Our New Living Room Wall Color

A few weeks ago, I debated whether or not to repaint our living room. I loved the hearty shade of chocolate brown-- it was so unexpected in a small space and gave the room a cozy library feel. But at the same time, I was ready for a change. The style of our house had really progressed, especially when we refinished our kitchen and master bedroom. The chocolate brown living room felt left behind, a relic of a design style I no longer really appreciated as much. I still liked it, but I no longer loved it. Does that make sense? 

So last week, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work repainting. To save money, I decided to paint the room the same color that I had used in our kitchen. I loved the color and knew it would work well in our living room. Plus, we still had an entire can of paint left over! 
The color I used is a soft dove grey called "Chinchilla" by Behr. We purchased the paint several months ago; so I'm not sure if Home Depot still carries it. However, I'm sure they have a similar shade. We always use Behr paints in our house, and I'm always very impressed with their product. Our entire house-- interior and exterior-- is painted with Behr. For this project and our kitchen, we used a paint-and-primer combo in a semi-gloss finish. It went on so smoothly. Other than the trim, I really only needed one coat. If you're looking to paint a room, I highly recommend popping over to your local Home Depot and considering Behr. 

The finished product really amazed me. I couldn't believe how much brighter and bigger the room felt. Even though it's the beginning of February and we just experienced Snomageddon 2016, our living room feels fresh and springy. Now, our entire house has a seamless color theme: grey and neutral wall colors with blue accents. Re-painting the living room was an excellent choice. I'm so glad I did it. 

That's what I've loved about renovating this old house. As things come together, the house really comes back into it's own, becoming something pretty and unique once again. A loved, happy space for family, good food, and good times. 
Stay tuned for more renovation updates!   

Living Small // Solutions When You Have No Entryway

Have you ever noticed that the websites boasting "solutions for small entryways" always somehow have ideas that only work in homes that well... have entryways? Oh my goodness, y'all. Every time I read one of those posts-- with their oh-so-helpful tips for entryway or storage storage-- I think to myself "Yea but what if you have NO entryway? Like, not even a nook or a hallway?"

Am I alone in this? Our front door opens straight into the living room. There's zero space for a small bench or entryway table. You swing open the front door, and it's "Welcome to our living room." What little space our entry does possess is dominated by the living room's radiator. So in other words: we're warm, but we're tracking footprints all over the house.

When we bought the house, having no designated entryway didn't seem like that big of a deal. But one month into a Maryland winter, I realized how annoying having no designated entryway could really be. Translation: you step off the salt-encrusted sidewalk and onto your hardwoods. Ugh.

Today I thought I'd share a few simple tips for how we carved an entryway out of nothing. I'll be honest, sometimes we still feel frustrated in the midst of a Maryland winter, but for the most part, we've made our lack of an entryway work for us. For the most part.

1. Get thee an entryway rug.
After our first winter began, I quickly realized we needed an entryway rug. I just couldn't stand the thoughts of dripping water all over the original hardwood floors-- one of my favorite features of our home. I picked up a small Threshold rug at our local Target. Now, we have a place to wipe our muddy boots, and Solo meanwhile has a place to lie and stare at passerby.

2. Hang the coats.
Another big issue with having no entryway? Coats all over the living room.  To solve this problem, we simply installed a few decorative coat hooks. Now, we have a place to hang the rain jackets and Solo's leash. Whenever they're not being used, I try to round up the coats and take them to our upstairs coat closet. But sometimes necessity outweighs decor preferences.

3. Hide the shoes.
We don't really have a "no shoes rule" in our house, but my husband has always taken his shoes off as soon as he walks in the front door. His habit transferred to me. And before I knew it, a pile of flats and tennis shoes had become our new welcome committee. To corral the mess, I put a small basket beside the door. Now, as soon as shoes come off, they go in the basket. It's not a perfect solution, but it hides what would otherwise be an eyesore.

4. Stash the keys.
The final problem I had with our lack of entryway... nowhere to toss my keys! I don't know about you, but I like to just toss my keys onto a surface when I come home. You can't very well toss keys into the middle of the room. For awhile, our TV stand served as the gathering place for the odds-and-ends that find themselves by the front door: gym cards, car keys, doggy bags, random golf tees.  A few days ago, I saw this marble tray in HomeGoods' clearance section. That'll work, I thought. Now if I can just get the husband to put his keys in the tray rather than beside the tray.

5. Make it pretty.
This suggestion may seem a little flippant but, in my opinion, having a pretty entrance makes coming home a happier occurrence... and maybe make you forget the annoyance of the non-entryway. Our front door is a bright poppy red-- a color choice that cheers up even the dreariest rainy day. I also tend to go overboard decorating our little stoop with seasonal flowers-- right now we've got more mums than any home really needs. Finally, the seasonal wreath and our custom stained glass transom (from Terraza Stained Glass in Baltimore) give our front entrance a unique flair.

What tips do you have for the non-entryway?

How do you make your space work for you?

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Decorating Your Home with Fresh Flowers

Deep crimson, yellow ochre, dusky blues, and berry-bright orange-- these moody, jewel-tones have always been my favorite colors with which to decorate our home. Even when the rest of the world gravitates to white-washed pastels and farmhouse chic, I cling to the dramatic and the eclectic: bold patterns, mismatched textures, and funky colors. So of course, when fall rolls around, I'm thrilled! Finally the rest of the world dons it's autumnal hues-- my absolute favorite color palette.

One way that I love incorporating fall into our home decor is through the use of fall florals. Typically, when you think of using fresh flowers in your home decor, you probably think of it as a spring and summer accessory. But fall brings a plethora of floral options: succulents, pumpkins, sunflowers, wheat stems, dried hydrangeas, berries, dark roses, leafy branches, and of course the quintessential mum. Every year, I decorate our front stoop with mums and pumpkins. But I also love to incorporate fresh autumn flowers into our interior seasonal decor. There's just something about fresh flowers that cheers up a room.

Today, I wanted to share some ways that I've utilized flowers in our fall decor along with some inspiring ideas  from BloomNation.

Tip: Pick flowers that match your home's color theme. 

With its chocolate brown walls and broad leather couch, our living room is without a doubt the coziest room in the house. A common color thread throughout the room is yellow ochre. So when I saw yellow Craspedia (also called Billy Balls) at our local market, I had to buy them. They're so simple but just add a touch of whimsy to our decor. Plus, their bright mustard yellow color perfectly matches our color theme.

Tip: Choose flowers that will last a while, like sunflowers. 

The Craspedia in our living room have been in their vase for a little over a week. I regularly change the water-- I aim for once a day--and they still haven't lost their fluffiness or color. Some flowers, like tulips, are stunning but can wilt pretty quickly. You can always try placing your fresh flowers in the fridge overnight, but if you're like me, you may not have much room in there. Especially if you meal prep! So ask your local florist for flowers that will last a little longer in an arrangement. One of my long-lasting favorites for fall? Sunflowers.

Tip: Choose fluffy flowers that give you more bang for your buck.

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows that bigger, fluffier flowers are the way to go. You get more volume for less money because you're buying less stems. In our wedding, I purchased huge clumps of baby's breath, tied them with burlap ribbon, and put them into galvanized tin buckets for an inexpensive yet dramatic aisle decoration. Now, in my home, I love using hydrangeas because one or two stems create a voluminous bouquet for our dining room table.

Tip: Add texture through greenery, berries, or branches. 

Yesterday, my husband came home with a stunning fall bouquet: an eclectic mix of greenery, roses, sunflowers, and berries. While uniform bouquets can be beautiful, I love the textural interest that this bouquet had. I added two more branches to create vertical height alongside the soft greens and bold crimsons. In my opinion, textural elements like berries and branches really work well in fall decor because they evoke memories of long woodsy walks and campsites.

Tip: Don't be afraid to experiment. 

Not a huge fan of flowers? Or have allergies? Instead of a traditional bouquet, display a branch of changing leaves or even use wheat stems like the fall centerpiece we shared a few days ago.  You can even experiment with unique containers: a pumpkin, a bucket, or tea tins. Vintage or rustic containers really add to the fall flavor.

Need some inspiration? One of my favorite Instagram accounts and Pinterest boards is BloomNation, a community marketplace for discovering talented local florists. i started following them on Instagram @bloomnation awhile ago. Because, frankly, who doesn't love a feed full of stunning flowers? They give tidbits of flower arranging advice and can help you find a really unique florist in your area, just by typing in your zip code. In fact, all of the images posted today are from BloomNation, used with permission of course.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Images sources:  top image: mine // all other images:  BloomNation Pinterest board (used with permission)

Kitchen Inspiration

For the past two weeks, Mark and I have been working on renovating our kitchen. Before the project began, we optimistically and naively thought "Oh this will take about a week." Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Here we are, two weeks later, still putting the last pieces together.

Here's an annoying truth: tiling a backsplash can take forever. Especially when you have this "vision" of subway tile reaching to the ceiling. Each row has to dry and set before you can proceed to the next. Otherwise, the whole thing could come sliding down. Once you've finally tiled and grouted the entire thing, you have to allow the grout to set about 48 hours before sealing it. Ugh. My hands are constantly white-flecked with grout and adhesive, speckled as if I have some kind of skin condition.
Once the subway tile backsplash is sealed, we will begin hanging the three shelves. The final steps of the renovation will be hanging a new light fixture and then extending the cabinets to the ceiling.

I. Am. So. Ready. To. Be. Done.

I can't wait to share photos of the finished project. But even more so... I can't wait to have counter top surfaces again and to be able to cook a decent meal in the kitchen without having to dodge stacked bowls or random tools. So, to hold myself over until the Big Reveal, I thought that today I would share some of the Pinterest photos that inspired our kitchen makeover.

From the moment we bought our house, I knew I wanted two things in the kitchen: open shelving and subway tiles. I just love the crisp, classic look of subway tile. You can find it in stately old homes built at the turn of the century and in new, modern buildings. It's simply a timeless look that just doesn't lose it's charm or style.

Another favorite: shabby chic painted chandeliers. I've been scouring our local thrift shops and ReStores but haven't found one that works and is the right size. While I'd love to do a fun DIY and put an old chandelier in the kitchen, I will most likely go with this cutey from Home Depot. It has an old schoolhouse charm that I think will work well in our little galley kitchen. Since this isn't our forever home, I don't feel the need to make every single detail perfect. I'll have my Ultimate Kitchen later in life, maybe in house two or three.

The final kitchen detail that inspired our renovation: two cabinet colors. Those of you who follow along on my Instagram know that we decided to go with Annie Sloan's grey-blue shade Old Violet. I love the way its turning out with our old-rubbed bronze drawer pulls and faucet.

I also love these hanging rods and buckets from IKEA. I probably won't grow herbs in my kitchen (no direct sunlight), but have found them to be a great place to store random kitchen doodads like napkin rings or small utensils.

Stay tuned for our kitchen reveal!

All images via Pinterest.
Image of kitchen in first collage via Primitive & Proper.

Around Town // Repurposed & Refined Boutique Tour

Hi friends! Today I thought it would be fun to share a shop tour of my workplace: the downtown Frederick boutique of the vintage furniture company Repurposed & Refined. I know you've seen snippets of the warehouse and some of the furniture projects I've worked on, but I thought "Hmm.. I've never shared a tour of the actual shop before." This week, I began writing content for R&R's blog and, after compiling a shop tour for their readers, I decided to share the space here as well. After all, as part of the Frederick shopping scene, it fits well into our Around Town series here at Patina & Purl.

The old building that houses the boutique has seen many purposes over the years, including thrift store and, at one point, auto repair shop. So often, older customers stop by and share a story about the location in one of its original functions. With its beautiful stamped tin ceilings, however, it's hard for me to imagine it with leaky old Chevrolets and Fords sitting around. 

The storefront's tin ceiling and the workshop's original hardwood floors preserve the historic charm of the building, while the huge original windows allow natural sunlight to stream in. Although, I will admit, that the old windows require some serious muscle to open. Such is the nature of old buildings--a lesson our own 116 year old house has taught us!--with the charm comes some quirks. You just have to acknowledge and work around them. If you were over a hundred years old, you might have some leaks and creaks too!

The Frederick boutique consists of two components: the storefront and the workshop. The front displays all the finished pieces and home decor accessories. The back workshop is the space where the company owners, myself, and the other painters work to render salvaged junk into beautiful pieces of furniture. We do offer monthly workshops for people hoping to learn about Annie Sloan chalkpaint and how to undertake their own DIY project. 

In addition to furniture and home decor, the Frederick store carries a variety of paint products including Annie Sloan chalkpaint, Miss Mustard Seed milkpaint, and Artisan Enhancement products. As you can probably assume from my recent posts, I've loved working with the Annie Sloan paint. It's a great product for up-cycling vintage furniture and is so easy to use. 

Annie Sloan also makes brushes, wax, stencils, candles, and even fabric. And the store carries it all. If you're in the Frederick area and are into DIY and crafting, you should definitely check out our products. 

So why buy upcycled vintage when you could go to HomeGoods, Pier One, or Ethan Allen?

It's simple. Vintage items typically have better construction and, often, are even handmade. Our repair and paint jobs are all done by skilled artisans and add a one-of-a-kind flair to the items. Don't get me wrong-- my house has a few bigbox purchases. But, when you do buy vintage, you're buying a piece with history, with a story, a unique item that you are not likely to find in someone else's home. So does this original and vintage design come with a hefty price tag? Not at this store. The shop-owners aim to keep their prices affordable, taking into consideration the salvaged nature of the pieces and keeping our inventory accessible to the average buyer.  If you stop in, you may be pleasantly surprised at the dollar signs on the price tags.

Thanks so much for taking this little tour of the boutique! I love working here. It's a great feeling to take cast-off and outdated furniture and render it into something beautiful that will find a place in someone's home. 

If you're interested in stopping by, I've provided our address and store hours below. Maybe you'll find a vintage treasure of your own!

Repurposed & Refined

217 W Patrick Street

Frederick MD

11am-5pm Monday Wednseday & Friday

11am-5pm Saturday

12pm-4pm Sunday

All opinions in this post are entirely my own. While I am employed at Repurposed & Refined, I am receiving no compensation for this tour post or any opinions expressed in this article. 

Dill House Diary // Living Room Tour

In case you're wondering, last week's snow days gave me some much-needed time to tidy the house and perform a little "photo shoot" of some rooms in our house. I know that ya'll have seen the living room before--when we entered the Apartment Therapy Room for Color contest. However, we've since add new details to the room and plus I just had so much fun taking photos that I thought, hey,why not a living room reveal?

Mark  and I are certainly not afraid of color or pattern. To be honest, I may go a little overboard with it, but who cares! Someone once asked: How would you define your style? Eclectic may be the best descriptor, but I also feel that our style does't really fit any one label  My approach to decorating isn't really formulaic or purposeful. I buy things that I catch my eye: whether its the color, the pattern, the shape, or the texture. When they're all put together, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I strive to surround myself with things that I find beautiful, whether or not they're in vogue.

Lately, I'm really into these blue willow china patterns. They're somehow country-homey and Southern-classy all at the same time. My sweet parents bought me this lamp for Christmas a few year ago. It was at a thrift shop; why anyone would have tossed it away is beyond me!

So that's our living room! Thanks for taking a peek!

If you have a living room or house tour of your own, share it in the comments below!

Dill House Diary // Dining Room Tour

Although we've owned our house for nearly two years, we're just beginning to add the details that make our house feel like a home. It seemed that for so long we had random, disparate items on the walls. One painting, hung in an awkward location, with blank space to the right. Or a wobbly out-dated ceiling fan casting a yellow light over the room. Yet over time, we've replaced the outdated (bye-bye ceiling fan), polished the classic (hello original hardwood), and managed to create a space that feels curated and homey. Now, it's a space that feels lived in, That feels like ours. 

Recently, I stumbled upon Sweet Clover Barn, a vintage home decor and handmade marketplace housed in an old dairy barn here in Frederick, Maryland. Let's just say, I experienced sensory overload when I walked through its rusty sliding doors. Seriously. Check out their Facebook page, and you will understand. I bought this hand-printed table cloth there and am in love with it. The marketplace is only open once a month, but I'm already dying to go back!

I love being able to create my own artwork for our home. Every piece, excluding one large painting in our bedroom, is one of my original acrylic paintings. If you look what you see in these pictures, check out my Etsy or contact me to discuss creating an original piece of art for your home! 

When we bought our home, I walked into the dining room, noticed this quirky wall beside the stairwell and thought "I want to make that a chalkboard wall." Now, we love writing whimsical and seasonal messages on it. It's a cheap decorative accent to add to your room--and every time you change the message, you give the room a new air. 

What do you guys think? Thanks for taking a look into our living room! 

Now we just need to have you over for a meal!