Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Styling Kid’s Bookshelves {Our Basement}

by Filed Under: basement, design, kids and design, personal design style, shelf styling


When we had our basement finished, we decided to add tons of storage for books, kid stuff and anything that needed a home. The storage we decided on seemed too much at first, but who am I kidding? With kids in the house, it will fill up quickly. I am proud to say that there are more shelves filled now, than empty! The contractors built this shelving unit by connecting ready made cube units, with a total of 54 cubes in all! Since it goes up to the ceiling, we decided to keep the top three rows for our stuff and the bottom three for the kiddos, which is more in their reach. To make this a proper before and in progress, I’ll show where these shelves began…

Before

The above picture is a true before shot, since it is even before the carpet is installed. We have made a lot of progress since then, and I am happy to say that the kid’s shelves are pretty much complete.

After in Progress

Now I am very realistic, and I know these shelves won’t stay this organized for long. But it’s a great start, right?? Here are some tips when styling kid’s shelves (especially when you have 27 to do!!)

1. Mix it up by laying some of the books vertical and some horizontal. When the spine of the book is showing, they can see the title and it will still entice them to find their favorite!

2. Layer in some of their favorite stuffted animals and sculptural toys. It’s a great way to add texture and for them, it makes them smile to see their beloved items on display.

3. Face some of the titles out, so they can see the cover. It’s a great idea when you are low on books and have a lot of shelves to style. It also comes in handy for them to find a book that might have otherwise been lost on the shelf. I plan to switch these books up over time, so I can display ones that interest them at the moment or one they might have forgotten about. (For example, if the siblings are not getting along, you can display a book about sharing… in a very subtle way! hint hint!  )

We’ll see how long this lasts, but at least the books have found a great home and will be used a lot! That’s what it’s all about.

Happy Friday !!

The New Knobs Are On!

by Filed Under: before and after, design, family room, personal design style


I was determined (as stated in my last post) to go and find new knobs for our coffee table drawers. Since I like the finish of the table, I decided to just make a small change by adding decorative glass looking knobs. We have pops of green throughout the space, so a pretty green knob was a good choice for this space. Here is where we started…

Before

And here are the new knobs…

After

I found them at Target for $14.99 for a 4 pack! That’s a very small commitment, so I can always change it up when I am looking for a new color scheme. This last picture shows how the green is pulled from the suzani pillow in the background. I like to find the small hints of color from a fabric and pull out accessory colors from that. It’s less obvious and makes for a fun, unexpected color palette. It also draws your eye more to that little hint of color that you might not have seen otherwise.

Any small changes around your home???

Small Change Idea

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


Am I the only one who walks around their home, thinking of what to change next? Well, I know I’m not the only one, because my mom and I often confess that it’s a regular occurrence in our houses. I am constantly thinking about design, so why not ponder what to do next in our abode? Especially when it’s a small change with minimal impact on the bank account! Our family room coffee table has a warm wood stain. It has three small drawers with wood stained knobs to match. I am ready to say goodbye to the wood knobs and go for a pop of color, to add a pretty little detail to this table…

Currently

Changing out the knobs to a dresser, table or kitchen cabinets is a quick, inexpensive fix that can transform the look of your room or furniture piece. Since some of our pillows have a mulit colored suzani print, I may pull a color from the fabric and go with colored glass knobs for these drawers. I did find pretty (look alike) glass knobs in a deep teal green that would be perfect. We also have small touches of green sprinkled throughout the room, so that would be a great color to choose. Even though you won’t see the knobs when you walk into the space, it will be a pretty, unexpected touch when you go to sit on the sofa. And the price for these knobs is great, too! In fact, I might just go there today and make this happen!  Since I really don’t want to paint the coffee table, adding new knobs could be just what this table needs.

So please confess… do you also walk around your home, thinking about what to decorate next???

A Unique, Creative Door

by Filed Under: barn door, barn door hardware, design, personal design style


There are some design ideas that stop me in my tracks. I love a great wow factor in any space and you’re in for a treat today with this idea. Forget about the rule that you need a standard door for every room’s entrance or that you can only have curtains/closet doors to close off storage spaces. Installing a barn door to any room is such a fresh, unique way to separate spaces and close off unsitely areas in your home. I have been racking my brain trying to think of where I can install barn door hardware in my own home. So here’s some beautiful inspiration to get me started…

Barn doors work with modern, rustic and traditional spaces and definitely add that wow factor. Whether they are bright and add a pop of color or whether they blend in with your space, installing a barn door is a genious idea! Where would you put one in your home??
This post was sponsored by Barn Door Hardware, although all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

The Toddy Wedge: A Great Spot for Your Phone

by Filed Under: blog review


I was recently contacted by a representative from Toddy Gear about their amazing Wedge and I was so excited to try it! I had never heard of the Wedge before but loved its genious idea. There are so many times I am browsing my phone, needing a spot to rest it upright for better reading and viewing e-mails. The Wedge allows you to do that, while also being a cleaning device for your phone… two creative ideas in one! This device has a small ledge to rest your phone or tablet and it’s beanbag like stand makes it sturdy enough that it won’t slide when you are browsing. The wedge comes in several colors and fun patterns to match your style. The pattern is on one side, while a matching microfiber fabric is on the back. The microfiber is for cleaning the dust and fingerprints that always accumulates, while the fun patterned side is silky for the polishing! Let’s take a look at my new phone toy…

The Toddy Wedge

I was given the Bubbaloo Wedge, which can be found on their site HERE. Overall, I am extremely happy with this product and I know it will get a lot of use! It’s lightweight and small enough to take anywhere. It can easily fit in your purse or briefcase and work in any space. I can picture myself using this at the park, airport, kitchen counter, etc. Usually, when I want to clean my phone, I have to hunt for a cloth. With the wedge, it’s always there! You also can’t beat the price… $14.99!!
Visit their site HERE to try out your Toddy Wedge! While on the site, their are also great gifts for kids- the Screensters come in a variety of characters and can be your child’s toy as well as a screen cleaner for any mobile device! Here’s a peek at that page on their site…
Screensters
Happy Shopping !! 

Creating a Gallery Wall Around Your TV

by Filed Under: basement, design, gallery walls


We are slowly plugging away at the basement projects and making this space feel like home. The first pictures went up on the wall yesterday! It was a very rainy day here, so why not install a gallery wall around the TV?!? I have pinned several gallery wall images to my pinterest boards, some symmetrical and some asymmetrical. I decided to work with the various sized frames I had and installed an asymmetrical gallery wall around the TV. Once we find a media console for the space under the television, I can complete the rest. But for now, it’s nice to see this wall take shape…

Gallery Wall Around the TV

This gallery wall definitely has an eclectic mix of pieces inside the frames! When we lived in Europe, we collected artist renderings of the cities we visited. There is also a mix of modern art, watercolors found on etsy and framed pieces of fabric. What I like best about this gallery wall is that there is no rhyme and reason to hanging these prints. I just started on the left side corner and worked my way around. Of course, I needed to step back to see if they all worked together, but there is no special symmetry or specific spots to worry about. I LOVE the symmetrical look, but I don’t quite have the patience for that. Now that the frames are in place, we can adjust the art pieces as we see fit and change them up. Since this is a basement and the TV will allow for many hours of basketball/football viewing, we can purchase sports inspired prints over time and eventually make this a vintage looking sports themed gallery wall. But for now, we can enjoy these prints that have been sitting on our office floor for a month! The fun part will be going antiquing with my mom soon, to see if we can find a cool media stand with some character. 
Have a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day to all wonderful dads, including my amazing husband!!

Creating a Floor Plan With Flow

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, floor plan


In a recent post, I revealed a before and after of my client’s living room. It is a very large space and my client had the sofa and media stand already, but needed the rest of the furniture to pull the room together. Since her existing sofa is quite long (93 inches long, to be exact), we needed to make it work while also creating flow and making the space functional for everyday use. In design, I truly believe form follows function and you need the space to first work for you and your family. Once a workable layout is established and scale is evenly proportioned, it is then that we can add the pretty design aspects. In a living room space where you gather with friends and family and watch television, the main seating (when possible) should face the TV. I have tried changing our family room’s layout where the TV is not parallel… and that lasted one week! After the neck cramps came from turning your head all of the time, I realized there needed to be a way to create a floor plan that was aesthetically pleasing and the most functional. So, that is what I tried to do with this client’s living room. We lucked out in this floor plan, because the best spot for the television was also on the fireplace wall. The main sofa was able to face both, allowing the fireplace to look more like the focal point. Here is the floor plan I came up with for this space…

Floor Plan 

The sofa would have fit on the window wall where you currently see the two chairs side by side, but it would have made television viewing difficult. It also would have made that side of the room heavy, with the long sofa pushed off to one side of the room. With the above floor plan, the main seating is front and center, able to enjoy the fireplace as well as the television. The accompanying chairs are sprinkled throughout the space, with a mixture of symmetry and angled seating. Another thing to consider when creating a floor plan is the space between seating. There has to be around 18 inches between arrangements to be able to comfortably move throughout the space. I also need to consider table space in proximity to the seating. Every place you sit should be able to have a nearby spot to rest your drink, book or a pretty vase of flowers. To remind you again, here are some shots of the completed room with its new floor plan…

After

So that’s a peek into what I think about when creating a workable floor plan with function and flow. (Say that five times fast!)  🙂

Bringing the Outdoors Into Our Home

by Filed Under: design, dining room, outdoor, personal design style, plants


When spring and summer arrive, there is no better way to appreciate the outdoors than bringing it into your home. The best part is, it’s free! For the longest time, I have been wanting to just clip some branches from my favorite bushes outside and place them inside a vase for an easy garden arrangement! I am always drawn to the simple, pretty table arrangements where some greenery is added to a vase. I finally got to that yesterday and clipped some of the branches from our forsythia bush in the yard. This plant grows so fast, that it’s easy to clip some of the overgrown branches without disturbing its growth and beauty.

Bringing the Outdoors In

You may remember from this post, that I needed a new centerpiece for our dining table, now that the basket,  lantern and coral runner are in the family room. I put out a cream runner that I previously had from Wal Mart and found this large jug vase at a little shop in town for 50% off! They sell similar jug vases like this, at Pier 1 Imports. And of course, the branches were free!

And since I am in the garden mood, look at my beautiful blooming hydrangea bush!

Gotta love this time of year!

Our Master Bathroom Plans

by Filed Under: bathroom, design, personal design style


With our basement renovation behind us, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t start thinking about the next big project?? Ever since we moved into our home {almost 8 years ago}, we have wanted to make changes to our master bathroom. We have made some small adjustments so far… replacing the lighting, changing out the faucets and painting the walls. But I do have more plans for this space! When I think about a dream bathroom, I am picturing a modern style vanity, pretty lighting, light blue/gray wall color, chrome, subway tile, white stone and loads of texture. Basically, a modern/traditional style bathroom that feels like you are on vacation! Here are some great inspiration pictures I have found that bring this dream to a reality…

Bathroom Inspiration

Do you get where I’m headed with my plan?? Now this renovation probably won’t happen for some time, but it’s good to get a jump start on the ideas and all of the planning. Modern Bathroom is a great site to start with! They have any bathroom furniture style you could possible imagine and I have found my favorite vanity. The Avanity Windsor in White is the perfect combination of modern and traditional, which is just what I like. It is also very similar in style to the vanity in the first inspiration picture! I like where this renovation is going, even if it’s only in my head for now. 🙂
This post was sponsored by Modern Bathroom, although the ideas and opinions were all my own.

A Client’s Before and After {The Living Room}

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


To say that I am excited would be an understatement. One of my e-design clients, who I worked with over the winter, just sent me beautiful after photos of her space. I am so proud of her and the way she executed the design plan. Her and her husband had just moved into a new home and were looking to decorate and furnish their living room. They already had a beautiful brown sofa from Crate and Barrel and a few accessories, but needed to complete the space with additional accessories, art, more seating and tables. Here are some before pictures of the space…

Before

This space is beautiful and flooded with natural light. It has large, gorgeous windows and amazing ceiling height. The items that stayed were the new sofa, TV stand and table lamps. My client wanted a modern/traditional space with pops of subtle color. To keep the space interesting, I layered in texture, different metal finishes and modern accessories paired with traditional furnishings. Here is the design plan I came up with…

The Plan {click on design board to make larger}

And here are the afters, and the amazing way she brought this e-design plan together…

After

I love how my client has put this space together!! She did a great job implementing the design plan. They are still on the fence about replacing the ceiling fan with a large chandelier. I can understand that, since summers get very warm and function has to take priority. So, we are in the process of thinking of new sleek ceiling fan options. I will indlude another post soon, with descriptions of the layout and how she brought this amazing space to life.

Happy Weekend !!