The Best of Colour me Happy 2010

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It's almost New Years and I'm off tonight to celebrate. Dinner with friends downtown and a night at the brand new Fairmont Pacific Rim with the love of my life. So here's the round-up for this years posts that got the most comments, tweets and links in case you missed one:

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10 Tips that will Take your Home Design Blog to the Next Level

For anyone that already has a design blog or is considering starting one don't miss this article.  Some of them are (tiny) pet peeves which I cleverly turned into tips.  Hey sometimes you need to know what doesn't work in order to determine what does, right?

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An Open Letter to my Lover on Decorating

This tongue-in-cheek post about men and their love of wood struck a cord. Ladies, I don't think the battle is over yet but your husband might get a chuckle out of this one :)

My Take on Negative Comments

My posts on blogging are always popular and this one was no exception. If you waffle on how to handle negative comments, here's two opinions (mine and Adam Baker's).

Which Colour Sofa should you Buy?

This post gets a lot of hits through google searches because it is a very important question. And a sofa highly dictates the look and feel of your living or family room. So if you still don't have a new sofa because you are not sure which colour you should buy? Read this one. Since we are taking about sofa's here's my take on when leather is appropriate.

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Is Quartz sexier than Granite?

Everyone loves to weigh in with their opinion and this post was no exception.  Was it the headline that made this one so popular?  Only you know for sure.

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Design Lessons from Elizabeth Stevenson

My dear friend Liz died a little over a year ago and I miss her so much. She was a wonderful designer, mentor, friend, mother and wife. She lived life full out and this post outlines the best lessons I learned from her. Read on, if you are a designer, it's a good one.

Photo by Maria Killam

Inspiration and my Tiffany Blue Office

I always get lots of lovely comments when I post my own projects. This office was inspired by The Devil Wears Prada and I think we were all in love with the Colour of 2010 which was Turquoise.

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Negotiating Lessons from Mad Men

This post is not just for designers.  It's for anyone in the service business who needs to be reminded (again) not to work for free. Boundaries--we all need them--and it's hard when our clients become our friends too! My clients are the best!

Happy New Year everyone!  

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

Related posts:

Do you Dance on New Years Eve?

My Decorating Mantra for 2009

Colour me Happy's Top 10 Posts

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

Get The Look: A Bold, Graphic Bathroom

In this post I'm going to share more interior design ideas for creating a stunning bathroom which is more suited to modern and contemporary styled homes.

Contemporary and elegant, the graphic bathroom is high shine - so sleek and smooth! This would be so much better if you have the advantage of a large bathroom, where you can squeeze in a Chesterfield style sofa in white leather (it is good to dream!) and to have enough space that your bath isn't squeezed into a corner or even against a wall.

The bathroom suite is really seductive with its matching pieces of black toilet and sink, a white bath and all three with gloss finish. Lines are clean and modern, only subtle curves are seen in the bathroom suite and your statement sofa or armchair if you had to downsize!

Polished white tiles on the floor and a focal wall with either black polished tiles or metallic wallpaper. Finishing touches include a contemporary light source where abstracts come into play and a large mirror on your focal wall.
As with the previous post try and use full length ready made curtains if you can; alternatively opt for high shine aluminium or white Venetian blinds to enable lots of natural light flood into the room.

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Mistakes I’ve learned from in 2010

Recently I was interviewed by a local reader who was thinking about opening her own design firm and she asked me a really good question.  ‘What is the scariest part of your job?’  My response was “In the beginning, everything you do (if you haven’t worked in a design firm to get your experience) you are doing for the first time. So you lose sleep worrying about every single furniture and drapery installation.”
 

Image via Cote de Texas

Specifying colour was equally as scary for me in the beginning.  Until you see a lot of colour and start to become more confident that your advice is right, it is very stressful. As most of you know, I now offer a workshop in Atlanta and Vancouver for those who would like to learn everything that took me 10 years to learn (through a pile of mistakes). Colour confidence comes from understanding undertones and learning to See Colour like a Pro!

Managing Client Expectations is also a huge part of our job as designers. Every job is different so it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the business. Most of your advice is based on experience and training but most importantly, your own design aesthetic. This post outlined what I learned about silk drapery this year.

Image from Cote de Texas

My next lesson was about Exterior Colour.  I had helped a client choose colours on-line and then neglected to explain how to test the colours accurately (especially on her house because it was already a dark, muddy colour) resulting in a very unhappy client and prompted this article I wrote on: How to test Exterior Colour – 3 Steps to get it Right.

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In July I painted my living room just before my sunflower yellow sofa arrived, it was all waaaaay tooooo yellow! Read the full story here.

Photo by Maria Killam

In September, one of my projects was published in BC Home magazine (below), See that green chair in the foreground of this photo? Well I had originally specified two chairs to be positioned in front of the coffee table/ottoman right across from the sofa.

Interior Design by Maria Killam

Both of the chairs were delayed and so the sofas were installed first. When the chairs arrived one week later, my client called me and said, “Maria, when I walk into the house, now I see the back of the chairs instead of the coffee table, I don’t want to look at the back of the chairs.”  And she was absolutely right. When you walk through the front door in between the dining room and the library (below). . .

Interior Design by Maria Killam

The first thing you see is the living room (below) with the view of the golf course including the coffee table which then becomes the focal point of the space (not the fireplace, not shown, on the left). Having both the chairs directly in front of the coffee table also impeded the flow in terms of walking from the hallway from the office and powder room and into the kitchen. Luckily the office right next door was large and we were able to use the second chair in that room which worked out perfectly. Whew. But as you know, it doesn’t always work out that way.  I could, at this very moment, have a moss green chair sitting somewhere in my house :)

Interior Design by Maria Killam

With specifying colour for walls (very different from fabric and other surfaces), most of the time I look like a True Expert and sometimes I don’t. Lighting still trumps the best predictions in the world and can suddenly change that fabulous colour I specified into something that makes you want to cry.   It’s why I’m in this business, it’s never the same and endlessly fascinates me.

And I don’t lose sleep over it anymore.

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.


Related posts:

5 Ways to know if you should Quit your Day Job to become a Designer
The first Mistake a New Colour Consultant will make Every Time
Should you Pay for a Room to be Re-painted if You chose the Colour?
10 Ways to Save money now by Creating a Focal Point
Effect of Natural Light Exposures on Colour

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

Interior Predictions For 2011: The Year of “Loving The Home You’re In”™

I’m declaring 2011 to be the year of “Loving The Home You’re In”™!

(Wouldn’t it be fun to send out these announcements without having to load up the moving truck?  Who says your new home has to be somewhere else?)

What exactly does this mean?  As consumers have watched home values change, many have decided to stay in their current homes and are opting for improving their spaces, not with the anticipation of resale, but with the idea they can create a more positive, personal living environment.  Living better means optimizing space through function, optimizing emotional experiences, and planning for all of the occupants’ life stages.

So many ideas and so much time!  After all, it’s a New Year of postings!

I’m dedicating my January posts to help you consider creating a new home, in a new year, as you deserve a well-designed life! 

Thanks for joining me.  We’ll take 2011 one step at a time! 

Wishing you the best of the New Year! ~ Wanda

How to get Published in 2011, 5 Rules to Follow

 Interiors by Kelly Wearstler

Ever wondered what the definition of News is?  Years ago I read a book called Feeding the Media Beast written by Mark Mathis where I learned what it was. And this morning I opened the latest Veranda magazine for January/February and one of the first stories in the ‘New & Noteworthy’ section was that Kelly Wearstler had re-done a Viceroy hotel and the headline was ‘Shocking Neutrals at the Viceroy Hotel’.

Okay Neutrals?  News?  Since When?

‘. . . without a lipstick-pink or lizard-green anything in sight. . .’ said Veranda. In other words, neutrals are not new. But when Kelly Wearstler--who is otherwise famously known for dramatic colour--does them, it’s new.

Have you figured out what the definition is yet? In a single word?  NEW. “There is nothing that newsworthy’ says Mathis, ‘about a headline called ‘Dog Bites Man’, such incidents are all too common.  But how about this one (true story) ‘Woman, 73, bites pit bull’s neck to snatch own Scottie from jaws’.” It’s why news in general is so sensational.  If it wasn’t structured that way, we wouldn’t be interested. It’s also why blog headlines are so important, as I’ve mentioned in this post.

It’s the same for shelter magazines.  Ever noticed how rare it is to see ‘matched furniture sets’ in ‘high end’ designer magazines?  A matching set of bedroom furniture? Three coffee tables in the living room that match? Matching dining room furniture? Because you don’t need a designer to help you run out and and buy a ‘matching’ set of furniture.  You can do that on your own. So here is Rule #1:

Create a space that looks ‘collected’ and then that becomes ‘News’ for a magazine.  That’s when they might deign to take a look at your photos.

The second Rule about getting published (not like I’m some big expert, my work has been in BC Home here and here—not National yet :) is:

It’s who you Know.

At High Point in October, I attended a luncheon (on how to get published) which included an editor from Veranda Magazine who confirmed this. It’s why we see the same designers over and over in these magazines, because they are in the inner circle already. And obviously they continue to deliver in terms of creating beautiful, show-worthy interiors.

So that takes us to Rule #3,

Your interiors must be NEWSWORTHY. Which includes new colour combinations, a creative do-it-yourself project, a creative mix of high and low and above all collected looking. Then you can go about getting yourself KNOWN.

And the most obvious (but not to everyone) Rule #4;

They MUST be Professionally Photographed & Styled. Here’s a post that outlines the difference.

Interior Design by Kelly Wearstler

I still cringe when I think about the first set of photos I ever sent to a magazine to be considered. Not taken by a professional photographer and not even remotely styled. Oh well, live and learn.

Rule #5. A Fabulous Client is also a must-have.  A space that is not ‘finished’ is obviously pretty hard to photograph. Recently, I showed you a living room that I decorated for a client  (who was on a budget); however if she had not sprung for custom toss cushions, I would not have photographed the space because it was that finishing touch that turned the room from ho-hum to Hollywood glam.

Will you get published in 2011? 

If you would like to have a Collected Interior to fill you with happiness when you walk in the door, contact me for on-line or in-person decorating and colour.


Related posts:

10 Things Every Blogger should Know
Styling for Photo Shoots
4 Interior Design Blogs I Wish you would Write
Do you Follow the 10 Year Rule? (or How to have a Timeless Interior)

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

Christmas Countdown – Day 25

I’ve loved having you here!  Merry Christmas!

Thank you for spending your special holiday time with me.  2010 is quickly coming to a close and I’m looking forward to a New Year of fresh ideas and fresh starts!  It was a pleasure to share my Christmas Countdown gift with you, in between my design work, holiday preparation, and all of life’s moments.  I hope you were able to take-a-way a tidbit or two, for making it the best season ever!

It’s safe to throw on the Yule Log as Santa has made his visit down the chimney.  Cozy up to the fire with your favorite chair.  You deserve a rest and to bask in the glow of the holiday spirit.

Sending all of my best wishes to you and all of yours!

I’ll see you in the New Year!  Together, we’ll create a well-designed life! ~ Wanda

Wishing you a Colourful, Happy Holiday

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

Finnish Santa on Christmas Eve

I hope your holiday is filled with love and joy.  Thank you so much for reading my blog, for your comments, your support and encouragement all year long. This blog is inspiring for me to write because of you!

Happy Holidays (Hyvää Joulua) my lovelies!

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

Related posts:

Christmas Tour of My House

Your Christmas Tree is You (maybe)

White: Messages and Meanings

Why are Red and Green the Colours of Christmas?

10 Commandments for a Happy, Chic Home

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

Create A Wind-down Zone!

Sometimes the whole festive season hustle and bustle can leave you exhausted and yet with a house full of relatives finding some 'me' time can be very difficult! If you only have one bathroom - let's be honest many homes do – you can't lock yourself away and soak in the bath as someone will want the loo! So you need to find another place to gather your thoughts and take time-out. There is an easy solution...creating your own little wind-down zone. It doesn't have to be anything lavish or encroach on much space, just a little ingenuity or your part!

In a larger living space have the area around it as an inviting reading nook or a retreat for a spot of 'winding-down'. It is an exclusive place with its solo chair – you don't have to share your favourite cushions and throws, but can still tease and excite guests with your acute style! Make it worthwhile by choosing luxury silk covered cushions in jewel tones, an end table with stylish table lamp for atmospheric lighting and an easy-to-reach shelf with your favourite reading material – choose a book that was a present or a recipe book and no one can accuse you of being selfish!

Image: Decorology

Christmas Countdown – Day 24

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night!"

May all of your designing dreams come true! ~ Wanda

Christmas Countdown – Day 23

“Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus”

- Francis Pharcellus Church -

We all could use a jolly elf in our lives! ~ Wanda

The Gift of a Trained Eye this Christmas

Yesterday I arrived at a consultation. I had been referred by the project manager of a renovation company who would be starting this one right after Christmas (he reads my blog). This company is very organized. They don’t begin construction until their client has signed off on all the finishes. This had been completed one week ago and to my knowledge everything had been ordered. They do it this way so there is no delays waiting for product once construction begins.

Image via Southern Living

So I’m looking at the yellow/gold granite for the kitchen and the backsplash tile that has been chosen which is pinky beige. The laundry room arborite countertop in a brushed charcoal that has no relationship to the travertine tile floor and my heart started racing. But I had a decision to make.  Do I pretend that all is well and risk upsetting the person who referred me in the first place (thank you very much by the way)? Or do I explain to the client what I’m seeing so that she gets a kitchen she loves?  Well you know the answer to that.

Image via Things that Inspire

When I pointed out the pinky beige in the kitchen backsplash, she saw it right away (most people can see it when I show them) and told me that the day this expensive backsplash was chosen with the designer she felt sick to her stomach because she could see that something was wrong but she couldn’t identify exactly what it was.

And she was grateful.

Image via Southern Living

I don’t have photos (of this consult) to show you because it is not my purpose on this blog to make any designer look bad.  I am on your side, I want you to look good. And I’m also not trying to say that EVERY designer can’t see colour accurately. This is just about getting it right, designers have a huge responsibility. So, if you would like to have even more mastery and confidence in seeing colour accurately, give yourself the gift of a trained eye this Christmas and register to attend my True Colour Expert Workshop in Atlanta February 3 – 5, 2011 (which is almost full) or Vancouver, February 17-19, 2011.  The early bird discount ends on Christmas Eve for Atlanta so you have two more days to take advantage of a more attractive rate. Email me at info@mariakillam.com to register.

Also, the winner of my Kodak Photo Book Giveaway from earlier this week is Margo who posted the 22nd comment! Margo, please email me with your info and I’ll see that you get the prize!  Congrats!

Christmas is almost here!  Eeeeeeek! Are you ready?

If you would like to develop more confidence in specifying colour accurately, contact me :)


Related posts:

How I became a True Expert
5 Steps to a Kitchen you will Love
Which Backsplash Tile goes with Granite?
What Everyone should know About Beige
What Everyone should know About Gray

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

Christmas Countdown – Day 22

Gifts From The Heart

“It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.” ~ Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

As the days grow closer to Christmas, there’s no doubt some of you may be out seeking last minute gifts at the malls or opting for next day shipping from online sites.  It’s so natural to want to show loved ones and friends how much they mean to you – especially at this time of the year!

In our family, a few years ago, we decided to opt out of some of the major gift buying and chose to look at making donations to charities, which seem to have an even greater need during the holiday season.  Everyone has one or more causes, which speak to their hearts, because of a close friend or  loved one’s personal experience. 

 

If it’s more of your custom to share a wrapped present with others, there are many ways to shop online, or in local shops, where they offer to send a portion of your purchases to your favorite charity.  In many cases, most of the proceeds will go directly to the organization.  (If you have concerns about making sure your money is wisely used, you can check it out on CharityNavigator.org.)

Here are some fun finds for folks on your list:

Cute little push-pins, from the American Heart Association.  Folks often forget stroke is a cardiovascular disease.  My family has a history so I’m more than interested in research and prevention!

 

Great habits can still include great food!  A heart healthy cookbook shows your loved ones you care!

Giving someone a “step up” into a new home means the world!  This folding step stool from Habitat for Humanity is under $20 and tucks out of the way.  For a shorty like me, it’s a must have!

 

A colorful set of flour sack towels are less than $10 and all proceeds benefit the American Diabetes Association.

In our area, The Union County Christmas Bureau acts as a clearing house to assist families in need, during the holiday season.  They rely on donations of goods, money, and volunteer time to help distribute a Merry Christmas to over 2,000 applicants.  There is nothing like the face of a child when they receive an unexpected present!  That is the real gift of Christmas.

 

From my heart to yours – Merry Christmas! - Wanda