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How to Choose Colour

How to Choose Paint Colours that Work with Your Lighting

10/29/2014
40 Comments

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 intersection of warm and cool….

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5 Ways to Transform your Bedroom Right Now!

01/26/2014
41 Comments

For years and years, every time I have tried to source off-the-shelf bedding for a client, I walk away from the stores, pretty much uninspired. So I end up getting custom bedding made or I’ll suggest a white or cream duvet cover with custom shams. All of that has changed with this really fun bedding…

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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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Once You Go Big, You Never Go Back

11/26/2013
8 Comments

Can’t choose colours with tiny samples. (source) Do you have my large colour boards yet? At 50 boards for $297 (including shipping), it’s an awesome deal. Each one of the 50 boards only costs $6 when you buy the collection – you can’t come even close to buying the necessary paint and posters boards for that…

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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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5 Best Ways to Choose your Roof Colour

10/08/2013

If the first thing you notice is the colour of the roof when you drive up to your house, that’s a good indication that it may not be the right choice. Here are the 5 best ways to choose your roof colour.  If the first thing you notice is the colour of the roof when…

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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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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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How to be Smart in a World of Dumb Designers

01/15/2013
135 Comments

Recently, I received this very generous email from one of my lovely readers (no names will be used here), who said I was welcome to share her story: I have made literally every mistake in the remodeling book! I really do not like to complain, I dislike myself for being negative this way…but my mind cannot…

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Rules for Choosing the Right Colour Quartz Countertop

10/25/2012
16 Comments

House and Home I received some new quartz samples the other day. This is how they were packaged when they arrived. . . Every single sample had to be pried off with a screwdriver and taken out of the packaging. Why? Because it’s virtually impossible to choose the coordinating colour for your walls or cabinets…

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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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Colour Interview with Eileen Kathryn Boyd

07/29/2012
7 Comments

I am a huge fan of Eileen Kathryn Boyd and her work. I had the pleasure of meeting her in New York at Blogfest last year! And she was in this June’s House Beautiful! here’s a bedroom she designed using her fabrics from Duralee. I recently interviewed her for my blog and here are her…

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6 Ways to Choose the Perfect Neutral Paint Colour

05/06/2012
59 Comments

I received this question the other day and realized that even though my ebooks covers it in comprehensive detail, I don’t have a single post that answers this question directly. So here are the 6 best ways to choose one: 1. Start with the living room because that’s where the entire colour scheme for the…

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