco blue.   They say it appeals to our practical side.  Huh.  Well, I’m more drawn to some of their other 2013 predictions, my pick being Grayed Jade.  I wonder what side that appeals to? Check out our take on Grayed Jade below and check out the  color swatches on Racked.

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