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3 ways to Coordinate Colours for your Entire House

05/09/2011
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The best way is with a designer you trust. We know what will work today and how to pull it all together to create a look and feel including colours that flow from room to room. If you are choosing everything yourself, here are some guidelines from a recent consultation: If the mountain won’t come…

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The Best Mother’s Day Flowers

05/08/2011
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I’m quite sure it doesn’t get any better than an arrangement picked by your 3 year old.  The other day my sister was outside with her two boys (1 1/2 and 3 1/2). William picked 3 dandelions, gave them to Elizabeth and then proceeded to pick 3 stems of grass and a horsetail to add…

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Benjamin Moore Guilford Green Living Room

05/06/2011
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A few weeks ago I arrived at a client’s home in White Rock to discuss her new white kitchen including which countertops, backsplash and colours would flow with the rest of her house. When I walked into her great room, I said “Wow what colour is this green?”. She said, It’s HC-116 Guilford Green. There…

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Which Hardwood Floor is the Most Timeless?

05/04/2011
42 Comments

You know what I find fascinating?  At the same time as we all want to know the latest trends in colour and design, we also search high and low–as well as conduct polls with our family and friends, dogs and cats–in order to discover which look is the most timeless. It’s not this one (source)…

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When can you Ignore the Carpet Colour (if it’s bad)?

05/01/2011
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source I recently posted about an on-line consultation where my client had a very bossy carpet. In the main living areas of the house, you should try very hard not to ignore the wall-to-wall carpeting when decorating your home. So if your carpet clearly has a strong undertone of either green, pink or yellow beige,…

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Thoughts on Wedded Bliss

04/29/2011
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source My sister Elizabeth (who just moved to Yarrow) invited me, my mom and the rest of my sisters over to watch the Royal Wedding this morning (I arrived last night). Two of my sisters are not speaking to each other so one did not join our little wedding watch on the wee hours of…

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Happiness is. . . Being Yourself

04/28/2011
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Love this video (below) via Advanced Style via the Glamourai ‘Young woman, you’re going to be an old woman someday–don’t sweat it!’  Great advice from the fabulous women in this awesome video!! If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me. Related posts: Happiness is. . . Learning…

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You Don’t Suck if you Don’t Book Every Client

04/26/2011
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‘If you can’t say no to anything then you’re living in scarcity. The universe doesn’t need to be selective with what comes your way because you’ll take anything.’ Source unknown. In other words, you’re still a rock star (just like my nephew : ) The other day I was following a forum where designers were…

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Will I see You in May or June?

04/25/2011
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For You!  (source) My good friend Irene Fraser (below) from Design Happens asked me to give a talk on ‘Creating Flow with Colour’ next Saturday April 30 at the Ridge Meadows Home Show in Maple Ridge. I’ll be on the design stage at Noon and it’ll go for approximately 20 minutes and then I’ll be…

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Happy Easter from Whistler

04/24/2011
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My sister and brother-in-law came up with my 2 little nephews to spend the night on Thursday from Yarrow on their way to Whistler for the weekend.  On Friday after they left, I missed my nephews so much, we jumped into the car and drove up to join them.   Martha Stewart I didn’t…

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3 Ways to Update a Brand New House

04/21/2011
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Whenever I am with a client either on the phone virtually (like the following house in Omaha) or in person and I announce that the carpet, backsplash or sofa (for example) has a—gasp–pink undertone, my clients almost always react the same way—oh no, what do we do now!

ouse is brand new!”. I replied, ‘”Here’s how you know this kitchen is NOT current, you will never find it in a magazine from 2011”. That was all the confirmation Laura needed (and luckily her husband agreed). She set about painting all the oak woodwork including the kitchen white and here are the results!

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10 Ways to get a Fresh Look with a Black Sofa

04/20/2011
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There are just as many black leather sofas in family rooms as brown ones these days all over the country so if you are looking for an update or need black or a dark colour because you have kids, here are my recommendations: 1. How about this one in fabric? This is IKEA’s Stockholm sofa….

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What Everyone should Know about Blue

04/17/2011
34 Comments

(Blue Hubbard 8438 Sherwin Williams) House Beautiful   My favourite place for blue is Master Bedrooms.  So many people use white bedding and blue is so pretty with white. And, blue can be a tricky colour to choose. If you don’t gray it down enough, it ends up baby blue on the walls and–unless you…

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April Showers Bring May Flowers

04/16/2011
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source It has rained so much this Spring. . .   source That the cherry blossoms are barely blooming and not a stitch of green on the trees because it’s so cold. . . credit I have had the most annoying cough for the last 2 weeks so I’m laying low this weekend and I’d love…

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Benjamin Moore Annapolis Green for a Beach House

04/14/2011
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Cindy from Miami contacted me to help her choose colours for her kitchen cabinets in her weekend home in the Florida Keys (I am virtually in Florida a lot, and it is a colourful place!). Their beach house overlooks John Pennekamp State Park which contains the only living coral reef park in North America. I…

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Carrara Marble for your Kitchen; Yay or Nay?

04/13/2011
65 Comments

This countertop is definitely the of-the-moment choice for many a new kitchen. Apparently if you install it honed, that takes care of the ‘etching’ that will happen too slowly without it.   Source So over to you my lovelies. . . if you have it, do you love it or hate it? Is it worth…

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