When I first saw Sagitine's furniture items during Milano Design Week, I was charmed by the playful interpretation given to what could otherwise be a predictable set of drawers. The strong reference to traveling chests infuses these pieces of furniture with the flavours of a long and exciting travel through exotic lands.
Sagitine at Local Design, Milano 2018
Tina Clark is the founder of the business: "I was an equities trader for over 20 years and Sagitine really came about because I couldn’t find any stylish storage boxes to store my dresses in. I searched the world for two years with no luck." She knew what she wanted - curves and leather handles - and deciding to make for herself what she could not find on the market was just the beginning of an exciting venture.
"I randomly met Andrew Simpson [from Vert Design] at an event in 2013 and he took my first prototype and made it function! Since then we have worked together, expanding and evolving the range. We won Best Furniture Award with our stand in Shanghai 2016, and last April our Bronte multi coloured stand was bought by the high priestess of Italian design, Rossana Orlandi, to go in her gallery in Milan."
photographs by Jacqui Turk
Sagitine's furniture has all the charm of elegant traveling trunks, along side architectural curves and a definite Art Deco flavour yet, accessible to contemporary living. "Art Deco was always a favourite period for me. The curves in our boxes come from that era and the leather handles add a touch of luxury... our products evolve from trying to fulfil our customers desire to care for their possessions. Our customer is typically very stylish and loves order, and we aim to make the storage of their clothes and shoes an easy task and gorgeous looking at the same time."
It seems clear that your design aims to its storage qualities first and foremost:
"I am a massive shoe fanatic... I honestly could own thousands if the budget and common sense didn’t prevail! The Luxe range came about with our desire to add a high quality finish, with the brass and leather finishes, definitely taking us into the realm of furniture rather than just storage."
What materials do you prefer working with?
"I love the solid walnut tops on our classic range, but leather would perhaps be my favourite part of our products. The genuine leather handles give a certain elegance not often seen in storage products. We are about to launch a new range of colours for the leather handles, allowing the customer to mix and match."
Part of the exciting Local Milan exhibition of Australian Furniture and Design in Milano, Sagitine was an exciting encounter for me, and when I asked Tina what in her opinion defines good design, her answer was very much in tune to the reality of contemporary Design. "With so many copies around, it’s refreshing to see many fabulous new designs coming out all the time... I believe a commitment to quality and originality are the keys. "
What's on the horizon for Sagitine's near future?
"We are going to be offering monogramming & fully customised finishes very soon... Also, we will exhibit at Maison Objet in Paris for the first time this January. It is one of the most renowned design trade shows and it’s an honour to be exhibiting there. Can’t wait!"
James Treble is an ambassador for Planet Ark and firmly believes in sensible purchasing, recycling and creative re-purposing. James has three decades of accumulated experience in the Building Industry, Real Estate and Interior Design and regularly shares his knowledge and experience in adding value to properties through effective design & styling. Watch his free videos on YouTube, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram for more free information.