Boat Inspiratons

Today, I am super excited to share some of my decor ideas for our liveaboard boat. I don't plan on doing all of this at once-- I am sure it will be a gradual process-- but I have put together a few idea boards that showcase the vision I have in my head. 

I definitely want to incorporate nautical elements, without going overboard. (Ha! No pun intended.) The color palette will be a blend of blues and grays with hints of citrus incorporated to give an unexpected twist. And if you know me, you know it will be colorful! 

For the galley (kitchen): I'm thinking white cabinets, a rope rug, and a playful table runner. Also, don't you just love that "Welcome Aboard" pillow? 

Luckily, the previous owner left a lovely grey velvet loveseat in the living room. It's very similar to the one pictured above. I think it will go perfectly with a white-and-blue rug, colorful toss pillows, and a clear acrylic coffee table.

I've never been one to shy away from pattern and color in a small space, but I do think its important to keep furniture streamlined when working with a limited floorplan. A clear coffee table would provide a landing surface while still being light on the eyes.

Finally... the cabin (aka bedroom) inspiration board. I'll probably use my current duvet but accent with navy blue. I would love to try my hand at knitting a super chunky or giant yarn throw blanket. Winters on a liveaboard boat can be pretty cold, so I'll have the perfect excuse to layer on the texture. 

Also, I just have to buy these goofy pillow cases for our forward cabin (the guest room). I mean... you're all singing that song in your heads, after all. Don't deny it. 

Want to shop any of these looks? 

Click below for sources! 

Etsy sources: Whale wall hook Crab pillow  Nautical hardware Starfish table runner  Nautical Rope Rug "Welcome Aboard" pillow "I'm on a Boat" pillow Coral watercolor print velvet pillow
Other sources: Yacht bedding (coral)  oversized knit blanket

A Peek Indoors with Sarah of Bluffton, SC

Welcome to the third installment of my monthly home decor series "A Peek Indoors." This week, we get to peek into the living room of my sweet friend Sarah. With its soft neutral palette, this living room manages to combine muted coastal vibes with a minimalist practicality-- all while maintaining its lived-in, welcoming atmosphere. It's a space in which anyone would enjoy sharing conversation and coffee. 
Now let's peek into this gorgeous, airy space!

"When my husband and I purchased our home four years ago, we were young and newly married with jobs we both loved and a passion for travel. In those four years, our lives have changed in a way that is very typical, yet feels light years away from that beginning together. We now have a one-year-old son, I'm a stay at home mom, and we have fully embraced the comfort of staying home as travel is one million times more difficult with a baby along. Our home has evolved right along with our life changes. 

"My husband couldn't care less about the look of our home, but I've spent the last year curating our space into one that brings us joy, is highly functional, and is also safe for our baby to explore. As a minimalist, I've pitched carloads of "junk" (much to the chagrin of my husband), invested in simple, neutral furniture with small pops of color to bring life to our home and inspire joy. Over time, I've narrowed down our decor to meaningful items. I finally feel very content with our home as it is now, and I'm continuing to focus on constantly paring down instead of purchasing more to fill our home. The space we live in feels open and comfortable: our little haven.

"There are many rooms I love in our home, namely our brand new relaxing screened-in-porch and our son's colorful art and travel-inspired room, but the room I decided to share today is our living room. It's where we spend most of our family time and gather with guests. Our living room is a perfect example of our overall style -- simple and minimalist with pops of bright color. Flow and empty space are abundant in this room, which makes it feel larger than it really is, while also freeing up my mind to think and just be, a hard objective to achieve with a toddler running around. I've decorated with lots of family photos, artistic shots from our pre-baby travels together, and little mementos from our world adventures. 
With comfort, minimalism, and meaningful curating combined, we are thankful to feel like this space is one we can be at home in for years to come." 
Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Would you like to be featured on "A Peek Indoors"?  Contact us at patinaandpurl [at] aol [dot] com to be considered! 

A Peek Indoors with Lana of Newman's Nest Blog

Welcome to another installment of "A Peek Indoors," my monthly series focusing on the home decor and styling skills of some of my favorite bloggers, makers, and artists. Each post focuses on the favorite room in the guest writer's home. This month, we're peeking into the chic little-girl nursery of my friend Lana of Newman's Nest blog. She and her husband are expecting their first baby, a little girl, very soon. And they have created the sweetest little nursery for her to come home to! You can tell that Lana's great eye for design and experience working for Anthropologie has molded her style. 
Without further ado, let's see this adorable baby room! 

"My husband and I have lived in our home now for almost 5 years, and I do have lots of favorites about the house- the kitchen remodel we finished last year, our master bedroom, and our living room to name a few. But this room is my all time favorite because it will be where our first born babe lays her head at night- doesn't get much sweeter than that in my book!  It's also the only room in our home that I feel is actually "completely decorated"- the rest of the home is constantly feeling like a work in progress.  I suppose it helps to have a bit of a time crunch.  Nothing like a due date to motivate the completion of a room!

The look I was aiming for was a modern take on a nursery- I didn't want it too themed but more of an eclectic meshing of my favorite elements for a little one's space.  I started with the idea of a black and white nursery and then added light pink, minty aqua, and gold accents.  The black and white ended up getting a little overshadowed but it is a good neutral base!  

I found most of the accent pieces at Anthropologie, like the art prints, stuffed flamingo and Jellycat bunny, dresser knobs, globe, and jewelry box hung as a mirror.  The rest I found at box stores like Target and TJ Maxx;  Keeping the nursery under budget was pretty important to me- I prefer to spend money on cute baby clothes!  

The hardest thing for me to find/decide on was the dresser.  I didn't want to end up spending an arm and a leg on it so price really narrowed my options.  I also wanted it to have more of an antique look since everything else was so sleek and modern.  And lastly, the height had to be at least 34" because both the hubby and I are pretty tall and didn't want to kill our backs, crouching over to change the millions of diapers we are anticipating!  After quite the search, I found the perfect dresser on Craigslist but it needed a good restoration.  I took it to a local boutique called Mustard Seed- the owner refinished the dresser for me and painted it a glossy black to make the finished result a bit more chic.  Glossy paint also tends to highlight any flaws (which this dresser has quite a few dings) but I prefer it that way- it's an antique!

My favorite design element is a tie between the mobile and the metal sign above the changing table.  The mobile was a DIY idea from Pinterest made out of straws and spray painted.  It was my first try at himmeli so I did have quite a few frustrating moments but I love the end result!  We found the metal sign on our babymoon in Turks and Caicos at the cutest little place that was half coffee/gelato shop and half home goods boutique.  I love that we incorporated a piece from our trip into her room!"

Thanks so much for sharing, Lana!

Like what you see? Find more and follow Lana via:

Newmans Nest blog | Pinterest | Instagram

10 Favorite Springtime Rituals

Let the record show that this week in Frederick, Maryland the temperature reached the high 70's. Last I checked, the high actually tipped out at 77 degrees. In March. In Maryland. I could get used to this. Oh, I could get very used to this!
With the arrival of this spectacular weather, I have come down with a substantial case of spring-fever. When I say substantial, I mean wearing bright colors all the time, busting out the flats, stalking the flower department at my local nursery. As soon as the first trays of pansies appear, you'll find me roving the nursery aisles, greedily collecting trays of blooming pansies left and right. 
Here are a few of my favorite rituals for welcoming the spring season. 

1. Open the windows As soon as the temperature gets into the high 50's, I try to open my windows. I immediately start to shiver and regret it. You can bet with these beautiful 60 and 70 degree days, I've had the windows wide open, ceiling fans whirring overhead. I love feeling the gentle spring breeze and watching the currents gently rise and fall. And nothing beats the smell of fresh air in your home after a long, stuffy winter.
2. Bring home fresh flowers. Nothing makes a home feel fresh and airy like fresh flowers. I love bringing home a bunch of hot pink carnations and arranging them in my favorite vase for the front window. Plus, carnations seem to last forever. Another spring favorite: hyacinths only bloom for a little while but they will fill the room with their sweet fragrance! 
3. Start wearing flats. With the warm weather comes freedom from boots and socks. And I love it! It's just liberating to slip into a pair of flats with jeans after months of trudging through snow in thick-soled boots. 
4. Eat outside.  My absolute favorite thing about spring is eating outside on our patio. Sometimes on Sundays, we'll grab takeout and toss a tablecloth over our patio table. Somehow food just tastes better when eaten outside, doesn't it? 

5. Get my hands in the dirt. The one house chore that never gets old to me is garden work. Grubby fingers and dirt under my nails is not a bad way to spend a day. Holding myself back and not planting flowers too soon is always the hardest part about spring. The nice weather allows lulls me into thinking that there will be no frost ever again-- but we know that's not true! This time of year you can plant leafy vegetables, lavender, and pansies. 
6. De-clutter the house and clean out the closets. Around this time of year, I find myself wanting to clean out all my dresser drawers and closets. Bulky winter sweaters and coats take up so much room don't they? At the end of each season, I go through my clothing to determine what I wore and what I didn't wear. Inevitably there are always a few items I purchased and somehow never wore, convinced that some change overcame them between the store and home. What I don't need I always donate or sell. 
7. Deep clean the entire house. Inviting all the natural spring light into the house illuminates the dust and grime that winter leaves behind. A good deep clean is not the most enjoyable spring ritual, but it always pays off. Not just the carpets and hardwoods... but the baseboards, ceiling fans, windows... all those places the get neglected in the regular cleaning cycle. 
8. Create a summer-y playlist on Spotify. An excess of streaming sunshine puts me in the mood for all my summertime favorites: Simplified, Jack Johnson, Dirty Heads, Sublime, etc. Together they create a perfect playlist that puts me in the mood for sunshine, pool-side livin', and something fruity in a tall glass. 
9.  Wear bright colors. In winter, I tend to gravitate toward neutral or dark colors: greys, blacks, navy blues. Yet my springtime closet explodes with pinks and blues and greens-- the bright Lily Pulitzer-esque, spritzy colors indigenous to every Southern girl's wardrobe. 
10. Add some bright fabrics to decor. Swapping out my thick throw blankets for bright floral print pillows is another favorite ritual for welcoming spring into my home decor. Other spring decor favorites: citrus-y candles, boxwood wreaths, and fresh hyacinths from the grocery store. 
What's your favorite thing about spring??
Art pictured: aptly named "Spring Fever," 24x36 available at my Etsy

A Peek Indoors with Amber of Live Wholeheartedly Blog

Welcome to the second installment of  "A Peek Indoors," my monthly series focusing on the home decor and styling skills of some of my favorite bloggers, artists, and homemakers. Each post focuses on guest writer's favorite room in their home. This month, we're peeking into the home of one of my closest friends Amber of Live Wholeheartedly blog. Today, she is sharing her absolutely adorable and totally DIY laundry room!

"When debating which room was my "favorite," the first room that came to mind was our kitchen. However, that is not the “favorite” room I’ll be sharing with you today...When I told my husband about this post, and that I chose our laundry room as my favorite room in the house, he said, “WHAT? After all the work we’ve done in the kitchen, you picked the laundry room!?” Yes, I did pick our laundry room because I love it!

I’m lucky enough to have a rather large laundry room for the size of our house (2 bedroom/2 bath and 1050 sqft). When planning the room, I really wanted its décor to be fresh. You make clothes clean there, so why not make it look clean and fresh? I never understood how some people’s laundry rooms were so cluttered and grimy. I wanted my laundry room to be a place that I enjoyed being in. Most people complain about doing laundry, but I’ve found that having a cute laundry room makes this "chore" more enjoyable.   

Disclaimer: My husband purchased the washer and dryer set before we were married, and I really like them. The only part I don’t like about them are the blue plastic covers that he INSISTS I don’t take off! They drive me crazy, but he really wants the machines to stay "scratch free".... *sigh. So please excuse the blue plastic."

"I had this IKEA shelf for my classroom when I was teaching, and I wasn’t quite sure where to put it when I moved in, but using it in the laundry room turned out to be a great choice.  Organization is what keeps me going! These handy little cubbies corral all of our miscellaneous things. I like everything to have a place, and with this shelf, it does! I added the little tags to label what is in each bin.  

The basket on top was part of a wedding gift. Now, I use it to keep my extra laundry items that I don’t use all of the time (bleach, extra dryer sheets…etc.)"

 "We added this shelf above the washer and dryer. It was just a board from Home Depot that we cut to fit and painted white. I wanted a place to keep our soap, laundry beads, and dryer sheets. Okay… I’ll admit it… I also wanted a cute way to display them and other things. Adding the candle and little sign are simple decorative touches that make the laundry room feel like part of the house, not just a room for chores.

We originally were planning to put cabinets in, which we still might do. Now that I have the shelf though, I actually like the openness of having just the shelf.  I’ve added cute little things to make it more girly and decorative. I’ve done a good job of keeping our home décor gender-neutral, but this room is solely mine so I feel like I can dress it up a little."

"I also keep the room smelling like laundry by putting a few laundry beads in my wax warmer.  They keep their scent for a long time, and it keeps the room and hallway smelling like fresh laundry, even if I’m not doing laundry at the time.

Our laundry room “make-over” took a few months to finish. I started only with the Ikea shelf and bins (May). Then I added the shelf, and décor (August). Finally, I added the rug (December). Overall though, it was a really cheap process. The only items we purchased for the laundry room decor was the shelf (about $20) and the tags ($3) everything else were things we already had. The rug is new, but it was a Christmas gift (from Target--super soft!).

If the laundry room is not your favorite room in the house, I urge you to make it a more enjoyable room. Get organized and do some simple, cheap things to make it a cute, fun space."
Thanks for sharing, Amber! Like what you see? Find more and follow Amber at:
Live Wholeheartedly blog | Instagram | Pinterest

Would You Live on a Boat?

image source 

Would you live on a boat?
By now, most of us have heard of the Tiny House Movement, the evolution from large homes and hefty mortgages to smaller homes and sustainable, within-your-means living. This nationwide movement has been fueled in large part by young couples seeking to unburden themselves from financial debt and high housing costs. And hey, that's not a bad goal. Who would say no to being debt free? 
Some Tiny House dwellers have taken to the water, choosing to live on houseboats, sailboats, or even yachts. There's even a term for this sort of lifestyle: "liveaboard."  It's waterfront living without the hefty waterfront property price-tag. Plus, houseboats and yachts tend to have slightly more space than your traditional tiny house. Imagine spending a warm summer morning feet propped up on your boat deck, a mug of coffee in your hand. Again I ask: who would say no to that??

image source

As it turns out, Washington D.C. has its own liveaboard community, the largest on the East Coast. It's called Gangplank Marina and is located on the Washington Channel. Within walking distance of the nation's major monuments, the marina contains 309 slips of which roughly 100 contain liveaboards. A tight-knit community of likeminded boaters, the marina offers escape from the high rent and hubbub of citylife. 
Each morning, you awake to the gentle lap of water in the channel where birds dip and play and curious catfish bob to the surface. In spring, D.C.'s famous cherry blossoms coat the marina with a delicate pink blanket. Does this sound perfect to anyone else?

image source Since learning of this unique community, Mark and I have been researching everything we can about liveaboards and houseboat communities. Living aboard is not without it's unique challenges such as boat upkeep, slip fees, and my personal favorite: shoveling snow off your boat to insure it doesn't sink in winter. Yikes! 
Gangplank Marina has a long wait-list of houseboat owners looking to relocate to the nation's capitol. A wait-list made even more challenging by the building of a huge waterfront development called the Wharf. Some houseboat owners fear the the Wharf will overshadow their precious marina, jacking slip costs and disturbing their slice of paradise. But where there's a will, there's a way. People circumnavigate the obstacles by purchasing a boat already in located in the marina and so set up their floating home.
So would you do it?  Would you forsake life on land and try a liveaboard? I think I would!

A Peek Indoors with Whitney Torres of Athens, GA

I'm so excited to announce that Patina & Purl will be hosting a new series entitled "A Peek Indoors." This monthly series will focus on the home decor and styling skills of some of my favorite bloggers, artists, and homemakers. Each post will focus on the contributor's favorite room in his/her home. 

What better way to kick-off the series than with a special guest post from my sweet friend Whitney of Hey Whitney blog. I am so in love with her minimalist style, even though it couldn't be more opposite of my own decor style. She someone manages to achieve a homey, inviting look while keeping things simple and crisp. Today, she is sharing her lovely master bedroom with us. 

"When I first committed to writing this post for Abi, I immediately started thinking about the new duvet cover and curtains I wanted to buy for this room. New pillowcases would be nice while I was at it and, oh! maybe my husband could quickly build that headboard he's been promising to make me. After a few hours spent searching for "linen duvet cover" on Amazon and gaping at the prices, I realized that I was trying to throw together my dream bedroom in a week, rather than sharing the room as it currently is. And the truth is, this room (and the rest of the house too, for that matter) aren't my dream rooms. There are approximately one million things that I would change in each of them, but for the time being they work for us.

When my husband and I first made plans to move to Georgia, we weren't sure yet if I would be getting another job, which would determine where in the state we wanted/needed to be. To tide us over, we decided to rent this rambling brick rancher in Athens. Luckily, we are able to rent from some very good friends so when we eventually find a house to buy, we won't have to worry about leases and contracts. If you've ever rented before, you know what a big deal that can be!

Believe it or not, I didn't set eyes on this house until we pulled into its driveway with all of our stuff in the back of an enormous Penske moving truck. Normally, this is something that I would have never done. But, from the get go, I've always known this house is just a place to tide us over until we find our one-day home. Having that attitude from the very beginning helped me to overlook a lot of things that I wouldn't necessarily have chosen in a house (lookin' at you, wood paneling).

Our bedroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house, probably because it's one of the few rooms without paneling in it! I'm usually all for painting as soon as we move in, but because we knew we weren't going to be here for terribly long, we left most everything as is. Luckily, this room had been painted by the previous renters in one of my favorite shades of grey.

Our nightstands are two of my favorite things in our bedroom. They are actually old card catalogs that my grandmother salvaged from a library in my hometown. I had them in my room for years as I was growing up and used the drawers to keep all of the letters from my friends. Remember the good old days of snail mail?! I had a quite a few from Abi in there from when we were twelve or thirteen and constantly sending letters back and forth. We recently added some hairpin legs to them and they are functioning quite well in their second life as nightstands.

I like to refer to our style as minimalism with a touch of mid-century modern. Really, though, it's combination of cheap and lazy. ;) One thing is definitely true, I don't like clutter in my home and tend to keep things as sparse as possible. I gravitate towards clean lines, mid-century inspired furniture, and lots of neutrals.

I feel like I'm the last person who should be offering decorating advice, but one of the things I've really come to appreciate in our bedroom is the Threshold blanket that covers the foot of our bed. Not only is it perfect to pull over us on cold nights, but it also serves the double purpose of hiding the foot of the bed. I hate being able to see under a bed, but I can't bring myself to buy a bedskirt ruffle (can you say 1980?) and this blanket is doing the job just fine until we get our head and foot board made. 

Forgive the shameless bragging, but I am so proud of the weaving that is currently hanging over our bed. It is the first weaving I've ever done and, although I made about one hundred mistakes in the process, it feels good to say that I made that! Usually, my husband Mark is the crafty one in our relationship so there aren't many elements to our home that I get to say that about."

Thanks for sharing, Whitney! 

Like Whitney's style? Find more at: 

Hey Whitney Blog | Instagram @whit_torres | Twitter | Facebook

Help Us Pick a Living Room Color!

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of using bold color in your home. My own home is an eclectic mix of jewel tones and dramatic dark hues. For the most part, I feel like I never go wrong with going bold. It suits my eclectic style. However, I've gotten a wee bit tired of our living room color.
Currently, our living room is painted a snuggly warm shade of chocolate brown. I still really like this color. It's very warm and sophisticated and works well with the natural light the room receives during the mornings. We still get a lot of compliments on the room, usually from people surprised that such a dark paint works in a small space.
Our living room has been this chocolate shade for over two years, but lately I've noticed my style changing somewhat. I'm leaning more toward blues and greys and have begun to feel somewhat trapped by the chocolate brown wall color. As if I must forever and always use warm spice hues and only warm spice hues. Meanwhile, the rest of the house is grey and blue. So, while I still love the chocolate brown... it's the only room in the house that's brown. It's time for a change. After all, it is a new year. 
Here's a look at the room currently: 

I'm leaning toward using grey on the walls, similar to the color we used in our master bedroom or the kitchen. I think it would preserve the cozy-study feeling while blending with the rest of our home. However there's still that one rogue part of me that wants to go crazy and paint the room blue... although I'm not sure if that would be the best call. 
Here are some spaces that have been inspiring me lately. 

What do you think? Go grey? Go navy? Or go bold, like the bright turquoise? 
What color is your living room? Do you have an over-riding color theme for your house? Or do you just kind of go with it? 
All images curated from my Pinterest boards.
Original image sources:  1. via Style Me Pretty / 2. via Orange Drive Design / 3. via House of Turquoise / 4. via Centsational Girl / 5. via Decoholic / 6. via Residence Style

Dill House Diary // Master Bedroom Makeover

Hello, everyone. You may have noticed that we were MIA for a week or so there. We've been undergoing some major changes around here, with the hubs getting a new job in Washington, D.C. and starting up his personal training business as well. Then, last week, we took an impromptu trip to Virginia to visit Mark's family there-- so blogging fell by the wayside for a few days.  We've returned though with another makeover post for your reading pleasure. Today, I wanted to share our master bedroom makeover. Like every other room in this little house, it underwent a big change-- going from drab to dramatic. Here's a glimpse at what the master looked like when we purchased our home: 

Can you say "depressing"? We were the proud owners of off-white walls, a clanking window unit, a rusty radiator, and one window shade. I tell you, that one window shade made all the difference. Yes, that was sarcasm. 

Because the carpet was brand new, we decided to leave it even though it wouldn't have been my pick of carpets. We decided to paint the walls and the radiator, and just give the room and entirely new vibe. Instead of drab and sad, I wanted a dramatic, eclectic look. So without further ado... here's a look at what the space looks like now. 

Because our bedroom faces north, we're limited on how much natural light we get through the day. Most of it streams in during the morning and then gradually diminishes throughout the day.  I knew a pale color wouldn't work well without the correct light; so I took a risk and went with a dark, dramatic shade of charcoal grey. we chose Arabian Veil by Behr Paints, available at the Home Depot.

It turned out to be the best idea. The charcoal grey has a deep purple-blue undertone that shows up in different ways over the course of the day. It's so pretty and works so well with the blue accents in that room. 

When Mark and I registered for our wedding, we decided that one major item we would register for would be good bedding. Having really nice bedding--sheets, duvet, comforter--  really can give your room a luxurious feel. Even if the rest of the room isn't totally perfect, crawling into a squishy, hotel-soft bed will elicit the most content sigh imaginable. 

We currently have these sheets by Cariloha and this duvet from Bed Bath & Beyond. 

Our dresser and Mark's beside table are painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint's Paris Grey. I did two coats of the Chalk Paint on both pieces of furniture, sanded to add some distressed touches, and then added two coats of the Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax topcoat. The pale grey color matches our charcoal walls and somehow has a modern yet vintage touch at the same time. I absolutely love it. 

You can read more about the dresser makeover here. 

My favorite feature in our bedroom is the blue stained glass window that hangs above our bed. It makes such a big, bold statement and really sets the mood of our room. Can you believe I found that beauty at an antique warehouse for only $45 dollars? They had three others which I didn't buy. And to this day, I regret that I didn't! 

All in all, I love our master bedroom. I feel that it really encapsulates and showcases my style. Its eclectic, colorful vibe makes me happy everyday. It's cheerful and cozy at the same time, with lots of layered texture and bright hues. 

Like what you see here? Check out our kitchen renovation and home office tour. We're always renovating and DIYing around here. So stay tuned for more projects and makeovers! Thanks for reading!