Skip to main content
CartClose Cart
Category

One bad decision pays for the designer

Don’t Hire a Designer The Same Way You Buy Oranges

01/19/2016
31 Comments

Source The other day, my design assistant, Tricia, received an email from one of my readers: “We found a designer who charges $100 per hour. If Maria can match that rate, we will go with her.” My rates are a lot higher than that, with different price points for consulting work and decorating work. I don’t post them…

Continue Reading

The Real Cost of DIY Advice

06/09/2015
56 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately: why is it that so many of us don’t seek out professional advice until there’s an emergency on our doorsteps? Why do we so unquestioningly pay for certain services, like dentistry or health care, but then think we can do it ourselves when it comes to others, like home renovations?

When is the best time to hire a professional to save ourselves the most money?

Continue Reading

What Women Want vs. Men (In a House)

10/14/2014
25 Comments

Overheard at a birthday party with some of my designer friends last weekend: “When I work with builders I always tell them that WOMEN buy houses, not men.” Men want a large TV room {via pinterest} A Garage {via pinterest} Isn’t this amazing! Now this is an organized person! {source} And, No Nagging! {via pinterest} Women want above…

Continue Reading

Why You’ve Never Had a Good Contractor

11/21/2013
53 Comments

Obviously this statement doesn’t apply to everyone, but I’ve heard it a few times lately from clients. And I’ve been thinking about why. And since that’s what I do best – figure out the answer to the question why – I’ve come up with a theory. Here it is: Since I’m a decorator and not…

Continue Reading

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…

Continue Reading

Learn to be Bossy Yet Charming

09/08/2013
34 Comments

This is a post written by Irene Hill, my Design Associate: It’s been two years since I’ve started working with Maria and it’s been about the same amount of time since I had a paying client, but occasionally I get an emergency call from a friend. Just recently my phone rang with a plea for…

Continue Reading

From Backyard Shed to Design Studio

08/04/2013
57 Comments

We converted an old shed in my backyard into my interior design studio. See the complete transformation here. The transformation of my design studio is so amazing that it needs few words. Converting a backyard shed into a design studio Above is how it looked the day we took possession of our house. This is…

Continue Reading

Danger: Your Designer has Left the Building

07/21/2013
72 Comments

Have you ever had this happen to you? You hire a designer, consult with them on all the decisions you need to make. All is well. They leave, and then the contractor, painter, tiler. . . in other words the trades who will be executing your project, arrive on the scene. You tell them what…

Continue Reading

First Rule of Design: Boring Now Equals Timeless Later

06/28/2013
85 Comments

In June 2013 when I was working on my landscape transformation, I was at the Nursery and I called Mary Anne White (my Landscape Designer) because I was shopping for Hostas and this was how our conversation went: “Mary Anne, I’m here and there are so many beautiful Hostas, I can’t decide! There’s yellow ones, I…

Continue Reading

Bad Colour is totally Unacceptable

05/27/2012
18 Comments

So the final coats of paint are going up in my house as we speak. And since this is my business, I am confident that the colours I chose are right. And as each room gets completed I am filled with happiness. So it got me to thinking. How on earth could anyone watch paint…

Continue Reading

Knowing your Options Helps you Move Forward

04/15/2012
14 Comments

The biggest problem with renovations is deciding exactly what to do in any given situation. There are so many questions to resolve. Here are a few my lovely client in Dallas had when analyzing her kitchen.

1. Should I paint these cabinets or is the current colour okay?

A. The existing colour is definitely pink beige. I would paint them to update them but it depends on how you feel about them.

Continue Reading

This Colour Mistake will make Your House look Bad

04/03/2012
33 Comments

One of the biggest mistakes designers and homeowners make when choosing colours is definitely around the world of undertones but next up is mixing clean and dirty colours. Yes you can break any rule but most of the time the combination of clean and dirty will make perfectly good tile or fabric look bad together….

Continue Reading