Patina: The Beauty Of Change
By Giovana Alcazas
Your natural wood pieces are not finished when they are delivered and installed — as a matter of fact, they never truly are. This on-going development happens thanks to patina: a natural, graceful process that is inherent to resources such as copper, leather, and timber.
What Is Patina?
Patina is the natural maturing process of an organic material, which causes changes such as color, saturation, and texture of a piece. Mostly it is associated with vintage and thrifted pieces, making history present since it grows more evident as time goes by.
Think of it as the breathing of the timber — a thin layer of personality that reveals how lived-in, useful, and present the piece truly is. In wood, patina can manifest in many different ways: the smoothness of a well-worn surface, the deepening of an amber glow over time, the grey-ish undertone, the subtle, organic shadows in the wood.
Patina is not a process to be tamed; it is life happening around and within your natural wood piece.
How Does Patina Happen?
Natural wood reacts to the environment in a deeply personal way, and patina begins the moment the wood itself is exposed — breathing air, oxidizing, shifting slightly with moisture, mellowing under the sunlight, being touched and handled.
Patina makes the grain even more unique in each piece, by giving it character, richness and ceaseless development.
Patina Tells A Story: Embracing Change
Drawer pulls, cabinet handles, countertop edges: when it comes to natural wood furniture, patina can usually be perceived around areas that are constantly touched and used throughout the years.
After decades of wear, natural wood tells a story: smoothened edges carry countless conversations with friends, the honeyed almond tone reminds you of every single meal cooked on the countertop, and the enhanced grain pattern stands out as more unique than ever.
In natural wood furniture and design, patina is embraced and respected as a fundamental step of a true, lived-in and loved piece.
For designers, this process is a fundamental part of creation, making each piece ethereal, forever changing and collecting the handprints of every single person whose story crossed its path.
Designing For Today And For Tomorrow
Obra is deeply passionate about patina and the way it absorbs and translates our clients’ stories, personalities and details. Patina means nature breathes, shifts, changes and adapts, making each piece a part of life itself.
In the end, it means much more than a chemical process — it’s a collection of life.
Please, explore Obra’s Projects, Elements and Imports. Contact us at howdy@obraprojects.com to discuss your dream project today.