Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Project Classic Living Reveal {The Kitchen}

by Filed Under: #projectclassickitchen, #projectclassicliving, amber b design, design, interior design, kitchen, local clients


Welcome back to another reveal day! This is such a fun week!! Today’s post is all about the kitchen. To catch up on all things Project Classic Living related, visit HERE. The kitchen was the second room we worked on together, after the nursery. I wish I could take credit- but the gorgeous white cabinetry, counters, backsplash, lighting and overall layout were already finished when I started working on the space. The gorgeous wall color {BM Revere Pewter} was also chosen, so the bones were perfect to work with. My clients did a fantastic job selecting all of the finishes and this 1930’s home has an unbelievable before and after for this space. The contractor did an outstanding job making this space light, bright and modern, while also keeping with the classic style and character of this home. I came in for the window treatments, gallery wall, accessories and dining area furniture. For this space, we wanted an overall casual, relaxed dining feel. The more formal dining area is in the next room, so we kept this space laid back for everyday use. And of course, the wonderful Sarah Heppell put her magic photography stamp on this room, too. Let’s take a look!

 

A dining room table with four chairs in it

 

A dining room with a table and chairs, and pictures on the wall.

 

A kitchen with white cabinets and black and blue curtains

 

A kitchen counter with a cutting board and sink.

 

A cake on top of a white pedestal.

 

A kitchen with white cabinets and wooden floors

 

A clock hanging on the wall in a kitchen.

 

A plant in a vase on the table

 

A kitchen with white cabinets and a stove.

 

A dining room with a table and chairs in it

 

All images by Sarah Heppell Photography

I hope you enjoyed the kitchen tour! The gorgeous drapes and shades were made by Windows By Melissa and the fabric was found in my local work room. Tomorrow’s reveal will be… the Dining Room! {You do get a little peek of the dining room in one of the kitchen shots!!}

 

Project Classic Living Reveal {The Foyer}

by Filed Under: #projectclassicliving, amber b design, design, foyer, interior design, local clients


I am excited to show the second room from Project Classic Living… The Foyer! At some point, I will make sure to show before and after pictures of every room. But I’m just too excited to get to the afters. 🙂 My clients had a chest of drawers and mirror that were no longer their style. They were looking to freshen things up and have the room styles flow together as one. Here is the completed foyer, all photographed again by the very talented Sarah Heppell Photography. And of course, there’s a little blue to tie every space together!

 

A foyer with a mirror and a table in it

 

A lamp sitting on top of a table next to a mirror.

 

A close up of a candle stick on a table

 

A foyer with a table and mirror in it

 

A staircase with wood treads and white risers.

 

A staircase with many pictures on the wall

 

A white door with two framed pictures hanging on the wall.

 

A staircase with many pictures on the wall

images all by Sarah Heppell 

I hope you enjoyed this room. Up tomorrow… the kitchen!

Project Classic Living Reveal {The Living Room}

by Filed Under: #projectclassicliving, amber b design, design, interior design, local clients


I am thrilled to be here today, to reveal the after photos of Project Classic Living! My clients and I have been working together for over a year and a half. We started on the nursery and have moved from there to the living room, foyer, kitchen, dining room and bathroom. Today, I will be revealing the living room. This is a very long space, at about 25 feet in length. We optimized comfy seating with a sectional and also separated the room into two seating zones. When my clients have guests over, the chairs can be moved around to accommodate about 9, comfortably! I hope you like a lot of pictures, because there were too many great ones not to share. And I owe that to my photographer extraordinaire, Sarah Heppell. It was a very cloudy day and she was able to make it look like a sun filled day! Here we go…

A living room with a couch and fireplace

 

A table with books and other items on it

 

A living room with a chair and fireplace

 

A living room with a fireplace and a couch

 

A living room with a couch and flowers in the vase

 

A living room with two windows and a dresser

 

A living room with a couch and table

 

A vase of flowers on top of a wooden table.

 

A living room with a couch and a table

 

A living room with two windows and a couch

 

A living room with white walls and furniture.

 

A table with two blue and white stools in front of a mirror.

 

A living room with two chairs and a dresser

 

A living room with a chair and a window

 

A guitar sitting on top of a bench in front of a couch.

all images by Sarah Heppell Photography

I can’t thank Sarah enough for her fantastic photography skills in making this room shine! I am so happy with the way this project has turned out. In time, the space behind the leather chair will be a built in window seat with pretty pillows and window treatments. The window treatments here are done by Windows by Melissa and the fabric was from Tonic Living. I love how light and bright this room feels. Thank you for taking a peek into this project! Make sure to check back all week for more reveals! Up tomorrow… the foyer!

Art I Have Been Eyeing Lately

by Filed Under: art


I definitely love interiors with some blue and green mixed in. That seems to be my favorite right now, especially with some browns and grays. So it is no surprise then, that I have been drawn to landscape art. I love the way it brings the outdoors in and ties together all of the colors that I love. And when clients come to me also loving that color combo… it’s amazing! Here are some great prints from Minted that have caught my eye, lately…

 

A painting of a small stream and some clouds

Cloud Symphony

A painting of a green field with clouds in the sky.

Mornings Away

You can see the ‘Mornings Away’ print in Studio McGee’s latest Modern Mountain project…

A bedroom with a bed, nightstand and lamps.

 image via

I have used both above prints in design projects and they are beautiful! They bring so much to a design.

A painting of a river with trees in the background

Glass River

A painting of a field with trees and clouds in the background.

Broken Clouds

The two above prints are both from the same Minted artist. I just love shopping for art on this site, knowing that I am supporting independent artists. Adding prints like this to a gallery wall, will work great with some modern art mixed in…

Like this

A white square with a circle in the middle

Surround Me

And this

A painting of an abstract design in black and white.

Falling Strokes

Do you have a favorite art style?!?

 

E – Design {The Kid’s Rooms}

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, kids and design


I mentioned in a previous post this week, that I had some new e-design projects to show! My client and I have been working on her basement and living room, but have also completed her son’s and daughter’s rooms as well. Kids rooms are so much fun to design. As a mom of two kiddos myself, I know it has to be fun, whimsical, meet their style and definitely have loads of function. There should be room for storage to corral all of those toys! But who said that the toy storage can’t be functional and super stylish?!? In a kid’s space, it’s all about having fun with color and taking it up a notch, so it still works with the rest of the house, but has its own unique flair. Up first, her son’s room! Her son loves outer space, snow boarding and the color red. His mom wasn’t too sure about using too much red, which I agreed, so we were creative and used it in small doses.

The Design Plan

A collage of pictures and furniture items.

 

My client’s son desperately wanted a bunk bed and we found this affordable option that we plan to paint a deep navy blue. {Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore, to be exact.} The green you see at the top of the board will be the walls and is Raleigh Green, also by BM. The red will show up in the bookcase, throw blankets and in a subtle way through the art. Toy storage can definitely be fun and colorful and I just love the idea of this red bookcase filled with books and woven baskets! The plaid rug on the board is a favorite of mine and is the Cooper Jute Rug in Navy by Dash and Albert. I used it in Project Vintage Gem and I can attest to its durability and soft jute material.

Project Vintage Gem

A living room with brick walls and a table

Photo by Sarah Heppell Photography

Next up, is the daughter’s room. She is transitioning out of a crib and this sweet, whimsical space will grow with her.

The Design Plan

A collage of different types of furniture and accessories.

Her space will have the entire color scheme shown in the round lights, changing pad cover and pillow fabric. The string of lights is so cool and is found HERE. With this site, you can customize the colors and length. I plan to have this installed above the dresser and around art that my client already has for the space. The stunning floral fabric is from my favorite go to source for fabric, Tonic Living. It is their Eastern Charm, Hibiscus fabric and it is gorgeous in person. That will be a huge throw pillow for the neutral bed. Green will play a role in this space, like the red did for the boy room. The same bookcase will be in a bright green for this room and I also replicated that color in the table lamp. Her bed will have a trundle component, so it has the same effect of a bunk bed, but can be tucked away when not in use. I have used the cloud like pendant in other rooms and I love that it is so versatile!

Aren’t kids rooms so much fun?!? 

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another installment of Why This Works… a series where I show a designed space and talk about why I love it! I have been a long time admirer of Ashley Whittaker’s fresh take on traditional design. She has a unique talent for mixing patterns and gives a room a polished look while still bringing a casual, family friendly approach. This living space below, is right up my alley! Enjoy!

 

A living room with white walls and furniture.

Design By

This space is both modern and traditional, which I love. The tufted sofa, pleated drapes and empire lamp shades all read formal, yet the natural weave area rug and rattan side chair allow the space to feel laid back and casual. I love how the coffee table works for all sides of the seating, making the room feel so warm and cozy. Seating always looks great when it can be gathered and brought close together, making an intimate arrangement for conversation. Most of the furniture is neutral and light, allowing the bursts of warm color to come in through the pillows. Cool colors are brought in through the drapes and lamp bases, creating that balance. I am also a huge fan of brass accents and that is seen in the curtain rod, side table and wall art. The finishing touch??? A vase of fresh flowers, which also has some added texture with a rope detail on the outside of the vase. Overall, this space works!

What are your thoughts???

Make sure to come back tomorrow, to see some fun e-design projects!

Completed E-Design {The Basement}

by Filed Under: amber b design, basement, e-decorating, e-design, kids and design, personal design style


It is always fun to put together a design that both myself and the home owner love. As I constructed this basement plan in particular, I kept thinking, Wow, this is so them! I hope they feel the same way. Lucky for me, they did! This past year, I have worked with my long distance clients on their family room and children’s rooms. We have now moved on to their basement, which will do triple duty: play area for the kids, extra living space and a guest room. To save space and make this usable as a guest room, we chose a modular sofa that is a sleeper/sectional. My clients also wanted to go bolder with fun accent colors and make this room their style, but a more loud, eclectic version of their style. Here is the design plan I came up with…

The Design Plan

 

I just cannot wait to see this plan come together! I love the color mix from the pillows, throw blankets and accessories. The art print on the top of the board brings all of these colors together. I took inspiration from this fun, eclectic living space designed by the talented sister duo, Kirsten Kelli.

Inspiration

A living room with couches and chairs, tables and lamps.

Design By

What a fun jumping off point! I love that the base of this inspiration room is neutral, but the accessories are bold and don’t take themselves too seriously. It is a fresh, modern and eclectic space, which is what we were going for in the basement. To remind you of the family room design I did for my clients, I used the same fun colors that they enjoy, but in a more neutral way…

They wanted the upstairs to stay neutral and calm and take a more eclectic, bold approach in the basement. I will make sure to show any and all after pictures here! I will also reveal the kid’s room designs soon, too. Have a great day!

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, interior design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another installment of Why This Works… a series where I highlight a designed space and talk about what I love! Today’s office space was designed by Brian Watford and featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles. Take a look!

 

A dining room table with plates and napkins on it

image via

We are currently thinking about what do to our office space, so this is obviously great inspiration! I am immediately drawn to the grass cloth walls, as it instantly adds texture and warmth. The colors are soothing and include a blend of warm and cool, which is a nice balance. All of the textures in the space, from the rug to the pillows, to the leather desk chair to the woven side chair- all add depth and interest. The mixture of metals is also taking part, with the brass table lamp and ceiling fixture, to the chrome base of the desk chair. The brass wall frames have beautiful modern art in them, which I love! The room’s door has a stunning wood grain to it, which appears to be replicated in the desk base. I also love that the roman shade has a band detail, making it feel more custom. The shade is also installed as high as possible, which is one of my most favorite tricks in making a space feel larger. And I absolutely love the camel colors with that stunning teal settee. Overall, this space works!

What are your thoughts?!?

Completed E-Design {The Dining Room}

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, e-decorating, e-design, personal design style


Today, I am excited to share a recently completed e-design project. I worked on a dining room design and my client was keeping some of the furniture and mainly needed help with the final accessories and pulling the room together. Here is the before pictures of the space…

Before…

A dining room table with chairs and a chandelier.

 

A dining room table with six chairs and a chandelier.

 

 

Isn’t this space absolutely stunning?!? I love all of the architectural details and molding. My client wanted to bring a more relaxed vibe into the room and make it a bit less formal. The moldings already take the room to a rather formal look, so I suggested lightening up the walls dramatically and adding some key accessories that will help make the space feel more casual and laid back, which is how the family lives in their home. My client definitely wanted to change out the chandelier to better fit their more simplistic style and I agreed. Here is the design plan I came up with…

The Design Plan

A collage of pictures with different types of furniture.

 

I am so excited that my client is thrilled with the design plan and is already in full swing with the changes. We are lightening up the walls, because although that deep navy is beautiful, it helps make the room feel formal. So we are replacing it with Horizon by Benjamin Moore, which is a very pale blue/gray. The new pendant from Rejuventation is the showstopper in the room. And the new textiles, including the four inch buffalo check fabric from Tonic Living will add a traditional, casual blend to the space. That fabric will be the new drapery panels and I can’t wait to see that transformation! We will replace the end chairs with similar options, yet with arms. I think the arm chairs will work better with the long table and overall scale of the space. Over the buffet, there will be a neutral vignette with an oversized driftwood sunburst mirror, gourd lamps and botanical prints. Here is a peek at the buffet vignette…

The Buffet Wall…

A dresser with two lamps and three pictures

A black and white logo of the letters b and d

I am excited to show some progress and after photos soon. And thank you all for your sweet comments about my mantel series post! It was a fun week and I was glad to be a part of it.

Project Design Now Reveal!!

by Filed Under: accessories and vignettes, amber b design, amber b design at home, before and after, blog, design, mantle, personal design style


The time is here… the reveal of two different spring mantels for Project Design!! You may have seen several of us bloggers hinting on social media {#ProjectDesignNow} about our spring mantels. We have styled them two ways and today is reveal day!! I want to thank Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home and Cindy of Rough Luxe Lifestyle for including me in this fabulous group!

 

A gray circle with the words project design in it.

 

Our mantel is located in our family room and it’s always fun to make some changes and switch it up every now and then. Here is a full look at Option 1…

Spring Mantel Option 1…

A close up of a clock on the wall

 

A close up of a clock on the wall

 

A close up of a clock on the wall

 

A living room with brown couches and fireplace

 

A living room with a couch and fireplace

All Photos above by Sarah Heppell Photography

For mantel option 1, I went with a mixture of vintage and new and meaningful pieces with modern accessories. Starting from the right side, the “B” signifies the first letter in our last name. That is placed in front of a special print from the etsy shop, Pretty Smitten. The print says Be Smitten Every Day. I love its message and that pretty rose quartz background! I like to layer and add texture on mantels, so this beaded jar adds some interesting pattern and is unique. I also like to add round shapes to a mantel, so the clock was an old Target find and does just that. The mini windsor bench holds a special place in my heart, as I found it at an antique market when Mike and I lived in Germany. I will never part with it! And good old Zeus is next to the windsor bench. My kids named him and he is a great find from Target. I often put real ferns and small plants inside, but today- it’s one of the faux succulents that Target carries. {I am seeing a pattern here, that I shop at Target often!} 🙂

Spring Mantel Option 2…

A fireplace with a mirror above it and a bench in front of the fire place.

A mirror sitting on top of a mantle.

A mirror sitting on top of a mantle.

A mirror and some vases on top of a mantle.

A green ball and some gold letters on top of a white mantle.

A blue and white vase sitting on top of a table.

A mirror, vase and other objects are on the mantle.

For mantel option 2, I also went with a mix of vintage and new. Starting with the right side again, I included the same “B” accessory from the first mantel. That is the only thing I kept for this option. I layered it in front of a spotted print I found at Target. I was so glad I scooped that up when I did, as about a week later, it was gone! I have always loved a hint of animal print somewhere, and this reminded me of cheetah spots. I found a green glass buoy from Home Goods. I like that it reminds me of the water and spring and summer activities. The rope detail adds some texture and interest. The ’round’ element that I love to add to mantels is now seen in both the buoy and this Federal mirror, which was a Christmas gift from my mom. It is the Ken Fulk Federal mirror from Pottery Barn and I love the vintage vibe it brings to the space. Not to mention that stunning aged brass! Adding a mirror to the mantel has been fun, as it reflects our ceiling pendant. The blue and white urns were antique shop finds. I decided to put a faux palm leaf from Pottery Barn inside the smaller urn, to bring a touch of nature to the mantel. I could also switch it out for fresh flowers, if I could remember to keep fresh water inside!

So there you have it! My spring mantel styled two ways! Which option would you choose???

Here are some tips to changing up your mantel for spring, or any time of the year:

Mantel Styling Tips

Add meaningful pieces and a mix of vintage and new to bring a collected over time style to your mantel

Layer pieces in front of each other and stand back every now and then to access what you have and what you need to add

Add different shapes, such as a round mirror, clock and mix that with a square or rectangle frame

I hope this got you ready to add some spring touches to your mantel! Now it’s the fun part… let’s check out the amazing bloggers who have transformed their mantels! They are such a talented group of ladies and I have been thrilled to be a part of this with them. Show these ladies some love:

ciao! newport beach
classic • casual • home
Dimples and Tangles
Garden Home and Party
Katiedid
Lisa Mende Design
Lucy Williams Interiors
Rough Luxe Lifestyle
The Pink Pagoda

A gray circle with the words project design in it.