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Decorating Advice

4 Ways to Decorate Around Your Charcoal Sofa

04/28/2015
36 Comments

Today’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?

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How to Update your House From the Tuscan Brown Trend

04/02/2015
14 Comments

I was recently in a Mediterranean style home that had been built and decorated completely inside the Tuscan Brown Trend. Dark (pink beige & butterscotch) Travertine floors throughout the main floor, yellow/gold granite countertops, dark wood stained cabinets throughout, yellow walls everywhere and 8 bathrooms outfitted in very expensive finishes, most with conflicting colours in floors and countertops. My…

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The Problem with Your Orange/Yellow Floors

03/12/2015
75 Comments

I get this question so much, it’s time to focus on it for a moment. A lot of people have this problem. Or should I say “problem”? {Yellow/orange floors. Anything wrong here?} So here’s the question from a reader: “Have you ever had to decorate around a maple floor? Yes, I have just moved into what was…

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How to Choose the Right Curtain Rod Colour

03/05/2015
54 Comments

Unsure which curtain rod colour you should choose? Here’s a guide to help you choose the right curtain rod, whether you want to frame your room perfectly or have the curtain rod disappear in your room design. And before you purchase a curtain rod, read this post to make sure you measured them correctly. One…

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Fresh Solution to an Expensive Problem: Kitchen Valance

01/11/2015
66 Comments

My sister Elizabeth called me and said “Now that the Christmas garland draped above the window above my kitchen sink is gone (below) it looks sooooo empty.” Photo by Tracey Ayton And, she really hated looking at the bad transition between the end of the backsplash tile (below) which could not continue above the window….

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6 Ways To Beat the January Blues in your Home

01/05/2015
30 Comments

Isn’t it funny how the second Christmas is over, so is the holiday feeling? It’s hard to get inspired to buy even a random snowman at 75% off once the feeling is gone. That’s how I feel anyway. Then, all the sparkly lights that brought so much atmosphere into your house are suddenly gone and many…

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Black as an Accent Colour

11/21/2014
35 Comments

What’s my best tip for decorating with black? Make sure you use it as an accent colour.  Remember how much black there was in home decor in the 80s? It seemed like every entertainment center, dining table and chairs, leather sofas and glossy coffee tables were ALL BLACK. It was too much. Now that black…

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How to Coordinate Coffee & Accent Tables like a Designer

11/09/2014
23 Comments

Ever noticed that designers usually don’t buy matching sets of three coffee tables? One of the comments I heard a lot when we toured showrooms at High Point at Market (by the salesperson giving us the tour) last Fall was “This is all too much together of course, but individually, just fabulous”.  {Pottery Barn Coffee table Cube…

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How to Coordinate Unusual Colour Combinations

10/12/2014
50 Comments

{More funny texts from moms} It’s 5:00 AM and my phone pings with a text from my Mom: “Come for coffee now! I’m up but I’ll nap later”. (Except she writes it in Finnish, I can read it but do not ask me to have a conversation in Finnish, that’s where my dual language ability ends)….

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Happy 4th! Summer House vs. Beach House

07/03/2014
19 Comments

I have a client who lives up on Promontory Hill in Chilliwack. They have one of the best uninterrupted views I’ve ever seen. Looking out their living room windows, you feel like you’ve driven for five hours to a cabin in the woods, to get that kind of stunning view. So it made sense that when property came up…

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Got Inspiration? 10 Steps to Create the Rest of the Room

07/01/2014
36 Comments

A reader recently asked me if this piece of art (below) could be used as a jumping off point for a colour scheme in a living/dining/kitchen area. First. This is exactly what y’all should be doing. Most people think: “Once I get the wall colour nailed down, I’ll be able to breathe,” but as I’ve said — numerous…

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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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