Blog – Page 3

Introducing Project Neutral Trad

April 5, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: #ProjectNeutralTrad, amber b design, design, interior design 2 Comments

I just recently presented a new local project that I’m so excited about! Project Neutral Trad is the name and you can find it on instagram and twitter under #ProjectNeutralTrad My clients moved into a new home and are looking to make it their own, over time. They love watching Fixer Upper on HGTV and are looking for that same relaxed, casual, traditional- meets- modern style in their own home. We have started with the morning room, dining area and living room. When I present to clients, I like to show them inspiration images, to give them an idea for the overall design aesthetic and direction of the room. I then take each space, breaking it down by vignettes/areas and show them the chosen pieces for that space. I also bring in the actual fabric samples that will be suggested for the pillows and furniture. We lay it all out on the table, so we can start to see how the room will transform and how all of the pieces will tie in together.

The Living Room

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The fabric samples from Ballard Designs are the possible ottoman fabrics. The deep charcoal will definitely go on the club chair and we can either match the ottoman with the same fabric or opt for a camel herringbone outdoor fabric. I love the stripe fabric sample from Tonic Living! That will be the lumbar pillow for the chair.

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These pages show the other side of the room and rest of the seating. I love the mix of metal finishes and warm and cool fabrics. I can picture this room complete in my head!! #eeeekk

The Morning Room

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The Morning Room shares the same area with the dining space. There is room for three oversized, slipcovered chairs that will sit by two huge windows. It will be a perfect spot for a cup of coffee and a great book! As you walk into the room {which is directly off of the living room}, there is a long wall, perfect for a quote sign. This accessory was an etsy find, from the sweet shop Between You and Me. What I love about their shop, is that you can purchase a ready made sign, or have them make a custom piece of something meaningful and personal to you.

The Dining Area

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I love the look of mixing up the head chairs and side chairs. These modern windsor head chairs are a dramatic height and will look beautiful in this room. The table runner and woven basket for the firewood help to bring a casual, not so formal approach to the design.

I look forward to showing you the progress of these rooms in the coming months! Follow along with the hashtag #ProjectNeutralTrad Have a great day!!

Transitioning Into Spring With Pottery Barn

March 3, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: amber b design, Bridge Street, design, interior design, personal design style 2 Comments

We are finally in the month of spring and although it is still freezing outside, I am inching towards adding spring accessories to my home. {Maybe if I just start slow and add some linens, cottons and coral branches, I can wish the warm weather to get here for good!!} I teamed up with our local Pottery Barn store and brought some of their beautiful accessories to News Channel 9’s Bridge Street. I did a segment with Sistina and TeNesha about slowly transitioning your living space and bringing some light and bright fabrics, beach inspired accents and various textures to get ready for spring. If you live in New York, it will still be necessary to leave out the velvet pillows and cozy cable knit blankets for some time, but at least you can start to get your space ready! My jumping off point for adding some color was found in this embroidered pillow…

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Pillow

I love using at least one accessory to help tie in the room’s color palette. Sometimes, that is done with the area rug, art, or in this case- the pillow! This pretty applique option allows you to go so many different directions with the room’s color story. Its lightweight cotton fabric makes it perfect for spring and summer months. Since we are in a slow transition and still need those heavier weight fabrics around, I also showed how you can pair this with velvet pillows. Anytime a room has various metals, wood finishes and fabric materials, it gives the space depth and dimension. Adding velvet with cotton did just that…

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I love the way this solid lumbar brings out the dark blue in the colorful pillow. I am also all for mixing different print pillows and various shades of the same color. This Shibori indigo print pillow has a cool, eclectic tie dyed design. It gives a nice ombre effect, which I love…

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Pillow

I also love a pretty buffalo check print and this pillow also made the cut…

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Pillow

I think it gives a modern look in the gray and white color way. And after the pillows are set, it’s time to add texture…

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Baskets

These beachcomber baskets are the perfect addition for any living space. They are great for extra pillows, blankets and books. Adding different metal finishes in a room gives a layered look. I brought a small brass lantern for the studio’s table. I think it’s also is a great accessory for the warm months ahead…

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Lanterns

And since it still feels like winter here, I definitely brought along a cozy throw blanket. Actually, blankets like this are perfect for chilly summer nights, too…

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Throw Blanket

If you know me and my design style, I love to mix it up and use several different shopping sources within each room I design. I think it brings a collected over time style to your home. Today though, it was all about some fun new accessories from Pottery Barn. And I had a blast seeing how well their products work together to bring a layered, complete look. Thank you so much to my local Pottery Barn for helping me put together this segment. I truly appreciate it! Anytime I get to chat design with Sistina and TeNesha on Bridge Street, it’s a great day! They are amazing. Until next time, Bridge Street! And if you missed today’s segment, you can catch it HERE.

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Guest Room 2 Source List {Project Bedroom Refresh}

January 31, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, design, guest room, interior design, sarah heppell photography 2 Comments

Today is the final installment from the source list series in Project Bedroom Refresh. This was such a fun project with amazing clients! I always love to see the completed product after the initial vision and hard work. There’s nothing like it. And seeing it through the lens of talented photographer Sarah Heppell is such a treat! This is the front guest room in their home. This was a bit of a diversion from the other two bedrooms, in that blue wasn’t a main color {or a color at all!} But that’s ok. You don’t have to have all of the same colors throughout your home, in every room. It is important to take a couple of similar elements, to tie the spaces together. We did that here with texture, earth tones and an overall neutral palette. We also added the buffalo check print again, but just in a different colorway. Enjoy!

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// drapes // roman shades & curtain rods // round mirror – Hobby Lobby // bedskirt // quilt // sheets //

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// headboard // side tables // throw pillows // vases & throw – Home Goods // mirrors – Hobby Lobby //

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// woven basket – Target // throw //

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// tufted ottoman, tray & marble gem – Target // pillow & art – Home Goods // design book //

I hope you enjoyed the tour through this design process. It’s also fun for me to look back and see the various stores and sources that go into a room design. It helps to bring a collected over time feel to a space. Have a wonderful day!

Guest Room 1 Source List {Project Bedroom Refresh}

January 18, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, design, guest room, interior design, sarah heppell photography 5 Comments

I am excited to continue on with the source lists for Project Bedroom Refresh. Up today, is the back guest room. I also went with more blue in this space and the design definitely has a coastal edge. The amazingly talented Sarah Heppell took all of the after photos. Enjoy!

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// wall color // quilt // palm leaf // palm pillows // blue & cream pillows // sconces //bedskirt // mirror, art above bed, sheets, vase and night stand – home goods // headboard – client piece //

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// lamp & driftwood branch – Home Goods //

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// dresser & lighthouse print – clients pieces //

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drapes // roman shades & curtain rod // striped throw – Home Goods //

The next and final source list for this project will be the front guest room! Have a great day!

Master Bedroom Source List {Project Bedroom Refresh}

January 11, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, design, interior design, sarah heppell photography 4 Comments

With a new year, comes new blog posts! I have made it a goal of mine to write more on this blog. I love having this little space on the web and it’s fun to look back at past projects! As promised, I am going to look back on Project Bedroom Refresh and give a complete source list for products in each room. First up, is the master bedroom. My clients have always had a traditional design aesthetic and were looking to bring an updated, fresh take on that for the bedrooms. That style is right up my alley, as I love a great blend of modern with traditional. And the beautiful after photography is all by the very talented, Sarah Heppell Photography.

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bed mirror // greek key pillows // dragon lumbar pillow // duvet and shams // sconces // drapes // linen shades // wall color // curtain rods // sheets – Home Goods

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chandelier // bedskirt // oversized wall frames // navy gourd lamp // wall basket // wall art – Minted, free printables & Home Goods

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brass floor lamp // woven basket // armchair // lumbar pillow // side table // wall art – Home Goods

I hope you liked the look back at this project! Up next, will be the source lists for the guest rooms!

A Recap {Our Trip to Italy}

January 9, 2017 by Amber Filed Under: Uncategorized 2 Comments

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it is already 2017?!? I am sure I have already made mistakes and written 2016 on things. It always takes a while. We took a big family trip over the holidays and went to Italy! My in laws live there and it’s been a few years since we have made the trip. It went by in a flash, as all fun vacations do. It’s always so great to reconnect and spend time together. The amazing pizza, gelato and pasta didn’t disappoint, either! Here are some of the highlights from the trip…

Venice

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We have been to Venice a few times, but never took the plunge and went on a gondola ride… until now! It was as dreamy as I had imagined it would be! I have always wondered about this profession, so I asked our gondala driver. It turns out, steering gondalas is a profession passed down through the family. His father was a gondala driver before he started. He said he was never nervous with standing and steering… he grew up being on the water, so it was like second nature to him. What made him nervous at first, was figuring out the best time to navigate and turn the long boat when going through the narrow canals. Watching him and the driver in front of us, maneuver through the canals was so cool. They would push off the brick walls with their feet and also hold on to the window’s sills to get the turns just right. It was all so interesting!

Verona

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Verona is one of my favorite cities. It is so picturesque and rich with history. The arena is amazing and awe inspiring! To think of what went on there centuries ago is incredible. It is still used to this day, for operas and concerts. The picture of the ice skating rink was taken from the top of the arena. And I just love this carousel, right in the middle of the town center. We took an evening ride before heading home, which made it all the more magical.

Bolzano

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Bolzano is in norther Italy and is on the border with Switzerland and Austria. The city is surrounded by the gorgeous mountains! You will notice in the pictures above, that some words are translated more in German than Italian. They have a beautiful Christmas market and you can see the stunning sites in a cable car ride. We took a ride in one and the picture directly above, was taken from inside the cable car. {That was very nerve wracking, by the way! The kids loved it, though!!} I highly recommend it if you make a trip to this pretty city.

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We would end some nights with this regional dessert. This sweet bread is typical around the holidays, especially New Years. It is shaped like a star, so it looks so pretty served on the plate. You slice it thin and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top, for extra sweetness.

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We are now over our jet lag and back to routines! If you have any questions about visiting these cities, please leave them in the comments!

Snippets of Our Holiday Home

December 22, 2016 by Amber Filed Under: amber b design, amber b design at home, holiday Leave a Comment

I can’t believe Christmas is only a few days away! As always, this time of year is busy and fun. I didn’t get around to posting an entire holiday home tour, but wanted to show you little pieces of our home, decked out for Christmas. I like to keep things simple and add little doses of cheer around the house. Whether it’s one ornament on top of a book stack or Christmas beads placed in a dish- it’s all about the little unexpected surprises (and minimal pick up in January!) 😉 Truly, I just love to slow down and spend time with family at this time of year. That’s what it is all about! Enjoy!

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Nutcrackers- Target Last year

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Nutcracker collection- Target, Christmas Tree Shop, Dollar Store

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Marble & Wood Star Bookend- Target last year

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Happy Holidays to you all! See you in 2017!

Project Bedroom Refresh… The Final Reveal

December 12, 2016 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, before and after, design, guest room, interior design, local clients, sarah heppell photography 5 Comments

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was packed with fun family events and finishing up our Christmas decorating. I am ready to show you the final reveal for Project Bedroom Refresh! Up today… the front guest room. My clients were wonderful to work with. It was a blast for us all to see the three rooms take shape. And the final icing on the cake was seeing Sarah work her photography magic. There is something so rewarding and exciting about seeing the finished designs through her lens. We worked with my clients dresser and table lamps. We refreshed the space with a new wall color, headboard and accessories. On Friday, I mentioned that there would be a bit of a change in this space and not incorporate all of the same colors. I went without the blue in here, but you’ll notice the neutrals and even some buffalo check, helps to tie the three rooms together. So let’s get right to it! Here is the room when we began…

Before

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And here it is now…

After

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All After Photos by Sarah Heppell Photography

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Project Bedroom Refresh! I have more exciting projects to show you after the New Year!! Stay tuned later this week, to see some snippets of our home for the holidays.

Project Bedroom Refresh… The Reveal Part 2

December 9, 2016 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, before and after, design, guest room, interior design, sarah heppell photography Leave a Comment

Welcome back to another reveal day for Project Bedroom Refresh! Today, it’s all about the back guest room. I carried in the same shades of blue from the master bedroom, to tie the two spaces together. My client’s home has blue and neutrals throughout, so this brought some continuity to the overall design. And like yesterday, the wonderfully talented Sarah Heppell Photography took the gorgeous after photos! Here is where the room began…

Before

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We kept the headboard and one dresser for the space. We also used some of my client’s art work for the walls. And here it is now…

After

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All After photos by Sarah Heppell Photography

My clients really love the laid back coastal vibe this room has and how it ties in well with their master bedroom. On Monday, I’ll be back for Part 3 and the final reveal… the front guest room! The third room will be a bit of a diversion with the color story, but it will be tied together through fabric patterns and an overall neutral design. Stay tuned!

Project Bedroom Refresh… The Reveal Part 1

December 8, 2016 by Amber Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, central new york design, design, interior design, local clients, sarah heppell photography 6 Comments

It is like Christmas came early around here… it’s reveal day!! I love being able to see a project from beginning to end. And once my favorite photographer, Sarah, puts her magical stamp on the project, it’s ready to reveal! I have loved working with Sarah on several design projects. She shows every room in its best possible way. So let’s get right to it! First up, will be the master bedroom. My clients wanted to update their bedroom, as well as their two guest rooms. They hadn’t been decorated in some time and they were looking for a major change. They like a traditional style and were ready to infuse some modern design to the mix, as well. Here is where the master bedroom started…

Before

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