There was a moment when Dearest and I began to appreciate the value of patina. We had been working hard when we purchased our house to repair cracks in our plaster walls, to caulk between cedar shingles and such. One day, someone came complimenting the detail in our home…and he helpd us learn to embrace patina.

The Dust Bowl

When Dearest and our son were patching and sanding smooth the plaster walls, I nicknamed our home, ”The Dust Bowl”. I was later told that we’d always be battling dust with plaster walls. They were right. I find plaster dust every where!

The Green Room

When this house was built, the green room was a screened in porch. One of the previous owners enclosed the porch, making it a room. The walls are made of cedar shingles. So for hours on end our daughters caulked the cracks before we painted the room. For this I am very glad, this was a gateway for spiders and Ladybugs…and others. I say our home is held up by lizards and Ladybugs!

Paint Every Where

One of the previous owners painted everything, nearly everything, white. The only things untouched were the floors and some of the interior doors. Otherwise, walls, trim and even some of the chandeliers were painted white. Dearest spent hours removing paint from the chandeliers in the living room revealing it’s beautiful brass patina.

Patina:

An appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit or established character.

That Fateful Day

Day after Day we worked to clean and declutter our new/old home. Dearest worked on walls, we cleared, we painted, we repaired. Then one day we noticed a leak from the AC unit in the attic. The repairman came by. He said he’d much admired the exterior of our Craftsman home and the interiors of these homes. They definitely have wonderful characteristics. As he walked around noting the trim, the built-in bookcases, the fireplace, the archways etc…We told him of our work to repair and to correct cracks etc…on the plaster walls. He turned to us and casually said, ‘that’s the home’s patina’.

Lightbulb!

Dearest and I looked at each other and together said, ‘patina!’ That day, we began to embrace the character and patina of our home. We began to embrace patina in objects we were attracted to in decorating our home. There’s history, there’s a story and there’s patina. I do love well polised, painted surfaces, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for homes and pieces with patina.