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Advice for Designers

Got Inspiration? 10 Steps to Create the Rest of the Room

07/01/2014
36 Comments

A reader recently asked me if this piece of art (below) could be used as a jumping off point for a colour scheme in a living/dining/kitchen area. First. This is exactly what y’all should be doing. Most people think: “Once I get the wall colour nailed down, I’ll be able to breathe,” but as I’ve said — numerous…

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When Colour Theory is Literally Dangerous

04/15/2014
47 Comments

Image via Barbara Barry (A pretty combination of green-grays and yellow-beige) When Irene and I were working on my White is Complicated eBook. We got to a section and she said “You need to explain that more thoroughly, people are literalists”. And she’s right. When we’re learning anything, we’re literal. That’s why in every profession and especially…

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Why Choosing Granite is So Hard

04/09/2014
31 Comments

Have you installed granite in your kitchen or bathroom… and then wondered why it doesn’t look like you thought it would? Here’s why choosing granite is so hard. I came across this comment on my blog the other day, I had forgotten about it. This reader expressed what so many of my clients have told…

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Earth Tones that Feel like 2014 NOT 2002

02/21/2014
40 Comments

{Oak Bay Beach Hotel} Recently I received a comment from a reader saying it would be great if I would write an occasional post about earth tones because she preferred them over the current white/black/grey colours that are popular and trendy right now. Well, dear reader, the opportunity presented itself this weekend. It’s my Terreeia’s…

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13 Ways to Create Flow with a White Kitchen

02/05/2014
28 Comments

View from the Master Bedroom In early 2014 I went down to Portland to work with a design coach.  I called my friend Barbara Miller who lives there to find out if we could have a visit. Barbara said “Yes that sounds great, and why don’t you stay in my Mom’s 6 million dollar house while…

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Eclectic Art in the Hallway

01/28/2014
22 Comments

{Front Door Colour: Cloverdale 7669} The art wall in my hallway has looked like this almost since we moved in over a year ago. I couldn’t stand the wall sitting empty so I filled it with mostly empty frames in the hopes that it would inspire me to fill them faster. It didn’t. Every time…

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What every Lighting Obsessed Gal (or Guy) Should Know

12/12/2013
54 Comments

 Starry Lights I know, I’m completely obsessed with lighting. It’s hard to escape from a consult with me, without getting suggestions for at least 4 lamps. The other day, I had spent 1 hour and 45 minutes with a client in an on-line consultation. We had chosen colours, furniture, area rugs, lighting, coffee tables and…

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Being a Designer Takes Guts & Vision

10/27/2013
49 Comments

One of my readers sent me these photos from their new place in cottage country, which is located 2 1/2 hours from downtown Toronto.   source See this spiral chandelier (above)? I couldn’t find the big one on-line but this one is 6 feet long and 4 ft wide. To get it inside their cottage,…

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5 Best Ways to Choose your Roof Colour

10/08/2013

If the first thing you notice is the colour of the roof when you drive up to your house, that’s a good indication that it may not be the right choice. Here are the 5 best ways to choose your roof colour.  If the first thing you notice is the colour of the roof when…

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