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Advice for Homeowners

Which Mattress is the Most Comfortable?

02/16/2014
169 Comments

Princess and the Pea, that’s me right now! For a while now, every morning when I get out of bed and bend over in front of the sink to wash my face, my back screams with pain. Then shortly after I’ve been walking around for a while, I’m fine. But I notice it’s tender. We…

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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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Details to Add When Planning Your Beach House

01/15/2014
41 Comments

Terreeia and I have not been on many beach vacations together. And in the last five years that I’ve been writing this blog, only one.

So, I’ve only now figured out why couples seem to vacation a lot with other couples. It’s so that you can have a shopping/lay by the pool friend or a golfing/activities buddy.

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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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Why You’ve Never Had a Good Contractor

11/21/2013
53 Comments

Obviously this statement doesn’t apply to everyone, but I’ve heard it a few times lately from clients. And I’ve been thinking about why. And since that’s what I do best – figure out the answer to the question why – I’ve come up with a theory. Here it is: Since I’m a decorator and not…

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The Case for Matchy Matchy Decorating

11/03/2013
32 Comments

via Pinterest (click on image) Recently while consulting with clients around their fixed finishes like tiles and countertops or exterior stone I have have been hearing phrases like: ‘It’s matchy, matchy but I think it’s okay’. or ‘It’s matchy, matchy is that okay?’ or ‘I don’t want it to look matchy matchy’. This same conversation…

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Two Magic Words to Move Your Design Project Forward

10/22/2013
43 Comments

Artwork by Liza Lambertini Source This post is written by my fabulous Design Associate Irene Hill: For about the past year I’ve been telling people my husband and I are in the middle of a renovation project. That’s not really accurate. Three years ago we purchased this little 1,000 square foot rancher in a nice…

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The Counter Stools in my Kitchen

10/20/2013
17 Comments

Have you noticed that you can’t stick any old bar stool at your kitchen island? They really do have to be customized to coordinate with your kitchen. I have received a few emails asking if your counter/bar stools or kitchen table and chairs should coordinate with your kitchen and the answer is, yes they absolutely…

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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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Are My Accessories Dated?

09/13/2013
59 Comments

Wondering if your accessories are dated? Do you feel like you have too many accessories already? Here are my favorite tips for styling your accessories if it’s feeling a bit dated. And, sometimes that means editing what you have and purchasing new accessories.  A client once told me she had so many accessories, she couldn’t…

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Why your Paint Colour is Kinda Boring

08/09/2013
23 Comments

Recently, I received this email from one of my on-line clients: Thank you for your consultation about half a year ago. We finally had a chance to re-paint the dining room. This color looked fabulous in the hallway, however there is something wrong how it feels with this color in the dining room. Something just…

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Danger: Your Designer has Left the Building

07/21/2013
72 Comments

Have you ever had this happen to you? You hire a designer, consult with them on all the decisions you need to make. All is well. They leave, and then the contractor, painter, tiler. . . in other words the trades who will be executing your project, arrive on the scene. You tell them what…

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