Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

2014’s Parade of Homes in Central New York!

by Filed Under: design, interior design, parade of homes


Every year, my mom and I go off for the day and attend Central New York’s Parade of Homes. It is an annual event with a collection of newly built homes, all decked out and decorated by local interior designers. The event has been featuring about 8 homes in recent years, but this year, it has 12 homes! We loved that there was more to see. So, we put on our most comfortable shoes and went out for the afternoon to the Town of Clay, where the Parade is held this year. It did not disappoint! There is something so amazing about a brand new home. All of the finishes are custom, the paint colors and floors are all fresh and new. It’s like opening a present on Christmas!! So without further adieu, let’s take a look at my favorite highlights of the Parade…

The Ashfield by Miller Custom Homes


This home had a calm, serene color palette. And who doesn’t fall in love with white kitchen cabinetry?!? I loved the lanterns above the kitchen island and the stenciled wall in one of the bedrooms. Stencils were seen throughout the homes in the Parade this year. Each very thoughtful and unique!

The Timbercrest by Sciuga Custom Builders


This home had me at hello with its soft, buttery yellow siding and the entire exterior design. I also loved the pebble stone fireplace surround in the living room. Such a chic, rustic touch. And then the custom banquette in the kitchen! How smart and creative is that built in bench?!? I loved that the interior designer took it one step further with the stripes down the center. Such a thoughtful touch. The bench also doubles as storage for additional kitchen towels and utensils. So smart!

The Madison by Mark Antony Homes


His homes never disappoint and are always the classic, chic homes of the Parade. I loved this great room vibe with the kitchen and family room. The designer used the same paint color in most of the first floor, keeping a continuous flow throughout the spaces. I loved the details on the dining chairs and the gray finish of the trellis table. The kitchen is huge and even features a custom window seat, which I loved! The fireplace is simple and elegant and I loved the deep hearth for baskets!

The Chardonnay by Pigliavento Builders

{This mirror is also a TV!! So cool!}

This home above was designed by my friend, Taylor. She did thoughtful, creative touches in the children’s spaces. Love the vintage look in both of these kid bedrooms!

The Glenwyke by Smolen Homes


This was one of the smallest homes at the Parade at about 2400 square feet. But bigger doesn’t always mean better and the builder and designer did a great job with thoughtful touches and precise details. The beams in the great room brought the spaces together and made this home shine! I loved the banquette that was tucked away in the kitchen. The cabinetry was beautiful and made this area so bright and energetic. I also loved the modern soaking tub with its sleek shape. And the boy’s bedroom was so cool with a full map on one wall! That would be a fun space for any child to hang out! 
The Brittany by Signature Crest Builders


Lighting can make or break a room and I thought the pendants over the kitchen island were fabulous! I also loved the locker style system for the mud room. Sneakers and sports equipment can easily be tucked away in the bottom compartment!
So there you have it… my review and favorite moments of this year’s Parade of Homes! If you haven’t stopped in yet, not to worry! It will be running until June 22nd. To learn more about the Parade of Homes before you head out, visit HERE.
Thank you so much to this year’s sponsors for gifting tickets for me and my mom to the Parade of Homes this year! We had a blast.

Before and {Almost} After – A Client’s Master Bedroom

by Filed Under: before and after, e-decorating, e-design, interior design


I am so thrilled to share with you the progress of my e-design client’s master bedroom. When she came to me, she was looking to start fresh, with a completely new space and design concept. She was looking for a more modern master bedroom that was serene and relaxing… a space that feels warm and inviting! She also wanted to incorporate purple, green and gold as accents. Here is the space before…

Before

Here is the design board and floor plan rendering I came up with…

The Plan



My super amazing client got to work right away, adding color, warmth and bringing the plan into action!

Progress


Inspiring, right? She is doing a fabulous job with this room! It’s hard to believe it’s the same space. There are still some key furniture pieces going into the room, like a gray desk for the left side of the bed, a patterned chair for the seating area and the addition of a TV/Dresser zone, which will go opposite the bed. The tabletops will also get new accessories to help make the space feel cohesive and finished. All of those elements will bring more color and pattern to the space, helping to ground the dark bed in the room. There is nothing more warm for a master bedroom than adding an upholstered bed. This charcoal linen fabric with the wing back design and nailhead trim makes me so happy! There are so many other light and neutral elements in the room, that this dark bed anchors the space and pops against the new light wall color. I also love how the chandelier looks in the space! There was a ceiling fan there before and this new lighting makes the room, in my opinion! The four art pieces shown directly above, will go around the television, making the TV act as part of the art. Here is the style board I designed for the presentation, to show my client where everything in this zone will be placed…

Media Style Board


I cannot wait to show you the room when it’s finished. Great job to my client for all of her tremendous work! Also, thank you to her for allowing me to share these progress photos. 🙂

Would you love to work together to make your house a home? I am now accepting new clients for the fall! To learn more, visit my design services page at the top of my blog.

I’m Back! And a #projecteclectic e-design!

by Filed Under: #projecteclectic, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, personal design style


I haven’t written in a while and happy to be back, sharing a recently finished e-design project. Our life has been crazy busy lately, but in the most wonderful of ways. May turned out to be the fastest month on record. Time truly does fly by when you’re having fun. We had family visiting and there are a lot of great design projects in the works. So, the blog took a back seat for a while. I hope some of you are still out there!!  🙂 I had some thoughtful readers and friends e-mailing and wondering if I was ok and if I will post soon. I am more than ok and ready to share some design work. Let’s get right to it! I just wrapped up an e-design project that I will call #projecteclectic. My client loves mid century modern and a bohemian style. She loves neutrals and color, with fun texture and pattern. She wanted her living room to reflect that style, while also be a space that is fun and comfortable for the whole family. Here is the design I came up with…

The Design Plan



The Floor Plan



We only made a few changes to the overall plan and she loves it!! I think the space reflects them and how they live with their family. I cannot wait to see the space come together!

I plan to continue to post about client projects and I will definitely write when there is something exciting and new to share. It might not be every day or even every few days, but I am still out here. 🙂

Our Family Room {Before and After}

by Filed Under: design, family room, personal design style


I live by the motto that a home is never finished… as our design styles change and we continue to gather more ideas, the editing of a room always comes into play. I will forever be making changes to our home and I think that’s fun! Even if it’s just moving an accessory from one space to another- that’s a change! For our family room, I realized our long sofa wall with the horse print, needed something more. There was too much empty wall space for me on either side of the print. I finally tackled that project, after thinking about it in my head for months. {I love it when a plan works out the way you imagined it would!} I also switched from floor lamps to table lamps and added consoles behind the sectional. I have been showing snippets on instagram {amberbinteriors}, but here it is in all its entirety…

Before



And After…


I am so excited with the changes and I smile when I walk into the space! I wanted to add the consoles with table lamps, because our floor lamps were broken in places and there was an awkward space behind the sectional that needed to be filled. The kids liked going behind there and I always worried someone would trip on the lamp cords. So, these changes helped in both of those areas. Since the sectional is so long, I used two Threshold desks from Target for the consoles. It was a great cost saving alternative and brings a nice pop of color to the room. As for the wall space, I knew it needed more than just the one horse print, but I wasn’t sure what- until now. The botanical prints are actually free printables from Poppy Talk. I printed them out at Staples for only $1 a page! I chose the 11×17 size they had and then filled them in matted frames to fit 11×14 images. The two mirrors need no introduction! They are the Wales mirrors from Home Depot and are currently on sale! I also have one in our bedroom and I love the look and the under $30 price tag!! If the site says they don’t have any in your local store- try anyway! They said my store didn’t have any left and there were actually 3 there, including the sample! Sometimes, it pays to be persistent.

So for now, I think I can sit back and relax with this room. Now… what room to change next??

E-Design Project {Accessory Board}

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design


I recently finished a master bedroom project with an e-design client. She already had most of the furniture pieces in the space, but was looking to change things up by adding new bedding, pillows, accessories and just an overall updated look. My accessory design package is called This and That and it’s a great design package if most of the pieces are staying in the space, but you want a little refresh. She loves the plan and I can’t wait to see the after photos…

The Design Plan


The updates are soft and neutral, which is just what my client was after. The sunburst mirror shown in the middle of the board is the suggested accessory for the wall space over the bed. I have this exact mirror above my bed and the scale is great! At 30″ in diameter, it will be the perfect dimensions to replace her smaller mirror that is currently in that spot. Neutral doesn’t have to mean boring… as long as the soft, muted colors have different textures and color variations, neutral can be chic and perfect for a serene master bedroom. I will be including her comments to me about the design board on my design services page in the testimonials section, because it truly made my day. And if anyone is on the fence about e-design, her comment might help those curious to know what it’s all about! Here’s what my client had to say about the experience…

Seriously,  all I needed was a stack of books and I no longer hate my bedside table.  You are so talented.  I loved all the ideas and they are so me – probably why I picked you. 

You went way beyond my goal and gave me even more than I expected.

You met and exceeded my expectations.  I am so happy with the way the room is going.

Thank you so much to my client for these special words! When she referred to her nightstand, she was planning on having me source a different one, since she wasn’t sure it worked in the space. I asked her to try it out with some new accessories and keep the nightstand. Instead of paying a few hundred dollars for a new furniture piece, I wanted to use what she had and just improve upon it with new accent pieces and books. Luckily, she went for the idea, saving money in the long run. I am so thrilled that she enjoyed the process so much!

If you would like to refresh your home and add that touch of something special, I have client openings for June!

Crafting With Paracord!

by Filed Under: blog review, DIY


If you have kids, you probably have a ton of rubber bands around your house from those rainbow looms. They were a huge craze for a while and some of the bracelet patterns were tough to make and required hours of patience. Luckily, help came at the right time. I was recently contacted by a representative from Ulysses Press to review a creative, fun crafting book using paracord. This was a style of crafting I have not tried before and I was up for the challenge. Paracord is the world’s strongest cord and is also starting to become the newest crafting material. When my kids saw this, they couldn’t wait to see what knot design and keychain they could make first! Originally used during World War II as parachute line, Paracord’s colorful cord selections has made this the coolest new crafting material of choice! Author of the amazing book, Crafting With Paracord, Chad Poole gives us step by step instructions on how to make 50 fun, creative projects!

Of course, we got right to work, making our own creations. And happy to report, the keychains were easy to make and fun to create!

Twisted Soloman Bar Keychain

Ladder Rack Knot Keychain


Here are some others we want to try in the future, because the names are just too cool…

To walk around with a shark jaw bone or alligator fang bracelet is a thumbs up in any kid’s book!  🙂

This was a great crafting project that involved the whole family. You are only limited by your imagination with this product! Thanks to Ulysses Press for the introduction to this cool, new {to me} crafting idea! To get your own copy of this book and start crafting, visit HERE!!

Ulysses Press supplied the book and paracord, but all opinions are my own, as always!

{Master Bedroom E-Design} Using a Fresh Color Palette

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, personal design style


I love it when clients give me a challenge and cause me to push my ideas and color palette a little further than I would normally go. Such is the case with my most recent master bedroom project. My client said she loves purple and emerald green and wanted to incorporate them into the design. I have had a lot of experience using green, but have only used purple in one past design project. {Which actually happened to be the board she most admired!} I don’t have anything against purple at all, I just haven’t used it much and was up for the challenge! Purple is one of those colors making a fast comeback this season and would add a fresh dose of color to any room. Once I visited my favorite etsy pillow shop, I knew I found the right shade! Here is the final design plan I presented…

The Design Plan



The Floor Plan



The pillows at the bottom of the design board tell the fun color story of the room. Now why have I waited so long to use purple?? I love the way the colors came out and I cannot wait to see them installed in the space! My client also loves the ideas and I couldn’t be happier for her. One of my favorite etsy shops for pillows came to the rescue and had the perfect palette for this purple and green color combination! Studio Tullia is one of those shops that carries fresh hues, chic patterns and is a one stop shop for adding color to your space. I then brought in Catilin Wilson’s Greige Greek Key pillow to add a neutral tone against all of the fun color. This is truly one of my favorite projects to date and I am so lucky to have the chance to work with clients that push those creative boundaries for me!

Who knows… an unexpected color just might be your next favorite, too!

Completed E- Design Project {The Den}

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, personal design style


Happy Easter weekend! I wanted to check in for a bit to show you a recent e-design board that I completed. My client was looking to combine modern with traditional in her den/living space off of her kitchen. She loves neutrals and a soft color palette, but also appreciates a dose of color in the accessories, particularly blue. Well, that is right up my alley, since I cannot seem to get enough of blue these days! Here is the completed design plan, which has a coastal inspired vibe with a little bit modern/little bit traditional…

The Plan


I love that Jacobean floral pillow from Kravet and I have been using it on a few projects, recently. It does a great job of bringing together a soft, neutral palette. The pillow can be found HERE. I gave my client a couple of different options for the empty wall space above the sofa and she chose the Octopus art shown on the top right corner of the board. You may have seen versions of this art floating around the web and may have even seen the ultra expensive version in Bill and Giuliana Rancic’s home. Well, Heather, from the blog Southern State of Mind, shows you how to create this look at a fraction of the cost! I know it will look amazing in my client’s home, too!

Happy Weekend and Happy Easter!!

A Great Place to Shop That Also Helps the Environment!

by Filed Under: blog review, design


When shopping on line, I haven’t found many sites that offer unique home decor items and gifts while also helping the environment and creative artisans. Sounds like a tall order, if you ask me! But the creators of Uncommon Goods do all of that and so much more. Half of the items in the shop are made by hand and several items are even from recycled materials! With Earth Day right around the corner, now is as good of a time as any to think about how we can make the world a bit greener. And I can definitely appreciate the hard work ethic of this company… their belief is that it is their responsibility to use their business as a way to positively impact others. I was truly blown away by that powerful message. And now, onto some of the amazing products from this very special site!

The chef in your life would love this reclaimed wood cookbook stand!
Can you get any more beautiful and whimsical than this handmade butterfly map? The regions on this map are populated by colorful butterflies. What a great way to bring some color into a space!
This personalized love cuff made from real birch bark is the perfect gift for your loved one! I can’t get over the detail and craftsmanship of this piece!
It’s safe to say I am very impressed and hooked! Anytime I can find a special, one of a kind gift that also supports crafters and the environment, I’m sold. I could go on and on showing more crazy unique items, but I want you to check it out for yourself! Start your shopping HERE. If you make a purchase, let me know. I would love to see what unique find you fell in love with. I’ll post it here on the blog. 🙂
Happy Shopping !!!
This post was sponsored by Uncommon Goods, but all of the opinions are my own, as always!

Working with What You Have {Living Room E-Design}

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, living room, personal design style


When designing a space, there are things we may want to change, but working with what you have is often more of a priority. I recently wrapped up a living room e-design project where we worked around the oak stained beams, window trim and fireplace surround. Often times, my first inclination is to paint that all out, to create dramatic, updated change. When that is not an option, it’s on to plan B. Plan B doesn’t always have to be the lesser option… it’s just a matter of selecting colors and fabrics that compliment the oak stained wood work, as opposed to competing with it! Since the space has a lot of warm wood tones (also including oak stained floors), the name of the game has to be to bring in some cool colors. Grays, blues and greens will be your friend and balance well against the warm woods. Here is the design board I created for them, where cooler tones reigned supreme…

Can I please have that blue chair all to myself?? By adding the blues, greens and grays, The warm woods will feel more welcome and will bring that mix of traditional with modern. The walls will be the soft gray color on the top left corner of the board and we will whitewash their brick with the color to the right of that. When showing my client this whitewash idea, I came across this blog post that showed an amazing before and after of their fireplace. I included a shot of the after on the bottom right side of the board. They also painted the brass fireplace insert black, which I also recommended to my client! It will be an instant modern update. They love the plans and I can’t wait to see their progress!

By the way, when researching rooms with stained oak trim, I came across the amazing parlor room of Nicole Balch, from the blog Making it Lovely. Her space is proof that stained oak trim can be chic…

It’s all in the mix of adding cool colors!

How about you… what have you had to ‘work with’ in your home??