Design Insights and Inspiration

{Client After} DIY Art

March 3, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: art, DIY, e-decorating, e-design, project

I have another after photo to show from one of my recent projects! I love being able to see projects come to life. This is for a client looking to add new modern touches to her lower level space. We are adding a gallery wall of photos on her stairway going down into her basement. Here is our inspiration for that…

Source: blog.foundstyle.net via Amber on Pinterest

I love that gallery wall image- gets me every time! With a large collection of photos on the stair wall, I wanted the wall at the end of the stairs to have a graphic impact with typography art. I thought that would balance well with all of the family photos. I instantly thought about a DIY subway sign project! Since this is a space to gather and entertain friends and family, why not greet them with personal art once they walk downstairs! She loved this idea, because she could make the piece meaningful by adding places they have lived and traveled. Here is the completed subway sign:

After…

Didn’t she do a great job?!? She said the project was super simple. In my design presentation, I included a tutorial from my blog friend, Courtney. When Courtney completed this project, she gave a full explanation of what to do and the materials to use on her blog.

Since this photo has been taken, the walls have been painted a gorgeous gray color! I can’t wait to show you more soon. I might just have to try this project myself. It would be so much fun to look at all of the places we have lived and traveled in one piece of art.

So how about you… have you ever made your own art??ï»¿

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

February 28, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, personal design style

You are in for a treat today! Yesterday, I opened up my inbox and saw an amazing collection of after photos from a recent e-design project. The project was for a keeping room, directly off of the client’s kitchen. They use this space as a main gathering area and it needs to be a functional, casual and stylish place for this fun family. My client loves splashes of color and wanted to give it a chic, modern edge. Here is a before picture of the room:

Before

The space is already gorgeous to begin with! I love all of the natural light and vaulted ceilings. Here is the design board I came up with:

My client already had the chevron rug and chiang mai pillows. We also kept the existing wall color, television and media console. We switched out the seating, added new side tables, colorful accessories and art. And here are the afters…

After

My client is over the moon excited, and I am so thrilled with that! She did a wonderful job putting the space together and had great attention to detail when placing the accessories. I chose art and accessories that had colors pulled from the chiang mai pillows. I like how the pops of color are just sprinkled throughout the room, keeping the overall space neutral and airy like the rest of her home. With the color only in the accessories, the client is able to switch things out over time, when new favorite colors emerge. Also, she can move things from room to room to change things up, since this space flows with the rest of her home.

We are now working on her basement, which is coming along great! With e-design, you aren’t able to see the space in person, so it is so wonderful when you can see the vision come together. And this client has become like a friend, and I love it when that happens! I truly get to work with such amazing people, and for that I am so grateful. A big thank you to her for letting me share these pictures!

Next up, I will show you the DIY art project she created for the basement!

{Before and After} Shelf Styling in Our Family Room

February 25, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: design, personal design style, shelf styling, styling

As we all know, a house is never done. There are accessories to move around and things to change. I’m ok with that, since I don’t like an accessory in one spot for long. I am always moving things from room to room and shopping around my home for changes. Here are some recent changes I made to our family room shelves…

Before

And here are the changes…

After

To keep it real, I actually didn’t just ‘shop around my home’ for all of these accessories. I’ve been doing some store shopping, lately! But, half of the things are from other areas in my home! 🙂 Starting with the top shelf, I swapped out two smaller prints for one large print. I like that it draws your eye up, which gives the illusion of more space. It’s a print from Italy that we had in another part of our home. The tortoise shell vase just switched sides and the chain accessory was from Target. It’s from the Nate Berkus line and it’s now on clearance!

For the second shelf, I brought in books from other parts of the home and also used some that we already had on this bookshelf. The clock was just moved to the top shelf. The ‘B’ candle jar was from our mantel and the Audrey Hepburn frame was from our dining room. I just found the white ginger jar at TJ Maxx for $12.99!

For the third shelf, the white tray and coral now sit on a dresser in the living room. If you follow me on instagram {AmberBInteriors}, then you know I just scooped up this grapewood branch at Pier 1 Imports. I had been eyeing it for a while and decided to go for it. I’m so happy I did, as it’s large enough to have a shelf of its own. You can pick one up HERE.

For the fourth and fifth shelves, I found these amazing baskets at TJ Maxx. The fabric has great texture and adds a casual/ rustic quality to the room. They can fit everything from pillows and blankets to board games.

One more before…

Before

And After…

After

To give you an idea of where this shelf is in our family room, here’s a little snapshot..

I wrote about the striped art prints on the fireplace HERE. I chose the green striped wrapping paper, because I liked how it worked with the Italy print from the top shelf.

Have you found any great deals lately… from shopping at a store, or your own home??ï»¿ 🙂

{Trendspotting} Mixing Metals

February 24, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: design, design theories, personal design style

In my latest i village feature, I was asked to name a big design trend happening in 2013. It didn’t take me long to think about mixing metal finishes for a room. To achieve a layered, eclectic look in a space, a brushed nickel lamp base can sit near a brass accessory, without worry. Just like it’s fun to mix jewlery with gold and silver in one outfit, the same can be done with your space. I’ve always been in the thought to ‘include the things you love’ in your home. If you absolutely love it, then it works! Here are some spaces that achieve a layered, collected look by mixing metals and forgetting the design rules.

Bronze with Chrome

Source: houzz.com via Napolitano on Pinterest

Iron and Brass

Source: houzz.com via Tina on Pinterest

Bronze and Brass

Source: simpledwellings.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Stainless Steel and Bronze

Source: houzz.com via Baldwin on Pinterest

Brass and Chrome

Source: houzz.com via Mary Kyryk, Interior Decorator on Pinterest

When you see specific examples, you realize that it’s not so obvious. These spaces just look layered, well balanced and personal to the homeowner.

Have you mixed your metals lately??

Will you be watching the Oscars tonight? I always get excited to see what everyone’s wearing. Isn’t that why we all watch??ï»¿

Guest Feature Over at Emily A. Clark’s!

February 22, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: Uncategorized

I am so excited to be a part of Emily A. Clark’s blog post today! She has been featuring projects where readers are working with what they’ve got! For me, it was painting my ceramic tile backsplash in the kitchen. I was so unsure of this project, having no idea if it would work. I am so glad I did it and it has saved me a few years until we install a new backsplash!

I love Emily’s blog and have been following her since I started my own. Her projects are amazing and her ideas are always so creative! My most recent favorite is her striped hallway…

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Amazing! It is an honor to be on her blog today! Stop by and check out the post here.ï»¿

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What is the A La Carte Option All About?

February 21, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design

When I show you my recent design work, I realized that I don’t usually include an a la carte board. If you were to choose an A La Carte Design package, that could include drapery selection, sofa pillows, gallery wall ideas, just to name a few. It’s priced per room and is a great way to have design services for one particular item. My most recent client was looking for matching table lamps for one of her rooms. With this design option, I presented a board with three choices, all fitting within budget and style.

{click on board to make larger}

For this particular board, I also included a few styling ideas to give the client a design vision for the tables.

This design package would also work for:

-Resale Styling Tips
-Paint Color Selection
-Area Rug Ideas

Visit my Design Services links either at the top of my blog or on my sidebar, and scroll to the bottom to see this design package!

And thank you to the Room Mates Decor blog for featuring my mom’s amazing chevron stairs! Stop by and check it out here.

DIY: Wrapping Paper Art

February 17, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: design, DIY, great deal, project

As I was in TJ Maxx the other day, {my favorite brick and mortar store} I came across pretty striped wrapping paper. While some may just view it as great paper for wrapping presents, I had other plans! Our fireplace mantel still had frames with Christmas paper inside, so I thought I should switch that out fairly soon. {I know… Christmas was over long ago!} Here is our mantel, starting to get ready for spring…

All I did was open the frame and cut the wrapping paper to size! I decided to use the same paper for both frames, but change the direction of the stripes to make it look a bit different. I still have a ton of paper left for wrapping presents for any holiday! The green would work for any age and gender! {I could even save it for Christmas presents for next year. Imagine this paper with a big red bow!}

Since I already had the matted frames, that’s two pieces of art for $3.99! Not bad.

Have you finished any inexpensive decor ï»¿projects lately??

Do tell… I will include them in a new post!

Ich Liebe Dich!

February 14, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: holiday

Happy Valentine’s Day! I was searching etsy a while back and came across this sweet handmade card. I couldn’t resist picking one up for my valentine…

shop here

It means I love You in German and it brings me back to the time Mike and I lived in Germany at the beginning of our marriage. That was 10 1/2 years ago, and I love him more now than the day we got married! 🙂

Have you told your valentine ‘I Love You’ today??ï»¿

Mood Board Link Up!

February 12, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: Uncategorized

I am excited to be a part of Beth’s first link up party! Beth writes the blog, Design Your Dwelling, and every Tuesday, she will host a mood board link up party where designers and design enthusiasts can show their work, share ideas and find new blogs that inspire them. Today, I will be sharing a design board that I came up with that adds texture and fun pattern to a living room.

{click on board to make larger}

This is one of my favorite projects because it shows that you can mix high end items with great deals to create a layered, eclectic look. Good design doesn’t have to cost a fortune! I love to go to etsy for one of a kind accessories and pillows. On etsy, I can find a well made, designer fabric pillow cover for a fraction of the cost. Make sure to link up HERE or click on the button below!

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