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Advice for Homeowners

Ask Maria: Which Cream Subway Tile is Right?

02/09/2015
35 Comments

One of my lovely readers emailed this great question about cream subway tile that I thought would be so useful for many of us. Also, note that her kitchen countertop is pristine and she even left a decorative jar in the photo when she snapped it for me. If you have an Ask Maria question, please clean up the…

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How Much Heavy Lifting can a Paint Colour Handle?

01/28/2015
25 Comments

{via pinterest} I get the best questions about paint colour and how much it can or cannot do to “rescue” a mistake someone has made in their house or a mistake they inherited from a previous owner. Sometimes, colour can swoop in and magically save the day, so there’s nothing wrong with wondering if your situation…

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How to Work with Bedroom Carpet You Don’t Like

01/22/2015
31 Comments

Recently, I had a consultation with Lori who wanted help with her great room, paint colours and her bathrooms. She walked me through her house and we created a furniture plan for her great room, chose colours throughout and discussed her bathrooms. In the first bathroom we were able to make the room look new (and save her brand new granite countertop)…

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My 5 Rules for Life

01/13/2015
33 Comments

{via pinterest} Have you ever thought about this statement with regards to an area in your life? “Every single day people stop when they don’t know what to do.” I talk to clients every day who tell me they have stopped shopping for their house because they’ve bought so many mistakes in the past and they…

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Fresh Solution to an Expensive Problem: Kitchen Valance

01/11/2015
66 Comments

My sister Elizabeth called me and said “Now that the Christmas garland draped above the window above my kitchen sink is gone (below) it looks sooooo empty.” Photo by Tracey Ayton And, she really hated looking at the bad transition between the end of the backsplash tile (below) which could not continue above the window….

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Black as an Accent Colour

11/21/2014
35 Comments

What’s my best tip for decorating with black? Make sure you use it as an accent colour.  Remember how much black there was in home decor in the 80s? It seemed like every entertainment center, dining table and chairs, leather sofas and glossy coffee tables were ALL BLACK. It was too much. Now that black…

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How to Coordinate Coffee & Accent Tables like a Designer

11/09/2014
23 Comments

Ever noticed that designers usually don’t buy matching sets of three coffee tables? One of the comments I heard a lot when we toured showrooms at High Point at Market (by the salesperson giving us the tour) last Fall was “This is all too much together of course, but individually, just fabulous”.  {Pottery Barn Coffee table Cube…

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3 Ways to Use Fresh to Sell Design

11/04/2014
46 Comments

  Hi everyone, I want to share a little tip about what your clients are really looking for (even though they might not even know it yet). Occasionally I receive comments or emails like this: “We aren’t ALL interested in introducing fresh into our homes, Maria!” “Please don’t exclude those of us who still prefer warm, earthy…

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How to Choose Paint Colours that Work with Your Lighting

10/29/2014
40 Comments

I recently received this question from Shelley, asking how useful it would be to custom mix a paint colour to get it right with the light in her home. “I’ve recently used BM Manchester Tan in a pantry that has a large fluorescent light fixture, and it looks lovely — right at the happy intersection of warm and cool….

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What Women Want vs. Men (In a House)

10/14/2014
25 Comments

Overheard at a birthday party with some of my designer friends last weekend: “When I work with builders I always tell them that WOMEN buy houses, not men.” Men want a large TV room {via pinterest} A Garage {via pinterest} Isn’t this amazing! Now this is an organized person! {source} And, No Nagging! {via pinterest} Women want above…

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