Maria Killam

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10 Things I’m Loving Lately (Especially #3)

6/07/2024

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Hi, I'm Maria

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It’s my birthday TODAY! So I thought I’d share some of the things I’m loving lately!

1. My yellow-striped outdoor drapes

The first are the new yellow and white striped outdoor drapes I just had custom made for the Patio. Since our hot tub is located directly off our primary bedroom, it feels more private when we come outside to use the tub.  

Last year I bought all this patio furniture from Ballard Designs! I was overjoyed that it all came in MY yellow. Then was even happier when I discovered that they discontinued this colourway and the outdoor fabric that matched was on sale for $29 a yard!!

For those of you who have questions, outdoor fabric is saturated with color and UV-stabilized pigments before they’re spun into yarn–meaning the pigment goes all the way through the fibers and the colour stays true over time.

So I ordered enough for drapes immediately! And my installer brought regular white drapery tracks. If you look closely, you can see them. When they’re closed you can’t see the tracks at all but they are so thin, they are not noticeable.

Instead of having four panels sewn together, my workroom made two sets of two so that I can just throw them in the washing machine at the end of the summer.

Now it feels just like I live in a resort every single day! Here’s the video I shared on Instagram.

If you are still buying outdoor furniture this year, do what I did and just choose one colour way and repeat it everywhere. Not only does it feel like a resort but it just makes it easy to add some joy to your outdoor spaces!  

2. My inflatable white swan Scarlett

Last year I bought a swan to float around the pool but she was half the size of this new one. I bought her because I love that she has a smile on her face. I polled my followers on Instagram on whether we should name her Sophie or Scarlett and Scarlett won.

It’s fun to watch her spin around and go back and forth in the pool. You can get her right here.

3. This Cabinet Pull will Transform your Kitchen

If you’ve ever read any of my posts where I talk about knobs vs. pulls, you might have had a pang of regret if your builder gave you a kitchen full of 4″ or 6″ pulls which you didn’t think much about at the time.

Well, without patching and painting, this knob is the answer! Genius!

Lisa, one of the talented Colour Designers in my eDesign department discovered it last week:

4″ or 6″ pulls linked here

You’ll also want the coordinating pull for your drawers here

4. Pearl and gold hoop earrings

I love pearls and lately Zara has been selling a lot of fabulous ropes of pearls and I’ve been wearing these earrings on repeat because they are so versatile, add that sparkle but still repeat the pearls I’m wearing! Linked here.

 

5. My new pink loafers

I was shopping with a friend last week and found these pink loafers and was so delighted when I brought them home and they perfectly matched this top shop coat I bought a couple summers ago! You can see I’m wearing the above earrings here.

 

6. Seaside Hotel

My Director of eDesign Tricia, suggested this show on Masterpiece Theatre, I have yet to watch it but she says there are lots of pretty rooms and clothes! 

7. Cordless lamps

A round up from me wouldn’t really be good without a lamp suggestion!

This site has a lot of great cordless lamps but this one caught my eye because there are very few floor lamps that have small shades, they almost go anywhere and they are always really expensive. 

Cordless floor lamp

See the two floor lamps I have peeking out behind my sectional on the left? Well, they were from Restoration Hardware and were I think around $700. But they sure do give lovely atmosphere at night.

 

8. Ralph Lauren Coffee table book

I recently picked up this book and this book is wonderful because of all the fabulous styling.

Yes, you can look at images online but there’s something about being immersed in a book that really has you get someones aesthetic. Plus one can never have enough coffee table books anyway, they are a pedestal that immediately turn your tchotchkes into an accessory.

Linked here

9. My favourite pink lipstick

I’m a Spring which means I look best in warmer more orange and yellow tones. Because I’m a colour expert I wear all colours because I love to create combinations with my outfits. However whenever I would wear pink, I always felt like my face looked washed out until I bought this lipstick.

Now, every time I wear pink, people tell me it’s my colour!

Lipstick: Revlon 005 Heartbreaker | Lipliner: Mac Soar 

10. Shades for your chandelier

And we can’t let an opportunity to share things I love go by without reminding you that if you have a light fixture like this with bare bulbs that hit you in the eyeballs, you need chandelier shades to go on top of them

Get the shades here

See here’s what they look like in my kitchen:

And here one of my followers shared a photo of her chandelier with me after she bought the shades! Hooray!

 

Oh, and go back to this post if you haven’t commented yet. Winners will be announced here on the blog on Tuesday!

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  1. Stacey says:

    Happy birthday, Maria! Thank you for the lipstick recommendation! I wear MAC Soar lip liner, so I’m thrilled to find a good lipstick that goes with it.

  2. Sheree L says:

    Happy Birthday, Maria! Hope you feel all the love 🙂 Thanks for sharing the things you’ve been lovely lately. This was a fun blog post! Also, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your talents with us – you’ve helped me understand the world of color and decorating so much. I sure appreciate you and your team!

    1
  3. KarenH says:

    I love rechargeable accent lighting. Take a look at the Amalfi Rechargeable Wall Sconce. I found them on Solariko, and they are beautiful AND affordable at $98 ea. They have small scalloped shades and are perfect over a fireplace.

    1
  4. Grissom Linda Banks says:

    Hi Maria,
    Please check spelling on your writing. The “their” should be “they’re” referring to your drapes. Maybe the computer changed the spelling too.

    2
  5. Lorri says:

    LOVE the outdoor curtains!

    1
  6. Jeannine520 says:

    Happy birthday Maria!! You indeed look beautiful in that lipstick color. It’s just perfect!

  7. ronda says:

    Happy Birthday Maria!! You look fabulous in whatever you wear!

  8. Kristi says:

    Scarlett looks a little lonely. Maybe she needs a friend?! Wishing you a wonderful birthday all the way from Australia.

  9. Kay says:

    Happy Birthday Maria! I enjoyed your top ten list, especially the great cabinet knobs that cover old screw holes. What a fantastic solution to a vexing problem. Unfortunately, the link you provided was a “dead end”! Could you please provide just a little more info to be able to suss them out?
    Thank you and enjoy your celebration weekend!

Hi, I'm Maria

I help homeowners and design professionals create beautifully decorated spaces, by showing them how to use colour - the right way.

Not sure where to start? Take the quiz to find the best colour solution for you.

Decorating Advice

Timeless

Neutral Undertones

Colour Trends

Bathrooms

Kitchens

know what works
and why

Life’s too short to live in a home you don’t love, and it’s too expensive to start from scratch when you don’t have to.

 Let me help you make confident colour decisions for every project in your home.

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