Before & After Guest Blogger: Maria Killam @ Colour Me Happy

I am so thrilled to be guest blogging on Pure Style Home! Thanks Lauren for the opportunity!



My before’s and after’s are from a project that was featured on the cover of BC Home magazine  last September, my readers haven’t even seen the before’s of this loft so I’m excited to show them here!




My client Karen is a young Corporate Lawyer in downtown Vancouver who wanted her place to reflect her current level of success. I am lucky to have clients that mostly hire me because I have a talent for creating atmosphere  which happens only after the lighting and accessories have been installed. Not every designer has the luxury of finishing each space, I consider myself to be very lucky!




Karen hired me to decorate her empty loft (except for the large TV she had been given) I advised her to get rid of it. The one existing colour that we had to work with was the yellow beige broadloom because it was staying. She was renting the space so painting the white walls was not an option (in the end we created a colour block instead)




This was how it looked when all the soft furnishings had just been installed. Everything here was custom made except the 3 Malm dressers from IKEA that were used for extra storage and for the TV. It was also designed to be the focal point of the room. You can see that I repeated the carpet colour in the top panel of the drapery (and it’s in the polka dot ottomans as well).




Here is the space (photographed by me) the day before the photo shoot with everything in place. The branch was raided from a tree in my neighborhood!





I have learned that photographing interiors is all about the flowers and I went to 6 florists before I found one that had the dark purple leaf that is in the arrangement (above).




And here is the final professionally photographed image! Big difference isn’t it?


Here was her bedroom (before).




Since my client was buying everything else new, she decided (for now) to keep the bedroom furniture. The Lumpy TV had to go once again and she immediately bought the duvet cover from Macy’s when she saw it shopping in Seattle!


After


This bookshelf was at the 3rd level of her 3 level apartment (which ended on a rooftop deck, to see all the images from this project, click here:  http://mariakillam.com/yaletown.htm


BEFORE



AFTER


Thanks Lauren for including me as part of the blogging community that will be appearing here weekly! I am honoured!

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Thank you so much to Maria for showing us how to turn an ordinary rental into a magazine-worthy pad!!   Of course your colors are spot-on as always & I can't get over you finding the purple leaves for the arrangement!!  The whole place feels so young & fresh & light & modern.  Beautiful!!

xoxo,
lauren

ps-  Go here to vote for Eddie Ross's Window in THE BIG WINDOW CHALLENGE!!  (You can vote twice/ day!)

30 comments:

Fargerike Dagny said...

Beautiful! Love the touch with the branch!!

Cottage Dreamers said...

Outstanding! I love the shade of green used on the wall. It seems to bring life into the space and I'm amazed at how the whole place seems so balanced, even with the giant walls.

Acanthus and Acorn said...

Maria, I love this before and after. There is nothing better than seeing a dull,unremarkable space come to life. Especially with your magical touch infusing so much color so tastefully. You absolutely deserved the cover of this publication. You are definately having an influence on me personally...I bought the most beautiful purple tulips yesterday and put them on my post!!! Thanks Lauren for sharing this with all of us:)

Red Door Home said...

I had seen the final room on Maria's blog. The before pictures really show what a wonderful transformation this room went through. I am always in awe of someone who can take a completely blank space and pull it all together, making it look like it developed over time. Well done.

Lovely Little Nest said...

Wow you did a great job! :)

Alaina @ Live Creating Yourself said...

Wow - way to make a huge, open space feel cozy and purposeful! I like how you created the two spaces for living and dining, and I LOVE those two cream chairs in the living room. Isn't it amazing how different a space looks when it's photographed professionally vs personally? Thanks for sharing!

Alaina

Mary said...

I am a huge fan of Maria's blog! It's so fun to see the 'before' pictures of that amazing space!!!

Dane said...

What a fantistic job. You are so right it is not every designer who gets to do the full installation.

It is a luxury for the clients but so worth the commitment. It's the only way to get the magazine look they so want.

Congratulations on the cover of the mag!

Cream981 said...

The space looks great! This is a stupid question, but where do you put the cable box, DVD player, etc. when you put a television on top of a dresser? I have a Malm dresser that I have been thinking about using as a TV console, but couldn't figure out what to do with the other components. If you put them in a drawer, you cannot access them, nor can you control them with a remote control Thanks for your help! Susan

Barbara Matson said...

Love to see a local Vancouver gal featured on your blog!

Kathysue said...

Naria has done an amazing job on her clients loft. One very talented lady, thank you for sharing her talents with us, Kathysue
PS I already voted for Eddie,sooo exciting.

chanteusevca said...

Maria's work is extraordinary. She has a wonderful eye and talent for just the right colors. I love her "fresh take on contemporary" and I want it in my home too!

Pauline Wiles said...

Very lovely room - I'm fascinated that the green color did not actually cover a whole wall, but it certainly made a huge difference in pulling everything together.

Erica @ Decorica said...

The green and purple are so complimentary together. Love the room layout too. Nice work.

Karen said...

Green is my favorite color so I love the green wall and how a touch of green was used in the window treatment.

Cristin // Simplified Bee said...

Loved seeing these before and afters - great even the second time around!!!

xo,
cristin

Tammy@InStitches said...

Maria did a beautiful job on this space. I loved seeing the before pics !

Anonymous said...

What great before & Afters! Thank you so much for your sweet plug! xoxoxox
Eddie + Jaithan

LindsB said...

All that green is so pretty! I love that you went to 6 florists before you got the right arrangement, so great!

Karena said...

That is my favorite of makeovers and interior design by Maria!

"Yeah, that works..!" said...

Before and Afters are always so interesting. I love how warm and cozy the space is yet it is still s spacious and full of light. The branch is a great touch!

Nicole said...

I'm curious about the art work- was any of this pre-owned or was it all purchased after you had selected the furnishings?

Velvet and Linen said...

Maria is one of my favorite bloggers. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she is also so generous about sharing her knowledge with all of us.
She has taught me so much about color.
You only have to look at these gorgeous rooms to see how talented she is.

xo
Brooke

Henri Loves Paris... said...

Hi Maria,
Beautiful work! I love how you completely transformed the space! Great cover photo...:)
I am rediscovering my enthusiasm to update my home in Austin.
Love,
Henri

Maria Killam said...

Thank you for all the lovely comments everyone!! To answer Grace's question, the components did go in the drawer (I can't remember what it's called but any electronics store will sell you what you need in order to operate it with the remote--sorry my mind is blank at the moment)

nelya said...

Beautiful! The flowers really are the icing on the already lovely "cake!"

nelya said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa Marie Head said...

Wow that is amazing. What a diff. paint and accesories can make. Thanks for sharing.

Susan said...

A beautifully executed project. Love the focal wall and that amazing green. Everything is so well thought out. The house is done but no overdone. It's looks perfectly comfortable.
Susan

beachhouse etc. said...

i love the before and after photos...