Design Insights and Inspiration

Horizontal Stripes – Before and After!!

October 17, 2011 by Amber Filed Under: guest room

I have been talking for a while about making some changes to our guest room. I have so many ideas in my head for this space and I am super excited to cross one job off the list! I wanted to add two horizontal stripes to the bed wall, making this the focal point in the room. The space was already painted Yarmouth Blue by Benjamin Moore. While reading Sherry’s blog a while back, she added two, wide horizontal stripes to a friend’s master bedroom wall and I loved the outcome. I love a quick project with big impact, so I knew I wanted to try it! I decided to use some extra trim paint we had lying around and added two creamy white stripes to the blue wall:

My wonderful husband did all of the measuring and prep work, and I came in and painted! Our ceiling in this room is about 8 ft, so the stripes measure at about 18-19 inches wide. We wanted all of the stripes (both blue and white) to measure the same width, so that is how we came up with this number. After using a level and some painter’s tape, the stripes were ready to be painted! I ended up doing about 3 coats to cover the blue completely. After taking off the painter’s tape, there were minimal touch ups, but no big deal! I started taking off the tape while the paint was still a bit wet, so the tape wouldn’t rip off the dry paint. (It has happened to me in the past, and I learned my lesson!) So here are some before shots with the tape up:

And one with the stripes painted (only 2 coats at this point):

And a couple more afters:

I wanted the paint to completely cure and dry before putting the headboard back and the rest of the room together. The room still needs some art on the wall, throw pillows on the bed and some extra jazz in the space! Stay tuned for a completed guest room!

Oh- Simple Dwellings Interiors is finally on facebook! Check out the facebook link on my sidebar!

Fashion Friday

October 14, 2011 by Amber Filed Under: fashion friday

Happy Weekend and welcome to Fashion Friday… where I discuss my other design love! As you may know, I love to be comfortable! I also think it’s fun to cuddle up in a warm poncho on a cold day. So with fall already upon us, I thought it would be fun to put together a fall inspired look that I would definitely wear.

Fall Fashion by simpledwellings2

I love the colors of fall, so when I saw this orange shirt from Anthropologie, I loved it! And nothing says comfort like a pair of jeans and ballet flats! I also love a sweater poncho to bring it all together. Yesterday’s post showed a fun, whimsical and casual space. I loved how liveable it was and how inviting the decor made me feel. So…. why not put together the same type of outfit!

Happy Fall Weekend!!

Why This Works

October 13, 2011 by Amber Filed Under: why works series

Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works… where I show a designed space and talk about why (I think) it’s perfection. This living and dining space comes to you from Lonny and was featured in their June/July 2010 issue. The designer of this beautiful and fun space is Bunny Williams.

via Lonny Designed by Bunny Williams

This space has a great blend of traditional and modern and brings a smile to my face! The color on the sofa is fun and whimsical and pops against the white walls. The style of the sofa is traditional, but made more modern paired with the graphic design on the coffee table. The coffee table accessories are playful and fun and add a casual warmth to the space. The end tables flanking the sofa are traditional in design and works well paired with the neutral, but modern rug. The modern detail on the outside of the rug is just enough pattern and looks great with the contemporary look of the sofa pillows. The dining area is a nice balance to the space, with its aqua lamp bases that give a nod to the sofa color. The large chandelier over the dining table is grand in scale, making this traditional piece more modern. I love the layering effect that is going on by the sideboard zone. The fabric hanging above the sideboard is broken up by some art and large, beautiful bird sculptures that almost appear to be part of the art on the wall. The scale of those pieces and the wall sconces draw your eye to that part of the room, expanding the space. Overall, this space works! ï»¿

If My Blog Was A Room – Next Up – Interior Design Musings

October 12, 2011 by Amber 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 Mandi here, from her blog Interior Design Musings.ï»¿ Her blog is full of gorgeous spaces and beautiful ideas. She balances traditional with modern so well and I absolutely love what she came up with for this post! Without further adieu, here is what Mandi came up with!

What a treat to be here today participating in Amber’s series “If my blog were a room.”

I’ve been designing interiors for several years, but this past Spring I revamped my entire blog and launched my own interior design business here in Birmingham, Alabama. So, I put a lot of thought into my logo design, both for my blog and interior design business. I really wanted it to reflect my sense of style. But, you know, . . . funny thing about graphic design – just because a logo makes you think of certain things, does not mean other people will conjure up those same thoughts. So, for Amber to think of expressing a blog in terms of a room is simply genius!

With that, here are my thoughts on what Interior Design Musings would look like as a room . . .