Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Italy Re – Cap… Eating and Sightseeing

by Filed Under: vacation


Verona was one of the cities we visited while on our Italy trip. They have farmer’s markets, a quaint fountain, beautiful, colorful homes and an amazing arena. Whenever we travel to Europe, I’m always amazed at its history. The arena in Verona is about 2,000 years old! Incredible! Verona is also known for Romeo and Juliet. You are able to see Juliet’s balcony and many tourists flock there to take pictures. (Unfortunately, we didn’t see the balcony on this trip, so no Juliet photos to share.) But the images we did take are amazing- they really speak for themselves…

Inside the arena…

A look down from the top of the arena…

The lion’s cages inside the arena…

The arena was originally constructed in Roman times for live entertainment. There were gladiator battles, lions, and the images above are where the lions entered. They still use the arena for operas and ballets. While we were there, they were getting it all ready for a summer opera, which explains the red floor and stage/seating in the 2nd picture.

As you can see from some of the pictures, a storm was coming. We had to leave early, when it started to rain, but this beautiful city was worth even a small visit.

What to eat in Italy???
For us, we loved…
– The pizza! It’s super thin and they give you the whole individual pizza, which you use a fork and knife to get through. It’s so delicious! You really can’t go wrong with any topping, but my favorite was Pizze con Funghi e Salsiccia. That’s pizza with mushrooms and sausage. It’s amazing!
– The pasta! I love it all! Our absolute favorite is Bigoli all’ Anatra. That’s a thick spaghetti with duck sauce. Really- it’s incredible!
– The risotto! (Can you tell I like carbs??) Risotto is a thick, creamy rice and my favorite is Risotto con funghi, which is risotto with mushrooms.
I basically kept having those three meals again and again, never getting tired of it!  🙂
Oh, and the dessert! When you’re there, you have to have a daily gelato! My favorite gelato flavor is Straciatella, which is chocolate chip ice cream. 
Tell me about your favorite vacation spot! 

If My Blog Was A Room – Next Up – The Peak of Tres Chic

by Filed Under: blog room series


Happy Wednesday and welcome to the series If My Blog Was A Room… where I pose the challenge to think of your blog as an actual space. What would that space look like? I am so excited to have Sam here, from her design blog, The Peak of Tres Chic. Sam has a great eye for design and has embarked on an interior decorating career of her own this year. She loves ikat prints, traveling and anything French, so I think we would get along very well!  🙂 Here is her gorgeous blog header:

Isn’t it great?? And here is what she came up with! Take it away, Sam!

Hi Simple Dwellings readers!  My name is Sam and I am the editor of The Peak of Tres Chic, a blog focused on chic interior and fashion design, with a little entertaining mixed in.  Creating a room that represents my blog was such a fun challenge, and I am so excited to be sharing what I came up with.  I have often defined my blog in an outfit, but never in a room. 

Here’s what I think The Peak of Tres Chic would look like:

{via}
I love the drama of the black accent wall juxtaposed by the large amount of light streaming through the windows.  The tufted gray headboard, luxe X benches at the bottom of the bed, and the Louis Vuitton coffee table book all add glam touches that fit within my blog’s vibe.
To give you a better idea of what that vibe is, here’s my blog’s reciepe:
3 parts old Hollywood glamour
2 parts Parisian muse
1 part preppy school girl
a dash of 70s bohemian 
garnished with sparkles on top
And I happen to think this room fits perfectly within that mix of ingredients.  Thanks for having me, Amber!  I so enjoyed guest blogging today.  XOXO, Sam

Thanks so much for being here today, Sam! I love what you came up with- tufted wing back headboards are so gorgeous! And those herringbone floors?!? This room is perfection to me. Stop by and say hello to Sam at her blog here!

Time to Get Outside!

by Filed Under: design, outdoor, summer


The weather here has been beautiful lately, (which explains my lack of posts last week) and I definitely have outdoor spaces on my brain! We have a patio in our backyard with pavers, and we got our table and chairs all cleaned and ready for the warm weather. I love when the umbrella is open, the sun is shining and butterflies are flying by…….. it’s the little things that make me happy. So here are some beautiful outdoor spaces to inspire. Enjoy!

Source: flickr.com via Simple on Pinterest

That last image is my favorite! Isn’t it so dreamy?? I think I am particularly drawn to smaller outdoor spaces. To me, they feel very intimate, cozy and achievable. Even with a tiny bit of space, most of these outdoor looks can be imitated. I love when an outdoor space feels like an extension of the home- complete with lanterns, rugs and pillows. There are so many great outdoor fabrics on the market. Shopping for your outdoor space can be just as fun as the interior of your home!

What is your outdoor space like???

Italy Re Cap – The Countryside

by Filed Under: vacation


Happy Wenesday! I wanted to thank you all so much for weighing in on my rug dilemma yesterday! I truly appreciate your honesty. That’s why I put it out there. I knew you would tell it like it is! That’s why I love writing on this blog. 🙂 I’m still pondering what to do, so I’ll keep you posted!

As promised, I’m over jetlag and ready to show you some amazing pictures from our Italy trip! When we lived in Germany, I always wanted to take a picture of a herd of sheep! I thought it would look amazing blown up in black and white. I never got the chance and always regretted it. We were driving one morning, and there they were! In small towns in Italy, sheep are often seen grazing and even crossing the street. If you’re lucky enough to try and drive down that street while they’re crossing, you’ll have quite the wait! This time, they were in the grass just to the left of the road. We quickly stopped the car, and I snapped a few pictures! I hope one of these will be the large black and white image on our wall!

I think the first image is a keeper! I love how the two sheep in the bottom right are looking right at me in the first picture! Just beyond the sheep was the highway, so I had to stop every once and a while to make sure I didn’t have large trucks in my shot. I really love the simplicity of Italy. Everything is so laid back. There is no rushing everywhere, no hustle and bustle. Most small shops and restaurants still close from Noon-3:00 for rest and nap. I love that! People come home from work, all to spend some time together during the day. What a way to live!
These next pictures are from a family friend’s farm (say that 5 times fast!) This is a complete working farm with cherry trees, grapes, chickens. We even left with a fresh batch of eggs for breakfast! They were so gracious to host a lunch for us, cooked all from scratch. We had risotto, pork, polenta and apple cake. It was all so scrumptious! Here is a picture of their growing corn field:

It was so peaceful there! Next up is a beautiful bed and breakfast. Some of Mike’s family stayed there while we were visiting. The scenery here was gorgeous. It’s a beautiful, serene place. I had to snap a few pictures!

The last image is of the lobby. I love that the owner parks his motorcycle inside! It was a beautiful place, complete with a pond and a gorgeous villa on the grounds.

So that’s part one! Next up will be what we ate, and cities you have to visit!

How Much is Too Much??

by Filed Under: design, personal design style


I need all of your advice! I recently fell in love with a new rug for our dining room, but need all of your expert opinions! With the pattern we already have on the wall, is this too much in the space?

This is the new Saybrook rug from Ballard Designs and I would choose the black/gold on the bottom right side. It’s a beautiful indoor/outdoor rug that would be perfect for high traffic areas in the home. Before I go any further, let me remind you of our dining room and the one stenciled wall, already providing lots of pattern in the space:

Our stenciled wall is on the one wall only, while the rest is the soft gold color. (And our drapery is a subtle stripe, adding a bit more pattern.) But when I saw this rug, it reminded me of an extension of the wall pattern and worked well with the furniture/colors in the space. Before seeing the Ballard rug, I thought I would opt for this neutral jute rug from Pottery Barn:

This is their color bound jute rug in honey. So, I’m torn and need your advice!

How much is too much when considering pattern in one space?
Would they compliment or compete? Do tell!

This Piece Has History

by Filed Under: this piece has history


Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful, restful weekend. I am back for the second installment of the new series, This Piece Has History, where I show a furniture piece in my home and discuss its roots and special story. In my dining room in between two windows, sits an antique bench from an old church. It’s funny how you stumble upon things for your home that you didn’t even know you needed, but had to have:

I came by this furniture piece at the last second. My mom and I go to an annual antique fair held during the summer. This particular year, we didn’t find anything we wanted and were ready to leave. We decided to go into one more tent, and there it was! It was a great price and I instantly loved it! I knew it would be a versatile piece and could be moved into different rooms, to occasionally switch things up. The antiques dealer said it was salvaged from an old church and was one of their benches for playing the organ. I love pieces with a history and loved it even more after knowing its past. It now happily sits in our dining room as an extra serving piece or just a place for baskets and storage. A few years back, it was also a sofa table! And a big thanks to my mom for giving us this furniture piece as an early birthday present! I look forward to searching for more treasures with my mom this summer at the antique fest.

Fashion Friday – Crazy for Bangs!

by Filed Under: fashion friday, fashion trends


I wanted to start this post by saying Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful and inspiring mothers out there, including my sweet and supportive mom! I have turned out like my mom in so many ways, which I’m proud to say!  🙂

I am loving the bang trend lately, and am thinking about cutting bangs again! I have long brown hair right now and thinking of adding some layers and bangs to the front. I do have a pesky cowlick in the front that will bother me a bit, but I can’t help but give it another try and cut them again! After all, hair always grows and there’s always the option of pinning them back, right??? Here are some great inspiration images via pinterest. This is the direction I am thinking of going…

Source: listal.com via Simple on Pinterest
Source: goo.gl via Simple on Pinterest

I love Zooey Deschanel’s bangs so much, I had to include her twice! So, I might just go for it! After all of this great inspiration, how could I not??? Do you have bangs? Would you try this trend?

Ciao… I’m Back!

by Filed Under: vacation


We are back from our vacation! We went to Italy for a little over a week and had an amazing time! My husband’s family lives there and we stay with them when we visit. They live toward the north and we enjoyed visiting cities like Verona and Venice. It was wonderful catching up and spending quality time together. We are still a bit jetlagged, but I missed being on the blog and posting. Although we don’t have our pictures downloaded to our computer just yet, here are some beautiful images of Italy found via pinterest. Enjoy!

Source: google.no via Imke on Pinterest

I hope my pictures turned out this good! Every street, every corner and every nook is just as beautiful as you could imagine! I look forward to getting back into routines and visiting your blogs (just as soon as I feel awake enough!)    🙂 I also plan to chat more about the trip and give tips on where to visit and what to eat!

Some Inspiration and a Break

by Filed Under: great design


I will be off the blog for a bit, enjoying some R & R, but wanted to leave you with some pretty inspiration. Enjoy!

Aren’t they all so inspiring? I could gaze at these images for days! Have a great week and see you back here soon.

Fashion Friday

by Filed Under: fashion friday


Happy Weekend and welcome to the series Fashion Friday… where I discuss my other design love. This summer inspired outfit reminds me of yesterday’s cheery and fun master bedroom space.

Color and Pattern

This outfit, like yesterday’s room, has personality, color and pattern. I started this ensemble with the bright yellow pants! I wanted to go bold with the pants and help anchor the outfit, similar to the way the tufted headboard anchored the space. When I found the striped top, it instantly reminded me of the blue and white flame stitch pillows in the room. The bedroom space had various shades of blues mixed in with yellows and greens. I thought this scarf helped to also tie in the outfit’s colors like the duvet did in the room. The accessories in this outfit are fun and reminiscent of a casual summer day. And in yesterday’s space, the cheerful, eclectic vibe made you feel right at home and relaxed.
Hoping that your weekend is also relaxed and fun!!