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4 Best Colours to Paint a Rental

02/20/2012
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I recently consulted with a client who was fixing up a rental property and we had to choose one colour to go throughout the entire house. So here are my hot tips on the best colour to paint a rental and also a good guide if you are starting with an empty house and moving…

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Round or Rectangle Dining Table: Yay or Nay?

02/18/2012
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I have had a round dining table forever! I was so happy when we moved into a space big enough to accommodate a rectangle! Round tables are so boring when it comes to decorating. All you can do is plunk something in the middle and it’s over. This image below is the most creative one I could find.

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What Maria Killam and American Idol Have in Common

02/17/2012
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Some of my readers have said “I have not bought your book because I have trouble seeing what you are talking about on your blog”. Turns out, when someone shows you, “That’s green beige, that’s blue gray”, you can see it immediately. Then it just takes seeing it over and over for you to start noticing undertones on your own. This is the second of a two-part guest post written by my Design Associate, Irene Hill.
“My first post, How Maria Saved my Paint Life, started to tell you the story of how meeting Maria at one of her True Colour Expert Workshops changed the way I see and specify paint colours.

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Red is for Valentines Day

02/14/2012
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If you really pay attention, you will notice that there’s not a lot of true red spaces in this blog because I prefer warmer orange/reds over blue/reds. So in honour of Love day, here are some red rooms especially for the red lovers:

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Progress in my Master Bedroom

02/12/2012
22 Comments

I have finished decorating every room in my house except for the master bedroom. Isn’t it true that the Master is the most neglected room in the house? I don’t have the excuse most people have (especially because I decorate for a living) however, most people decorate their living room first, then their kids rooms. After all a kids room is their personal space so it becomes more important than the Master Bedroom.

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Maria Killam on The Express in Vancouver

02/10/2012
19 Comments

Source Kendall Harris (below), a reporter for Shaw TV contacted me last week to ask if I’d like to participate in a series she was working on called ‘Beating the Winter Blues’. Kendall Harris Wednesday when we arrived at my clients home in Burnaby to shoot the spot, it poured rain that day. Something we…

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Which Stone Colour is Best for Your Fireplace Surround?

02/08/2012
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This is the biggest mistake homeowners make when choosing stone colour for their fireplace. Take my advice, because if you choose wrong, it will dictate the overall colour scheme of your home forever.  The stacked stone trend for fireplaces and the exterior of homes is a big one. But that doesn’t mean it’s right for…

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Vancouver Motel Exterior Before & After

02/06/2012
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Occasionally, when I’m driving by a building, if I think it’s interesting in some way, I’ll snap a photo of it. I took this picture over a year ago because I actually thought the way the “colour blocking” on this particular building actually looked good, especially because there’s not a lot of great architectural detail…

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Maria Killam in Dabble Magazine

01/31/2012
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I have the last word again (just like House Beautiful last year) in Dabble Magazine that’s just hit the virtual newstands!  It’s packed with beautiful photos like this series: And here I am with a few words in what I dabble in. . . Click here to read the latest issue! Related posts: Interview with…

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My #1 Must-Have Travel Accessory

01/28/2012
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I am someone that likes to travel light even though I have no idea how to pack properly so that I end up with everything I need. But last week when I arrived at my workshop I think I finally pulled it off!  It helps that I’ve been shopping with my Stylist Angie for four seasons…

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Vancouver Interior Designer: How to be Legendary with Your Clients

01/24/2012
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So I’m in a workshop for facilitators here in Vegas. The difference between training which is what I mostly do in my True Colour Expert Workshops and facilitating is this:

1. Training. I need to get my participants from A – B and I have the answers (it is MY system after all).

2. Facilitating. The facilitator stands inside the gap between A – B and you bring activities and resources to lead your participants to B and you don’t even pretend to have the answers.

There’s parts of my course when I’m facilitating and other parts where it’s full on training.

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