I’ve never been a fan of anything too pointy. Not in fashion or design. Years ago, someone gifted me a pendant in the shape of a triangle. I never wore it. It’s probably why my design aesthetic is more traditional vs. ultra modern. Traditional design has way more curves, while… Continue Reading →
Don’t make this mistake when you photograph your interiors for your website! See the difference between a room photographed with a wide angle lens and without! This was the house Kelly (my design assistant) and her husband Mike bought a few years ago. Renovating the inside of the house was… Continue Reading →
This is the view from their home. My lovely clients Crystal and Rob built their home almost 10 years ago when the Tuscan brown trend was going strong. Five years ago, they bought the property next door and built a summer house which I decorated for them. Suddenly, they loved… Continue Reading →
Take a walk with me through my house for a real-time example of how to create perfect colour flow in your home.
The corridors of apartments and hotels set an important tone for the building as a whole. Here’s how to choose colours that coordinate with each other, address the challenges of these common spaces, and make a designer statement.
When we walked into our room at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport last May, I declared, “This room was decorated BEFORE the brown trend!” It’s a game I like to play with anyone who will listen everywhere I go. What’s the dead giveaway? The colour of the wood-stained furniture: it was all… Continue Reading →
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… Continue Reading →
This post is also an “Ask Maria” question. So here it is: “I have painted my family room with BM Clay Beige except the focal fireplace wall which I selected SW Exclusive Plum (6263). I am happy with those colors. I personally like colors that make you feel lifted,… Continue Reading →
Paula from Salad in a Jar hired me in April for an on-line consultation to help with colours and decorating updates on her house. Two hours later, she had a plan and three months later, here is the fabulous result! This is what she said: “Thank-you again for helping me a few… Continue Reading →
{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… Continue Reading →
{Front Door Colour: Cloverdale 7669} The art wall in my hallway has looked like this almost since we moved in over a year ago. I couldn’t stand the wall sitting empty so I filled it with mostly empty frames in the hopes that it would inspire me to fill them… Continue Reading →
See this busy, patterned carpet which is all throughout the hallways and classrooms where I attended this workshop the last three days? Well, you can see that the rubber baseboard was selected to coordinate with the carpet (they did the best they could–the standard colours are limited). However, the wall colour… Continue Reading →
I am kind of a virgin when it comes to shopping on-line. I pretty much have only ever bought books. Every time I have found something great that I wanted, by the time I get to the check-out and they add in the Canadian dollar exchange with the exorbitant shipping… Continue Reading →
If you still have forest green sofas from the 80’s, this avocado green will go a long way to updating your living room! Doesn’t it look amazing here? Miles Redd in House Beautiful One could argue that this is the new Kelly Green but it looks pretty forest green to… Continue Reading →
My mom was in Vegas last weekend with my sister and she snapped this photo of my little nephew taking off down the hotel halls!! I’m always analyzing painted hallways because the wall colour doesn’t always [perfectly] match the carpeting. This is because the colours are picked in a designers… Continue Reading →
I was in Park Royal Mall on the weekend and noticed they had renovated one of their hallways leading outside and to the restrooms. I had to take a photo because I thought the blue chosen here was fabulous! Nice tile layout combined with wood panelling and wall sconces. It’s… Continue Reading →
