186 | Struggling With Paint Colors? Understanding Undertones With Maria Killam

186 | Struggling With Paint Colors? Understanding Undertones With Maria Killam

Have you ever stood in front of dozens of paint swatches wondering why two “neutral” colors look completely different on the wall? Understanding undertones is one of the most challenging aspects of interior design—even for experienced designers.


Many homes today are filled with gray furniture, gray walls, and gray finishes, yet they still feel flat, cold, or unfinished. The missing piece? A deeper understanding of color theory, undertones, and how to layer color intentionally.


In this episode, I sit down with internationally recognized color expert Maria Killam to talk about how interior designers and homeowners can finally make sense of undertones and neutral colors. Maria has spent decades helping people avoid costly renovation mistakes by learning how color actually works in real homes—not just in theory. Her system for understanding undertones helps designers create timeless spaces filled with personality, warmth, and cohesion.


If you’re an interior designer who struggles with choosing the right neutral paint colors, selecting finishes that flow from room to room, or bringing life back into a gray room, this conversation will help you see color in a completely new way.


Featured Guest

Maria Killam is an internationally recognized color expert, design educator, and author known for her groundbreaking system for understanding undertones. Through her blog Color Me Happy, her True Colour Expert Training program, and her design consultations, Maria has taught thousands of designers and homeowners how to choose paint colors, finishes, and materials with confidence. Her mission is to help people avoid costly renovation mistakes and create timeless, joyful homes filled with personality and color.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ How undertones determine the success of neutral colors

✳️ Why gray interiors need color to feel alive

✳️ The difference between warm and cool neutral palettes

✳️ How to identify undertones in paint and finishes

✳️ Simple ways to add color to gray rooms


Read the Blog >>> Understanding Paint Undertones

NEXT STEPS:


📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves


🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support, 👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠


Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design


Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career


Connect With Me:

📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com


Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

2:46 Maria’s Journey From Corporate Job to Color Expert

6:48 How Maria Developed Her Undertone System

10:21 Understanding How Color Works in Interior Design

13:48 Creating Timeless Spaces Without Relying on Trends

17:00 Why Trends Can Lead to Costly Renovation Mistakes

20:36 The Importance of Neutral Finishes in Home Renovation

21:22 Why Homeowners Need Color Guidance

23:38 Trends Shifting Away From the White Box Aesthetic

Avsnitt(188)

179 | Design Skills Series: 6 Business & Project Skills Interior Designers Need to Execute Projects Confidently

179 | Design Skills Series: 6 Business & Project Skills Interior Designers Need to Execute Projects Confidently

Most interior designers come into this career because they love design. They love creating beautiful spaces, developing a strong design vision, and dreaming up what’s possible for a home. But what man...

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178 | 5 Lessons on Building an International Interior Design Career With Elliot James

178 | 5 Lessons on Building an International Interior Design Career With Elliot James

What if the fear holding you back isn’t failure—but the thought of never trying at all?In this episode, I sit down with Elliot James, founder of a multi–award-winning international interior architectu...

16 Feb 24min

177 | Design Skills Series: 5 Practical Design Skills You’ll Use on Every Client Project

177 | Design Skills Series: 5 Practical Design Skills You’ll Use on Every Client Project

Have you ever been standing in front of a client, mid-conversation, and suddenly realized you should know the answer—but you don’t feel confident saying it out loud yet? Maybe it’s a color choice, a f...

9 Feb 18min

176 | A Modern Approach to Feng Shui for Interior Designers With Amanda Gibby Peters

176 | A Modern Approach to Feng Shui for Interior Designers With Amanda Gibby Peters

As interior designers, we spend so much time thinking about how a home looks, but what if the real question we should be asking is how a home feels?If you’ve ever walked into a space that was beautifu...

2 Feb 37min

175 | Design Skills Series: 6 Skills Interior Designers Need (That Aren’t Taught in Design School)

175 | Design Skills Series: 6 Skills Interior Designers Need (That Aren’t Taught in Design School)

If you’ve ever wondered why design school didn’t quite prepare you for the real world of interior design, you’re not imagining it. I hear this all the time—from designers who invested years (and money...

26 Jan 16min

174 | Core Elements Every High-Converting Interior Design Website Needs With Elle Kwan

174 | Core Elements Every High-Converting Interior Design Website Needs With Elle Kwan

“A good website really should be qualifying your inquiries and increasing them as well.”Does your website actually do that? Or does it simply exist as a gallery of pretty images while you continue to ...

19 Jan 28min

173 | Design Skills Series: The Soft Skills That Set Successful Interior Designers Apart

173 | Design Skills Series: The Soft Skills That Set Successful Interior Designers Apart

Many interior designers spend years honing hard skills like CAD drafting, space planning, and material selection—yet still feel stuck when it comes to client relationships, confidence, or stepping int...

12 Jan 27min

172 | How Designers Build Profitable Design Businesses With Donna Hoffman

172 | How Designers Build Profitable Design Businesses With Donna Hoffman

If you’re an interior designer who feels deeply creative but secretly anxious about sales, pricing, or talking about your value, this episode is for you.Too many designers believe that great work shou...

5 Jan 36min

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