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Advice for Designers

The Conversation You NEED to Have with Your Client

11/23/2015
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Trying to get your spouse or client on board with your design project? Set yourself up for success by knowing when you need to have THIS conversation.  Vanessa Francis Stuck in the Middle This is something I see all of the time. Your husband, your wife, or your client are reacting in a negative way…

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Best Countertop for Stained Wood Cabinets

11/05/2015
35 Comments

Updating a kitchen or bathroom with stained wood cabinets? Here’s the best countertop colour to work with your stained wood cabinets for a fresh look. When I received this Ask Maria question asked slightly different two times recently, I thought it deserved a stand-alone post even though my regular readers will have already ready my…

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The Timeless Flooring Everywhere in Italy

10/14/2015
46 Comments

It’s hard to take pictures for a blog on a trip because I never know what I’m going to talk about until I start gathering photos for a post. Then I start thinking “Darn, I wish I had taken more pictures of floors.” But it wasn’t until the end of the trip that I noticed…

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The Minimalist Guide to Decorating with Charcoal

05/23/2015
21 Comments

Photos by Maria Killam Recently, I had a consultation with a client who needed help creating a colour palette for her new home. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes she had made in the past and was looking for a plan. She sent me this inspiration photo for her house:  {via pinterest} I spent a few minutes…

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How to Take Charge of Your Bossy Tile

05/18/2015
22 Comments

When we walked into our room at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport last May, I declared, “This room was decorated BEFORE the brown trend!” It’s a game I like to play with anyone who will listen everywhere I go. What’s the dead giveaway? The colour of the wood-stained furniture: it was all orange and yellow with no…

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A Good Professional is like a GPS but Better

05/15/2015
12 Comments

Tuscany When was the last time you got lost? If you’re anything like me, you’re tempted to say it’s been awhile. Technology has made getting lost pretty much impossible. If we take even one wrong turn, Google Maps will frantically start recalculating to put us back on course before we hit the next intersection. It feels like a relief to those…

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4 Ways to Decorate Around Your Charcoal Sofa

04/28/2015
36 Comments

Today’s post is about decorating with charcoal, really important to know since it’s such a popular neutral right now!

If you have a charcoal sofa (just like during the brown trend, when most neutral-loving shoppers purchased a brown one) it’s time for me to help you bring this colour to life.

Why?

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Before & After: The Pinterest School of Styling

03/29/2015
27 Comments

Interior design & styling by Maria Killam As I lay by the pool on my recent vacation in Kauai, I had already read both of the beach novels that I brought, so I went through my client’s library  and pulled out The Alchemist. My sister Elizabeth posing for my photo Three years ago, when my client…

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Grey is OUT! (Maybe) The Colour Trend is IN!

03/15/2015
42 Comments

I’ve talked a lot about trends lately, and I know many people out there are confused. When it comes to grey, specifically, we are all eager to know: Is it in? is it out?  I‘ve figured out an easier way to explain it: {via Pinterest} I’m going to stop calling it The Grey Trend and start calling it…

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