Here’s a look inside my Specify Colour with Confidence workshop from two new True Colour Experts in the Chicago class. I recently hired a new Colour Designer, Larkin Owen, for our very busy eDesign department and Social Media Manager, Kristy Robb. And just in time to attend my Chicago workshop this… Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year when paint companies announce their 2020 colours of the year. You might wonder how to make sense of it. Here’s what you need to know from a true colour expert. I used to think that the 2020 trend colours of the year (COTY) were a… Continue Reading →
Can you see the happy smile in the cobwebs? (I don’t like horror at all so I’m not surprised I would accidentally create a happy face, haha) My nephew Markus’ 10th birthday is in October. This year he decided he wanted a Halloween themed birthday party and since I was… Continue Reading →
A step-by-step guide to learn how to put together a room you love, regardless of budget size. Use these designer trade tips and tricks to start shopping online like a boss. When I present the How to Shop Online/How to Work with Clients via eDesign training on Day 3 of… Continue Reading →
Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you left on my Nephew’s Bachelor Pad Makeover in my last post! My Mom and I actually cried when we read some of them! As promised, I wanted to tell you about this fake window we created in the dining room…. Continue Reading →
Five years ago, my oldest nephew Luukas (28) moved to Calgary from the Lower Mainland (where he’s from). He lived with a bunch of friends in a house to begin with and worked as a waiter. Then he met Sam (his current roommate) and they’ve been roommates and best friends… Continue Reading →
When we stopped by Kelly’s home in Tsawwassen this past Monday (on the way home from our weekend in Sooke) I couldn’t get over how beautiful her yard was, and immediately took photos to show you! Then when she showed me all her before photos, taken the day they took… Continue Reading →
Now that the black trend is here, we will be seeing a lot more black sofas! Here’s an Ask Maria post about decorating around one. What colours go best with black furniture? Really the question should be “What colours DON’T go with black leather furniture?” If you have black furniture,… Continue Reading →
Despite my best efforts, the psychology of “paint first” stubbornly persists out there. And I get it, you need a canvas to make a pretty picture right? And it does make sense to do the messy work of painting the walls BEFORE you put in all your nice things. But… Continue Reading →
My client was building a retirement home in a warmer city, in another Province. The challenge was that she wasn’t there every day to make sure everything was going according to her specifications. Most recently, her contractor had installed the wrong colour roof (which in the end, I assured her… Continue Reading →
This weekend my sister Elizabeth was home alone without the kids. Her husband took them camping with a friend. No one and I mean no one can get me to pick up a paintbrush except my sister Elizabeth. It literally hurts me to paint. My neck and shoulders are instantly… Continue Reading →
Google is one gigantic popularity contest. And in the world of paint colours, especially lately with whites, the same ones pop up constantly. BM Simply White, White Dove and SW Alabaster and Snowbound are the Kardashians of paint. Simply everywhere you look. And if the same white comes up in… Continue Reading →
During my 2 1/2 week visit to Finland with my Mom, we visited a lot of friends and relatives and saw a lot of kitchens during that time. Not a single kitchen had an island. Every single one had a friendly dining room right in the middle of the kitchen…. Continue Reading →
IKEA may know a thing or two about the black kitchen trend. And, if you are planning to design a kitchen around this trend, you don’t want to miss these key details. Western Living | Maybe black countertops, one row of black uppers and black paint is enough? Last week… Continue Reading →
Today I’m chatting with a paint colour expert in San Francisco. Discover the most important colour lesson she’s learned and one of the biggest mistakes her client’s make when choosing paint colour. A glimpse of a vignette in Jill’s dining room (photography by Maria Killam) I have been following Architectural… Continue Reading →
Wow, I had no idea the response to my colour wheel would be so profound. In just two days, we shipped 3/4 of the stock we had. So I quickly reduced the number of wheels I was offering to one instead of two. I want as many people to have… Continue Reading →
