Paint Colour Spotlight: Brown
Last up in my colour spotlight is one of my new favourites: brown.
Is brown a colour? Technically yes (it’s dark shade of orange), and after a decade of grays and cool tones, brown is officially trending (hooray!). I consider lighter browns like taupes and beiges to fall more into the neutral category, but medium and darker tones browns are a bit more of a colour commitment and will be what I’m talking about here.
Paint Colour Spotlight: Green
If you’re a lover of neutrals and nervous about incorporating colour into your space, I recommend starting with green. Considered “nature’s neutral” it’s a great way to incorporate colour in a way that doesn’t feel too over-the-top, especially when you stick with soft and muted shades of green.
Paint Colour Spotlight: Blue
Today’s colour spotlight is a perennial favourite: blue! This classic hue is probably the colour we feel most comfortable with in our homes. It can be bold or subtle, light or dark, but regardless, this is a colour that feels timeless and approachable.
Paint Colour Spotlight: Red
Red (and burgundy in particular) keeps popping up in recent trend predictions and for good reason. We’re moving away from the white walls and cool neutrals that dominated interiors over the past decade towards warm, rich and earthy tones… and nothing beats a deep red for creating a cozy vibe.
Paint Colour Spotlight: Yellow
Yellow is a well-loved paint colour for the optimistic and cheerful vibe it brings to a space, but it’s also one of the trickiest colours to choose. Why? Because all colours look twice as bright and twice as light once they’re up on your walls. So a yellow that looks perfect on a two-inch paint chip, can end up looking blindingly obnoxious once it’s up on your walls.
Paint Colour Spotlight: Pink
It’s the time of year that after the holiday decor gets packed away, many of us look around our spaces and feel the need for a little refresh. To kick off 2024, this month I’ll be sharing some colourful home inspiration and rounding up all my favourite paint colours, hue by hue.
The first post in my colour spotlight series is pink! This hue can be a hard sell for many, but hear me out…
Design Idea: Painting your Trim to Match your Walls
If you’re looking for an affordable way to update your home this fall, here’s an idea to try: paint out your trim to match your wall colour. Sometimes called “colour-drenching”, the look creates the illusion of more space as it allows your eye to move seamlessly around a room.
Eight Ideas for Decorating Around Your Television
How to decorate around a TV- a fine balance between not wanting your television to be the star of the room but also being able to watch it when you want to- is one of the most common decorating challenges. It’s also a tough one to solve because multiple members of the family are often highly invested in this decision: I find it can be one of the few things that a spouse will put their foot down over. And while a TV doesn’t always look pretty (but not necessarily… I’ll get to that in a minute), the reality is that televisions are an essential part of how we live and use our spaces.
Pretty Pegboard Storage Ideas That Will Make Staying Organized (and Tidying Up) a Breeze
Like a true organization and design nerd, I get very excited about highly functional storage solutions that look great and also save space. Pegboard storage is a clever way to store items while also making it easy to see what you have and where things go.
Hiring it Out: Tips For Working With an Interior Designer
The process of hiring an interior designer or decorator can seem a bit mystifying and out of reach for many (What do they actually do? Don’t I need to be rich to hire one? Will they force their style on me?). The reality is that hiring a designer can actually save you money by helping you make smarter design decisions and create a space that is more functional for the people living in it.
Where to Shop for Antiques in the Guelph, Cambridge, & Kitchener-Waterloo Region
In the third post of my series on vintage and antique items for your home, I’m sharing a few of my favourite local shopping spots. This isn’t an exhaustive list of antique stores in the area, but will hopefully give you some ideas of a few new places to explore for treasures for your home. If you don’t live locally (or just prefer to shop from home!) stay tuned for a future post on my top spots to source antique items online. But on to the recommendations!
For the Love of Old Things: Why you Should Decorate your Home with Antique and Vintage Items
A key part of my historic-modern aesthetic is (not surprisingly) the use of vintage and antique furniture and accessories. These items add character, patina, and a beautifully-authentic element to a room that is so much harder to pull off when the entire space is furnished with brand-new, off-the-shelf items. Decorating with antiques and vintage items is not only a great way to create a layered and unique home, but there are lots of other advantages too.
The Vintage Home Decor Items you Should Shop For at the Thrift Store
The key to having a beautifully styled home is all about the mix: a mix of shapes (angular and curved), a mix of values (light and dark), a mix of textures (smooth and rough), and especially a mix of old and new.
Without vintage or antique items, your home can end up looking a little sterile and like you just dropped a chunk of change in the home decor section of Target (no judgment, I’ve been there!). Adding in just a few vintage items will give you that collected vibe that makes your space feel meaningful and that it has a story to tell.
How to Choose the Right Paint Finish (aka Sheen Level) for Your Home
After much deliberation you finally get your paint colours chosen. You head to the paint store, excited to finally start your project. You wait your turn at the order counter, confidently name your colours…. then you get asked about the sheen for your paint and your mind goes blank.
In this post I’ll share the ins and out of choosing a paint finish or sheen, so that you can feel confident about your choices before heading to the paint store.
Five Things NOT to do When Picking Paint Colours for Your Home
A big part of my work as a designer is helping people pick paint colours for their homes. And I love talking about colour! But regardless of whether someone is looking for the perfect calm white or a bright and punchy hue, I end up repeating a few pieces of advice every time. Here are five things to remember when picking your next paint colour.
Interior Design Trends and Predictions For 2023
Happy New Year! It's that time of year where we step back and take a longer view of where we’ve come from and where we’re going. And since I love design, why not talk for a minute about interior design trends and predictions for 2023.
The Secret to Mixing Patterns Like a Pro
How to mix patterns is a common question I get asked at design consultations. With the rise of new-traditional and grand-millennial styles (a trend I am absolutely here for, by the way) we’re seeing more maximalist interiors with loads of patterns and textiles that make a space feel cozy and lived in. But I get it- it’s tricky to get that effortless-but-coordinated, but not-too-matchy-look that we see in design magazines.
My Five Favourite White Paint Colours (and How to Pull Them Off)
Ah- the quest for the perfect white. Ushered in with the modern farmhouse trend, the search for the perfect white is not as easy as it seems. One reason whites are so tricky is because of their differing undertones- hold a white paint swatch up to a white piece of paper and you’ll notice some look more blue, green, grey, pink or yellow.