Colour me Happy

www.mariakillam.com is the new Colour me Happy

2011-09-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

My new website is finally live! If any of you have a blogger site and you have almost 3 years worth of content and over 600 posts to transfer, take it from me, it is not a walk in the park!

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You can find my new blog and website over at www.mariakillam.com. If you have me on your blogroll, please switch the link from Colour me happy to www.mariakillam.com.

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Have I mentioned I am tired :) And happy that it's finally live!!!

ps. Tomorrow I'm switching all my blog subscribers over to my new website but if you don't see any posts from me my Monday, then you might have to actually re-subscribe at my new blog. I'm hoping I have figured out how to do it seamlessly though, I don't want to lose any of you!

Thanks so much for reading my blog and I look forward to seeing all of you at www.mariakillam.com!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

One More Day before the Launch

2011-09-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, tomorrow is the day. . . the day my site will go live. This is me, waiting without a lot of patience!

It will happen sometime in the afternoon if all goes well. We are still working on last minute issues with transferring all my blogger posts over to wordpress.

See you next on my new site!

Advice from a Celebrity Decorator

2011-09-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to be included in House Beautiful's 'The Last Words' October 2011 issue. It should have said 'Have' not 'Had', but I'll take it :) It was so great that this happened to be their 'Happiness starts here' issue.

My mention is #10, above (lower right). I really did have the last word as it's on the very last page as well! Thanks House Beautiful.

In this issue, Jeffrey Bilhuber (love him) gave some decorating advice from his latest book. I especially loved this advice:

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"Decorating is about the big picture. If you say 'I'd like a pink lamp' and I just go get a pink glazed ceramic lamp, you should fire me. What a decorator does is bring you a blue and white Delft lamp and say "This would look perfect in a pink room". Jeffrey Bilhuber

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I love that he said this out loud because it's so true! For example, when I ask my clients what colour sofa they want, they quite often say 'charcoal' but they never end up with one if they hire me because my goal is to give people confidence to surround themselves with colours that make them happy.

"In Decorators Math, 1 + 1 = 3. The objects we bring together add up to more than just a bunch of things. When you hire me, you hire a decorator, not a resourcer." Jeffrey Bilhuber

When you hire a good decorator, all the elements of the above also add up to atmosphere. Recently I arrived with 2 crystal lamps for a living room which just had the soft furnishings installed along with 2 sofa tables on either side of the mantle. It was the end of the day and as soon as I plugged in the lamps the husband said "I think we should sit in here right now and have a glass of wine". It was the first time this couple had ever hired a decorator so he had to celebrate the 'feeling' that was suddenly in the space in that instant.

That is my favourite part of every installation!

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I recently received this email from a reader who wanted some advice in getting the right white to get a 'Somethings Gotta Give' kitchen. What he said, wraps up this post best:

'It has become obvious to me that there is so much more to making a house look great than trying to match a color. Every house has different color woods, furniture, fabrics, art, carpets, etc. and that kitchen might not be ideal for my house or anyone else's. The Somethings Gotta Give house works the way it does because everything there compliments the whole. And A great deal of sophisticated work went into making it look that way. In the end it might be worth it to have an expert come in and pull it all together for me, even though I have a lower end house. Let me know when you are coming to Seattle.'

Somethings Gotta Give (source)

This reader got what Jeffrey is saying, 1 + 1 = 3.

And I know, the other big challenge is in finding the right designer with an aesthetic you like! I talked about this here in my post about white vs. brown kitchens.

What was your best 'aha moment' working with a designer?

ps. Coundown to my new site. . . It'll be up this week! I was hoping to launch webinars and my ebook at the same time, but they will come a little later. I can't wait for you to see it!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Related posts:

The Enchanting World of Atmosphere

Atmosphere; The One Thing you Cannot Buy

Is Hiring a Designer a Luxury or Necessity?

Maria Killam in the Washington Post

2011-09-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the press page for my new website (my new blog will be located at www.mariakillam.com when it goes live) and we need one place to link all my Washington Post mentions (5) so that's why you are getting this recap today!

How to Shop for Wallpaper; Washington post blog watch, September 17, 2009

Photo by Maria Killam

Click here to get a great tutorial on the easiest way to find wallpaper for your home.

How to Create a Tablescape; Washington post blog watch, August 13, 2009

David Jiminez

I didn't even know that the vignettes I created for clients were called tablescapes until I started blogging. Click here for a tutorial on creating vignettes in your home.

Interview with Colour Expert; Janice Lindsay; Washington post blog watch, July 9, 2009

Janice Lindsay

Janice agreed with me on which colour should be deleted from paint fan decks! Click here to read the interview.

5 Steps to Selecting the Right Colour for your Kitchen; Washington Post blog watch, March 26, 2009

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Click here to find out how to get the colour right in your kitchen.

The Right Way to Create Flow using Colour; Washington Post - blog watch, March 19, 2009

Interior by Maria Killam

Click here to find out how to create flow with colour in your home.

My new site is going live next week! Wish me luck!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Heres How Colour Trend Forecasting Works

2011-09-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

The restaurant we had dinner in on Sunday night had this art with Texas is Colorful behind me. (Maria Killam)

Okay, so if I told you the ACTUAL colours we ended up with this past weekend, I would have to swear you to secrecy along with double secret handshakes, etc and well, given that you are not in my living room, that would be hard to do. So I'm just going to let you in on the process we use in colour forecasting.

Colour marketing professionals do not sit around and just conjure up new colours for the unassuming public to give you a bunch of random new shades to buy. It's about studying where all colours are going in all industries for example, fashion, automotive and technology to get a feel for what is coming next. All of this is based on what YOU are already buying.

Each expert arrives with their 'NEXT' colours along with their 'story' behind each one. It's the story behind the colours that is important in other words, how you arrived at the colours you are seeing next. This was the board my group created (above). Then the facilitator of each group of colour experts take their final colours to Steering which we distill even further to arrive at our palette of colours for the next 2-3 years.

So here were some of the 'stories' behind the colours:

Taking Flight. Birds, in response to the heaviness politically and economically, people are looking to be uplifted, and to have a feeling of happiness, lightness and freedom. No constraints.

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Yellow: Last year the Colour Marketing Group announced 'Honeymoon' as being the 'colour of the year'. Most of our group had not used it yet but gold has influenced yellow for value, richness, affordable luxury. As I mentioned the other day, my on-line clients are not been interested in yellow in the past year; however I am using yellow for the clients whose homes I'm designing here in Vancouver.

Green: Homegrown, natural, green movement, eco, wellness, alive, more energy, freshness, healthy. It's Nature's neutral because it goes with every colour. A flash back to youth.

Kelly greens have been on the peripheral of greens and shown in higher end fabrics for the past 5 years but yellow greens have still been more popular. Yellow greens are still here because of the green movement. They did not disappear with the brown trend of the 2000's like they did in the 80's when avocado green stayed in the 70's.

Some colourful pipes in the Pearl District in San Antonio. A trend I have not seen in Vancouver.

You already saw the orange I mentioned in yesterdays post. Blue is rich, deep and vibrant. It's cleaner which makes sense as cleaner colours work well together if that's where colour is going. Purple is moving to a more glamorous and elegant shade. Deeper and less feminine.

So that's how it works.

I had dinner with Donna from Comin' Home (below). She lives in Texas and was in town with her husband for a conference. How could I not love someone that posts a sweet comment on every single post I write (Donna this doesn't mean you have to do it forever :). She is just as charming and lovely in person as she is in her blog.

Maria & Donna

We had such a great evening, it was the highlight of my week. Donna and her husband picked the most perfect, magical, touristy spot right by the river for dinner (don't remember what it was called) and it was so fun to be able to sit outside without a sweater (very rare for Vancouver even in the heat of summer).

The restaurant

The view from our table

The first day when we toured The Pearl District we were told that originally the river was basically used for sewage and the city had to decide whether to pave over it or turn it into a tourist attraction! It's a good thing they did because they get 11 million visitors a year. San Antonio is a lovely city, I wish I had more time to see it!

By the way I'm STILL working on my new website. It's taking longer than I thought and I am starting to worry about how it's going to work going from Blogger to Wordpress. Advice would be appreciated!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

What Everyone Should know About Blue

Bright Colour needs a Healthy Dose of White

What's Next in Colour & Design for 2011

The New Orange for 2012

2011-09-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is very similar to one of the new trend colours from the CMG Conference this weekend. We are going away from the tuscan, rusty oranges of the past 15 years to a fresher orange.

AF-230 Buttered Yam (source)

I recently chose this colour for a client to go with this Schumacher fabric for wingback chairs we are getting made for her dining room:

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I love creatively mixed chairs in dining rooms. When I was looking for fabrics with fresher oranges, I was at a loss because there's not many out there in these fresh colours yet. That's why I had to go to a higher end designer fabric house to find it.

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This is a short post because my connection is slow so I can't download a pile of photos. I'm back from Texas tonight!

What do you think? Do you love it or hate it?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Orange Yellow; Your Aura is Incredible

All About Hermes Orange

Maria's Kitchen Breakfast Nook; Before & After

What Colour should your Boots be?

2011-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

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Denise Turner, Janice Lindsay, Roz Kavander and Maria Killam

Me and some of my colour friends at the Saturday night dinner.

Kohler

Nicole Wittwer a Product Manager at Kohler reported that recently during a trade show where they were launching their new collection, Tresham, this image was displayed at one of their booths. People started lining up to get their picture taken right beside the pink boots in the above photo. She said they were mystified because people don't usually get their picture taken with a picture. When asked why they were doing that the answer was "Because those pink boots make me happy".

She said that was an 'aha moment' for her because it really drove home the fact that we are craving happy colour. And the colours we chose today certainly reinforce that!

I'm off to dinner, I'll report more later!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Wood Flooring in the Bathroom; Yay or Nay

Danger; How you Know you've Fallen for a Trend

The Best Trim Colours for Bathrooms; NOT Cloud White

Colour Trends in San Antonio

2011-09-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

I arrived tonight barely in time for the Board of Directors meeting for the Colour Marketing Group here in San Antonio. I'm not a board member yet, everyone will be voting after the conference. Anyway, this is such a pretty city from what I saw on the way here in the taxi. I think we are dong some kind of riverboat cruise dinner tomorrow night. Should be fun!

Rather charming don't you think? Stayed tuned, I'll be sure to keep you in the loop as we sit around with our crystal balls, forecasting what colours you'll be buying next year.

Just kidding. You know it doesn't go like that right? I posted about that here.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!
xo Maria

ps. I need to find out if there is J. Crew nearby because I want to buy this yellow coat!

And I like this one too, which colour do you think?

J.Crew

Seriously, let's keep our priorities straight people. Shopping first, Colour forecasting second!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Related posts:

What is the Colour of Fun?

2012 Colour Trends for Fashion and Interior Design

Are you Waiting for your Paint Colour to Propose?

What are the Hottest Paint Colours for 2012?

2011-09-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's time for the annual Colour Marketing Group Conference happening in San Antonio, TX starting this weekend. I fly there early Friday morning. I'm currently working on my NOW and NEXT colour forecast (I know last minute but I've been super busy) and I thought I'd do a poll with my favourite people, YOU.

For over a year, all anyone pretty much wants me to select for them is gray, green and blue. Even though I am the designer with a sunflower yellow sofa, it's rare that anyone asks me for yellow. This SHOCKS me by the way because the gray trend is here, and as I mentioned in this post, gray works ONLY in the company of other colours. Yet you are not asking me for corals, raspberry reds, mandarin orange, or yellow in any shape or form to liven up gray. Just blues and greens, over and over.

So what gives? The story we will hear this weekend will go something like "Because of the economy the consumer is afraid of colour, will not commit to colour on large ticket items because they are afraid of making a mistake, blah, blah, blah." But I think most people always keep big ticket items neutral, economy or not. Hmmm. . . come to think of it, there were a lot of floral sofas in the 80's, saw one today as a matter of fact during a consultation.

Personally, I just think we need a 'story' for the media. We can't simply say "okay yellow is the new trend colour, it needs to be accompanied by, 'We need a symbol of optimism and happiness because of the economy."

When Pantone announced that 'Mimosa' was the colour of the year for 2009? I'm sorry, but it was not. I think it's coming, but almost NO ONE is into yellow (except me) at the moment, nor were they back then.

In 2010, Turquoise was the Colour of the Year and 2011, it's Raspberry. These two colours were much more in line with what people were looking for as turquoise became the new blue and raspberry replaced the tuscan orange/red that has been around for the past 10 years.

Since I conduct consultations all across the US and Canada I think I have the pulse on what is happening, certainly in residential. Have I mentioned y'all want blue, green and gray and that's it?

So I just want to know straight from you, my lovelies. Is this true? Why won't you buy a sofa in your favourite colour? The resistance to buying big ticket items in a colour you love actually boggles my mind, it really does. Because 2 years ago you loved brown and now you want gray. So this means buying a sofa in the 'trend neutral' will date way faster than your favourite colour.

Is it because of the 'economy', or is it this reason, from one of my clients who said "I'm not afraid of colour, I'm just very afraid of the wrong colour!"

What colours are you decorating with RIGHT NOW. That is the big answer I would love you to post in the comments below, that would help me out a lot!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Related posts:

What are the Hottest Paint Colours for 2010?

The Gray, Black and White Trend is here to Stay

What Colour Sofa should you Buy?

Can you Have White Kitchen Cabinets in a Dark Room?

2011-09-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

I have been asked this question a few times. Whenever someone has read "A Light Colour will Never come to Life in a Dark Room".

Can you have white cabinets in a dark kitchen? Yes. Here's where I totally break that rule. Your cabinets are like furniture and I would put white furniture anywhere regardless of how dark or light the room was.
It's also the reason why I would not paint the walls the same colour as the cabinets.

Also the lights in a kitchen are usually brighter. You might have puck lighting underneath the cabinets to illuminate the countertops and track lighting or recessed lighting overhead. Just make sure you add some colour to the walls in the kitchen and soft window coverings wherever possible since there is so little softness in a kitchen un-like a living room or bedroom.

Have you figured out that there are few exceptions for ever having a kitchen other than white?

That's right. White reigns for a timeless kitchen. Period.

Coundown is on to my new Website!! I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be up this week! I need to have a crash course in Wordpress next, eeeeeek!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a Certified True Colour Expert

Related posts:

5 Steps to a Kitchen You'll Love!

Gray Kitchen Cabinets; 4 Ways to Know if you Should Follow the Trend

Happiness is. . . A Happy Wife

Happiness is. . . Getting how Rich You are Right Now

2011-09-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

I opened this post from Copyblogger this morning in my in-box and started reading and I thought 'Wow I was just thinking about this the other day!' How compared to so many in other parts of the world, we are fabulously wealthy. We all need a reminder once in a while!

"Because we live in so much prosperity, our magnificent wealth becomes invisible to us. We think we'll feel rich when we get the right car, or the right handbag, or can shop at Whole Foods without wincing at the total. Talk to the people who have the car or the handbag. They don't feel rich. That kind of progress is like chasing the horizon. You won't get there no matter how fast you run." Sonia Simone

Right now you too can feel your wealth by buying the kindle edition of End Malaria and you can save the lives of two people because a pair of mosquito nets is what they need!

I bought it instantly, I don't have a kindle but you can download a version of Kindle for your computer so I did that for my Mac. I didn't even realize at the time that the reason this book is worth many times over $20 is because its filled with short essays on focus, courage, resilience, by America's favourite business authors.

For example; In Jon Acuff's essay on Dream Backward to Move Forward he writes, 'We think we should be asking forward questions like "What do I want to do with my Life" instead of dreaming backward and asking "What have I done in my life that I loved!" And the answer we get is not a bottomless, faceless list of that could apply to anyone. It's a personal, small handful of life experiences that were uniquely tailored to our hearts and our souls and that made us feel alive.'

And I still think I'll only really feel rich when I live in my own 'Colour me Happy' house on the water somewhere in this town.

What makes you feel rich? (And buy the book next by the way- it's incredible and for a very good cause).

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert this October!

Do you Have Good Taste?

Who Says You're Not Creative?

Find the Inspiration to Keep Doing what you Love Here

Wood Flooring in the Bathroom; Yay or Nay

2011-09-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

The other day when I posted a picture of my mom's bathroom in her new carriage house and said that I love hardwood floors in bathrooms, I received a comment asking if this was something I always recommend.

So here's the thing. I also love the seamless look from room to room and the fact that most hardwood floor tones go with a lot of different colours. Any tile that is not basically white or a barely there shade highly dictates your bathroom colour scheme forever. And I think it's a great idea for a master bathroom and definitely in a powder room, but only if you already have wood flooring in the other connecting spaces. I would not install wood flooring in a bathroom from a carpeted bedroom for example.

And obviously in a main bathroom it would not be practical with small children splashing, etc.

Over to you my lovelies, do you have wood flooring in your bathroom/s? How do you like it?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Related posts:

The Best Trim for Bathrooms; NOT Cloud White

Slate or Porcelain Tile in the Bathroom

Which Flooring is the Best for your Kitchen; Tile or Hardwood

My Mom’s Fresh Carriage House

2011-09-08T06:54:00.001-07:00

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This is my mom’s carriage house being built on the 2 acres in Yarrow that she owns with my sister Elizabeth and her husband. Everything was on a strict budget. The roof is black just as it should be and the siding is white because my sisters house is also white. I want the front door to be this colour turquoise (above). My mom loves that colour.

BM 544 Kiwi

The flooring is light because my mom wanted a Scandinavian feel. We are Finns after all. Her kitchen is white (of course) it’s currently being installed.

We installed this IKEA light fixture in the stairwell because it’s so playful and fun!

This is the master bathroom. When I showed my mom the beveled white subway tile I wanted her to use she immediately said “But all the grout lines, it’ll be hard to keep clean”. I said “Mom, you’ll be living alone”. Okay she said.

Everyone that comes over just has to stand there and look at it for a while (according to my sister). After it was installed she called me and said “Can I replace the murky porcelain kitchen backsplash I have with this same tile in cream?” So simple, pretty and Restoration Hardware feeling. You don’t have to spend a lot on tile to get a great look. And notice I specified the wood flooring to go right into the bathroom. It looks so much cleaner this way.

I like the ‘picture framed’ tile with the mitered corners.

Here’s the doorway leading into the master bedroom. The pink is 2011-40 Old World.

Above Photos by Maria Killam

My mom has always loved fresh, clean colours, way before they ever became trendy!

This is the Windsor Smith living room that inspired the pink one she has. The furniture we picked out arrived yesterday so I’m going there today to help her unpack and get organized!

I saw this half eaten watermelon in the kitchen when I was there last week and I asked my sister what that was about. She said, ‘This is the way they like to eat it, they get upset when I cut it up’.

Kids always figure out how to do everything the fun way!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert this October!

How to Pick Paint Colours with Confidence (my mom’s fabrics for the living room)

3 Things I Learned about Design while Decorating for my Mother

I just love the Awesomeness of it! (my nephew Noah)

Maria’s new Sideboard and Art in the Dining Room

2011-09-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

This is a new piece of art we picked up in Sechelt when we were there last weekend. We stopped into Anita Lindblom’s gallery on the Sunshine Coast Highway. Anita says people drop in to her studio just to ‘get happy’ it’s such a wonderful and colourful space!

Wall Colour – BM Natural Linen

This is my new sideboard for the dining room. I picked it up on Craigslist. It was already painted white. The cord from the light is taped behind it. I haven’t decided if I’m going to put anything underneath it. Most likely no.

The table lamp is from the Pottery Barn. At first I had 2 lamps sitting on it but then I felt it became too limiting as to what I could display on it.

Photos by Maria Killam

See this adorable little vase? It makes any bouquet of flowers look good! We bought 2 pieces of her art for the master bedroom as well, it’s still a work on progress though, I’ll show you later.

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I am still looking for a dining table. This is the style I want but it’s not the right colour. I want one in a medium brown. And I’m resisting getting it custom made because I worry that it won’t be exactly right and then I’ll be stuck with it. The other style I am considering is a Duncan Phyfe table but have not one of those yet either.

Does anyone know where I could find the parsons table in a medium brown?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert this October!

Colourful Weekend with Artist Ian Varney

Cheap yet Happy Wall Art

How to Decorate with Art

3 Ways to Choose a Colour for your Hallway

2011-09-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

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It's time for my September newsletter. I was hoping my new website would be up by now but it's going to be another week hopefully at the most!

If you'd like to read my special article about hallway colour, subscribe here to my free monthly newsletter. You'll also get access to 2 years of special articles like 'Which Hardwood floor is the Most Timeless and 'My Top 5 What not to Buy for your House' only available to subscribers. You'll also receive my special report, 'The Top 3 Decorating Mistakes Homeowners Make and How to Avoid Them + my go-to colours.

Also I finally have dates and details for my upcoming True Colour Expert Workshop, October 19-21, 2011. Click here for the scoop.

Last week True Colour Expert Traci Zeller included me in her series 'Everybody's Favourite Everything' in her blog. Click here to read my favourites.

Barbara Matson from Hodge Podge Blog interviewed me for her 'So Canadian Eh' series.

I am also working on creating colour training via webinars, I keep getting emails asking when they are happening, this month I hope to launch everything including two ebooks!

Hope you are having a wonderful Labour Day weekend!

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

Related posts:

How to Choose Ceiling Colours; Do's and Don'ts

Do you Need an Accent Wall? Take this Test

How to Choose the Right Paint Shine

Which Flooring is the Best for your Kitchen? Tile or Hardwood

2011-09-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Every time I consult with a client on colour for a new kitchen floor, I always steer them to hardwood over tile, cork, marmoleum or vinyl. Why? Because hardwood is like jeans, it pretty much goes with all colours.

There's nothing neutral about any of the other flooring choices. So if you choose an orangy cork floor to tie in with the rest of the oak flooring in your house (for example) you now have an orange floor in your kitchen, and that becomes a 'fixed' colour that you must consider as part of your colour scheme.

As I mentioned in this post, the days of defining each space with a different flooring choice is over. In my moms carriage house, I specified the hardwood flooring to go throughout the kitchen, master bath and powder room. It makes the space feel even more spacious and is totally timeless.

This week I consulted with a couple that had couriered 3 marmoleum samples to my home prior to our call. Light gray, medium gray and charcoal. Their countertops were Uba Tuba granite which is primarily green. My immediate advice was to eliminate the marmoleum from consideration and take their hardwood flooring through. And here is my rationale for why:

1. The gray flooring in no way relates to the granite (which was already installed).

2. With a gray floor this kitchen will always say 'Installed during the gray trend'.

3. There is not a stitch of gray anywhere else in their home (nor were they interested in adding any).

There really is nothing more beautiful than a white-on-white kitchen (below)! Why mess around with countertops, backsplashes and flooring in a bunch of different colours and undertones? The chances of them all going together perfectly are so slim it's just too much effort only to be annoyed in the end when it doesn't turn out quite the way you envisioned.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want something like that to bother me every time I walked into my brand new, (not to mention) expensive kitchen. I would want my kitchen to be timeless, way beyond the shelf life of a 10 year trend cycle.

What's my second choice if hardwood is not an option for your kitchen? There is no simple answer here, just make sure whatever you choose that it works with the era of the rest of your house, especially if you don't have any plans to coordinate the rest of your home to the trendy colours you've just selected for your kitchen.

Which flooring is in your kitchen?

Related posts:

The Colour of Wood vs. Wall Colour; How Important is it Really?

Which Hardwood Floor is the Most Timeless?

The Best Tile Floor for your White Kitchen

5 Steps to Selecting the Colour for your K itchen

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

The Problem with an All Gray Room

2011-09-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I was recently reviewing the 'gray' chapter in Janice Lindsay's book All About Colour. When I first read it about two years ago, gray was not nearly as hot as it is right now. Remember when I said in this video that the problem with the current 'trendy' neutral is when people decorate their entire house from top to bottom in it? Well here she says it another way:

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"With Grey, as with most things in life, its flaw is also it's feature, its weakness is it's strength. Unlike white, a colour that can look good on it's own, grey works ONLY in the company of other colours. Grey is the foil, NOT the solo act. Grey urban landscapes, institutional walls, corporate settings, miles of urban halls and rooms of grey paintings are debilitating because the grey is unrelieved by colour. Unlike white, grey treats all colour with respect. White makes them strong and strident. Grey makes them beautiful. Grey is a hard worker, the silent partner, content to be in the background." Janice Lindsay, All About Colour

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As you know my mission in life is to inspire you to have a happy house! So anytime I can sneak in another argument to convince you to use more colour, I slip it in :)

xoxo Maria

Related posts:

White is a Snob

The Gray, Black and White Trend is here to Stay

Danger: How you Know you've Fallen for a Trend

Gray Kitchen Cabinets; 4 Ways to know if you Should follow the Trend

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

The Best Colour for an Undecorated Room

2011-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

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I have said this in other ways before, here and here. However, today, someone on a Colour Marketing Group discussion forum posted this question:

"What is the most healing color range one should consider when painting dressing rooms for breast cancer survivors prosthesis rooms? Are there certain colours that should be avoided?"

Colour experts posted answers such as green, purple or a warm peachy pink (following the psychology of colour and how it makes you feel). And this was what I said:

"A colour that 'reads' as a colour is so much easier to like all on it's own without the room having to be 'decorated'. My first reaction to this question was that everyone potentially feels good in a room that is decorated so then it could be any colour (and this is ignoring the rules of the psychology of colour I know) however my sister Anita recently painted her undecorated (at this moment) master bedroom a lovely fresh turquoise and now she's so happy in there!"

Elizabeth (my other sister) said her husband called her from the paint store last week and said "What colour do you want to paint the storage room?" and she at that moment, managing her 2 tired screaming small children said, "I don't know, cream!". Well the clerk in the paint store selected a taupe. "Taupe she screeched on the phone to me, I hate taupe!"

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I said "Why didn't you call me, I would have given you the colour of the sky, it is a storage room, why not have it be a fun colour?". I also know that my sisters favourite colour is blue. Well she couldn't even think with 2 children crying so that's the end of a happy storage room. Which she is clear will never be painted again.

Here is the point of my point:

If you paint your dining room your favourite 'colour', and let's pretend for a minute that it's not gray--because trust me, you were not asking me for gray 2-3 years ago when the brown trend was still alive and well--you can walk into that room, even if it doesn't have the perfect matching drapery or carpet and still love it.

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But if you paint that same undecorated room (let's face it we all leave the master to the very last, living rooms and then kids rooms get priority) a non-descript beige or gray or taupe? That's when people say things to me like "I hate the way it looks first thing in the morning," or "There's one wall in my living room and it looks like pea soup at 2:00 pm I hate that colour".

You say that because it relates to nothing.

If that same pea soup colour looked perfect most of the day because it was a great match to your bedding or the furniture in your living room you would not criticize it like you do now.

So, if you have a room in your house that you want to feel happy in, especially if it's not decorated, choose a COLOUR over a NEUTRAL.

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The look and feel and atmosphere of any room after all, starts with colour no matter where it is.

Related posts:

What is the Colour of Fun?

How to Pick Paint Colours with Confidence

Are you Waiting for your Paint Colour to Propose?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

2012 Colour Trends for Fashion & Interior Design

2011-08-29T07:07:00.001-07:00

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I opened my September Vogue magazine and was thrilled to read the headline on page 578 – Out with Tedious Black! Writer Sarah Mower goes on to say that among the fashion crowd, the race is on, not to see who can wear the highest heels but who dares to slip a neon-lime clutch under the arm of a sunflower-yellow jacket for example. At first, fashion made an attempt at labeling this phenomenon ‘Colour blocking’. ‘I’ve never understood what that means—other than being a timid term for a subtrend no one initially believed had any potential because women had been hooked on black for decades,' says Sarah.

Image via September Vogue 2011

We all need to hear this now, the sooner the better. ‘Only one, maximum two, giant fashion changes happen per decade.’ The reason this trend is so important is because of the way it’s permeating tailoring—jackets, coats and trousers, which have been set to default black since the 80’s.'

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So this fall, buy the raspberry jacket instead of yet another black one. ‘When the fashion seismograph registers a wave like this, the change it’s bringing will run for years.’

We already know that BIG colour is here to bring gray to life in interior design and I’m happy to report that this same trend in fashion will be here to stay.

What colour would you buy if you could find it?

ps. I hope all of you in the East are safe and intact from the Hurricane! xoxo Maria

Related posts:

How to wear Colour or Neutrals; which Group are you In?
Does Home Decor Follow Fashion?
Love your House and your Closet

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

How to Choose a Safe Colour

2011-08-27T18:22:00.001-07:00

Friday afternoon I was told to step away from my computer and my partner took me on a ferry up to the Sunshine Coast where we had a fabulous dinner at the West Coast Wilderness Lodge last night.

This is the view from the restaurant. We had a lovely table on the deck.

See this little private island? One of the many stories floating around about this island was that it apparently sold for 4.5 million dollars and then the couple got divorced. However, neither would move off the island so now there are two homes there, one on either side, with two float planes. This may or may not be true, but that is what we were told at dinner.

Here are the picture windows from inside the restaurant. We had breakfast there the next morning.

We stayed nearby because a few friends had gathered for the weekend and we were invited. Our room was completely trimmed out in fir which suited the rustic environment; however what stuck out for me was the espresso brown 2” faux wood blinds.

Photos by Maria Killam

This is what happens when a ‘trend’ colour is used so blindly. What’s interesting to me about the current ‘trendy’ neutral is that this phenomenon happens where we think “It’s so timeless, I can’t imagine that it’ll ever be out, out, out”. It’s certainly how I felt 17 years ago when I was married and our first purchase was a forest green leather sofa and loveseat.

So before you choose a colour for ANYTHING, ANYWHERE, ask yourself, “What does this colour relate to?”. It might not necessarily be the ‘best colour’ and there may be a better one, but if you are looking for ‘SAFE’, that’s the question to ask.

Hope you are enjoying our last official summer weekend! We were just up for one night because I’m working on my new website and I can’t take 2 days off---eeeeeek!

Related posts:

Are your Colours Married?
Is Colour the best Neutral? Yay or Nay
Nice Neutrals from Benjamin Moore

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

The Best Reason to Paint Old Furniture

2011-08-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Recently Joni from Cote de Texas wrote this totally inspired post, Convincing your husband to decorate your Way. It's a must read for every woman who gets grief from their husband over wanting to paint old furniture (or dated cabinets for that matter) in addition to just decorating your way. Fundamentally, when it comes to home decor, women (in general) simply care more than men about how the house looks.

Via Centsational Girl

And here's what I'm adding to what Joni said:

I recently consulted with a client who was getting all new furniture except for her grandmothers hutch similar to this one (below). She was sentimental about it, and I understand that. Here was my advice. If you paint, it will still be your grandmothers with just a little lipstick :) If you re-decorate and do not paint your dated furniture here's the look and feel you will have:

Your friends will walk in and they will say "Oh I love your new sofa, how beautiful, your drapery is so fabulous and I love your coffee table." And then they will look over at your 80's oak dining set or your 70's sideboard and they will not say anything. They will just think, 'Oh they kept that old stuff'. Had you painted it a fun colour though, your friends would be saying, "Wow that looks awesome, you are so creative, isn't that your grandmothers hutch/dining table? I need to find one just like it!".

The DIY bloggers, when they find an old 70's sideboard for $20 at their local Sally Ann. . . do they stick it in their house just like they found it, take a photo and write "Hey everybody, check out this awesome sideboard I just found for $20!"

No.

Why? Because that would not be awesome. What makes it awesome is that they paint it, change the hardware and Voila. . . beauty for the cost of a can of paint.

And just in case you're thinking that the only time you should paint furniture is when it old and dated? Not so, custom, high end, decorated homes (below) also have painted furniture. It's simply ordered that way in the first place. However, if you don't have that luxury, it's easy to create it as I've shown in these images above.

Suzanne Kasler

So what can you paint that you've been holding out on?

Related posts:

An Open Letter to my Lover on Decorating

Kiss your Old Furniture Bye Bye!

Are you Waiting for your Paint Colour to Propose?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my free Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

What do Ruffles and Backsplash Tile have in Common?

2011-08-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

Image via Pinterest

Yesterday when my on-line client Lori from Seattle got on the phone with me for an Exterior and Interior consultation (exterior below) she said, “I might have to change my backsplash because of your video blog this morning.”

Before I show it to you, here’s the exterior, we tweaked the brown to more of a gray brown to tie in even better with the roof. We agreed that it looks better coordinated with the roof instead of going lighter. We then chose 2 colours for her to try to coordinate with the stone that would provide less contrast. The current stucco (as you can see) is too light and chops up the house too much.

First question was about her existing hardwood floor. She’s going to take it through the rest of her house, it’s currently in her family room and kitchen. However, now is the time to take it all out and replace it with the right colour if I thought there was a better one than what she had. I declared it perfect.

Lori has a great eye for design. She wanted some help with the design and finishes for her new master bathroom as well as the colours in her house. She felt they were too dark and wanted a fresher look.

When I saw this photo of her backsplash and granite I thought – beautiful! She found the granite first to coordinate with her fabulous orange range and then installed the backsplash to go with it. She wanted it to look like it was an old stone wall that had been there forever.

The granite and backsplash will continue on this side of the kitchen (the bulkhead is coming out and the stone backsplash will continue all the way around on the walls as well.

Then I saw this close-up (which is exactly what I was talking about in yesterday’s video blog-patterned tile and patterned stone—very hard to coordinate), and Lori said, “It’s done on this side of the kitchen but not on the other side yet, should I change the backsplash to coordinate better?” And this is what I asked her:

1) Did this bother you before my post this morning?

No.

2) How long will you live in this house?

Forever.

3) Does it bother you now?

No.

Then my advice, was to keep it.

It’s kind of like this: Recently my stylist Angie at You Look Fab, posted about how she is ‘over ruffles’. When I read that, I thought about all the clothes with ruffles—that I own, which she selected with me—and I noticed that I wanted to be as hip and current as her in that moment, and I wondered if I should be ‘over ruffles’ as well in my own wardrobe.

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But then I decided, I’m not [over ruffles]. I like them, they suit me and I am not in the fashion business so I would not get tired of them remotely as fast as she would.

Just like the business of colour trends and design. Which I live, breathe, and eat. Every single day.

So then you should not be surprised when I, walking into yet another house with badly coordinated backsplash tile and granite, would scream “Subway tile quick, and DO NOT STRAY from this advice!”

So, my lovelies, there you go. Just in case you thought I was just a one trick pony and couldn’t see past subway tile. . . here is a perfect example of what I just said NOT TO DO, and now I’m saying DO IT.

The lesson here is. . . context is everything. And it works really well if you know the rules first.

Then, you can break them. Just like we did here.

Related posts:

Which Backsplash Tile goes with Granite
The Best Tile Floor for your White Kitchen
A Something’s Gotta Give Kitchen Cabinet Dilemma

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The Best Backsplash Tile for your Kitchen

2011-08-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

Image via Pinterest

This post is strictly for those of you that are still trying to decide on a backsplash for your kitchen. I get so many questions on backsplash tile that I thought I’d cover it in a little more detail below:

Images in video Kitchen #1, Kitchen #2

Read my post on Which Backsplash Tile goes with Granite before you watch the video.

Image via Pinterest

The only time a patterned tile of any kind (above) looks good is with a solid colour countertop. Even then, keep in mind, most patterns are super trendy and will still be the first thing that that dates your kitchen.

Selecting your Kitchen or Bath Backsplash; Accent tile or Not?

5 Questions to Consider when Selecting a New Colour for your Kitchen

Slate or Porcelain Tile in the Bathroom?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter; Become a True Colour Expert

My Nephews are Coming

2011-08-19T16:56:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow night, we are in charge of my 2 & 4 year old nephews while my sister and her husband are at a wedding. This week I picked up an armload of toys to keep the little angels entertained. I was at a clients home a few weeks ago and she had this great antique bucket filled with toys for when her grandchildren come over! I thought it was such a great idea. I do not have a cool vessel for them yet.

Photo by Maria Killam

This one I bought specifically because it went with my decor. I figured if it was hanging around my living room at any point, I would be okay with it. I never thought there would come a day when I would buy a toy to match my living room but there it is. . .

We’ll be taking them to the pool in our complex which is not remotely as beautiful as this, but I can dream of what it will be one day.

They eat berries of any kind. Check.

They like Rice. Check. (Okay our rice is not this creative)

Broccoli. Check.

I know it sounds like we never babysit. We haven’t been. The little one pretty much cries (most of the time) when mom isn’t around so she’s been waiting until he gets a little older.

I’m so excited! And the weather is holding out (which has been rare in these parts this summer).

Hope you have a wonderful summer weekend my lovelies! If anyone has any other ideas on how to keep a 2 and 4 year old happy, please let me know :)

xo Maria

What I’m up to this Long Weekend

Three things you Don’t know about me (But I wish you did)

What I learned about Design while Decorating for my Mother

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Are China Cabinets Dated? Yay or Nay

2011-08-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Image via Pinterest

I recently bought a sideboard for my dining room (I still need to find lamps, etc which is why I haven't posted it yet). I certainly had room for a 'china cabinet' but I didn't buy one because it would have made the space look smaller. Plus what I love about a sideboard is that you can put lamps on top of it with artwork or a mirror above it.

In all the homes I've been in over the years, I notice them less and less. So I'm wondering, are they dated? I don't have a strong opinion (are you shocked?) about them other than to say I think they belong in a big house with large spaces.

Image via Pinterest

I do love the creative use of this one as a linen closet at the top of the landing in this house!

Image via Pinterest

What do you think? Do you have one? What do you keep in yours?

Decorating with Wallpaper; Yay or Nay?

Custom Colour Mixing; Yay or Nay?

Florida Dining Rooms and Chandeliers

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