On August 1st, Neverland swapped her swanky marina spot for the decidedly less glamorous confines of the boatyard. A month ago, we were all gung-ho about hitting the ground running to get her seaworthy by September. Unfortunately, after arriving in a slip outside the yard, it took about a week to get pulled out onto land just for Hurricane Debby to roll through, with rain and another week’s worth of waiting.

What have we done with this enforced leisure time? Well, lots of laundry for sure. Patrick has been consuming as much content as possible about electrical systems, focusing on converting our battery bank to lithium and installing more solar panels. Meanwhile, I've been diligently prepping for my RDIQC certification and, okay, fine, I freely admit to indulging in a few hours of Pinterest-induced procrastination. There's something about rainy mornings and coffee that makes you crave a perfectly curated montage of layered rugs, you know?

Ironically, this obsessive pinning might have given birth to Neverland's design concept – our plan to turn this sailboat into our home.

Sure, right now we're spending a lot of money on keeping her afloat and the lights on, but there will come a time when some of that cash will be allocated to the RETF (Rheney's Environmental Therapy Fund). You might chuckle, but that's the power of good design. The spaces we inhabit have the potential to shape our moods and emotions. Think about a serene, spa-like bathroom to wash away the day's stress. Imagine a colorful, cheerful kitchen that brings joy to the chore of cooking. Picture a classic, masculine billiards room for gathering with friends, enjoying scotch, and perfecting your poker face. When designing a space, that's where I like to start: with the mood, the feeling you want to evoke, followed immediately by what’s going on in there — the function.

I’ll use my cottage as an example, Duckworth Cottage. You can check it out here on airbnb (airbnb.com/h/duckworthcottage). Every design decision I make for it is rooted in the mood – pure sunshine and joy, with a dash of cheekiness. But Neverland? Beyond being a magical place where wishes come true and grown-ups are optional, Neverland could be a refuge from the storm. A big, two-armed bear hug you want to sink into. Isn't there some study floating around about hugs, dopamine, and their potential life-extending effects? Anyway, you get the idea – an atmosphere that helps you feel calm, safe, and secure.

Another trick I love is flipping a room's negatives on their heads. What could be seen as cramped quarters will become our cozy little haven. And guess what? This approach also puts the spotlight on the teak, which is already a major player on board. It's beautiful, classic, and frankly, we couldn't change it even if we wanted to. So why not make it the star of the show?

Unlike a traditional house, we won't be picking out furniture, countertops, and flooring. Our focus will be on textiles (upholstery, drapes, rugs, pillows, bedding, and maybe even some wallpaper) along with metals (lighting, fixtures, and window trim), and accessories. By choosing these elements strategically, we can make the teak sing and further tell our design narrative. Imagine the sophisticated surfer shack of your eclectic, hippie uncle who has a great vinyl collection, loves being barefoot, but at the same time is very particular about the brand of vermouth he uses for his Negroni. Can you see it?

I’ll help walk you through it. As stated, teak is the anchor with the largest visual impact, followed by the ceiling, which is a light sand-colored grass cloth and will also remain the same. This puts our focus for design decisions on the settee upholstery, bedding for the aft cabin, and bedding for the v-berth. These three larger areas of textiles will be the first opportunity to layer in color and set the tone for the overall palette. Cohesiveness across these areas will establish some symmetry and rhythm, allowing our eyes to see all the separate areas in the boat as one unified space on the map – Neverland.

Many times, I've observed the use of hues like white to enhance the sense of spaciousness within boat cabins. The lighter a color is, the more light it reflects, and the darker a color is, the more light it absorbs. We're going to go the darker route and trust in the snug embrace of a small, moody space. Home sweet cocoon, that’s what we’re going for.

I've included some inspiration pics to give you a peek into what's swirling around in my head. Thanks for joining us on this journey! Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment – we'd love to hear your thoughts. And of course, I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Let the Conceptual Design Phase Commence!

SV Neverland

Let the Conceptual Design Phase Commence!

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SV Neverland