A Design & Colour Consultation in Gibsons
06/26/2011It was a rare, sunny and gorgeous day here in Vancouver last Wednesday at 7:20 am, when I hopped on the ferry to Gibsons to see my clients Sandra & Michael. I decorated their home 4 years ago in Richmond. They have fallen in love with this little town on the Sunshine Coast and found…
Kiss your Old Furniture Bye Bye!
06/24/2011Recently, a designer sent me a link to a bunch of high end furniture that a couple was selling because they were re-decorating. She asked if I was working with anyone that would be interested in the list of furniture. source ‘Almost new leather sectional’ Retail price: $35,000; selling for the bargain price of $10,000. And…
I drove by this neighborhood in Abbotsford a few weeks ago and stopped to photograph this row of homes. What works about these colours is that they are not particularly trendy. A trendy colour scheme would have included brown or gray. There is nothing wrong with using ‘trendy’ colours for exterior, however what I’m pointing…
The Dangerous Side of Creativity
06/19/2011The other day while in a clients home discussing kitchen finishes, she announced “I’m going in this direction with the hardware because I want to mix it up a bit’. And I realized in that moment that there was a post in that statement because there is a danger in doing that. Not like ‘mixing…
Upholstery = Luxury
06/17/2011Ever noticed when you look at designer spaces, it’s the abundance of upholstered items in a room that adds up to a luxurious feeling in many cases. I think extreme modern and contemporary decor is the only exception to this. Anything upholstered is always in style! Via full house Master bedrooms are the most neglected…
People are still telling me the ‘gray trend’ will not last and I’m here to tell you, yes it will. Just like the brown trend which started in 2002, it will have a 10 year shelf life before it’s on to the next one. Take the home of Courtney Cox, featured in this months Elle…
10 Ways to Create a Money Making Blog
06/13/2011Pinterest I recently received this question from a reader and thought I would respond in a blog post: “Please could you share how on earth you find the time to do Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, your beautiful blog and website and do the amazing work you do. This is a genuine request as to what part…
What do your Books say about You?
06/11/2011Anytime I find myself standing in front of a bookshelf in someone’s home, I’m always fascinated by the titles that I see. It gives you insight into who that person is don’t you think? Well the library in the home of my friends in Toronto was wonderful and cozy and filled with lots of books…
If your house exterior is brick, Benjamin Moore Cloud White is NOT the right trim colour. But here are a few trim colours that do work well with a brick exterior. Photos by Maria Killam For the record, this is not the first post I’ve written about the best exterior trim colours NOT being Cloud…
Colour Confidence in Toronto
06/06/2011What would it be like for you to have more confidence when specifying colour for walls, fabrics or finishes? You can learn something new in a course, but do you always walk away with the ability to apply what you’ve learned the next day? “I learned a lot in this course and I’m way…
Colourful Weekend with Artist Ian Varney
06/05/2011I am staying in the home of artist Ian Varney while I’m here in Toronto (just completed facilitating one of my True Colour Expert Workshops this past week and I’m here until Wednesday). Here are some of his recent beautiful pieces: 40″ x 40″ Lake Geometry #1PinterestJust to keep it fun, I thought I would…
Custom Colour Mixing; Yay or Nay?
06/02/2011A designer emailed me the other day asking whether taking a few drops of red out of Muslin would give her the perfect colour she needed for a clients bathroom. It’s been so long since I tried to ‘tweak’ a paint colour for a client, I forgot that I used to think it was a…
Moms will Appreciate this One
06/01/2011Photo by Maria Killam I am in Toronto preparing for True Colour Expert Training at Designers Walk starting tomorrow! After my assistant and I got everything organized, we went out to find a patio and I found this sign (above), that I had to share with you sitting outside a variety store downtown on Dupont….
Outdoor Spaces – Is it Summer yet?
05/30/2011Interior Design by Suzanne Kasler Here in Vancouver, we have had 50 days of rain out of 60 in the past two months, everywhere you go, everyone is talking about it! So I’m wistfully looking outside at my patio and wondering when I’m ever going to get to sit outside for dinner! Interior Design by…
Colour me Happy in the 80’s
05/28/2011This weekend I am in Abbotsford helping my mom pack up the house I grew up in since I was 12, I’ll be 44 in just a little under 2 weeks–eeeeeek! I just packed up the photo albums and took a little trip down memory lane at the same time. When I came across a…
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