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Decorating Advice

How to Find More Money for Home Decor

04/02/2013
113 Comments

I follow this great blog called Social Triggers. Recently, Derek was interviewing an author named Dan Heath who wrote a book called Decisions: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work. It’s a very interesting podcast that I think EVERYONE could learn from. Check it out here. Unless you’re someone that never makes a bad…

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Creative Ways to Keep Kids Entertained

02/26/2013
11 Comments

This weekend, I’ll be at the Design Bloggers Conference in LA. I arrive Sunday afternoon and fly back Wednesday morning. Last year I happened to be sitting next to Barbara Miller from Yes Spaces who specializes in everything about kids, so this year we are sharing a room. Can’t wait to see her!   She…

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Are Natural Fiber Rugs Neutral?

01/19/2013
9 Comments

I am so thrilled to be guest posting at Cote de Texas where she also reviewed my ebook today! Joni’s living room I received this question a while ago and since one of Joni’s signature looks includes seagrass rugs, I thought it would be a perfect guest post for blog. Check it out here. One…

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How to Correctly Mix Furniture Arm Styles

01/13/2013
16 Comments

The second apartment that I decorated from top to bottom with a mix of garage sale/flea market finds and furniture that I took with me after my divorce when I was 29 was in downtown Vancouver. OMG is that a run-on sentence or what! Anyway, my ex-husband and I had decorated in the 80’s forest…

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4 Colour Guidelines for Choosing an Area Rug

09/22/2012
17 Comments

I’m here in Calgary and loving it! I got through my first stage presentation yesterday and all went well. I was worried I would forget what I was going to say with all those people looking at me but thankfully, that did not happen! source One of the questions I was asked at the end…

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Do’s and Don’ts on Decorating an Empty Room

09/05/2012
18 Comments

As a new decorator and colour consultant many years ago, when I was asked to choose colours for an empty room or to decorate one, I would get a little freaked out. source I would look around desperately for inspiration and if I was standing in a room with wood flooring, I would latch on…

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Why Homeowners Mix Styles that Don’t Work

06/22/2012
18 Comments

Now that I’m a homeowner I get it (because I notice I want to do it too). I have been in so many homes where there are conflicting styles all over the place. Interior and exterior. Tudor style trim slapped onto a 70’s box house. Horizontal stacked stone that should never have seen the inside of…

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10 Best Designer Secrets from the Experts

04/20/2012
62 Comments

My House Beautiful magazine just arrived and this month they are featuring 101 Tips from from the Experts. I love read little ‘best tips’ from designers because I always learn something. These are my favourite 10 Best Designer Secrets from the Experts: 1. Once you’ve used a fabric in a room, never use it anywhere…

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A Perfect Example of how Complex Colour Works

03/02/2012
7 Comments

Annie sent me this photo and with a question, ‘Are my sofa’s pink beige?’. She said in her current house (2nd photo) they looked yellow and in her last house (photo below) they looked pink. And she was absolutely right. The reason why complex neutrals are so complicated is because they change depending on which colours are beside them.

The wall colour below is BM HC-105 Rockport Gray (the whole room is the same colour but the light coming in from the left makes it look lighter in the photo) which has a green undertone. This pulls out the pink in her sofas.

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Round or Rectangle Dining Table: Yay or Nay?

02/18/2012
33 Comments

I have had a round dining table forever! I was so happy when we moved into a space big enough to accommodate a rectangle! Round tables are so boring when it comes to decorating. All you can do is plunk something in the middle and it’s over. This image below is the most creative one I could find.

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Vancouver Interior Designer: Four Ways to Decorate for Your Next House

01/20/2012
6 Comments

Recently a client asked if the chaise lounge chairs we were considering for her den could be designed so that they matched her living room furniture in the event she were to move. Another couple is redecorating their living room but they want to make sure that the furniture they select now will potentially fit into a condo when they downsize.

What about if you rent? That’s when a lot of people are even more inclined to wait until own before they purchase ‘custom’ furniture specifically for the rental they live in.

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Upholstery = Luxury

06/17/2011
28 Comments

Ever noticed when you look at designer spaces, it’s the abundance of upholstered items in a room that adds up to a luxurious feeling in many cases. I think extreme modern and contemporary decor is the only exception to this. Anything upholstered is always in style! Via full house  Master bedrooms are the most neglected…

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10 Ways to get a Fresh Look with a Black Sofa

04/20/2011
14 Comments

There are just as many black leather sofas in family rooms as brown ones these days all over the country so if you are looking for an update or need black or a dark colour because you have kids, here are my recommendations: 1. How about this one in fabric? This is IKEA’s Stockholm sofa….

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Mirrors = Magic + Dazzle

03/28/2011
30 Comments

‘Floor mirrors are like portals into a magical, faraway land where you are excessively rich and live a luxuriant lifestyle. Use and abuse them.’ Jonathan Adler ‘You can never go overboard (or wrong) with reflective surfaces. They add twinkly glamour, light and the illusion of space.’  Jonathan Adler. (above quote too) I just installed a fabulous…

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