Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Design Board Reveal for #projectclassicliving

by Filed Under: #projectclassicliving, amber b design, central new york design, interior design


I am excited to show you some recent plans I designed for #projectclassicliving. You may have remembered when I worked with these wonderful clients for their nursery and kitchen. {Click on the words ‘nursery’ and ‘kitchen’ above to see those projects.} Now, we have moved on to the foyer, dining room, living room and sun room. I wanted to keep that classic, timeless vibe throughout the home, since they live in a gorgeous 1930’s colonial. Here are the design boards I presented for those spaces…

The Foyer


The Dining Room


The Living Room


and The Sun Room


There are some pretty dramatic suggestions and my clients are so willing to go for it, which I love. I truly look forward to working with these clients again. And I will definitely show the process along the way, here on the blog. 🙂

You will also be able to follow the progress of these projects on twitter, instagram, and pinterest through @amberbdesign under the hashtag #projectclassicliving

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!

An Update on #projectclassickitchen !!

by Filed Under: #projectclassickitchen, amber b design, before and after, design, interior design, kitchen, local clients


I am sorry for the long absence on the blog! Time got away from me, but I am happy to return with a local client project update. You may have remembered a post I wrote HERE about #projectclassickitchen. It was a local client project that I was so thrilled to be a part of. The project got its name because my clients contacted me after remodeling their gorgeous traditional and classic kitchen. They live in a 1930’s Georgian brick colonial and the finishes they chose totally work with the era of the home. I was hired to complete the space with: breakfast nook furnishings, wall accessories and window treatments. I recently went over to the house, since we are working on some other rooms on the first floor and decided to snap even more pictures of the kitchen. When I was there last, the drapes had not arrived yet and there were some other items that needed to be hung on the walls. Here is the space now…

And just for fun, let’s do a before and after of the breakfast nook…

Before



After


I can’t wait to show you the design process for the rest of the rooms we are working on!

The Design Plans for #projectvintagegem

by Filed Under: #projectvintagegem, design, interior design, local clients


I am excited to show you the design plans for #projectvintagegem. My client is very happy with the ideas and ordering items has already begun! With this project, we are working on her foyer, living/dining room and master bedroom. To recap, my client is looking for a home that has a vintage, collected style. She loves mixing woods with metals for an industrial look, which is a perfect style for her historic building with exposed brick walls. Here are the plans, via Amber B Design style…

The Foyer


The Living Room


The Dining Room


The Master Bedroom



I am so excited to see this project through to completion! It has been my pleasure coming up with these design plans and I just love the charm and character of this building. I promise to report the progress along the way!

If you would like to work together, either locally or through e-design, I have openings beginning in April!

Before and After: A Mini Reveal of #projectclassickitchen !!

by Filed Under: #projectclassickitchen, central new york design, interior design, kitchen, local clients


I am thrilled to reveal a local project I have been working on! I first started working with these clients with #projectdelicatenursery and we have since began working on other areas of their home. I am so fortunate that my clients found me… they have been wonderful to work with. They just completed a major renovation of their gorgeous kitchen and needed my help with dining furniture, wall accessories and just pulling the eating area together. Let’s get right to the pictures!! Here is the dining area after the renovation and before we started working together on the space…

Before


In these before pictures, the kitchen renovation was almost complete. They were just waiting on the counters to arrive and some finishing touches. The kitchen area is now complete and is fabulous! They can also check the eating area off their list of finishing touches!

After


To say that I am thrilled with the space would be an understatement! I am so lucky to have trusting clients that allowed me to show them an eclectic mix of furnishings for the space and try something that was a little out of their comfort zone. Luckily, they loved it all when it was complete and my client said she was just speechless when she saw the reveal! That truly made my day!  🙂 We went with an upholstered banquette that has a very durable, family friendly fabric. The brass nailhead trim is the icing on the cake! My clients had a wonderful collection of photos from their travels, which made the gallery wall meaningful and special to them. We are waiting on a few elements, before this room has the full reveal. The wall space to the left of the gallery wall will have a message station. That will hold mail, keys and even has a small shelf for a pretty picture frame. That is why the gallery wall might look like it stops too early right now. Don’t worry… more to come! The windows will be dressed in roman shades in this fabric…

They are on their way as we speak and I cannot wait to see them in the room! The wall to the opposite of the dining nook (near the fridge) will have this old school style clock…

And the before and after {because I know we all love them} just one more time…

Before


After


Thank you so much to my amazing clients for allowing me to share their home here on my blog. 🙂
If you would like to work together, I am now booking for the spring! Please e-mail at [email protected] for more information

Happy Holidays!!

Jump Start Your Decorating With a Pinterest Board… A Local Client’s Lake House Project

by Filed Under: interior design, local clients, pinterest


I recently had the privilege of meeting with a client who is going through a major gut renovation of her cottage lake house. Her home is nestled on the bay of a beautiful lake. I can just imagine looking out of the windows during the changing of the seasons! What a treat! She hired me to come in and give her a jump start on ideas for her home, so she can hit the ground running. She took advantage of a new local design package that I offer for clients… it’s a style session complete with a pinterest board! We had our initial meeting at the cottage and brainstormed ideas. She came ready with all of her questions and we started to get to solving them right away. Then, I came home and began work on a pinterest board just for her. This board will help her get a start on the decorating process and is complete with specific ideas and inspirations for her to complete her cottage herself, over time. She can click on the product links to take her directly to the site for purchase. I also made specific comments under each image, so she can go back and know exactly why the image was pinned to her board. This is a great design package if you are looking for a designer’s advice, but you primarily want to accomplish the work yourself over time. My client told me she wanted to hear that her ideas were valid and also wanted the answers to some of the questions that had puzzled her about her home. Here is what the cottage looked like when I visited…

Cottage Lake House

The main entrance is the door to the right

This is an antique mantel that will be used

There will be built ins on either side of the fireplace

Amidst all of the renovation, there sits a little potted plant I brought to give to my client. I always like to come with a small gift in hand.  🙂  

This will be the serving counter and dining area 

I love all of the windows and natural light!

This was my first time seeing a project from the ground up like this and I was so excited! The part that made me the most excited was the fact that I could envision this cottage complete. That was such an amazing feeling to walk around and tell her where the furniture should go and how the layout will flow throughout the main floor. This visit, we tackled everything from a wall color scheme to furniture placement, counter finishes, etc. We covered so much during that session. I then came home and got to work on the pinterest board.
Since my client wanted to tackle this project herself over time, this style session/pinterest board design package was perfect for her. It gave her a start on the process and encouragement to move forward with some of her ideas and many new ones from myself. Here is a glimpse into her pinterest board and the direction we will take with this cottage lake house…
The Plan via her Pinterest board

Ship Lap on the ceiling throughout the main level
pin via
Four club chairs facing each other, by the wall of windows
pin via
Coastal accents
pin via
A basket for cozy blankets
pin via
A window seat to lounge and watch the water
pin via
An overall cozy design aesthetic with slipcovered furniture pieces
pin via
A warm and rustic, yet modern style with hints of green accents
pin via
My client is excited to move forward and is so happy about the design vision. She is also a pinner to this board, so she can add and edit the board over time. To see the rest of the board, visit my pinterest page HERE.
Would you feel at home with a cottage like this??
To see this new local design package and other packages I offer, visit my design services page HERE!
Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!!  🙂

Shelf Styling is a Process

by Filed Under: design, family room, interior design, local clients, shelf styling, styling


I recently stopped over my client’s house to begin styling her shelves in her family room. I wrote about the progress of her room in this post and after this most recent visit, we both feel that the finish point is near! And that’s definitely an exciting thing to see. All of the room’s elements have been on the design board and it is now so rewarding to get to see the results in action. Shelf styling is definitely a process, though. Every designer approaches it differently, but for me, I have some tried and true methods when I work…

1. Start from scratch. The shelves should start with a clean slate, i.e. empty. My client was amazing and already spread out everything she had, so we could see what we had to work with. That’s so refreshing and helpful, so you can get right to it.

Where we started…

Today, I styled the shelves seen behind the sectional. There is my empty slate.

2. Find all of the hard cover books you can use and remove the book jackets. You will be amazed at how they all of a sudden look like bound collector’s books.

3. Before placing items on the shelves, I hung a trio of sunburst mirrors on the wall. I made sure I did that first, so I had the mirrors right where I wanted. Then, I styled around them. Hanging mirrors on the walls behind your shelves gives the furniture piece depth and interest. You could also hang small pieces of artwork or family photos.

4. Start placing the items on the shelves to see how they will work together. This can be a long process. And it may even change from today to the next styling visit. I like to take pictures and study them, to see if the shelves are how I like them. This can involve a lot of editing, but it is really worth it and the true fun part of the room!

This was how I had the shelves styled in phase one…

Like I said earlier, the three mirrors were hung first. I then started styling around them. But this first phase seemed a bit too cluttered to us. I made a few more changes…

This was how I had the shelves styled in phase two…

I removed some of the books on the top shelf, but the globe still didn’t look right in that spot and it all felt cluttered and busy.

And this was how I styled the shelves in the final phase…

5. Editing, editing and more editing! I think it is almost impossible to get it 100% right the first time. Stepping back to see the changes you have made is a great way to finalize your shelves.

Do you like the changes? I moved the globe to the top shelf, removed some of the glass bottles and added a blue and white bowl to the small stack of blue books. We are both excited about the transformation of these shelves. And we were happy to be able to use so much of what my client already had! I know adding those personal items will be meaningful to the overall design. We are now on the lookout for two more storage bins for the bottom left shelves. I won’t necessarily match them, but find coordinating bins in a similar size. We will also add another detail to the wall space next to the globe. This room has a very high angled slope to its ceiling, so we will add a wall clock to visually draw your eye up and to also help make that tall wall feel useful.

So stay tuned… we will be having much more fun in this space in the coming months! 

In Love With… Sarah Style

by Filed Under: blog review, design, interior design, sarah richardson


I have been a long time fan of the design work of Sarah Richardson. I was thrilled to be able to meet her and tour her Toronto design studio last fall. She has that perfect blend of traditional with modern, new with vintage. It is always a treat to watch her television shows and see what projects her and her team are up to next. So when Anneliese from Simon and Schuster Canada contacted me about receiving a copy of Sarah’s new book, Sarah Style, I jumped at the chance.

I have loved going through this book page by page and studying the rooms she has designed. I also really like the way this book is written… Sarah takes us through the book by room type, showing various ways to make each space in your home unique and personal to your style. I also love the tips along the way, giving us a glimpse into her thought process when she designs a room. I was even surprised to find out that some of the spaces I have long admired were her designs. She is literally a design genius! Let’s take a glimpse into the decorating goodness you will find in this book…

Amazing, right?!? And these images just scratch the surface. There is so much more in the book, including foyers, bathrooms and kid’s spaces! To order your copy, visit HERE.
Thank you so much to Anneliese and the people over at Simon and Schuster Canada for this book!

A Local Client’s Family Room {Making Great Progress}

by Filed Under: design, family room, interior design, personal design style


I have been working with a local client who I am happy to also call a good friend. We have been plugging away on her family room, making it a space that has a blend of traditional with modern. She has been a joy to work with so far, because she truly gets as excited as I do about design and it feels like a girl’s day out when we meet to discuss the progress in her space. Here are some before pictures of the room to show you where we began…

Before…


We will be working with the main furniture pieces in the room, such as the Pottery Barn sectional and storage cabinet. Since we are keeping these warm furniture pieces, I immediately thought we should cool down the walls with a color that balances all of the warm elements. I chose Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore and she loved the idea. The walls in this family room are daunting… they slant up to a dramatic height and painting this room is a huge undertaking. My clients realized it needed to be done to transform the space, but I also totally understood the hesitancy of the project. Luckily, the tried and true Revere Pewter was a winner and my clients could not be happier with the result! This tall wall in the photo above needed some architectural interest to help visually bring that wall down to feel more cozy. I suggested adding board and batten to this wall (up 3/4 of the wall) and painting that a dark gray/brown shade. I selected Equestrian Gray, also by Benjamin Moore. Here is the design board I initially presented to my client…

The Design Board…


And here is the amazing progress of this room so far…

Progress…


We changed the color palette a bit for the accessory pillows, but for the most part, the rest of the plan stayed the same. We also replaced the curtain rods with brass options and purchased longer drapes, so the rods could be installed much higher than the windows. That visually brought your eye up, making the windows feel grander and in better fitting with the height of the room. Love that trick! Our plan moving forward is to replace the slipcovered chair and ottoman with a leather club chair/ottoman, place console tables behind the sectional, add ceiling beams to warm up the tall ceilings and install a fireplace/mantel where the TV is currently. We will also accessorize the walls and shelves, but the transformation is already coming along so well, that I had to share!

Thank you so much to my amazing client and friend for allowing me to share the progress here on the blog. I look forward to sharing more, as the room design unfolds! 

Before and After {#projectdelicatenursery Reveal!!}

by Filed Under: #projectdelicatenursery, before and after, design, interior design, kids and design


I am so excited to share my latest client reveal! I have been working on a girl’s nursery with a wonderful local client. She lives in a gorgeous 1930’s home and the room has a lot of great potential. The space has beautiful hardwood floors, glass door knobs and loads of character. My client did a great job purchasing the area rug, dresser and crib before we met. I came in to make suggestions on wall color, accessories and the rest of the furnishings. Here is the room before we started…

Before


We immediately started talking about wall color and how we wanted to lighten it up and give the nursery a warm glow that feels cozy and inviting. She wanted the space to feel soft and delicate and a room her soon to be daughter can grow with. We met a couple of weeks later and I presented her with the design plan…

The Design Plan

{To read more about this design board, I spoke about it in a post HERE.}

We basically went ahead with every plan, but changed the art a bit along the way. Here are the after pictures…
After


My clients are so happy with the room and I am so excited they love it! There are only a few elements left to fully complete the room. We have a beautiful paper cut mobile going above the crib that has yet to arrive. My client chose the gold lotus ceiling pendant, but it is currently out of stock. In the meantime, we also love the character of the original brass fixture. That might work out after all. Also, wall ledges for book display will be mounted to the right of the glider. I will go into more detail about the space in the coming weeks. Now we anxiously await for this beautiful bundle of joy to arrive!
Thank you so much to my amazing clients for allowing me to share the nursery!