Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Our Dining Room is Painted- Here are the Afters!

by Filed Under: blue decor, design, paint colors, personal design style


Here is a sneak peek into our dining room transformation. I am so excited to be done before the holidays. If you missed my recent post, I decided to add one more thing to my to do list and paint our dining room before company arrives!

Here is the after…

The color is Halo by Benjamin Moore and is a soft green/gray color. It’s lighter and brighter and quite a change from the previous dark golden brown walls. If you’re wondering why the Christmas decorations aren’t up, it’s because I have news! Part of this room will be on a fun web site soon and I had to take photos for the article! I think it will go live after the holidays, so no decorations for now. I will post a holiday themed room soon, when I get it all back up!

Still to do {At some point}
– Hang the curtain rods near the crown molding and install silk drapes.

The Dining Room is Beginning Its Transformation!

by Filed Under: design, painting, personal design style, walls


There is nothing like the holidays and company coming to get your act together and finish design projects. As if this time of year isn’t busy enough already, I have decided to add one more task to the list… painting my dining room! Call me crazy, but sometimes I work better under pressure! I have committed myself to one wall a day, with some time off in between. That will be a very manageable way for me to complete this on time. I am a very slow, meticulous painter, so one wall a day allows me to take my time and not get too sloppy when I’m dog tired! Here is one wall down…

Don’t mind the painting supplies in the right corner! 

The new color is Halo by Benjamin Moore. It’s part of their off white color collection and is a putty gray/green color. On sunny days, it will appear more white and when it’s cloudy, you can truly see it’s gray/green color. I decided to paint all of the walls, including the wainscoting. With this lighter color, I thought it gave interesting depth and dimension to the walls. The art also works well with the new color and the white background pops against the walls. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I had a stencil above the wainscoting for this wall. Here is the before:

Before:

While I loved the trellis pattern on the stencil (and still do), I was never happy with the contrast of the dark walls. We have wallpaper in our foyer, and I just thought it was too busy for this space. I was looking for something lighter and brighter. Don’t worry- this stencil will show up somewhere… stay tuned on that one! I still have three more walls to go and over a week to complete it all!

Wish Me Luck!!
The after shots also show some holiday decorating and new placemats. More on that soon!
Are you like me and decide to make fast home updates right before holiday company arrives??

Writer’s Block

by Filed Under: blogging, design


I am sure that if you have been blogging for a while, you come across times when you stare at the screen and wonder what to write. Well, at least I hope you do, and I’m not the only one! 🙂 I get to the computer, hoping to write something compelling and worth commenting about, and then- I draw a blank. Or either, I have a great idea, without the time to execute a well written post. Ever happened to you?? I don’t want to write something that is just thrown together, because you are all savvy readers and know when I am just faking the funk. So, I thought some time spent away to gather my thoughts would be a good idea. I am busy in a good way, gathering inspiration for clients and just busy with day to day life, as we all are. If I am not here as often, don’t think it’s because I don’t want to be! I truly love blogging and it will always be something I am a part of. Now with that out of the way, let’s get to some beautiful inspiration images that show glimpses into ideas I have been working on!

Showstopping Wallpaper and Shelf Styling:

Creamy White Walls and Beautiful Gallery Walls

Adding Coastal Charm

Mantel Styling

I would love to hear your thoughts on writer’s block and blogging breaks!

My Favorite On Line Shops for Clients (and Myself!)

by Filed Under: design, design services, e-decorating, e-design, new design source


I have been busy with e-decorating projects lately. As I was sourcing pieces for clients, I realized that there are several stores I often go back to, knowing they have reliable, pretty things. So I thought it would be fun and useful to pile that into one post. Here are my favorite go to shopping sources for clients (and myself!)

West Elm for pretty much, anything!

Home Decorators Collection for mirrors and rugs.
Anthropologie is a bit pricey, so I usually just source knobs and hardware. The choices are beautiful and would take any furniture piece to the next level.
Etsy is a great source for accessories, pillows and art. You can type key words into the search engine and great sources pop up! I find a lot of my new favorite shops that way.
After I find my etsy pillows, I come to Pottery Barn for the down filled inserts. The prices are surprisingly affordable for inserts.
Z Gallerie is a great source for unique accessories. They can be pricey, so I usually suggest a piece and then ask e-design clients to check out Marshall’s first. You may find a similar option for less!
World Market is an amazing source for great looks for less!
What are your favorite go to sources for shopping? Join the conversation- I can’t wait to see what you love!

Genius Idea of the Week!

by Filed Under: design, great design


There are some projects that just stop me in my tracks and I say to myself, she did what? I am always amazed at the creativity out there with design, and this one tops it for me! I have long admired Caitlin Wilson’s design aesthetic, home, textile line (I put her pillows in almost all of my design boards!) She was just recently featured in Design Sponge, where most of her home was shown in the write up. After reading the article, I realized she often gets the high end look for less, creates amazing IKEA hacks and is very artistic. Case in point, this photo of her kitchen:

Besides the gorgeous and functional chalkboard wall, look at those chairs! When I first saw these amazing chairs, I just thought they came from a very chic, high end store. After reading the post, I found out that she used a sharpie marker to create those trendy, gorgeous spots on IKEA chairs! Amazing! This is a very doable project for anyone on a budget, because we can all find inexpensive parsons chairs and a sharpie marker. So inspiring! To see the rest of this photo and the full article, visit here.
So, are you inspired to get out your sharpie marker and DIY something amazing??

Completed Projects and Thanks

by Filed Under: design, design services, e-decorating, e-design


Hope everyone is doing well! Is time flying for any of you, or is it just me? It seems like there are less hours in the day, lately. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. 🙂  I have some completed e-design projects to show you all- a living room and a master bedroom! These spaces are for two separate clients. I love when projects can be so different, yet share a common thread.

Living Room (Click on images to make larger)

For the client’s living room, she had most of the furniture pieces in place and needed some side tables and accessories to pull it all together. She has this gorgeous secretary desk which we will paint a dark color. I can’t wait to see the results!

Master Bedroom

This client was looking to make some major changes in her master bedroom. We will start with this new farmhouse bed- it will be stunning. Adding pops of color through the drapery and art will give this space great character.

Both clients love to mix new with vintage and love antique pieces. They are girls after my own heart, because I also believe that an eclectic mix of new and old, modern with traditional, makes a space that much more interesting and unique. It really speaks to the homeowner’s style and personality when treasures are added to a room! What I also appreciate about both of these clients is the ability to just roll with it when things don’t go as planned. We had some minor snafus and changes along the way, such as the drawer pulls not fitting with the pre drilled desk holes, furniture refinishing mishaps, etc. I am truly blessed to be able to work with such amazing clients and fun people! It has been a true joy!

Make sure to check back later this week for some photos of our fall mantel! Now the pressure is on to finish!  🙂

I also want to give a huge thank you to Patty from her blog, Patty’s Epiphanies for nominating Simple Dwellings for the Liebster Award! Thank you so much! Stop by Patty’s blog, where there is always so much great inspiration!

An E-Design Before and After!

by Filed Under: design, design services, DIY, diy stencil, e-decorating, e-design


A while back, I ran a room design giveaway on my blog, and Melissa was the winner! She chose to make changes to her master bedroom, and she is well on her way! She has made so many great changes and accomplished a lot in a short time. Here is the before:

Before:

After in Progress:

After: Stencil Wall Complete!

Melissa has made amazing progress on her master bedroom! The stencil was tedious work, but she did a fabulous job. Originally, we were going to go with stripes for the bed wall. When Melissa had the opportunity to use a stencil, we went for it! I am so glad she took on this project- the results are so worth it! Melissa has a great DIY blog, The Happier Homemaker. Make sure to stop by and check it out. She discusses her stencil project HERE. She is currently running a stencil giveaway, so make sure to enter today!

Bringing the Outdoors In

by Filed Under: design, outdoor, plants


There are some spaces in your home that need a little extra something, to fill the space and make it complete. Sometimes, a furniture piece might be too big, but without anything, the space is lacking. So what to do? A house plant can make any room feel inviting, while also adding a natural element to the room. Bringing the Outdoors In is something we always here, but it really works. A house plant that has become rather trendy lately, is the fiddle leaf fig. It comes in all sizes, sometimes taking over a whole corner in your home! It is a striking plant that really commands attention and can be the focal point in any room. I have suggested this house plant in a couple of recent design plans, because it would really work to complete an unused part of the space. Here are some great images where this plant is a show stopper…

I love that this plant can translate well to any design style. (By the way, aren’t those chandeliers amazing in the last two images?!?) I love that some of these plants have gone inside woven baskets and some have gone in outdoor containers. The options are limitless! So if you have a space in need of some love, why not add some fresh greenery??

Make sure to stop back tomorrow for an e-design update on one of my client projects! You won’t want to miss this!

Fall in Love With Fall

by Filed Under: design, fall colors, fall fix ups, seaons


This is my favorite time of year! I love the crisp air, warm sweaters and the leaves turning colors. Why not put together some of my favorite images of fall to inspire us all to decorate for the season?!? Enjoy!

Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Amber on Pinterest

What a pretty season! Make sure to check back later this week to see how I decorated our front porch for fall!