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Pat McWill
Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
An ex-pat interior designer's ideas on her new home and design in general.
Interests: interior design, color, pattern,
Recent Activity
A Room with a View?
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My powder room, like many, has no window but I was able to create a room with a view using photographs. First of all, the nine black frames with white mattes create an overall illusion of a window they way they are hung symmetrically. Secondly, I went with a theme... Continue reading
Posted Nov 4, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Visit to the Dentist
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It sounded like a math word problem from grade school- "If Mark has a blue chair in the examining room and Laura has a maroon chair in a cleaning cubby but Cathy doesn't like red what color do we paint the walls to please everyone?" One of my most enjoyable... Continue reading
Posted Oct 26, 2010 at A Designer's View
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One Floor, Many Wall Colors
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This is an entrance hall to a dentist office that I designed in Vermont. The flooring had been chosen and I felt that I could definitely work with it. This "faux stone" vinyl goes well with multiple wall colors that I chose to keep the space warm and interesting. The... Continue reading
Posted Oct 26, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Am I Goldilocks?
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Ever since my college Decorative Arts class I've had a "thing" for chairs. Not really the comfort aspect Goldilocks was looking for but their sculptural beauty! I took loads of picture in Paris and Versailles of chairs that were not available to sit on. At Napolean's apartments in the Louvre...... Continue reading
Posted Oct 18, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Hang it up!
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I have been doing a lot of picture hanging since I've moved into our new home. I always gather up my required tools (in no particular order) - level, stud finder, pencil, measuring tape, hammer, picture hangers, and my new "Hang and Level Tool". I use a variety of methods... Continue reading
Posted Oct 11, 2010 at A Designer's View
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An Interesting Arrangement
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I had a lovely client named Audrey who called me to give her already beautiful home a "finished look". I went to investigate and found that she only needed some help styling what she already had and advice on some additional items. After a few visits, Audrey was very happy... Continue reading
Posted Oct 4, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Not your Grandma's Wallpaper
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I worked for 5 years at a decorating store where I grew to love well designed wallcovering. I decided in my next house I would include some, especially in the powder room. Typically, this room only houses a toilet and a sink but besides that, there is not a lot... Continue reading
Posted Sep 30, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Crossing over to the Dark Side
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I have often decorated our homes' walls with saturated brights or soft pastels, so it should have come as no surprise that my husband's one request regarding our new home was darker colors. I believe I met the challenge by bringing in darker, richer finishes to our home office. Here... Continue reading
Posted Sep 23, 2010 at A Designer's View
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The Touch Up - as elusive as Bigfoot
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Touching up paint is a very tricky and often disappointing project. After our movers had left our new home, my husband found paint in the basement which was used for the walls by the previous owners. One would think that using this paint for scapes and dirt marks would work... Continue reading
Posted Sep 22, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Crowd Favorite
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When I was working at Lebanon Paint & Decorating, customers would come in looking for help in choosing a great color to go on their walls. Sometimes they had no idea what they wanted but would mention they wanted it to appeal to home buyers for resale. There was one... Continue reading
Posted Sep 21, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Niches, Nooks and Books, oh my!
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I love a good nook. No, not the new electronic readers, but a wall niche. There is something about these concave architectural features that demand special treatment. I cannot resist, so I address them accordingly. Note the very plain wall niche to the right of the dining table. And now...... Continue reading
Posted Sep 20, 2010 at A Designer's View
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I love the drama that the strong contrast of black and white creates in the powder room. This is definitely a fantastic use of paint. I am curious about how the video was achieved on the ceiling...
Toggle Commented Sep 19, 2010 on Anastasia Faiella: Visions of Patterns With Paint at Living In Color
1 reply
A Really Big Show
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Today I went to the Calgary Home & Interior Design Show at Stampede Park. There were some memorable displays of room vinettes set up - The design trend overall seemed to be very modern and clean lined with bold colors. This was visually effective for the show but I do... Continue reading
Posted Sep 18, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Re- Dressed to Impress
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What do you do when you move your furnishings into a new house that has a whole new style? Well, I try to strike a balance between reusing and refreshing. In the case of the kitchen stools, I knew that I would be reusing them in the same space (a... Continue reading
Posted Sep 16, 2010 at A Designer's View
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A Place for My Stuff
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I am very proud to proclaim that I have built shelves "all by myself" with power tools! This was no small feat. It did take me many hours but the results are well worth the effort. The shelves built into a large closet off the basement family room, give me... Continue reading
Posted Sep 14, 2010 at A Designer's View
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In Praise of Beige
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While house hunting back in April 2010 in Alberta, Canada, I looked at about 20 homes in 3 days, always favoring the top 2 I had scouted for on-line. Some were older but several were showhomes and in these newer houses neutrals ruled. The up-to-date look seemed to consist of... Continue reading
Posted Sep 13, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Canadian Tire...my new BFF?
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After traveling "cross border" from the states, our household needed many miscellaneous items to function properly. I think it was our realtor, Valerie, who told us to check out Canadian Tire, eh? It seemed like such a guy store, I could practically feel the testosterone out in the parking lot.... Continue reading
Posted Sep 11, 2010 at A Designer's View
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Another test
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Here is an exterior photograph of our home during the home inspection. This was taken months before we moved in. Continue reading
Posted Sep 7, 2010 at A Designer's View
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