Should I Paint My Fireplace?
07/10/2016This reader is getting ready to install a fresh white kitchen with an earthy stone fireplace in the adjacent room. Should she paint her stone fireplace? Keep reading to find out. Okay, so a while ago when I changed the “Ask Maria” questions to “Send me what’s bothering you” questions, ya’ll pretty much stopped sending…
3 Ways to Add More Colour Without Pattern
06/12/2016When I was in New Jersey leading my Specify Colour with Confidence™ event and the second evening at dinner, I was sitting next to a designer who asked me a question about kitchen valances she was designing for a client. She was having trouble finding a fabric that her client liked. I suggested a solid fabric (below) with contrasting…
Pinterest I’m depressed. My Mom is looking for a cottage trailer up in Vernon (as a second home). It’s 5 hours from here, warmer and dryer in the summer and she already spends a lot of time there. This means less time with my Mom here in the country (where I already moved to be…
The Secret to Feeling at Home
02/03/2016Image via Design Sponge I have a treat for you today! Our virtual Director of Customer Service & Delight/Event Coordinator Lisa Borton, based out of Naperville, Illinois, has written a guest post for us. We asked everyone who applied for this position to write a blog post and I loved hers so much, I’m…
Ask Maria: Is My Living Room Too Beachy?
01/23/2016Jeffrey Bilhuber When I saw this Ask Maria question, I immediately thought of Jeffrey Bilhuber’s recent spread in House Beautiful Magazine. The answer to your question today lovely reader, is inspired by my favourite decorator. Here’s the question: I recently moved with my husband into our first house! I have been so excited to make…
How to Choose the Perfect Lampshade
10/29/2015via pinterest The other day I was on the phone with my friend Penelope. She is a very busy woman. In addition to running her business, she also home schools her two boys. Whenever I get her on the phone (which is not often), I always try to be as interesting as possible so that she’ll stay on the phone…
Take a walk with me through my house for a real-time example of how to create perfect colour flow in your home.
Barbara built this house with her husband 5 years ago ago. He wanted a wood stained kitchen and although she’d love to have a white kitchen now, she wasn’t prepared to paint it in this phase of the decorating project.
Her biggest complaint was with the pendant lights, they created a lot of visual glare and she wanted them replaced.
Also, she needed drapery to block out the sun in the wintertime when it slanted through the windows.
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. . .
7 Best Ways to Decorate Around the TV
07/02/2015I’m not the first person to write this post but there might be a few tips here you haven’t read somewhere else. Is it time to get your TV off the console or get some artwork around it? Read on for my advice. . .
If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know there’s nothing neutral about a pink beige sofa. You also know that pink beige is so EVERYWHERE that it’s probably not your fault if you have it in your home. There’s just too much of it out there. Here’s how to decorate around it so it looks intentional.
This is a guest post by Heddy Bing from Urban Spaces Design. Heddy is an interior designer who specializes in retail design. Hi, everyone! I’m thrilled to be a guest blogger here today. Maria is brilliant. She has great taste and style, and I’m delighted to be featured! I sent Maria an email after seeing this post, Before…
Photos by Maria Killam Recently, I had a consultation with a client who needed help creating a colour palette for her new home. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes she had made in the past and was looking for a plan. She sent me this inspiration photo for her house: {via pinterest} I spent a few minutes…
Where to Start When You Have a Blank Slate
05/10/2015Jacqueline called me and said:
“Help! My laundry room is finished, it’s white, I followed all the advice on your blog right down to copying the shelves in your laundry room, but now that I have a white Maria Killam laundry room and I can do anything I want, I have no idea where to start!
What colour should I paint it? I painted it BM Grey Owl because I had some leftover paint but it’s doing nothing for me!”
I said, “First, Grey Owl is almost like a neutral, muted blue/green grey that would look great in a bathroom with lots of blue grey marble that coordinated with it, but for your laundry room to look fabulous, it needs a colour!
4 Ways to Decorate Around Your Charcoal Sofa
04/28/2015Today’s post is about decorating with charcoal, really important to know since it’s such a popular neutral right now!
If you have a charcoal sofa (just like during the brown trend, when most neutral-loving shoppers purchased a brown one) it’s time for me to help you bring this colour to life.
Why?
Hi, I’m Maria
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