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One bad decision pays for the designer

Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes with Your Garden

07/03/2025
7 Comments

Want to create a stunning, cohesive garden? Today I’m going to share five essential landscaping tips—from choosing the right colour palette to shaping your space with plants and pathways—that will transform your yard and boost your curb appeal. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, these expert secrets will help you design a beautiful,…

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5 Must-Know Tips for Trending Viola Marble Countertops

06/30/2025
26 Comments

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I’m not afraid to call out a trend when it needs a caution sign.  But first 🇨🇦 HAPPY CANADA DAY!! 🇨🇦 to all my Canadian friends! Dramatic Calacatta Viola Marble I’m talking about the highly trending calacatta viola marble of course. It’s decadent and exciting…

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Easy Tips for a Pretty Patio This Summer

06/19/2025
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It’s sale time for outdoor furniture so I thought I’d walk you through HomeSense/HomeGoods to give you some tips and tricks to create a pretty patio for the rest of the summer! Here’s Lucy and I on my birthday (June 7). I get so much joy out of my happy yellow and white striped patio!…

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Ask Maria: Choosing Timeless Bathroom Tile

06/12/2025
11 Comments

Today I’m answering a reader’s request to give her a “grade” on her plans to update her bathroom to a Maria approved timeless look. She got it all right but this one critical thing! ⭐️ Hi Maria, I need your design superpowers! A few years ago, my designer installed 12×24 grey tile throughout our primary…

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Inspiration vs. Reality: 5 Reasons Your Reno Falls Flat

06/09/2025
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Whenever one of my family members embarks on a renovation—big or small—I’m reminded just how quickly those dreamy inspiration photos can collide with reality. Take my sister Anita, for example. When we started mood-boarding her bathroom, we were in pure fantasy mode. I found a gorgeous mirror and two perfect sconce lights. Pretty, pretty, pretty!…

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5 Steps to Starting a Bathroom Renovation

06/05/2025
3 Comments

Today I’m thrilled to hand the blog over to my sister Anita, whose sense of humour and eye for design always make for a great story. If you’ve ever felt stuck with a space you can’t stand, Anita’s journey will feel all too familiar. She’s sharing the real-life ups and downs of living with a…

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10 Steps To Planning a Timeless New Build

01/27/2025
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Are you building a new home? There’s a lot of decisions to be made and you may be wondering what you need to choose first. Here are 10 steps (and more importantly, the order of decisions) and so many indispensable tips for planning your new build.  {source} In January and February we’re extra busy in…

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4 Steps to Getting your Countertops Right

01/23/2025
8 Comments

This weeks tutorial on youtube is all about a reader’s kitchen update. She sent in some photos along with a photo of a griege countertop she wants. She’s stuck on how to choose the right subway tile backsplash. She is not interested in painting her cabinets. I’m so glad she asked me because she was…

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Trend Alert: Skinny Black (Vader) Windows

01/06/2025
16 Comments

Skinny horizontal windows are taking over new construction everywhere. And they’re not doing architecture any favors. Let’s take a closer look. Skinny Black Window Trend There’s an alarming trend in architecture that no seems to be talking about and it’s linear horizontal windows being slapped up everywhere along with of course modern, flat homes without…

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Read This before you Buy Mid Century Modern

12/05/2024
7 Comments

Mid Century Modern furniture has been hugely popular for well over a decade. And for good reason, the shapes are sculptural, the colours are fun and they are full of nostalgia and personality. You can find it everywhere.  And if you love the style, mixing some into your decor can be a great move. However,…

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Why Timeless Homes are Rare

11/21/2024
16 Comments

Today I’m sharing a visit I had with a fellow promoter of the timeless and classic aesthetic for home design. I was shocked to learn from him that only a sliver of a percent of homes ever see guidance from a knowledgeable architect. And this, sadly, is why a truly pretty house is a rare…

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Hey Black & White! It’s me, Beige. I’m Back!

11/07/2024
36 Comments

This design critique dissects a newly constructed home that awkwardly merges fading black-and-white modern trends with emerging beige/Tuscan elements. It’s a showcase of mismatched finishes, random accent walls, and poorly coordinated bathroom designs that exemplify current transitional period confusion in interior design trends. So, what can we learn from this? Keep reading… When colour trends…

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5 Dream Kitchen Details you will Regret in 2030

10/01/2024
20 Comments

Kitchen trends come and go. If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m all about timeless choices for longevity. And for versatility in decorating. You don’t want to be bossed around by choices that were once interesting and now just feeling dated. Here are some trends that have come and will soon go. I…

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