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Ask Maria: Which Whites go Together?

04/01/2013
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‘First of all I’d like to thank and congratulate you on writing such an interesting ebook with lots of information and advise about undertones, I have a question about white, does off-white belong to the white family of colors? What color is cream? And which color family is it from? I’m guessing yellow?’ via pinterest This is…

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Colour Me Happy Link Love for March

03/31/2013
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This weekend, Terreeia took my laptop into MAC because it’s been sooooo slow and spinning, and spinning, and they said “You need a new hard drive”. When we arrived the next morning to pick it up, they said “Your old hard drive is corrupt, so you have nothing” Well, Terreeia is the techie in this…

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Maria’s Colour Training is IDCEC Approved

03/27/2013
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I have known my good friend Patricia Kramer since 2000 when I first set up my colour and decorating business. Back then it was called One Day Design, BS. Before Staging, haha. Patricia has worked in the design industry for many years and is the Textile Instructor at Vancouver Community College. Patricia was responsible for putting…

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4 Common Colour Myths Dispelled

03/21/2013
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It’s Rue Magazines first colour issue and I’m thrilled to be included! Check out my tips here.   Rue’s colour issue is filled with beautiful fashion and interiors, check out the story of this Pink + White apartment in Toronto: I love what Tiffany Pratt (above) said about the colour in her interior: White and…

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What Matters to You?

03/15/2013
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I am not a person that feels sad or depressed for long periods of time but this week I have not yet gotten over the fact that we had to turn the clocks back an hour last weekend. My sister Elizabeth couldn’t sympathize. She looked at me blankly and said “I don’t even get up…

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My Breakfast Area: Before & After

03/13/2013
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I decided on sconces after the new kitchen plan did not leave room for a full size table and chairs. Having a light fixture hanging over the new eating area would be an issue because then it would not be centered to the bay windows. So I eliminated the overhead light fixture and added two…

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The New Timeless Hardwood Floor

03/10/2013
timeless light wood floors
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Are you ready to say goodbye to your dark espresso brown floors. If so, you may be wondering which hardwood floor is the most timeless? So I wrote a newsletter article to help answer that questions. Here is the link to the newsletter article I wrote.  Many homeowners are still installing espresso brown flooring and while it’s…

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Ask Maria: Will Cream Look Dingy in My Dark Kitchen?

03/08/2013
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“What a great blog. We are downsizing and renovating a condo to go into. It has large creamy, beige and white marbled-looking porcelain tiles throughout the kitchen and main living areas. I am struggling with whether to go with white cabinets or a more creamy cabinet. Either work with the floor, but the cream has…

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How to Get Light to Play in a Room

03/05/2013
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Barbara Barry Interiors At the Design Bloggers Conference, this past week, Barbara Barry spoke and I love this quote: “You should paint a room 10 times lighter than the paint chip you are looking at, so the light can play in the room all day” I love that visual. And it also reinforces my post,…

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My One Big Secret You Don’t Know

03/03/2013
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October 31, 2008 I created my blog and wrote my first post. I was so obsessed that weekend, I wrote 5 posts and barely slept, one of them, The Best Trim Colours: NOT Cloud White, is still one of my top 10 most read posts. If you have read my blog for a long time,…

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Happy Green Master Closet: Before & After

03/01/2013
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Remember these colours (below) I chose for Traci who won the I Hate my Closet Contest with the Designer Closet Guys? Well, her closet was just installed and I went over last week to check it out. I realized we didn’t get a before picture without people in it so here we are again. Maria,…

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Creative Ways to Keep Kids Entertained

02/26/2013
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This weekend, I’ll be at the Design Bloggers Conference in LA. I arrive Sunday afternoon and fly back Wednesday morning. Last year I happened to be sitting next to Barbara Miller from Yes Spaces who specializes in everything about kids, so this year we are sharing a room. Can’t wait to see her!   She…

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How Often does Lighting Change the Undertone?

02/25/2013
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One question I get a lot during my Specify Colour with Confidence Workshops is about lighting, what it does to colour, how to manage that effectively, etc. Basically the answer to that question is this: If you notice that the colour you chose went pink beige (or the wrong beige/grey) in the lighting, the possibility…

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