Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

E – Design {Recreating the Master Bedroom}

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, personal design style


A while back, I created a master bedroom e-design for a client combining modern with traditional, chic with rustic and fun colors, such as lavender and emerald green. When my clients moved, they wanted to use as much of the design elements as possible for the new bedroom. We had to make a few small changes, so I thought it would be fun to compare the designs and see how items can transition from one home to the next.

The Original Design Plan

A collage of different types of furniture and accessories.

 

Dresser & Gallery Wall

A white dresser with a mirror and a lamp

Original Floor Plan

A bedroom with a bed, dresser and tv.

Do you remember when I wrote the post on this bedroom being photographed? To refresh your memory, here it is all complete, with photos by Danielle Benham…

A bedroom with a bed, dresser and tv.

 

A bedroom with a bed, pillows and a window.

 

A bedroom with a bed, dresser and mirror.

All after photos by Danielle Benham

The new master bedroom has a much different layout, so we made some changes to the furniture placement. Originally, the desk was a second night stand. With the new house, there is not enough room next to the bed for this wide desk, so we included the same second night stand, which was luckily still available. The desk will fit in the space, but in a small reading nook. I think it will be really pretty, as it will face out to a wall of windows! The tall second dresser will not fit in this space, so I suggested adding it in the closet. Here is the new design:

New Design Plan

A collage of different types of furniture and accessories.

The Floor Plan

A bedroom with a bed, dresser and tv.

Won’t that reading/desk nook be fabulous?!? There is so much natural light in this space. I can’t wait to see it all come together! We are going with the same wall color, Halo by Benjamin Moore, which she loved. We kept the bedding, but included a different pillow option, to switch things up. We had to select a new chandelier, and I love this Stiletto option from Shades of Light. The woven x benches will now go at the foot of the bed, as opposed to on either side of the dresser. All in all, we were able to work with almost everything the way it was. And that’s a refreshing thing to realize!

Make sure to come back next week for a fun blogger series I am excited to be a part of!

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, dining room, interior design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another installment of Why This Works… a series where I show a designed space and talk about why it works so well. Today is interior designer Caitlin Moran’s gorgeous, eclectic, bohemian inspired dining room. This image below was taken from her feature in Lonny and is a true show stopper. Take a look!

 

A dining room table with plates and napkins on it

image via

I have always been a fan of neutral spaces with pops of color and this room does that to perfection. The color comes through in the abstract wall art, the area rug and table setting. This style of seating has really grown on me lately and I love it! The low profile works so well for this modern look and the rustic simplicity from the table is a great balance. And let’s talk about that statement chandelier for a minute! I have written in past posts about using lighting that almost seems too oversized for a space. When it seems too large, it is actually just right! And I love the texture this fixture brings into the room. I am also a huge fan of layering rugs to add depth and interest. {And in this space, color and pattern, too!} It is a wonderful way to make a rug that would be considered too small, work so well. I love the mixture of the window treatments, with the sheers and patterned panels. They provide function and style, which is a win win in my eyes! The wall sconce is large enough to be functional, but doesn’t compete with the art work and chandelier. And a vase of fresh flowers is the best way to complete any room! All in all, this space works!

What are your thoughts???

{The fact that I have two back to back posts of Why This Works is not lost on me! Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I will be back soon to share some completed e-designs.}  🙂

Why This Works & Bridge Street Segment

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, design, interior design, local clients, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another installment of Why This Works… a weekly series where I show a designed space and dissect the details, to explain why the designer chose what he/she chose and why it works! Today’s space is a project I designed last year for a local client. I speak about it often on this blog, because it was such a fun project to work on. This project is also near and dear because I love the true talent that shines through in Sarah Heppell’s photography skills! She truly made this space shine with these after photos. As you may already know, I named this project Vintage Gem, because of the gorgeous architecture of the apartment and the details they left in tact during the renovation of the building. Also, my client loves a mix of vintage and new, so the name was a great fit. In past blog posts, I never truly dissected the details of this space and explained why certain pieces were chosen and why. So let’s do that here, today!

 

A living room with brick walls and a table

 

A living room with brick walls and a large painting

 

A living room with a couch and chairs in it

Amber B Design, Photos by Sarah Heppell

When I walked into this space for the first time, I was immediately struck with the gorgeous brick walls and stunning high ceilings. It is a compact space with a combined living and ding area, but the high ceilings and architectural details make up for that. I wanted to compliment those details and not compete, by selecting light and neutral furnishings that allowed the apartment’s details to be the main focal point. The furniture and accessories were the supporting cast. Another trick I like to use is to select a few large, oversized accessories, as opposed to several small pieces. It’s a great visual trick that allows your eye to be drawn up to appreciate the room, giving the illusion of more square footage. When I installed the large blue table lamps and floral art work on the buffet, your eye was brought up instead of down and the space appeared larger. You could admire the brick more, even though we added pieces in front of it. Also, the dramatic wall clock was added behind the sectional. Upon first glance, it’s massive size could appear too large for some. But this clock instantly pushed the walls back and made the room feel bigger. I like to tell clients that if an accessory piece appears too big, it’s probably just right. It can take time to train your eye to like larger accessories. Luckily, my client was right on board and also thought the space felt bigger. In this room, I also wanted to use a mix of different wood stains and metal finishes. Especially with this vintage style, our goal was to create a space that looked as if it had been collected over time and not to match too much. So, the light stained buffet is near the dark stained dining table. Brass candle sticks on the buffet are near a bronze side table and pewter base coffee table. My trick for mixing metals, is to stay within the same ‘shine’ family. In this room, I wouldn’t have brought in a shiny chrome. All of the metals are buffed and matte, which is why they can work together. I like to separate the mattes from the shiny. And last but not least, I like to add various textures and fabrics into a space to create a layered depth. The jute, natural fiber area rug is paired with a leather chair, linen sofa and cotton pillow covers. That will add layers and depth to a space, making it feel warm and collected.

So that’s a little sneak peek into why I chose what I did for this space! I was thrilled to be able to talk about this design today with Sistina Giordano from Bridge Street. She is always wonderful to chat with and it was a fun segment. To see the video clip, visit HERE!! Thank you so much to Sistina and the entire News Channel 9 team for having me!

Add Some Flowers!

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, amber b design at home, design, flowers, interior design, personal design style, sarah heppell photography


Just when we thought spring weather was around the corner over here, it started snowing today! It doesn’t show any sign of letting up, so I thought it would be fun to bring spring inside. The best way I know how to do that, is with a vase of fresh flowers. Flowers instantly warm up a room, any time of year. I am always drawn to the flower section of our grocery store, because I know what an impact they make to any room in your home. When I had our home and Project Vintage Gem photographed, I added some fresh flowers to most of the spaces. Boy did that make a difference! That and the wonderful photography talents of Sarah Heppell. 🙂 So, here’s a round up of rooms that bring that spring time vibe, even if it’s freezing cold where you are!!

Our Home

A living room with white walls and furniture.

 

A basket with a plate and vase of flowers on it.

{hydrangeas and tulips are always my go to flowers of choice!!}

A dining room table with chairs and flowers in the center.

 

A living room with a couch and chairs in it

Project Vintage Gem

A dining room table with chairs and a clock on the wall.

 

A mirror and table in the corner of a room.

 

 

A couple of crates sitting on top of each other.

Amber B Design, Photos by Sarah Heppell

So if you are in need of some spring or you just want a cheerful change, add some fresh flowers today!!

 

Bonus Room E-Design Plan

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, e-decorating, e-design, floor plan, interior design, kids and design


I am excited to reveal the design plan today, for a client’s bonus room! You may remember this client from her first home, HERE. We worked on a few of her rooms in her first home and I even got a chance to see the real estate after photos. Now with her new home, she’s looking to make one bedroom do double duty and have it as a play room for her kids, as well as a guest room. Let’s get right to the design plan…

A collage of different types of furniture and accessories.

 

I just love that this space will be colorful, neutral and have loads of texture and function. There will be spaces for toy storage, creative play, a place to display art work and even a day bed that conforms to a double bed for guests! There will be a lot packed into this space and you get to see how it’s laid out in the floor plan, below…

A drawing of a living room with furniture.

Amber B Design

Do you see how the walls pop out with two windows? Those are the dormers in the space and will soon be spots for new built in seating, wall sconces and ledges for books! Eeeek I can’t wait! The room has dramatic slanted ceilings, which we will make more visually pleasing with Hygge & West’s Daydream wallpaper in Green. Ohhh so lovely!! I look forward to showing you the process along the way. Thank you to my amazing client for allowing me to show the journey! Stay tuned…

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another post of Why This Works… where I highlight a designed space and talk about why I love it so! You may have already seen the gorgeous Michigan home of Michelle Adams… known for her work in Lonny.com and Domino. She decided to leave the fast paced NYC life and move closer to family, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She completely renovated a 1920’s colonial home and I love every new detail! Today, I highlight the living area…

A living room with white furniture and black accents.

as seen in…

The casual and stylish way she designed her home is so inspiring! It feels warm, lived in and ultra chic, which can be a hard combination to achieve all together. I love that she mixed navy and black. Those colors do go together and I love using them in design. Funny thing- as I’m typing this, I’m also wearing a navy/black striped shirt! And not even planned. 😉 The roaring fire is beautiful and framed inside a gorgeous carrara marble mantel that she had installed. It instantly adds charm to the space and takes her back to what she loved most about her visits to Europe. She also made a great decision to remove the windows at the back of the living area and replace them with French doors. The change allows more light in and is great for functional purposes, out to her new patio. The glass chandelier makes a dramatic statement, yet doesn’t impede your view to the outdoors. The skirted table is adorned with coffee table books and a vase with a beautiful flower arrangement. I always love the casual and stylish look of skirted tables. {They can also be great for concealing storage pieces, if needed!} The open bookshelves show a collection of accessories, books and framed pictures, which I think is the perfect trio when shelf styling! This room has a mix of light and deep colors, warm woods with modern accents and woven baskets and leather chairs for texture. It is that balance and mix that I always appreciate. Michelle loves so many different design styles and it is evident in her accessories collection in her home. That’s what makes a home feel as though it has been curated and collected over time and definitely tells a story. To see her entire home and read the House Beautiful feature, visit HERE.

What are your thoughts???

Make sure to stop by later this week, where I show my completed bonus room e-design! Also, thank you so much to Houzz for naming me Best of Houzz 2016. I am fortunate to have this award for the past two years. Thank you!!

Oversized Accessories

by Filed Under: accessories, design, personal design style


In my previous post, I mentioned that I like using large, oversized accessories in a room. If you think they make a space look smaller, it actually does the opposite. Even in a compact sized room, a large art print, dramatic vases, urns and even an oversized lamp can make a space feel larger than it is. I love that visual trick! For large art pieces on the wall, it allows your eye to look up, giving the illusion of a taller space.  If it seems too huge at first glance, it’s perfect! A good rule of thumb is to try it out for a few days. It will take some time for your eye to adjust to the change. Now, I’m not saying that every piece in the room should be ginormous {using a word my daughter often says!} but 1-3 key pieces can make all the difference. Here are some examples of this trick…

A living room with two chairs and a table

Lauren Liess

I love the framed tree print, above, from designer Lauren Liess. It instantly draws your eye up and makes you take notice of the room’s height. This can still be done in a room with lower ceilings, because it will do the same trick. One print can often give more impact than a grouping of smaller prints.

A dining room with white chairs and a table

Ashley Goforth

The dining room, above, designed by Ashley Goforth, is stunning. The oversized pendant and even the tall dining chairs makes this room shine!

A bedroom with white furniture and yellow sheets.

Amber B Design // Photo by Sarah Heppell

The master bedroom I designed for Project Vintage Gem needed a tall mirror above the dresser! The high ceilings would have made a small mirror feel lost in the room.

A white table with four chairs around it

Studio McGee

I always love the work of Studio McGee, and this chandelier above the kitchen’s eating area almost takes up the whole width of the table. And I love that!!

A large painting of flowers on the wall above a wooden cabinet.

Amber B Design // Photo by Sarah Heppell

The dining room buffet from Project Vintage Gem fits into a small studio apartment, but the ceiling height made the space feel much larger. I decided to go big with the floral art print and also add a pair of oversized gourd lamps to work with the tall ceiling height.

A living room with a couch and pillows

Amber B Design // Photo by Sarah Heppell

In this same project, the living room was also part of the space. I added a huge wall clock in between the windows. It did this cool visual trick of pushing the walls back, making the room feel bigger.

I am definitely a fan of adding large accessories to a space. What are your thoughts?

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another installment of Why This Works… where I show a designed space and talk about why it’s amazing. Today, I am featuring interior designer Thomas O’Brien, who has always been known for his classic, laid back style. I am always drawn to his designs, because they are so livable and real. Today’s guest bedroom he designed for a designer showhouse was featured in Veranda magazine and exudes that casual, classic style that I love!

 

A bedroom with four poster bed and white walls.

image via

This room has that perfect blend of comfortable and stylish. I am always drawn to a four poster bed of any kind and I love that this deep wood stained finish balances so well with the light carpet and ceiling molding. The linen covered walls have that small pattern that also mixes so well with the neutral bedding. I am also a fan of pattern on pattern and it works so well here, with the walls and headboard, because it’s a mix of small and large patterns. If the headboard had a small print design too, it wouldn’t work as well. I always love an animal nod of some kind and this oversized feather print is dramatic and restrained at the same time. A perfect way to approach oversized art/accessories in your home? If it looks too big upon first glance, then it’s perfect! Large art and accessories takes some time to get used to, but makes such a wonderful impact in any room. I also love a good asymmetrical balance when done right and this art print does not have a matching piece on the other side, but rather uses the printed linen covered walls and tall table lamp as its counter balance. A small table lamp is then placed in front of the feather art, so there’s functional lighting, but doesn’t compete with the print. The tufted arm chair and bedside flowers add that feminine touch to the classic, masculine blue the room exudes. Overall, this room works for me!

What are your thoughts???

E – Design {The Living Room}

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, e-decorating, e-design, interior design, living room


I recently completed a living room e-design for a family looking to bring some updates and changes to their space. Their living room is right off of the main entrance to the home, so it also does double duty as a small foyer. With the space being a bit compact, we had to get creative with space planning, the furniture size we used and accommodate functional design with their two small children. I am happy to say they are thrilled with the design plan!

The Design Plan

A collage of furniture and accessories in various colors.

 

My client loves blue and green and adding those colors into an overall neutral scheme. Perfect, because that’s right up my alley! With their 8′ ceiling height, we wanted to replace their drab overhead light fixture with something fun. The semi flush pendant, shown on the top center of the board, will be a great replacement. The patterns and colors on the board are fresh and current, yet blend in with their traditional, rustic aesthetic, which is the combo they were hoping to achieve. I wanted to add an acrylic coffee table, to not take up too much visual space. Also, the gentle curves are functional with small kids running around. They can easily fit the gray knit pouf {right side of the board} under the table, when not in use. Luckily, we were able to fit a considerable amount of seating in this compact space. Using two upholstered navy blue ottomans {bottom left of board} in front of the fireplace, makes it easy to use as extra seating or a place to rest your feet. They are quick and easy to move around and they also do double duty as storage! Below, you will see the floor plan configuration that was selected…

The Floor Plan

A drawing of a living room with furniture.

 

The door on the top right corner of the floor plan is their main entrance. They already had a gorgeous antique hall tree for their coats and hats. We also used some of their vintage furniture pieces to bring that charm to the space and mix well against the modern fabrics. I can’t wait to see the result!

I am currently booking more e-design projects for 2016, but spots are filling up fast. E-mail me at [email protected] to get your project on the list. I look forward to working with you!

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, personal design style, why works series


Welcome back to another edition of Why This Works… a weekly series where I show a designed space and discuss why it’s great. Today, it’s all about one particular aspect in design and that’s styling shelves. In the new year, I hope to organize much better and these well kept shelves are making me think just that! This Pasadena home was featured in Domaine and is designed by LA design firm, Burnham Design. Take a look!

A shelf with books and vases on it

image via

What I love most about these shelves is the effortless way they appear to be styled. They definitely have that collected over time vibe, which I love. These accessories look as if they have a history and meaning to the homeowners. I love when shelves are a mix of books, art and sculptural accessories and these have all three! Bookshelves have much more depth and interest when there is layering going on… it can even give the illusion of a deeper shelf. To achieve this layering effect at home, start with an empty bookshelf and slowly add a couple of books and accessories at a time. Step back every now and then, snap some pictures and evaluate how you would like to go further. That’s what I always like to do when styling shelves. It does take some time and patience, but the reward is a treat for the eyes! Here, you get a glimpse of the top shelf with bone inlay boxes, neutral book covers and art prints. The next shelf has books laid both vertically and horizontally, with an everyday vase used as a bookend. I love thinking outside the box and using non traditional book ends. The books are subtly organized in a color block format, keeping similar hues together. Pieces collected from travels adorns the shelves and memories can instantly be remembered when those accessories are out on display. Book shelves are used for much more than just books and this design shows that to perfection!

What are your thoughts?!?