Behind the Blog: Colour Me Happy

I am so excited to introduce my guest on Behind the Blog today. Reading a post from Colour Me Happy is one of the higlights of my day. Maria Killam is the author of this beautiful blog that is more than just a design perspective. It is a place where I find inspiration, education, a mentor and a motivator. There is passion behind every stroke of the keyboard, and every post is thoughtfully composed. So without further ado, here is Maria Killam.
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What lead you to pursue a career in design?
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After 10 years of decorating for my family and friends I decided it was time to start my own business!
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Any early experiences in design that stand out?
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When I was 16 I bought taupe wallpaper with white flowers on it for one wall in my bedroom. I painted the rest of the walls white to match the flower. After it was done I realized I should have painted the background colour (taupe) as it would have flowed a lot better with the rest of the room. It's noticing the details that makes me such a good teacher now (I hope).
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What excites you most about design today?
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That people are starting to embrace colour and experiment with it more. Years ago, it was just one accent wall, now it's colour everywhere. I love that!
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What inspired you to create Colour me Happy?
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I had been reading blogs for about 6 months when I listed to an on-line talk announcing that 'everyone should have a blog' so suddenly one weekend I started writing. The name came to me immediately, (inspired by Julia Roberts) read it Here; and I barely slept that weekend as I wrote 8 posts! One of them, The Best Trim Colours--NOT Cloud White is still one of my top 5 most read posts.
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Seriously, can you pick a favorite colour?
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Because they are like my children so how can you pick one? It's hard but yellow, orange and green are up there as favourites for me!
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What is the best part of your day?
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Definitely the morning or when I present my design plans to a client and they get excited about what I've shown them! That gives me a happy buzz that lasts the rest of the day!!
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How do you define your personal style?
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Fresh, contemporary, comfortable and colourful!
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What item in your closet can you not live without?
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In the summer a white t-shirt, in the winter; turtlenecks, I have one in every colour. I don't like to be cold and I have a low tolerance for being uncomfortable

What is your favorite room in your home and why?
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My living room. Just walking into it makes me happy, I have a beautiful view of the mountains, city and the ocean, huge picture windows and a great ottoman to put my feet up!
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Who are your style/design icons?
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Eileen Kathryn Boyd, David Jiminez, and Kelly Wearstler.

Your 3 most memorable posts of recent & why?
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How to create a Tablescape. It took me 7 hours on a Sunday to write, so I was thrilled when it made the Washington Post Blog watch the following week!

I was also very excited to be in the Post for the 5th time with this post; 4 Things you need to know; Before Shopping for Wallpaper.

"Signature Look or your Clients Look; Which one works the best?" This one I was really excited about because I have just distinguished for me what my 'look' is and I was thrilled to share it with my readers!

Are there any exciting projects you are working on right now, that you can mention?

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Yes, I have a few! Stay tuned to my blog and look for my posts about them!
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Lastly, what brings you true happiness?
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That every day I get to do what I love is a huge source of happiness for me and of course being with my family and friends!

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Thanks for the opportunity to get to know you a little better Maria

Vitania