Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

My Favorite On Line Shops for Clients (and Myself!)

by Filed Under: design, design services, e-decorating, e-design, new design source


I have been busy with e-decorating projects lately. As I was sourcing pieces for clients, I realized that there are several stores I often go back to, knowing they have reliable, pretty things. So I thought it would be fun and useful to pile that into one post. Here are my favorite go to shopping sources for clients (and myself!)

West Elm for pretty much, anything!

Home Decorators Collection for mirrors and rugs.
Anthropologie is a bit pricey, so I usually just source knobs and hardware. The choices are beautiful and would take any furniture piece to the next level.
Etsy is a great source for accessories, pillows and art. You can type key words into the search engine and great sources pop up! I find a lot of my new favorite shops that way.
After I find my etsy pillows, I come to Pottery Barn for the down filled inserts. The prices are surprisingly affordable for inserts.
Z Gallerie is a great source for unique accessories. They can be pricey, so I usually suggest a piece and then ask e-design clients to check out Marshall’s first. You may find a similar option for less!
World Market is an amazing source for great looks for less!
What are your favorite go to sources for shopping? Join the conversation- I can’t wait to see what you love!

Genius Idea of the Week!

by Filed Under: design, great design


There are some projects that just stop me in my tracks and I say to myself, she did what? I am always amazed at the creativity out there with design, and this one tops it for me! I have long admired Caitlin Wilson’s design aesthetic, home, textile line (I put her pillows in almost all of my design boards!) She was just recently featured in Design Sponge, where most of her home was shown in the write up. After reading the article, I realized she often gets the high end look for less, creates amazing IKEA hacks and is very artistic. Case in point, this photo of her kitchen:

Besides the gorgeous and functional chalkboard wall, look at those chairs! When I first saw these amazing chairs, I just thought they came from a very chic, high end store. After reading the post, I found out that she used a sharpie marker to create those trendy, gorgeous spots on IKEA chairs! Amazing! This is a very doable project for anyone on a budget, because we can all find inexpensive parsons chairs and a sharpie marker. So inspiring! To see the rest of this photo and the full article, visit here.
So, are you inspired to get out your sharpie marker and DIY something amazing??

Completed Projects and Thanks

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


Hope everyone is doing well! Is time flying for any of you, or is it just me? It seems like there are less hours in the day, lately. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. 🙂  I have some completed e-design projects to show you all- a living room and a master bedroom! These spaces are for two separate clients. I love when projects can be so different, yet share a common thread.

Living Room (Click on images to make larger)

For the client’s living room, she had most of the furniture pieces in place and needed some side tables and accessories to pull it all together. She has this gorgeous secretary desk which we will paint a dark color. I can’t wait to see the results!

Master Bedroom

This client was looking to make some major changes in her master bedroom. We will start with this new farmhouse bed- it will be stunning. Adding pops of color through the drapery and art will give this space great character.

Both clients love to mix new with vintage and love antique pieces. They are girls after my own heart, because I also believe that an eclectic mix of new and old, modern with traditional, makes a space that much more interesting and unique. It really speaks to the homeowner’s style and personality when treasures are added to a room! What I also appreciate about both of these clients is the ability to just roll with it when things don’t go as planned. We had some minor snafus and changes along the way, such as the drawer pulls not fitting with the pre drilled desk holes, furniture refinishing mishaps, etc. I am truly blessed to be able to work with such amazing clients and fun people! It has been a true joy!

Make sure to check back later this week for some photos of our fall mantel! Now the pressure is on to finish!  🙂

I also want to give a huge thank you to Patty from her blog, Patty’s Epiphanies for nominating Simple Dwellings for the Liebster Award! Thank you so much! Stop by Patty’s blog, where there is always so much great inspiration!

An E-Design Before and After!

by Filed Under: design, design services, DIY, diy stencil, e-decorating, e-design


A while back, I ran a room design giveaway on my blog, and Melissa was the winner! She chose to make changes to her master bedroom, and she is well on her way! She has made so many great changes and accomplished a lot in a short time. Here is the before:

Before:

After in Progress:

After: Stencil Wall Complete!

Melissa has made amazing progress on her master bedroom! The stencil was tedious work, but she did a fabulous job. Originally, we were going to go with stripes for the bed wall. When Melissa had the opportunity to use a stencil, we went for it! I am so glad she took on this project- the results are so worth it! Melissa has a great DIY blog, The Happier Homemaker. Make sure to stop by and check it out. She discusses her stencil project HERE. She is currently running a stencil giveaway, so make sure to enter today!

Bringing the Outdoors In

by Filed Under: design, outdoor, plants


There are some spaces in your home that need a little extra something, to fill the space and make it complete. Sometimes, a furniture piece might be too big, but without anything, the space is lacking. So what to do? A house plant can make any room feel inviting, while also adding a natural element to the room. Bringing the Outdoors In is something we always here, but it really works. A house plant that has become rather trendy lately, is the fiddle leaf fig. It comes in all sizes, sometimes taking over a whole corner in your home! It is a striking plant that really commands attention and can be the focal point in any room. I have suggested this house plant in a couple of recent design plans, because it would really work to complete an unused part of the space. Here are some great images where this plant is a show stopper…

I love that this plant can translate well to any design style. (By the way, aren’t those chandeliers amazing in the last two images?!?) I love that some of these plants have gone inside woven baskets and some have gone in outdoor containers. The options are limitless! So if you have a space in need of some love, why not add some fresh greenery??

Make sure to stop back tomorrow for an e-design update on one of my client projects! You won’t want to miss this!

Our DIY Painted Pumpkins

by Filed Under: DIY, fall fix ups, pumpkin topiaries


Every year in the fall, I love to put out my painted pumpkins! I have been doing these topiary pumpkins for a few years now, and they are still going strong! They are artificial pumpkins that I decorate with paint and sponge brushes. Through the weather changes, they need some touch ups every now and then. Here is what the front porch looks like this year:

What I love about these pumpkins, is that I can keep them up throughout the fall season, including Thanksgiving! When I change out the wreath and take off the spider/webs, it becomes a great festive porch for the entire season! I love decorating for this time of year, and I smile when I pull into the driveway. To see what the pumpkins looked like last year and for the full DIY tutorial, go HERE.

Fall in Love With Fall

by Filed Under: design, fall colors, fall fix ups, seaons


This is my favorite time of year! I love the crisp air, warm sweaters and the leaves turning colors. Why not put together some of my favorite images of fall to inspire us all to decorate for the season?!? Enjoy!

Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Amber on Pinterest

What a pretty season! Make sure to check back later this week to see how I decorated our front porch for fall!

Admiring the Work Of Kimberly Blok

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


When sourcing original art for clients, I often browse through etsy. There is so much photography talent out there, and I just found my new favorite source. Kimberly Blok is a natural light photographer, capturing beautiful still life, floral and landscape images, just to name a few. Here are some of her beautiful pictures, available for sale on her etsy site:

Wouldn’t this be so sweet for a nursery??

I would love this in a kitchen. Simple and beautiful!

Nautical Beauty

I have really started to notice and appreciate great photography. These items are so simple, but when photographed this way, they become works of art! If you live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, Kimberly also does family photography. Check out that site here!
I have decided that I would love to learn how to take better pictures! Does anyone know of a great camera that is both affordable and takes high quality pictures?? Please share!

Gathering Inspiration for Design Clients

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


I am knee deep in e-decorating projects, and I love it! When I am gathering inspiration for clients, I find that pinterest is a great source. The first component that I present to my clients is the inspiration board. It has a collection of inspiring rooms and ideas, with some specific pieces for the space. Lately, the designs I have been putting together make me want to re do some rooms in my own home! More on that later…
Here are some inspiring spaces that show a glimpse into the direction of some of my most recent projects:

Color palette and concave mirrors:

Baskets for blankets:

Symmetrical Gallery Wall Around TV:

Gold/Brass Accents:

Lantern Style Lighting:

What’s on your to do list around your home? I can’t wait to share my new ideas for mine!

DIY: Hemming Your Curtains – The No Sew Way!

by Filed Under: design, DIY, project


I meant to show you this DIY project last week, but I fell a bit behind. I recently added new drapery panels to our master bedroom, but they were too long. 84″ panels would have been too short and 95″ panels (the size I bought) were too long. Well, I don’t sew, so I needed to figure out a cost effective way to handle this dilemma. My chosen option… stitch witchery! This is the first time I ever used this, and I loved it! It can also be called ‘hemming tape’ and it’s a no sew option for adding decorative trim, hemming panels or for any fabric project. Here is the finished product: (They still need to be steamed, but hey- some day!)

Here is my DIY tutorial:

1. I first hung my panels on the curtain rod and pinned them to the desired height. That way, I didn’t have panels that ended up being too short! I wanted to make sure they puddled about 1-2 inches on the ground. Then lay your drapery panels out and measure how much you want to hem. I hemmed up about 8 inches.

2. Next, place a couple strips of stitch tape on your panels. I tried to place them towards the top and bottom of the hem, making sure they held up well.

3. Then, bring your panel up to the desired height and press down with a damp cloth, then warm iron. Make sure you continue to move the iron, using small movements.

4. Gently pull back on the part you hemmed, to ensure you have a strong bond. And there you have it- hemming the no sew way!

Pretty soon, I hope to show more of the room, including some new pillows! Stay tuned…