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Colour Consultation

10 Steps For Planning a Timeless New Build

01/26/2018
41 Comments

Are you building a new home? There’s a lot of decisions to be made and you may be wondering what you need to choose first. Here are 10 steps (and more importantly, the order of decisions) for planning your new build.  {source} In January and February we’re unusually busy in our eDesign department working on…

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How to get an Inspired Room Refresh

08/14/2016
23 Comments

Todays post is all about my interior e-design services. For approximately one year now, I have been offering e-design colour consulting for paint colours and hard finishes. But so many of my readers need more, they need a room refresh and if that’s you, you might be in one of these dilemmas: You need to…

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7 Ways to Make the Most of What You Already Have | Before & After

07/26/2015
125 Comments

Crystal called me to help her pull together her new house. This was her request:

“I used to have a colourful condo. Oranges and yellows have always been a favourite of mine, and in the last 5 years, I’ve loved pinks. I hired a designer about 6 years ago, and I guess she was successful at convincing me that colour was kids’ stuff and neutrals were sophisticated.

So out with all my stuff and in with the new. Cream, chocolate browns, and greens. I found it bland and lifeless, although yes, very nice and sophisticated. So I started adding pink with Designers Guild bedding, decorative pillows, etc. I also bought some whimsical paintings with colour punches (I’ve attached photos of them).”

I was very impressed by your colourful portfolio and would love your help.”

See the before and afters here. . .

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Are You Still Using an Instant Camera to Photograph Your Work?

07/22/2015
5 Comments

I used to think I could get away with using my little instant camera when taking photos of my work. A year of lessons has shown me what’s really possible when we take professional photography seriously, even in so-called uninspiring spaces like boardrooms and offices. Come on in for a peek at some photos I took of my own photography instructor’s new space.

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The Very Best Way to Choose Your Main Neutral

04/09/2015
58 Comments

Lynda was moving into this pretty little house in a new subdivision: She needed some help with a new colour scheme and was stuck on wall colours. One on-line consultation with me and she had a plan. Lynda had some existing furniture and artwork she wanted to work with, and she sent me a glimpse of her…

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Ask Maria: Help! I Just Had My First REAL Colour Consultation

12/03/2014
54 Comments

I recently received this question from a new colour consultant: “Maria, I need some advice, this encounter was a doozy: I had previewed the house with my realtor friend before the buyer closed, so I already was familiar with the ‘boss’ of the living room — a rock fireplace with a mostly gold undertone. And, because of some other factors…

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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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Best Ideas for Creative Kids Rooms: Before & After

06/29/2014
25 Comments

This post is written by my Director of All Things Wonderful, Irene Hill:

Last week at this time Maria and I were just finishing up the last touches of our magical home makeover for my sister, Aimee and five of her kids. They were all glowing with happiness and pride in their “new” home.

Four months ago, when Maria and I started this project of love, I carefully interviewed each of my nieces and nephews to find out what would make them love their rooms the most. I found out what they were interested in and spent hours scouring the internet to get all the little pieces exactly right. At the end of the day I wanted to see wonder and awe in each set of eyes and was over the moon that we managed to do just that!

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