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Timeless

12 Classic Outdoor Wall Sconce Lights

04/05/2015
22 Comments

Classic outdoor lights are inviting, but also look like they have been there forever, without looking dated. Here are my favourite classic and timeless outdoor wall sconce lights.  Is it time to replace the lights beside your front door? Here are some of my favourites along with some inspiration photos to help you decide which…

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7 Steps to Choosing Brick and Stone for your Exterior

04/23/2014
40 Comments

Can you mix brick and stone on your exterior? It’s possible, but I have seen so many bad exteriors with multiple combinations of brick and stone over the years. This kind of combination requires a bit of legwork. Because, if you don’t consider the relationship to your exterior finishes, this combination makes coordinating the colour…

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Why Choosing Granite is So Hard

04/09/2014
31 Comments

Have you installed granite in your kitchen or bathroom… and then wondered why it doesn’t look like you thought it would? Here’s why choosing granite is so hard. I came across this comment on my blog the other day, I had forgotten about it. This reader expressed what so many of my clients have told…

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The Key to Great Design is Contrast

03/26/2014
24 Comments

I still laugh to myself when I think about the fact that I blogged for an entire year before I figured out exactly what ‘my look’ was. I started my blog in October 2008 and even wrote a post in March 2009 about what my Interior Design Style was but it wasn’t until months later that I figured it out.

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Ask Maria: What’s Next After Subway Tile?

01/23/2014
58 Comments

“I’m a big fan of your blog, and your e-book helped me choose paint colors I love when we bought a house last year. I love the look of subway tiles, but I’ve noticed they’ve been around for awhile. I know here in New York, I’ve been seeing them for about 10 years (they could…

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Why I STILL Say WHITE even Though It Seems OLD

01/21/2014
42 Comments

{source click on image} Last summer when I wrote this post on The Best White Bathrooms, I declared that all bathrooms should be white. Some people got downright cranky and decided that I had no idea what I was talking about. Just to clarify, what I meant, was that basically, you should choose mostly white…

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I Don’t Follow the Trends. Is this You?

10/04/2013
35 Comments

I consult with homeowners all over the US and Canada and today I was virtually in London, one thing that is consistent in my business is that almost everyone asks me for the same colours at the same time. Which I find fascinating. When grey first arrived on the scene, I chose lots of green…

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The Best White Bathrooms

08/14/2013
110 Comments

I believe all bathrooms should be white.  Off white, or cream. When I say this, I’m talking about the tile and countertops (not cabinets or wall colours). And I have three bathrooms to renovate sometime very soon. And they will be white as that will flow with the rest of my house. Update, here they…

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Warning: This Mistake Could Instantly Date your House

07/07/2013
53 Comments

My Sister Elizabeth and her husband rent a trailer to camp at Christmas Lake each summer with their two boys.

When I walked into the one they had this year I asked “Is this trailer 15 years old?”

Elizabeth looked a little startled as she replied “No these are new, I’m sure not older than 2-3 years, they don’t rent old trailers”.

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