the art of design

IF THE IDEA OF FINE ARTWORK THAT YOU CAN REST YOUR DAIQUIRI ON WHILE SITTING ON YOUR LANAI APPEALS TO YOU, KB PATIO IS THE PLACE TO MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE.

The Naples retailer of upscale patio furniture has partnered with internationally known artist, Michael Monroe Ethridge to showcase a collection of durable outdoor tables painted with Ethridge’s colorful artwork. Each piece is original, in a wide range of looks, sharing the artist’s characteristic vision, and would primarily be considered abstract expressionist in style.

KB Patio sells furnishings for the outdoor lifestyle, but when owner, Kathryn Benavides first discovered Ethridge’s artistic tables, she knew she wanted to give him a venue to show them to discerning art lovers. “When I saw

Michael’s tables, I knew this was a perfect fit for the Naples market,” said Benavides. “For designers looking to source unusual and unique items to equally discerning customers–this is the product.”

Each tabletop is hand-crafted with acrylic paint on a glass or hardwood surface. They come in a dizzying variety of sizes, shapes, and styles. Many capture the bright hues of sunny Southwest Florida, from which Ethridge draws inspiration. “Blue skies and sunshine drew me to Naples. It seems to burn within me to constantly get out and create more,” he says.

Tables can also be commissioned in any color scheme to coordinate with your home and patio, with a four to five week turnaround. Coffee, bistro, end, bar, dining, and console tables in any size–the possibilities are limited only by your space and your needs. “I’ve already commissioned several of his pieces–three to one customer alone, who wanted a coffee table and two complementary end tables,’ adds Benavides. “I arranged for Michael to come in and sign the pieces when the couple was present, making it a pleasant and memorable experience for everyone.”

“The inspiration for the tables originally came from a piano,” states Ethridge. “The

Baldwin Piano Company commissioned me to paint a grand piano. A representative saw my art and said, ‘can you paint a piano for us?’ I thought it meant to paint a picture of one. No, he meant the actual piano! So I did, and at their next show, it sold in 15 minutes for around $100,000. I thought, if I can paint a piano, why not a table?” His artistic tables are suitable to live in the outdoor space, but should not be exposed to baking sun or pouring rain, he said.

While KB Patio is in business to sell outdoor furniture, not necessarily art, Benavides has found that with two showrooms and over 11,000 square feet of display floor, she has a lot of wall space available. She has turned those walls into a gallery, showcasing half a dozen area artists, creating a “win-win” for artists and art lovers.

Michael Monroe Ethridge’s collection of durable and colorful outdoor tables has found the perfect home in the Southwest Florida market.

With knowledge of business, marketing, sales, and design built during her time at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and the Wharton School of Business, Kathryn Benavides, owner of KB Patio, brings a new level of expertise to the outdoor furniture world. She enjoys her role in the market as she helps south Florida’s seasonal and year-round residents choose from her an eclectic selection of outdoor furniture. She is also committed to supporting local brick-and-mortar stores for a number of reasons which includes a desire to reduce the environmental impact that worldwide shipping has created. While these online options might be convenient to the shopper, they can lead to the purchasing of items that don’t properly fit, which in turn creates more returns, more vehicles, more traffic, and more emissions. She takes great care in consolidating KB Patio’s shipments, not only to be cost-conscious but to have less of an impact on the environment.

SOUTH NAPLES

2604 TAMIAMI TRAIL N NAPLES, FL 34103

239.263.6799

NORTH NAPLES

12820 TAMIAMI TRAIL N NAPLES, FL 34110

239.591.2000

OUTDOOR-INDOOR FURNITURE FOR INDOOR-OUTDOOR LIVING TM

LARGEST STOCKING DEALER IN FLORIDA

SOUTH NAPLES 2604 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34103 (3 blocks north of Golden Gate Pkwy) 239.263.6799

• Eclectic selection of transitional and European contemporary outdoor furniture • Outdoor artwork, paintings, photography and accessories by local artists • Flexible designer discount programs

NORTH NAPLES 12820 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34110 (Immokalee & Wiggins Pass at Imperial) 239.591.2000

dh DIANA HALL DESIGN

Continuing a legacy of excellence, award winning designers Diana Hall &Elizabeth Manchego are pleased to announce Diana Hall Design. A full service boutique interior design firm devoted to an inspired sense of style and impeccable client focused services.