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 →
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 →
Years ago I walked into an Ethan Allen Showroom where the sales clerk said to me “THEY ( clients) say couch, but WE (designers) say sofa” haha. I don’t remember what I called it back then, (I must have said couch because she gently corrected me), but it always stuck… Continue Reading →
Maria’s White Garden Transformation; Before & After I wrote the first rule of design (according to Maria Killam 🙂 ) in 2013 when I was working on my garden renovation. I have had this rule quoted back to me many times by my readers and by students who attend my… Continue Reading →
We have arrived in Atlanta for my second Specify Colour with Confidence workshop this Spring (it starts tomorrow). After we left Toronto, we flew to Little Rock for a meeting and yesterday before our flight back, we drove around and I snapped a photo of this blue grey house with… Continue Reading →
Many of you have asked for this post. How do I choose the right wall to wall carpet? Well here it is. Wall to Wall Carpet in House Beautiful My best advice for choosing the right wall-to-wall carpet is choose a current texture or pattern. Like the one in the… Continue Reading →
My lovely readers reached out for decorating help just in the nick of time. They were in the beginning stages of furnishing their new-to-them large modernist house. They had just moved in, leaving a smaller traditional home behind. It was such a big change in style. Coming from small, well… Continue Reading →
This post is about an eDesign consultation! I was so thrilled to receive ‘after ‘ photos of this project because this house is so pretty! Here’s what my client shared in her questionnaire: We just moved in and are planning to be here for 20+ years. We love that the… Continue Reading →
Hi Everyone, just a quick heads up, my Spring dates for my Specify Colour with Confidence events are up, we are going to Palm Springs, Toronto, Atlanta, Houston and New Jersey, register here. ___________________________________ Back when I was a brand new designer, I always remember being in a home where… Continue Reading →
Source Of the thousands of colours out there, how do you know what the best choice is for your front door? Why do some front doors look fab and others drab or just plain wrong? My lovely client Patti consulted with me via eDesign to get her front door colour… Continue Reading →
Image via Zillow (Love this image, no fence, just beauty) Whenever I research a post I’m writing to see what other people are saying, I always cringe when I see declarations like this, from articles giving colour advice to the consumer: “When it comes to picking out the right paint… Continue Reading →
I found Alison McGivern through my sister Elizabeth Jacobs. Over the years, I have become accustomed to the facials I receive in her home spa. It’s at the point where I rarely book facials anywhere else because I just end up laying there getting more annoyed by the second, because… Continue Reading →
Interior Design by Maria Killam (another pic of the wall colour we specified) Today I’m sharing a simple eDesign consultation for a new wall colour so you can get a sense of what the process looks like. So first, we need photos, taken in good natural light, without flash, AND… Continue Reading →
Since I finally had the brilliant idea to ask for clean vs. dirty dilemmas or issues where ya’ll think the lighting might be the problem, here’s a great question I received along with this lovely room from a reader: Thank you for your post. I finally understand why my family… Continue Reading →
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… Continue Reading →
