Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Why This Works

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


Welcome back to another Why This Works post, where I highlight a designed space and discuss why I think it’s amazing! Today, I am showing a cozy eating nook in a stunning kitchen. Take a look…

image via

Not only do the white cabinetry, subway tile and warm wood floors get me, but that banquette just makes you want to linger for days! I have been using banquettes in my designs lately and if you have a spot for it, it’s the perfect way to bring warmth into the kitchen. This image was found on Midwest Living, for one of their articles about this same topic. When the upholstery is done in an easy to clean fabric, it becomes not only beautiful, but very functional. I also love the pairing of the bistro chairs and metal top table. It provides just the right amount of balance and a collected over time style that I love. I also love the cafe curtains and the softness they bring to the windows. The fresh fruit and flowers provides just the right amount of color to the space, making it a cheery and warm kitchen. The warm butcher block island counter brings a nice balance to the white stone counters on the perimeters. The touches of metal shown in the chandelier and nailhead range brings another texture to the room and makes me want to see more!

What are your thoughts?

A big thank you to blog friend, Emily A Clark, for including me in The Saturday Six series this past weekend. I read her blog every day and I was so excited for the opportunity! My family knew right away, as I yelled, come here, come here! look at this! from the computer room. To check out the post, visit here. You will definitely want to see what else is on the list!

Make sure to come back tomorrow, for a fun announcement!! Eeeeek!!

Project Vintage Gem – The Reveal Part 4

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, before and after, design, interior design


Welcome back to the final installment of Project Vintage Gem! Today, it’s all about the foyer. My client has a pretty small foyer and we wanted to make it as functional as possible. We wanted to add storage, a place to sit down and a spot for the litter box. You may be worried when you hear that a litter box is going in the main foyer, but no fear… it came out pretty cool and blends right in with the vintage/rustic charm we wanted for her home. Let’s get right to the pictures! It was a tough space to photograph, because of the lack of natural light and compact size. But yet again, Sarah Heppell worked her photography magic!

Heading to the foyer from the living room…

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A room with a wooden crate and a lamp

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

For a quick before and after, here is how the space was when we began…

Before

A hallway with a door open and a green bowl on the floor.

A room with two suitcases and a backpack.

I actually forgot the electric box was on that wall! We strategically hung the mirror there, to cover it up!

After

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

After photos by Sarah Heppell

A huge credit goes to my client for finding the custom litter box cover on etsy! It really works with the home’s design aesthetic. We always need functional design too, right?!? Thank you all for your encouraging and sweet feedback from this project. It was truly amazing to work on and I am so thankful to my client for allowing me to share this journey on the blog.

Why This Works

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


Welcome back to my Wednesday series, Why This Works, where I highlight a designed space and talk about why {I think} it’s amazing. Today, it’s the former living room of interior designer, Lauren Liess. She has recently moved and is blogging about her new home’s renovations HERE. This space featured today, also underwent a major renovation to make it reflect her and her family. This space is warm, inviting and definitely Lauren’s signature style…

A living room with two couches and a fireplace.

image via

The earth tones and blending of modern with vintage, gets me right away. I love using warm colors in design and then balancing that with clean, crisp and modern elements. I think it’s such a great combination! The warm leather chairs and patterned rug is paired with a crisp white slipcovered sofa and modern acrylic coffee table, to achieve that collected over time style that Lauren loves and I always appreciate. She loves to use natural elements, so it is very fitting to see her home styled with botanical inspired fabrics from her fabric line and fresh greenery on the table. The warm wood beams on the ceiling pair so well with the modern brass sputnik chandelier and clean lined windows. Although ceiling beams can appear traditional in origin, Lauren has installed them with a thin, more clean beam style. The books on the coffee table, tray with beads and fresh greenery all invite you to stay and linger for a while. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with for her new home! It will be nothing short of amazing. Her new book is also out this week. I hope to show you a picture soon, with how I have styled my table with her new book!

What are your thoughts on this space?

Project Vintage Gem – The Reveal Part 3

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, before and after, central new york design, design


Welcome back to the third installment of the Project Vintage Gem reveals! Today is Master bedroom day. For this space, the only thing that stayed was the bed. Everything is new, including all of the bedding. Thanks again to my friend Nicole, for helping me get this space ready on photo shoot day. And thank you to Sarah Heppell, for these amazing after photos. Here we go…

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

Here are before pictures of the space, the first day we met…

A bedroom with a bed and two windows.

A bedroom with a bed and a refrigerator.

And now…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

All after photos by Sarah Heppell

Tomorrow, I’ll take a break from the reveals for Why This Works series and then I’ll finish off reveal week with the foyer!

Project Vintage Gem – The Reveal Part 2

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, before and after, central new york design, design


And here we are, ready for Part 2 of the reveal for Project Vintage Gem! Thank you all so much, for your kind words about this project on facebook, instagram and here on this blog. Your encouragement means more to me than you know! Today’s reveal will be the living room portion of the great room. Thanks again to my dear friend Nicole, for helping me style this space up on photo shoot day! And just like Part 1, all of the after pictures are by the very talented Sarah Heppell Photography. Lets get right to the pictures…

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

A living room with brick walls and a white couch

Here is where we started with this space, at our first meeting…

A room with exposed brick and wood floors.

And now…

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

A living room with a large clock on the wall

A living room with a couch and clock on the wall

A couple of vases sitting on top of books.

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

A living room with a couch and pillows

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

A table with a lamp and mirror in the corner of a room.

After photos by Sarah Heppell

Next up after today, will be the Master Bedroom portion of this project!

 

Project Vintage Gem – The Reveal Part 1

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, amber b design, before and after, design


I am so thrilled to be here today, showing you the reveal of #projectvintagegem. You may have seen that hashtag around for quite a while, if you have been following along on instagram {AmberBDesign}. I began working with my client in January, when she asked me for help with her combined living/dining room, master bedroom and foyer. She needed to start fresh and we only kept the dining table, bar stools and bed. The rest is all new! Today’s reveal will be the dining room and the rest of the week will show her gorgeous apartment, one space at a time. She lives in a renovated early 1900’s building with loads of character. The builder decided to leave the exposed brick walls, plumbing pipes and tall ceilings. They added the soft and neutral gray walls, dark wood stained floors and stylish kitchen finishes to bring a modern, yet rustic vibe to these apartments. So let’s get right to it! A huge thank you to my great friend, Nicole, for helping me style the place on photo shoot day. She helped make the day so much fun! The amazing after photography shots are all by the very talented Sarah Heppell Photography. She shows this space in its best possible form. Enjoy!

A living room with brick walls and a table

And here is a before photo of this same space…

A room with a brick wall and wooden floors

Here are some more after photos…

A living room with a couch, chair and table.

A table with a vase of flowers on it

A dresser with two lamps and a brick wall

A dining room table with chairs and a clock on the wall.
A table with a vase of flowers on it
A blue lamp sitting on top of a wooden table.

A couple of crates sitting on top of each other.

A wooden pallet with wine glasses and bottles on it.

A cat is laying on the floor in front of a couch.
A kitchen with two stools and a sink

The building’s landlord was thrilled that this apartment has been designed and is now being photographed, that he wanted to stop by and take a look…

A man and woman standing in front of a brick wall.

{Deep in design conversation, in this photo}

And then one last full shot of this side of the room, again…

A living room with brick walls and a table

All after photos by Sarah Heppell

Throughout this week, I will show the living room side, the master bedroom and finally, finish with the foyer. This project has been so much fun and rewarding. I love being able to look back at where we began!

New Local Design #projectbedroomrefresh

by Filed Under: #projectbedroomrefresh, amber b design, ballarddesigns, design, local clients, personal design style


Happy Friday!! I am excited to share with you a new project that I am working on. I have called this one #projectbedroomrefresh. If you follow along on instagram {AmberBDesign}, then you will also see sneak peeks of the project there! I met my new clients about a month ago, when they contacted me to help with the upstairs bedrooms. The rooms have not had any design attention for some time and they wanted them to feel stylish, updated and most importantly, complete for their guests. I proposed bedding, window treatments and accessory options. We are also working on their master bedroom and giving that space a complete overhaul. They will be keeping the bed, dresser and night stands, but everything else will be transformed in their room. I am excited to see it all come together. Below are my ideas for the two guest rooms and the master bedroom…

A picture of some materials and instructions for making curtains.

This is the design plan for the guest bedroom in the back of the house. The tone on tone leaf patterned fabric will be the drapes! The bedding will stay soft and crisp, while color will come in through the throw pillows. The herringbone rug in the back of the design layout, will be the new hallway stair runner. I just love how that pattern will look as you walk up the stairs.

A table with some fabric samples and a plan

The above design is for the other guest room. My clients love a traditional design aesthetic, so when I found this plaid fabric from Tonic Living, I knew they would love it! I will then balance that traditional with some modern, which also happens to be a favorite style of mine. I am thrilled that my clients are on board with that mix up. I think it will bring so much depth and interest to the rooms. The drapes will be in the neutral, Greek key fabric, also from Tonic Living. I have used this fabric in another client’s home and it is a stunning print for curtains!

A table with some furniture and fabric samples

And last but not least, is the master bedroom. This is a rather large room, so we luckily have space for a small seating area. We will add pattern and color to this room with the four inch buffalo check fabric for the drapes. I am so excited for that one!! With two windows in the room, there will be four panels in this gorgeous, on trend but traditional print. We will modernize that classic buffalo check with some CWD pillows and a stunning Ming dragon lumbar pillow. And it wouldn’t be an Amber B Design project without a little antique brass thrown into the mix! Each space has a little touch of brass to give it that collected over time style. When my clients renovated their kitchen a while back, they ended up using a couple of different metal finishes. I told them they were on trend, without even realizing it!

If you have read my blog for a while, you may notice that these presentations look different than past design presentations of mine. I have decided to go in a different direction, with how I show my clients the ideas. I used to present with large boards, where the images were smaller, but fit all in one place. Now, I have larger swatches of fabric, paired with smaller presentation papers. I now show vignettes and group them by sections of the room. I am really pleased with the new format and believe it will be easier to organize for both myself and my clients. With any business, self reflection and constant editing are important. I was talking with a good design friend of mine and her advice is always invaluable to me. I know with my own business, I am constantly looking and reevaluating to see what works best. So far, I am happy with this new change!

I look forward to updating you on this project as it moves along. And to follow along more often, you can check in on instagram {AmberBDesign} Have a great weekend!!

Why This Works

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


Welcome back to a Wednesday series I used to write and finally bringing back! Why This Works is a weekly series where I select a room and describe why {I think} it works! Make sure to check back every Wednesday {or every Wednesday I get my act together to write the post} to see what space is next on the list! Up today, a lovely, stylish, stops you in your tracks master bedroom! This is the bedroom of talented designer Erin Gates, from Elements of Style blog.

A bedroom with a bed, nightstand and window.

This space doesn’t need much explanation of why it works. I was immediately smitten with it when I saw it. I love it when master bedrooms have that calm, serene vibe. It makes you feel as if you are on a vacation, right in your own home. I love the crisp white bordered duvet and shams and the way it balances so well with the warm wood bed. I always fall for a four poster bed of any kind and this has the ability to be transformed, just by adding fabric to the posts. The neutral bedding and area rug allows for bold, patterned drapes. But when they are done in neutral, almost tone on tone colors, the large print paisley fabric still reads calming. I also love symmetry in bedrooms and the pair of night stands and bedside lamps does just that. But then, Erin balances that with a whimsical, asymmetrical art piece above the bed. {And by the way, if you are a reader of her blog, she bought those sunburst art sculptures at Target!!} A love a great high/low design story! Lets also discuss the way the drapery panels and shades are hung on the walls. High and wide is the important topic for this installation. Erin hung the drapery rods and shades higher and wider than the window frame, drawing your eye up and giving the illusion of more space and a larger window. I love that trick and think it’s so important in any space! I just presented to clients yesterday, where we discussed this same topic. We will be installing both the shades and drapery rods as high as we can on the wall. It’s such a great visual trick. And last but not least, nightstand styling would not be complete without a formula similar to Erin’s… small stacks of books, sculptural accessories and personal mementos/picture frames. And of course, a fresh vase of flowers!

So what do you think? Does this space work for you? Erin also has a NY Times best selling book out and it also happens to be the first design book I have read from cover to cover! Check out her blog and read about her book HERE.

Welcome to My New Home!!

by Filed Under: amber b design, blog, design


I am so excited for this day… my new site is here! It has been an absolute blast working with Britt, from Gallery No. Eight- the mastermind behind this new site. She is amazingly talented and creates web design magic! I am in awe of her creativity and the ideas she comes up with. She was able to redirect my old posts to this new site, so you won’t miss a beat when searching previous Simple Dwellings posts or DIY projects. They are all still here.

I am so lucky to have worked with Britt to create a site that truly feels like my style. And we both found it unique that the colors I chose for this site happen to be the same colors you’ll see throughout my home tour. I guess I really like that combination!

I am also grateful to the photographer that captured my home in such a creative light. Sarah Heppell is a true talent that put this camera shy girl at ease and made the photo shoot day so much fun. She has that special ability to bring a photograph to life and capture those tiny moments in a home and make them memorable. I will be using her talents for some future design projects, so stay tuned for that!

A living room with a table and chair, lamp, picture and china cabinet.

A dining room with white walls and wooden table.

A table with two lamps and a white horse head.

So take a look around and enjoy! And if you’re looking for me, I’ll be trying to figure out how to use word press. This is my first post and so far, so good. I figured out how to hit ‘publish’ so that’s a win for me!  😉

Progress on the Wine Cellar Project!!

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


A little while back, you may have remembered my post here where I hinted at my first commercial e-design project… a wine cellar in Long Island, NY! This wonderful couple that I am working with, has embarked on this amazing journey to start their own business in the wine making industry! I look forward to giving you a full reveal of their business and facility in the future, but today- I have a crazy cool sneak peek for you. We primarily worked on the wine tasting area, which shares a large space with the actual wine production facility. I think it is so special and unique that customers will be able to get a glimpse into the actual business of wine making, while sampling the delicious wines they offer. We wanted to make all spaces flow together and maintain an open concept, but also have the ability to close off the production areas when needed. The area is a renovated cellar in a small town on the North Shore of Long Island. It’s a quaint town outside of those windows and we wanted to keep the natural light throughout. Here are some before pictures of the cellar…

Before


My clients wanted to keep a neutral color palette of whites, blacks and grays. Here is the design board I came up with…

They were on board with the plans and got right to work with the design ideas. I am so proud of their progress. The sneak peek I am about to show you is of the wine tasting room, which is pictured in the first before pic, above.

Amazing Progress


Spectacular progress, right?!? We added the new indoor/outdoor rug under the table and the chic bar cart on the right. I love the way the brass from the bar cart adds a chic quality to the space. The wine racks on the right (which the husband made) have been painted, reinforced and stacked on top of each other for a dramatic area for wine display. The concrete wall in the back has been covered with board and batten and painted the same dark color as the wine racks. The best thing about this paint is that it is covered in a chalkboard finish. Now, they can write their wine names directly on the racks and board and batten! When they want to move wines around, they can easily wipe off the chalk and start over. The small window also blends right into the design! At first glance, I didn’t even notice it was still there, yet helps bring in natural light. They hung their antique windows above the buffet on the left and two gourd lamps will sit on the buffet, for soft task lighting. Hanging the antique windows there, helps to conceal some of the wine barrels and necessary equipment. The chandelier will be replaced with the black fixture you see in the top center of the design board. They have made such stunning progress so far and it is a real treat to be a part of this journey with them! I cannot wait to see their business grow and thrive! Here is a before and in progress comparison again, of this wine tasting room.

Before


In Progress


I look forward to showing more, as my clients complete the space. A big thank you to my clients for allowing me to share the progress of their journey!