Patina not only has lovely items for your loved ones but we also have gifts for the house. There is still time to add that extra chair(s), art, lamps – anything you need to make your home feel special this holiday season.

Since Alexandria is what I consider the best collection of independent retailers around, this Small Business Saturday, a group of over a dozen stores have collaborated to do a day of gifts with purchase. Stop in, shop and get a little gift from us. Just a thank you for shopping small this holiday season and helping us keep the doors to our shops open another year!

We all live with little necessary home repairs. Whether it’s a leaky faucet, broken fence, missing trim, holes in drywall – well you get the picture. Most of the time we let these things go until we decide it’s time to sell our house. We get everything repaired, replaced, painted and then wonder why we didn’t do it sooner!

The best time to start decorating for Christmas is when you have energy for it! In my younger years, time got away from me, and I wouldn’t decorate until well into December. If you’re going to spend time making your home look great, I strongly urge you to do it right after Thanksgiving. You then get to enjoy everything for the whole month of December.

Quite often on Patina’s design visits, we encounter homes with a great amount of space, but the clients share they feel they are lacking storage. As we familiarize ourselves with the home, we notice doors and drawers full of stuff (aka junk!). Not every room in your house needs to have junk drawers or closets. We recommend organizing your home first before moving on to design support.

Patina is delighted to share that we now carry Trudon. The company became known for their highly regarded candles, providing candles for well-known cathedrals and churches throughout Paris, boasting both long-lasting burn time, and flames which didn’t smoke. Since 1737, Trudon has been the largest and most respected wax manufacture in France and their know-how has evolved through the years, always keeping its strong historic traditions and values.

At our upcoming Patina Tag Sale, we will present everyone in line with a marking system for the items they wish to purchase. We recommend that everyone bring their own packing material, bags, bubble wrap, etc. This will be a credit card/check event only, no cash. This is a one-day sale. All the final details will be shared on Friday, September 27, the day before the sale.

We are fortunate that we get to experience all four seasons in Alexandria. As we draw closer to October, our thoughts turn to fall and all it has to offer. One way to add a little fall flavor to your outfits is with your jewelry.

Patina is busily preparing for our designer tag sale which will take place on Saturday, September 28. We will feature vintage pieces — mainly French, along with art, lamps, tables, upholstery, garden items and lots of accessories.

A sofa is one of the most important and expensive purchases you will make for your home. It’s at the center of your home’s activities and entertainment. A less expensive sofa might seem like a good idea, but they tend to have a shelf life of about seven years.

Ever feel like your home could use a little extra something? It’s come together nicely and you’re happy with it, but…it needs a little oomph. Time to zhuzh it up! Take a look around your home or office. There are zhuzh opportunities everywhere!

While the temps are in the 90s, we are happily making plans for our Showroom & Warehouse Sale in the fall. It will include new and vintage furniture pieces, art, lamps and accessories. Here’s a preview:

Our week in Provence included visiting Cassis, Avignon, St. Remy, Uzes, Nimes and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Our last two days were spent relaxing and taking in the Provence laid back lifestyle. You start thinking – why don’t we live like this in Alexandria?

We tapped two of our local home and entertainment experts, Amanda Mertins of Patina Polished Living and Rachel Gang of Helen Olivia, for tips on outdoor entertaining.

They had a restaurant called the Greenbrier where ladies lunched and elevator operators would ask, “which floor?” when you stepped inside.

On my wedding day, I gave my father a card with Goethe’s quote: “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.”