I know what you’re thinking. Really Maria? For 8 years you’ve been shouting at us about too much black and now you’re telling us how to make it look good?
Of course! Decorating has a magical way of masking color mistakes and making the best of what you’ve got. And I’m here to explain why you might find yourself staring at those black walls, questioning whether your bold decision to paint them that colour was really the best idea after all.
Getting my Team Together!
My entire team was here with me this past weekend, it was so much fun! I posted on my reels here. We took a trip to a the Daltile showroom to see what’s timeless and beautiful in tile. And then to Kravet in downtown Vancouver where we learned so much about fabric and wall coverings.
Back row: Tricia, Director of eDesign | Vienna, Digital Content Manager | Shana, Colour Designer | Jennifer, Colour Designer | Lisa, Colour Designer | Marla, Customer Service Manager. Middle Row: Sheila, Colour Designer, Kristy, Marketing Director.
My dear friend Patricia Kramer, showroom manager at Kravet (below), has been a pivotal figure in my career journey. She discovered me back when I was a fledgling decorator many years ago, working for a different fabric supplier. Her belief in me has been unwavering, even during the most challenging times. When I moved to Toronto for a brief stint and returned to Vancouver nine months later—broke, in debt, and desperately seeking work—it was Patricia who told me Benjamin Moore was hiring colour consultants. That single conversation changed everything and set me on the path to where I am today.
But Patricia’s influence didn’t stop there. A few years later, she called me again with another life-changing opportunity: teaching a colour theory class at Vancouver Community College. At the time, she was already teaching the window coverings module and thought I’d be perfect for the role. That experience was transformative; it gave me the foundation to condense a 10-week curriculum into my signature three-day True Colour Expert Training. there’s still space in Chicago, Register here.
And now, as they say, the rest is history—but none of it would have been possible without Patricia’s encouragement and support.
💛
5 Ways to Decorate around Black Walls
The two best tips in today’s video are:
1. The BEST question to ask yourself every single time you are in a colour dilemma when buying home decor
2. How to bring those black walls to life
We’re covering them both along with 3 more hot tips in todays episode:
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I’m sorry. No black walls for me, EVER! I’ll stick to light and bright. Black depresses me and I completely understand that I am one in a million people. I would be so tired of black in 24 hours time. I guess black looks good in small doses here and there but to me black walls are not timeless. It is expensive to hire painting done these days and it is simply not in my budget. to change paint colors every year or so. White like SW Alabaster has been my go to for much of my kitchen, living room, dining room and hallways. It gives me endless ways to incorporate color. When I can I want to paint my bedrooms in a very neutral beige or similar but always light and bright. Thanks Maria. I enjoy these episodes of design very much.
Yes! I totally agree about black. I love SW Alabaster. It’s a great background color.
There might be a few out there who agree with you Linda. My mum would never, ever put up with it either. I’d rather see it in a commercial space than at home. I’m actually really surprised how good it can look in this episode.