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Colour lesson

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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The Key to Great Design is Contrast

03/26/2014
24 Comments

I still laugh to myself when I think about the fact that I blogged for an entire year before I figured out exactly what ‘my look’ was. I started my blog in October 2008 and even wrote a post in March 2009 about what my Interior Design Style was but it wasn’t until months later that I figured it out.

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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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Ask Maria: My Walls Bother Me, Can You Help?

11/30/2013
45 Comments

Mary, one of my long-time readers (since 2009) booked a consultation with me. When we got on the phone, the first thing I said to her was “What are we doing here? I love your space!” She said, “This is BM Quiet Moments and it’s everywhere in my house but it bothers me in the…

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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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How I Discovered my System of Understanding Undertones™

07/28/2013
40 Comments

Have you ever wondered exactly how I discovered my system of Understanding Undertones™ that I teach to designers, decorators, architects, home stagers and colour enthusiasts from around the world? I didn’t see the subtle undertones in neutrals myself until I started using large colour boards. So really, they are a huge contribution to the existence…

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This Pie in the Sky is Clean And Dirty

06/03/2013
30 Comments

When Irene and I were in Toronto for our last Specify Colour with Confidence ™ Training, we walked around the Kensington Market and came across this most adorable restaurant. Photo by Maria Killam Love the clean colours, the blue outdoor carpet, and the coordinating green and blue chairs. This is a great example of why…

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4 Ways to Work with Colour over Neutrals

05/07/2013
30 Comments

When I give the participants in my colour training an in-class exercise, or homework (hey you get your money’s worth with us) I notice that when they select colours to create a colour palette they take the undertone of whatever paint chip/s they have to work with and repeat it. So if I show a…

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