Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

My Valentine’s Day Tablescape

by Filed Under: holiday


Happy Thursday! Today is my turn for the 14 Days of Blogosphere Love post. Latoya from The Scott’s Crib, came up with a great idea to ask some bloggers to count down to the sweet holiday with some festive inspiration. So my idea is dressing up the table for Valentine’s Day!

I wanted to give the table a mix of styles… blending fancy with rustic and pretty with simple. Let’s start with the table setting- all of the china is from our wedding collection. I balanced all of the fancy with simple napkins and placemats that are actually just paper napkins! I love opening up the large paper napkins and using them for a pop of color…  (it’s also a simple solution that’s easy on the wallet!) I wanted to do something that was fun to look at when you first sit down, and these candy canes left over from Christmas make a nice heart shape! I was inspired by this idea from pinterest:

I altered it a bit for Valentine’s Day and made little hearts instead! The centerpiece was also fun to make and so inexpensive! I took some grilling skewers that I already had, purchased some large marshmallows and shredded paper- and voila- a simple and rustic centerpiece! The marshmallow skewers can easily be taken out for dessert and dipped in melted chocolate for a delicious treat! The 3 jelly jars on the table can be filled with white votives, making the table glow at night.

Thanks to Latoya for asking me to participate in the Valentine’s series! Make sure you also check out the other wonderful bloggers and their crafty ideas and link up to Latoya’s blog on the 14th for a Valentine’s Link Party for everyone!

If My Blog Was A Room – Next Up – The Designer Lifestyle

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 Tiffany here, from her design blog The Designer Lifestyle. Tiffany is new to blogging and I’ve enjoyed reading her posts and meeting a new blog friend! Here is what she came up with-


Hello!
I’m Tiffany from The Designer Lifestyle and I’m so honoured and excited to be a part of this fun series here on Simple Dwellings! As a fairly new blogger, I’m
loving ways to connect with the design blogging community.Thank you for having me!


When I first started brainstorming about what my blog would look like if it
were a room, I knew immediately that it would be A BEDROOM. I do most of my blogging from my bed, and I also like to think of my blog as a place for myself and readers alike to unwind and relax after a long day.

Here is my header ^. As a cue of inspiration from it, my blog bedroom would most definitely need a beautiful mirrored vanity like the one drawn in my header.  While my blog has an emphasis on interior design, I also feature some fashion and beauty, both of which take place in the bedroom as you get ready in the morning! A vanity like this can also double as a desk 🙂

via

 As for the fashion aspect, the room would definitely need a gorgeous walk in closet (a girl can dream right?)

via

 In terms of the bedding itself, the duvet would be a crisp white like the text box of my blog. Caitlin Wilson Textiles offer up the perfect throw cushions for my blog bedroom. That geometric turquoise one in the front is almost an exact match to the background of my blog, and the coral colours match my title and links font!

via

It would also require a beautiful upholstered headboard for reading and blogging from bed! I love the nail head and tufted details of the following example:

via

My blog is essentially my place to post all of my inspiration, and so the room would absolutely NEED a large inspiration board!

via

Lastly, I’d incorporate fun, trendy and colorful accessories to
represent my personality that I inject into each post. My taste is pretty
eclectic, nothing too matchy-matchy, just a collection of beautiful
things.

I’ve put together a board of what the room might end up looking like to bring it all together:

I hope you enjoyed reading about my blog’s room as much as I enjoyed putting it together! A big thank you to Amber for having me! Please stop by The Designer Lifestyle and stay awhile! Have a wonderful day xox

Thanks so much for being here, Tiffany! I love what you came up with- this would make a fabulous room! Tufted headboards and the beautiful color combination of turqouise and coral would make a lovely, restful retreat, in my book! Definitely stop by Tiffany’s blog and welcome her to blogging!

Our Kitchen and Family Room – Before and Afters Revealed!

by Filed Under: family room, kitchen


I finally did some styling and took some pictures of our rooms with the new paint color! I am really happy with the way it came out and am loving the lighter color. I went with Benjamin Moore’s Alaskan Husky in an eggshell finish. Our ceilings were already painted Horizon, which is one shade lighter on the swatch. The colors are both very light shades of a blue/gray. With the ceiling already painted, I knew the color would go- but it is a pretty dramatic change for us!

Kitchen Before:

And the Kitchen After:

Family Room Before:

And the Family Room After:

The spaces truly feel so different with a new paint color. Even the same accessories look new again! I will show more shots of the spaces soon, along with my no hassle painting tips!

Lighten Up

by Filed Under: family room, kitchen


As I’ve been busy painting away in our kitchen and family room, I definitely have lighter colored rooms on the brain. Most of the walls in our home have been dark for a while, and I’m looking to change that in a few spaces. I love the moodiness and drama of dark walls, but I’m lightening things up this year in a couple rooms and I’m excited for the change. (I will post the after photos soon- just waiting for the perfect sunny day to take the pictures!)

Source: bhg.com via Simple on Pinterest

These images are beautiful and I’m so excited I lightened it up! The second image is almost exactly our paint color. After pictures to come soon!

If My Blog Was A Room – Next Up – My Design Ethos

by Filed Under: blog room series


Happy weekend 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 Anna here, from her decor blog My Design Ethos. I have followed Anna’s blog for a while and love to see what she’s up to with her home renovations and client projects. She lives in Australia and I love that blogging can form friendships from anywhere in the world! Without further adieu, here’s what Anna came up with-

Just like everyone else I love reading Amber’s ‘If my blog was a room…’ series. So I was very excited to be involved! I’m Anna by the way, and blog over at My Design Ethos. I’m an online interior designer so my blog serves as an ongoing inspiration source for my client’s projects, as well as my own house. So, as you can see my header is fairly simple…

Because I use my blog as a place to record my inspiration for clients, the styles I post about range from minimalist to bohemian and everything in between. But, it’s also a reflection of my own personal style… a little modern, a little traditional, a little formal, a little casual with some interesting art and patterned fabrics.

As you arrive it would need a lovely entry with aqua wallpaper, and a touch of grey accents. Maybe something like this?
Found at the Lennoxx.

But modernised, with some pieces like this…

Found on Pinterestvia The Girls of Lincoln Park.
Once we’ve met I’d bring you into a living space. In an aqua room my style might look a little something like this…

Designed by Nick Olsen. Featured in House Beautiful.
I always want my blog to reflect lots of styles, and a comfortable place to discuss those styles. So it would need a cosy room, with lots of light, bookshelves for all those design books and blogs, and a pretty chair to discuss everything with a cup of tea (or wine, let’s be honest!). Of course, a little neutral pattern layering and gorgeous gallery wall would never go astray either…
Tori Mellott’s apartment. Featured in Domino. Found here.

My blog is never moody, but sometimes the interiors can be just a little bit touchy…
Found at BDG Style.

Of course, if you follow ‘my design ethos’ long enough you will hear about my never-ending house renovation and future dreams for my own home. Thus, there is always a lot of navy, mustard yellow and grey floating around my blog as well.

Styling by JC Garcia-Lavin. Featured in Elle Décor.Found here.
While all these formal spaces are great for a glass of wine, I am an Aussie, so after our chat we would have to move somewhere out the back which is casual and comfy, where we can sit in our wet togs after a swim and have a cold drink. Somewhere like this…



Via Real Living on Ninemsn website.

Well thanks for having me Amber! I hope you all love my ‘blog room’, but make sure you drop around so we can chat about all the other fabulous interior styles I love as well!

Thanks so much for being here, Anna! I love everything about the foyer in the second image and the bold use of color and pattern in every space! (And thanks to Anna for her patience, as we worked out some kinks with google and formatting this week!)

Definitely stop by Anna’s blog and say hello!

Why This Works

by Filed Under: why works series


Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works… where I highlight a designed space and talk about what I love! I found this space on pinterest and it definitely made me smile.

What immediately gets me is the amazing shelf styling. I love the whimsical look of organizing your books like a rainbow! It’s such a fun way to use color and your everyday items to make a statement. This can easily be achieved with the collections of books we all have. I usually think that we have too many books, but when organized like this- more is better! The rest of the space is calm and neutral, allowing the books to take center stage. This space looks like a library, with a peek into the living room. I love the white slip covered seating, natural woven rug and pops of blue. It all works so well! When looking into the next room, I love the glossy blue door- it really draws your eye into the space. In a very subtle, yet creative way, the decorator has taken the color from the books for the accessories in the space. The door, foot stool, pillow and vases all have the same beautiful hue of blue seen in the books on the shelves. The pinks and greens in the flower arrangements mimic the same hues found in the amazing book collection. I would love see more of this home! And what I love most is that this look is so achieveable- we can easily slip cover seating that may look a bit worn and arrange our books in a new and creative way. This is definitely accessible design!

What are your thoughts??

14 Days of Blogosphere Love!

by Filed Under: holiday


I am so excited to be a part of Latoya’s 14 Days of Blogosphere Love. She has asked several bloggers to create a Valentine’s inspired post and help count down to the holiday! First up, is Emily from Nap Time is My Time. She completed a beautiful wreath and has the tutorial here!

Stop by here on the 9th for my Valentine’s Tablescape and check out the other amazing bloggers along the way!

Valentine Lovelies

by Filed Under: holiday


Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and it’s always fun to let the people in your life know how much they are appreciated and loved! There are so many sweet, creative ideas out there for homemade gifts, decor and pretty things! Here are some images from pinterest to get your creativity flowing!

Source: tumblr.com via Simple on Pinterest
Source: ljcfyi.com via Simple on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Simple on Pinterest
Source: etsy.com via Simple on Pinterest

Soon, I will be sharing some of my ideas for Valentine’s Day, including some table setting ideas! I will be doing a variation of this idea:

And for a painting update…. most of the walls are complete in the family room! Once that is finished, on to the kitchen! After photos coming soon!!

Fashion Friday and Some News!

by Filed Under: fashion friday


Happy weekend and welcome to the series Fashion Friday… where I discuss my other design love! I was inspired by yesterday’s cheerful room. The space was layered with texture, interest, bright pops of color and a timeless style. So, I thought I would try and create that look, in an outfit! (I must be wishing for spring to come soon, with these last posts!)

Inspired by Green

Yesterday’s lakeside retreat was fun, relaxing and full of color! This outfit is a bold interpretation of that! We start with the green blazer, which reminds me so much of the green used in yesterday’s space. In the dining room, the bright pop was balanced with subtle neutral hues and a little hint of a salmon, coral color. So, I found this adorable coral clutch and ring which also adds another fun color to the outfit. The soft creams and tans in the lace blouse and heels reflect the airiness in yesterday’s wall and sofa colors. The inspiration space had a touch of black to anchor the room, which this skirt and earrings also do in this outfit. The ring and bracelet give a nod to the shiny, sparkly elements in the room, such as the beautiful chandeliers. With all of these cheerful inspirations, maybe spring will come early!

And here’s a hint to what’s happening in our dwellings, as we speak:

Our family room and kitchen will soon go from this-

To this-

I am super excited! The rooms are next to each other, and I can’t wait to tie them together by having them both the same paint color! These rooms have been dark for so long, and I am excited for a major change! This color is Alaskan Husky by Benjamin Moore.

Stay tuned…

Why This Works

by Filed Under: why works series


Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works… where I highlight a designed space and talk about what I love. This is one of my favorite dining spaces from Coastal Living. I have always loved it’s cheerful use of color!

There is a lot of green in this space, but it is toned down a bit by the neutral wall color and area rug. The light sofa in the living room also helps neutralize all of the green, striking a nice balance between pops of color and serene, soft moments. Black in a room is always key and becomes a great anchor with the table lamps and fireplace surround. The rustic farmhouse table works well paired with the pretty upholstered seating and sparkly chandeliers. The tufting on the dining chairs is very traditional in style, yet the shape of the chairs is a nod to modern, sleek design. While the drapery might have bright hues, the graphic pattern of the green along with the creamy white works well together. I love the combination of green with a salmon color and you see a hint of this pretty shade with the sofa’s throw pillows. The beadboard walls makes the space feel so relaxing, as does the gorgeous waterside view outside! To me, this is the perfect lakeside space!

What are your thoughts??