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Advice for Homeowners

What Everyone Should Know About Joy

09/09/2018
40 Comments

I’ve never been a fan of anything too pointy. Not in fashion or design. Years ago, someone gifted me a pendant in the shape of a triangle. I never wore it. It’s probably why my design aesthetic is more traditional vs. ultra modern. Traditional design has way more curves, while modern has a lot more…

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Ask Maria: Is My Bedroom Colour too Clean with my Antique Sari?

08/30/2018
26 Comments

I’m learning something new about colour from all the photos you’ve been sending me. Well, maybe it’s not new, but I’m feeling validated on a statement I constantly make in my workshops. There are a multitude of decorating faux pas including ‘clean vs. dirty’, or ‘my-paint-colour-changes-with-the-light’ mistakes that you can hide with the right amount…

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Clean vs. Dirty Colour Dilemmas

08/06/2018
100 Comments

Wondering if your colour dilemma is a clean vs. dirty one? I’m sharing reader photos and my thoughts on this common colour mistake. Thanks so much to everyone who emailed me with images they felt would belong in a clean/dirty discussion from my last post, as promised, I’m going to show you a few emails…

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Clean or Dirty? HINT: it’s all in the undertones!

08/03/2018
48 Comments

If you’re asking yourself what’s wrong with your room, it may not be a clean or dirty issue. HINT: it’s all in the undertones. Once you learn my system for identifying the undertones of neutrals, you can apply it to all your decorating dilemmas. To learn more about clean vs. dirty colours in a room,…

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Which Is Better: Open or Closed Floor Plan?

06/18/2018
openconceptkitchen
28 Comments

This post is written by Kelly Parkinson, my former Design Assistant. When we left for our vacation to the Amalfi Coast I asked her to write a guest post to show us the updates on the house they recently purchased! It needs lots of work, here’s a common dilemma a lot of people wrestle with…

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There’s No Subway Tile in Spain

06/17/2018
41 Comments

Seville was the first stop on our trip to Spain and Italy. We stayed right in the downtown core in a lovely boutique hotel that served afternoon tea and a lovely buffet breakfast each morning. Back home, I have walked into so many homes where there is an elaborately ornate staircase design that often looks…

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Ask Maria: What is the Most Timeless Colour?

04/10/2018
86 Comments

Everyone wants to know what the most timeless colour is. Here’s what a true colour expert thinks. Hint: it’s not the current, trendy neutral.  I get asked this so often and I have stated this many times on the blog but I think it needs it’s very own post. (updated December 2019) What is the…

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