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Ask Maria: What’s wrong with this wall colour?

04/17/2023
53 Comments

This reader painted her room yellow, but the pretty paint colour she tested didn’t look so pretty on the walls. What went wrong? Is she overthinking it? Here’s my advice about how to choose a yellow paint colour. Here’s a note I received recently from a reader: What’s wrong with this yellow paint colour? “We…

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My Sister and I are Dating

04/13/2023
45 Comments

This is a little story about mending relationships. And, I’m working on one with my sister right now. You might say we are dating. There are four of us If you’ve been following me for a while (read: years) you may not have realized that I have 3 sisters. You’ve seen me  share about my…

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Styling with Lamps and Art: Two Ways

04/10/2023
layering lamps and art
50 Comments

Decorating with artwork is a little like adding the perfect accessories to a cute outfit to make it really pop. It’s part of what I like to call “a look and a feel.” But one of the trickiest styling details to master is layering. Just ask any designer.  And that includes layering lamps in and…

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Sneak Peek: Trying On Exterior Paint Colours

04/05/2023
103 Comments

Spring is in the air and that means it’s time to choose new exterior paint colours for my house. Here are some colours I’m “trying on” to see what looks best. Before This is what my exterior looks like now: This is a French country home built in 2011. I like the design of the…

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Help Me Choose a Custom L-Shaped Sofa

03/20/2023
167 Comments

I’m trying to choose an L-shaped sofa for my living room and I need your help! Here are the two options I’m considering and also a look at how I decided on the right neutral for this space.    This is what the left side of my living room currently looks like (below). My outdoor…

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Get Sold! Updates that Deliver the Highest Returns

03/16/2023
timeless home updates
13 Comments

Want to sell houses faster?  Here are some foolproof strategies to increase your chances of selling your house quickly and for a higher return. *I recently was asked to speak to a group of real estate agents about which home updates deliver the most return on your investment. But, I thought my readers might find…

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When Grey is Timeless in 2023

03/13/2023
13 Comments

When I said the grey trend is out, I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t decorate with grey ever again. Grey can be timeless as well. Here’s what you need to know about decorating with grey in your home for the most timeless look. You don’t have to stop decorating with grey You’ve probably heard me…

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Timeless Penny Tile in My Bathroom Renovation

03/09/2023
45 Comments

I have always wanted to install a timeless penny tile floor and I finally made it happen in my primary bathroom renovation. Here’s a look at the floor tile colour and pattern I chose, plus some of the changes we made in our bathroom design. After I completed the renovation of our main bathroom in…

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Ditch Boring by Decorating with Colour this Spring

03/01/2023
6 Comments

Let’s spring clean those boring neutrals. Here are a few places to start if you want to add some colour into your decorating and on your walls.  Spring is the perfect time for a colourful refresh! I live by a pretty simple formula: COLOUR = JOY And truly, we can always use some joy. Especially…

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Bad Design Costs the Same as Good Design

02/24/2023
30 Comments

What makes a design good or bad? Often, the one thing that sets apart good design is having a plan. What else makes a good design? Good design and bad design cost the same Have you ever thought about that statement? We see it all the time – just like in this post. A brand…

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Don’t Blame Store Lighting for Bad Colour Choices

02/22/2023
34 Comments

Whenever I talk about grey flooring on social media, I always hear from followers that had a bad experience with choosing grey. However, in this particular story a design professional was involved, and they blamed the bad store lighting for the error. But here’s what really went wrong and how it could be saved in…

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