Give your plain home exterior fabulous curb appeal by designing a garden. A garden does to your exterior what artwork, lamps, pillows and accessories do to the interior – give your home a look and a feel. Here’s an excellent example of how this thoughtfully designed garden made a plain… Continue Reading →
Today I’m showing you another bathroom in my design assistant Kelly Parkinson’s previous home that she transformed with just a coat of paint and a new shower curtain. Shower curtain similar here Kelly found this so happy, colourful shower curtain at HomeSense that also picks up the purple tones in… 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 →
We’re going back to the 80s with all the colours of the year that have been announced this year and Pantone’s Ultra Violet is no exception. Benjamin Moore’s Caliente (blue based red) and Sherwin Williams Oceanside (strong teal) were all big statement colours in the flamboyant fashion of the 80’s…. Continue Reading →
This guest post is written by Tricia Firmaniuk, my talented virtual design assistant. I’m always saying (and teaching) that the days of different colours in every room are over. Now, the current trend is one main neutral throughout with colour in rooms like the powder room, dining room and bedrooms,… Continue Reading →
Are you tired of looking at a bathroom filled with tuscan brown elements? Here are 5 ways to update your bathroom for a fresher look. Hint: it has a lot to do with adding more white or cream. My lovely client Deborah hired me to help her choose fresher colours… Continue Reading →
Jeffrey Bilhuber When I saw this Ask Maria question, I immediately thought of Jeffrey Bilhuber’s recent spread in House Beautiful Magazine. The answer to your question today lovely reader, is inspired by my favourite decorator. Here’s the question: I recently moved with my husband into our first house! I have… Continue Reading →
Today’s guest post is from Claire Jefford, a True Colour Expert and certified interior decorator from Burlington, Ontario. Claire’s got an interesting designer solution for those of you dealing with awkward structural elements in your home, like bulkheads in the basement. Want to know what it is?
{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… Continue Reading →
We’re here in Christina Lake for a few days camping! I really prefer room service, but when you have kids, you either go to the cottage in the summer or you have a trailer and camp by the lake which is where my sister Elizabeth and her family are this… Continue Reading →
View from the Master Bedroom In early 2014 I went down to Portland to work with a design coach. I called my friend Barbara Miller who lives there to find out if we could have a visit. Barbara said “Yes that sounds great, and why don’t you stay in my Mom’s… Continue Reading →
Since purple hasn’t been on Pantone’s radar for more than 10 years, maybe it was time for it to take the spotlight as the colour of the year. {click on images for source} I would not have said purple. Since I consult with clients all over the country I can… Continue Reading →
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… Continue Reading →
Last night IKEA had a media party to launch their brand new store in Richmond. They built one 3 times bigger right beside the old one which will apparently be torn down. EIVOR It’s always fun when colour trends arrive at big box stores and become totally affordable. This… Continue Reading →
Image via Pinterest I recently bought a sideboard for my dining room (I still need to find lamps, etc which is why I haven’t posted it yet). I certainly had room for a china cabinet but I didn’t buy one because it would have made the space look smaller. Plus… Continue Reading →
flickr At the CMG conference in 2010 we had a presentation called C20 where 20 colour professionals had one minute to present ‘What’s Next’. My favourite was Mark Woodman’s question: A day at the beach (flickr) He said he noticed from just observing the world around him that the colour of fun… Continue Reading →
