Do you Dance on New Years Eve?

I woke up feeling a little cranky today and then when I spoke to my mom she said “Don’t worry, there’s a full moon tonight and a blue moon!” Which one of my blogging friends, Bette, talked about here in her lovely blog, Ideezine. Do you ever notice a shift in your mood around the full moon? When it happens to me I always like it better when there’s a reason :)

flickr

If you haven’t seen this baby dancing to Beyonce, you have to see it! So adorable!

I’m actually not dancing tonight – staying home with my sweetie and drinking champagne! My trainer asked me today what my best New Years was and I would have to say it was when my now ex-husband and I spent Christmas week in Aspen with his parents. We arrived Christmas day, walked out into the woods (in the snow) cut down a tree to decorate (for their cabin), went skiing, ate good food and along with the snow it felt very festive indeed!

A toast to you!

What was your favourite New Years Celebration?

Related posts:

Happy New Year (My Decorating Mantra in 2009)

Happiness is. . . Discovery

If you are new to this blog, click here to see the Best of Colour me Happy

Father Time Marches On

As 2009 draws to a close, we turn our attention away to the New Year, as we have many hopes for better times, whether it’s health, happiness, success or whatever our wishes may be.  At each year’s change, we witness the symbolism of this time passing, in that of an elderly man, named, “Father Time”, who passes on the charge of the upcoming year to “Baby New Year”.

While we anticipate new and innovative changes, let us honor the wisdom and knowledge received, in the year we are about to leave.  Just like any new baby, a life yet to be lived can be joyous in the discovery; however, we can also prevent some of life’s bumps and bruises, based on lessons learned from previous experiences.

Thank you, Father Time, for helping us to find our way.

Wishing you much cheer in the New Year, each and every day!  Wanda

3 Things I Learned about Design while Decorating for my Mother

The sofa in my mother’s living room has large, over scale, colourful pansies all over it (eeeek). And guess who helped her pick it out? Me. The only redeeming thing about this whole thing was it happened 10 years ago before my decorating career really got started.

Try to picture this on fabric *sigh* flickr

Before I helped her pick out new furniture (at the time) she had a peach, gray and cream sofa with a peach and teal area rug and peach rag-rolled walls (I faux finished them for her in the 80's). She also had cream tied back sheers with ruffles on them (from the 50's).

flickr

My mom has always loved colour (I’m sure I was highly influenced by her!). My parents live in a little 50's house and the walls in my mother’s kitchen are a pale avocado green, the ceiling is buttery yellow and the cabinets are purple. The pansies on the sofa are primarily green, yellow beige and burgandy, so we chose a burgundy chair and striped drapery fabric (to coordinate with the sofa). We hung them on decorative rods and just did straight panels.

Image source

And another thing--I love and adore my mother and will do anything for her. At the time, we had so much fun picking it all out, she happily went along with my suggestions. Then a few months later she said "I liked my peach walls and my ruffled drapery". I was devastated. Really, I was.

Now my mom is moving and I am helping her decorate her new house (in Victoria), and so far we have painted 2 bedrooms. One in peach and one in lavender and she loves them. The sofa is going downstairs in one of the rooms, I can't remember which one, I hope I never see it again actually.

Image source

Here's what working with my mother as a client taught me:

1) Listen closely to your client's likes and dislikes

Interior by Celerie Kemble

2) No patterns on sofas unless you can change your furniture every 5 years (we got tired of looking at those pansies real fast). Truly, people with a lot of disposable income to spend on decorating their home(s) can afford to be more outrageous with pattern (below).

Interior by Celerie Kemble

3) Decorate with your favourite colours and you'll love them longer. My mom still loves peach, and to update the look, we bought an adorable tufted eggplant chair (along with other accents) to the mix in the bedroom and it looks fabulous!

NOT the actual chair but close to the colour [flickr]

The living room is next and this time mom (she reads my blog :), I'm listening!

Related posts:

The 80/20 rule also Applies to the most Popular paint Colours

Eeeek! It’s Mint Green

Interior Design may look Easy - it’s not!

Blinds On Blinds!

If you don't want curtains in your bedroom why not take inspiration from the idea of using two different types of blinds?

Venetian blinds fitted inside the recess of the window provides the privacy you need without the use of net curtains, whilst a linen blend Roman blind style breaks the starkness, adding a soft and gentle touch which is ideal for bedrooms.

The great advantage of using two types of blinds is the endless possibilities of colour combinations you can use! White Venetian blinds provide you with a crisp clean look, as well as the versatility of being able to control the amount of light entering the room, whilst you can have a fabric blind which matches or coordinates with your bedding sets to bring the room together and provide a sense of balance.

This style of window dressing becoming increasingly popular as it a great money saver! Not only can ready made Roman blinds be bought inexpensively, you can also make your own Roman blinds which opens up a whole world of wonderful fabrics to choose from. Double layering window dressings is also a good way to help reduce heat loss via your windows, especially if you select a medium weight fabric for the Roman blinds.

Image: two ellie blogspot

Maria Killam Colour & Design and Kelly Wearstler

Update on the Homies Awards at Apartment Therapy - thank you so much to all of you that have voted for me, I am honoured!! Click here to vote if anyone else feels so inclined :)

Kelly Wearstler and I now have something in common besides that I love her style! I now have a Facebook Fan Page, click here if you’d like to follow me. When I found Kelly’s fan page today I read that she has a new website, so I found some new images to share with you!

Look at the way this image is styled to the hilt! It’s too over-the-top for my taste but I appreciate a creatively styled room for the camera!

Yellow, orange and pink—all three colours are found in the images above and below, they really bring gray to life in my opinion!

All images from Kelly Wearstler, Inc.

Okay, anyone that wants to play, I have a question: What is the undertone of the area rug compared to the walls? I’m guessing it just shows up this way on camera but it’s a good opportunity for a colour lesson!

**Thanks to everyone who guessed and here's what I see. The area rug has an orange undertone which I technically consider to be the 4th undertone of beige--some might argue with that but when you hold up all 4 paint chips to compare it's in there too. I just don't talk about it because it's rare that someone will paint their entire house in a shade of butterscotch beige (which basically end up on maybe 2 strips in the entire paint deck, one is BM Boardwalk, Roxbury Caramel, Richmond Gold, etc)

Related posts:

What’s an undertone?

What Everyone should Know About Beige

Clean vs. Dirty Colours

Colour me Happy’s top 10 posts

In June I posted my 10 favourite articles from the first 6 months of the year here. Every time I come across one I like I save it in a folder, so here are my 10 favourites from July until now:

1) Cote de Texas -Top Ten Design Elements #2 [Slipcovers]

Joni Webb writes this Blog/Virtual Magazine. Her blog is ranked in the top 5 because her posts are extraordinary and thoroughly researched. In this post, she tells you everything you ever needed to know about slipcovers!

I had to include one more photo as these are tailored slipcovers – amazing!

2. Victoria Lambert (part of the dynamic duo at Design Ties) wrote a fabulous post about black and white interiors! Click here to read.

Tom Atwood

3. Tracy at Comfort & Luxury wrote two tutorials, here and here, on hanging art or collections! The second one she outlines exactly how to hang mis-matched frames!

Since a huge part of my design work includes styling and finishing the spaces I decorate for my clients, I love these types of posts!

4. Lisa at The Lisa Porter Collection wrote a great post called ‘Hospitality’.

Everything you need to know on getting your house and guest rooms ready! Beautiful, just like Lisa and her lovely blog!

5. Lauren at Pure Style Home wrote an amazing post Natural Rugs; Seagrass, Sisal, Jute, Synthetic & Wool Rug: The Low-down that landed in the Washington Post Blog Watch. Lauren is a highly talented designer who’s house appears frequently in her blog because she’s always doing something new and beautiful to it!

6. Things that Inspire, a well-loved and popular blog wrote Trendy Elements that scream 2000’s a fabulous article (that made the Washington Post Blog Watch for the 10th time—I’m quite sure she has the most in the post :).

7. Brooke at Velvet & Linen posted a house that her husband Steve had completed and it had been staged beautifully, a treat to see, click here. We love her blog, it’s like the blogosphere’s version of the Lifestyles of the [blogger/designer] Rich and Famous :)

8. La Dolce Vita wrote Putting it all on The Table. A great post about tablescapes (shhh, don’t tell her I said that, she hates that word :)

I could take this opportunity to plug the one I wrote as well, but I won’t because this is about everyone else.

9. Greet at Belgian Pearls; Belgian Interiors & Restoration Hardware

Belgian inspired interiors are all the rage to replace the brown-on-brown interiors that we have been inundated with for so long and Greet did a wonderful and thorough post on how to create the look yourself!

10. Kristin at Discover: Interior Design posted an interview she did with another blogger favourite Valerie at Visual Vamp on her Design Resolutions for 2010. It’s a perfect article to include in this post because that’s what we’ll be thinking about next and it’s so funny and playful, just like Valerie!

So there you go my lovelies, some fabulous posts to read this holiday week!

*All images from the blog posts I’ve mentioned

Related posts:

10 of my Favourite posts (from Jan – June, 2009)

10 Things Every Blogger Should Know

10 Commandments for a Happy, Chic Home

Great Beginnings

I do love the Christmas holidays and all of the trimmings.  I also love that feeling when all of the “extras” have been put away and I can begin the New Year with a sense of calm because I’m not spending double-time trying to put my hands on things or where I feel as if I’m going to stump my toe on a misplaced object.  During my holiday break, I’m tackling my office, first.  It always seems to be the natural place to start as I work on my year-end paperwork.  (Sigh!)

Start the organization process in one drawer.  One small space can make a huge difference in your feeling of accomplishment!

If you have ongoing projects, a linen board, a magnetic board or a corkboard keeps things in site for inspiration but the desktop clear.  This one is from Pottery Barn.

Sometimes a den needs to go to double-duty as a home office.  A simple base cabinet with added doors provides for both.  (And baskets allow for easy access for carrying items to your desk top.)*

I’ve used this file drawer trick for a client in her “Mom’s” office.  We utilized space, under a window, and between two bookcases.*

Even though I’m an interior designer and my business isn’t focused specifically as an organization firm, I do seem to wear many hats and I can tell when someone’s life is out of balance and when they need to create better spaces and functions, within their homes.  One of the first things I do, before addressing any area with an interior design application, is to take an “inventory” of the space and find out why it’s not meeting the client’s needs.  Space planning is part of the organization process, as well as making cohesive design decisions.  Aside from “making a home pretty”, I need to lessen the potential for chaos and clutter to allow for a healthy lifestyle.

During the month of January, I’ll share some ideas for achieving this goal, if' it’s on your New Year’s checklist.  If you could use some “design and organization coaching” to get you heading in the right direction, I would be happy to schedule a consultation visit.  After all, don’t you deserve a great beginning?

New Year’s Cheers to You! ~ Wanda

*These photos were the courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.

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The Best of Colour me Happy

Here are the top 10 most read posts since I started writing this blog in November 2009. The first one I wrote within two weeks and has remained the #1 most popular post on my blog.

1. White Kitchen Cabinets

This post has also turned into a Dear-Abby-which-white-should-MY-Cabinets-be? Because I’ll answer this question if it’s not too complicated and doesn’t require much time. If you need to show photos or give a lot of detail for the context of your question, I would still recommend at least a one hour on-line consultation to get it right. Click here to email me for rates.

2. The Best Trim Colours—NOT Cloud White

I met a designer shortly after writing this post who said “I was so mad when I read your article because I had just finished painting my townhouse Cloud White from top to bottom”. So let me say it again, I am not saying Cloud White is a bad colour, it simply should never be used as a go-to colour because there is no such thing as any colour that works in every situation.

3. What Everyone should Know about Beige

What does a pink and yellow tulip have to do with beige? Read on to find out. You might see something new about beige that you have never seen before.

4. 5 Questions to consider when selecting a new Colour for your Kitchen.

This post got into the Washington Post Blog Watch because it’s a great tutorial on how to pick a colour for your kitchen.

5. Insider Secrets to Testing and Selecting Paint Colours

This post gives an eye-opening look at the process that an expert walks-through when picking colours for your home.

6. A Light Colour will Never Come to Life in a Dark Room

Do you still think that you need a light colour in a dark room? Read this post before you decide.

7. The Right way to Create Flow using Colour

This is a huge dilemma for many a home-owner, and it’s the biggest reason why a colourist is hired in the first place!

Interior by Maria Killam Colour & Design

If your house is already painted, click here to find out if you have created a palette that flows!

8. What Everyone Should know about Gray

Okay, now that you know which undertones are in Beige, read on to see which ones you’ll find in shades of gray!

9. How to Create a Tablescape

This post also got into the Washington Post Blog Watch as it includes some great stylist tips on decorating coffee tables and dressers!

Tablescape by Maria Killam Colour & Design

10. 5 Steps to a Kitchen you will Love

This post examines the dilemma of choosing between painted cabinets or stained. (I actually think it’s better than ‘White Kitchen Cabinets’ but it barely made the top 10!).

And here are some posts that are simply my favourites:

Danger Zone: The first 24 Hours after you Take Possession of your New Home

When you first walk into your empty house [unless it’s brand new] this is what you see:

1) It’s dated.

2) None of it is or would have been your choice in the first place.

3) The colours are [generally] so bad it’s hard to see past them to how great it would look if just the right colours were on the wall. [click on the above link to read the article].

Warning: You are the Colours in your Home

Happiness is. . . Being Uncomfortable [When you pick the wrong colour].

And one of the most important posts that Everyone decorating or renovating should read:

Hiring a Designer; Luxury or Necessity

When my installer handed me his invoice of $210.00 for an installation that lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours, I got to thinking; why is it that a home-owner seems to have no real issues with paying for labour? The painter, plumber, electrician, tile layer, carpenter, and so on. But hiring the DESIGNER or COLOUR CONSULTANT-even if it’s just for a 2 hour consultation-to pull it all together, to make it all beautiful and fabulous, seems to fall into the category of LUXURY? [click on the headline to read the rest].

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person consultations.

*Image sources for photos are found in each listed post.

Related posts:

10 Ways to Save money Now by Creating a Focal Point

10 Things I learned (so far) from my Designer; by a Happy Client

Does your Home have Colour Flow? Take the Toss Cushion test

Atmosphere; The one Thing you Cannot Buy

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

Please Tell Me You Aren't Out Shopping Today!

Anyone get a crap gift? If so, I want to hear about it...

The worst Christmas gift I ever received was when I was in the fourth grade. That summer I met some cousins for the first time and for Christmas they sent me a.....wait for it...wait for it....basket full of acne medicine. [I should probably point out the fact that I had horrible acne and was incredibly insecure about it.] Yeah, nothing like making a kid cry on Christmas day.

If you got screwed on gifts and want to buy something you really want (ahh, that's the Christmas spirit!) then check out my online store, Objects. I have added many new products and reduced the price of others so check it out here !

Merry Christmas and Peace On Earth

I hope your stockings were filled with love and may the merriment of the season continue for you, not only today, but for many more to come! 

I’ll be back at my “workshop” in the New Year.  Until then . . .

Christmas Cheers to You!  Wanda

Happy Christmas Everyone!

I hope you have a great day in your own chosen way, receive and give presents to friends and family, along with sitting round the table to tuck into your Christmas diner!

You've probably spent ages making sure your home is neat and tidy, especially if you have guests staying with you during the festive season, as well as decorating your home with your own individual design flair and colour combinations!

If you are spending Christmas at someone's else's home you will no doubt inadvertently look at their décor, colour scheme and interior design style – it's an 'inbred' thing which try as you might you can't shake off!

Obviously its wise not to pass judgement, however, making kind comments and remarks about someone's new curtains and blinds may be just the sort of thing they would like to hear, taking notice of someone else's efforts is a great way to build relationships as well as being a great talking point if you can't bear to sit and watch another repeat on the television!

Other people's interior designs can be very inspirational, rather like reading interior design blogs or thumbing through design magazines!

Image: Surroundings

Have a Colourful, Happy Holiday

I received this beautiful e-card from one of my clients this week so I had to share it with you!

Thank you so much for reading my blog, for your comments and emails that keep me going! This blog has become such a huge part of my expression in the world that I can’t imagine my life without it!

xoxo

Maria

Related posts:

Why are Red & Green the Colours of Christmas?

Your Christmas Tree is You (maybe)

Garden Fresh Holiday Decorating