One of my readers asked me to help update her 60s exterior. And, you may be surprised to learn that the biggest change I recommend isn’t about colour. Keep reading to find out the best way to update this dated home exterior. If you didn’t see my last email, and… Continue Reading →
The images are flying in with questions and I’m so excited about this Saturday’s FREE Webinar happening at 4:00 PM PDT. Please continue sending in your questions because even if they don’t make the webinar, I’ll have lots of photos I can use for ongoing Ask Maria blog posts! UPDATE:… Continue Reading →
Update to this post: Hey ya’ll, the reason why Courtney’s walls are blue is because she chose a blue. That’s the reason why choosing paint colours is not as easy as you think. I’m getting emails and comments saying ‘Hey, I had this problem too, my walls turned blue as… Continue Reading →
The grey trend has fully saturated home design. Shopping for a new home, this reader noticed an abundance of all-grey renovations. Here’s how to decorate with grey floors or other grey hard finishes you’re stuck with to help bring your home back to life, without replacing everything. What if I… Continue Reading →
Getting ready to tackle a new build home? You may be asking yourself: which undertone should I choose first if I’m starting from scratch? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The beginning of beautiful I love the sense of elated anticipation at the beginning of creating a new home. Whether it’s… Continue Reading →
Your open concept floor plan can present some real decorating challenges — such as how to create flow from room to room with your paint colours. Here are my best decorating tips on how to transition paint colours in an open concept home. The open concept home popular in the… Continue Reading →
Now that the black trend is here, we will be seeing a lot more black sofas! Here’s an Ask Maria post about decorating around one. What colours work best with black furniture? Really the question should be, “What colours DON’T go with black leather furniture?” If you have black furniture,… Continue Reading →
Trying the chase down the perfect white paint colour online? You’re sure to find a few that are mentioned over and over again. And that may have you wondering about other not-so-popular white paint colours. How to choose the right white depends on which category of white works with your… Continue Reading →
Years ago I walked into an Ethan Allen Showroom where the sales clerk said to me “THEY ( clients) say couch, but WE (designers) say sofa” haha. I don’t remember what I called it back then, (I must have said couch because she gently corrected me), but it always stuck… Continue Reading →
I recently received this question and photos from a reader: I have loved following your blog, especially during our recent new build. We didn’t have all the money in the world to put into our house, but we were very good at getting what we want and keeping under budget…. Continue Reading →
First, before we go any further, in my last post when I talked about white and cream wall colours being such a huge incoming trend, one of my fabulous readers posted this comment: “Hey, you didn’t tell us whether you were FOR or AGAINST this trend?” So first, I’m not FOR… Continue Reading →
This is a situation I see all the time. A perfectly timeless and versatile white kitchen with a bossy, earthy backsplash. One of my readers noticed her travertine backsplash looks wrong with her white kitchen. Keep reading for my take on why it looks wrong and three ways to fix… Continue Reading →
Okay, so for the last six months or so, I’ve been writing posts that specifically address questions about lighting. Because everyone loves to blame the light whenever their paint colour turns out wrong. And I’m here to tell you that light is not actually that bossy. What’s usually bossier is… Continue Reading →
Everyone is currently obsessed with the farmhouse or modern farmhouse kitchen design style (thanks Joanna Gaines). If you are considering a farmhouse kitchen (or recently built/renovated a modern farmhouse kitchen), you might be asking yourself how soon will my farmhouse kitchen look dated? Can your farmhouse style be classic and… Continue Reading →
In some homes, warm green grey colours like Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter or Edgecomb Grey start to look a little purple. People want to blame the lighting, but more often it’s because you chose the wrong colour or the wrong neutral undertone. Let me explain. Help! My Revere Pewter Cabinets… Continue Reading →
I’m sharing my best designer secret for updating old kitchen cabinets. If you are planning to paint your existing, dated oak kitchen cabinets, this design hack will make your kitchen cabinets look modern and current. This question has not been covered on the blog so when Sherry sent it in,… Continue Reading →
