Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Ready for the New Year!

by Filed Under: #ProjectClassicCoastal, #projectclassicliving, amber b design, amber b design at home, family room, living room, local clients

It has been a while since I have opened up this blog and did some writing! I do miss it and want to check in every now and then with changes around our home, design project updates and anything and everything design. So, let’s jump right in! After the holidays, the house always feel so much more bare than before the tree went up. That wall where the tree stood was empty before Christmas, but why does it feel so bare now?!? So, I do what I have always done and shop around my home to switch things up and breathe new life into old accessories. Of course, that becomes a domino effect and moving things from one room to another leaves an empty space where the accessory was before! It’s never ending, but fun at the same time.

Our tree was to the left of the television in our family room. So… not liking that empty space after the holidays, I moved our living room ladder in there!

An old ladder with a new home!

I love the casual, family friendly vibe the ladder brings to this room. I think it was always better suited in here! As a reminder, here is the ladder in its first location, our living room-

Without the ladder in the living room, that corner is now a bit empty…

I have always admired the look of a tree in a home, but for some reason, I am just not seeing it in here. So I decided to look at Pinterest for some inspiration and came upon Shea McGee’s family room and her pedestal in the corner…

Inspiration via Studio McGee

I think that idea is a perfect solution for my space, because I can change out the greenery and vase from time to time and seasonally! So, I will keep you posted on that corner of our living room when I find the detail pieces.

My design business, Amber B Design, has been having fun making houses feel like home and transforming the look of a space! Over at Project Classic Living, the office bookcase is in and all styled up!

The office bookcase

Stay tuned, because I have much more design afters to share with you! I will definitely check back into the blog and write more often, as it’s a new year’s goal for me to write and catalog fun things in design. Here’s to a great new year and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Before and After: Project Casual Trad

by Filed Under: #projectcasualtrad, amber b design, Ana Gil Photography, design, interior design, living room, local clients

I am thrilled to introduce Project Casual Trad to you today!! This was such a fun design project to work on and before and afters always amaze me! I’m so excited to do what I love and when I am able to see a project transform and get it documented by a super talented photographer, it’s the icing on the cake! The after photos are all from Ana Gil Photography and she is a gem to work with. Her talent is inspiring and her enthusiasm is infectious! Ana introduced me to this client after photographing her family. The homeowners were looking for a living space that was warm, inviting, bright and a modern/traditional mix. They wanted some color, but in a subtle, relaxed way. Without further adieu, here is the space!

Before

After

I love this picture on the mantel that Ana took!

Before (The other side of the room)

After

It was so much fun being a part of this project and seeing the space take shape. Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Photo Reveal: Project Classic Trad

by Filed Under: #projectclassictrad, amber b design, bathroom, central new york design, design, interior design, living room, sarah heppell photography


I am beyond thrilled to reveal the photos from Project Classic Trad!! This was such a great project to be a part of, with amazing clients and an overall style that is right up my alley… a blend of traditional with modern. Today, I’m showing the living room and first floor bathroom. I couldn’t be happier to be working with Sarah Heppell on this project. She brought the rooms to life through her pictures and showed a sun filled space on a very cloudy day. That takes talent!! Here is the photo overload… enjoy!!

 

{I love that we upholstered my client’s favorite wing chair in new fabrics. Tonic Living has the best fabric options to choose from and a local upholsterer created this magic. I call it business in the front and party in the back!}

All photos by Sarah Heppell Photography

Thank you for stopping by and checking out the photo tour of Project Classic trad! Have a great day!

Project Rustic Glam: Living Room Reveal!!!

by Filed Under: #ProjectRusticGlam, amber b design, Ana Gil Taylor Photography, design, interior design, living room


I am so excited to return to blogging today with this room reveal! This is my first time working with Ana from Ana Gil Taylor Photography and I am in awe of her work. She captured this room so beautifully and was also such a fun and genuine person to work with! My client has been so amazing to work with too and I have truly enjoyed every step of this process with her!! My client loves color and her gorgeous rug was the jumping off point for color saturation in this space. After we had that set, my client showed me this coffee table, which she loved. I did, too! We took those pieces and ran from there. I would love to get right to the photos, because I just can’t wait any longer to show you!! Come on in…

Project Rustic Glam, Photographed by Ana Gil Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These next images are so unique, as they show the room from above. I thought it was such a clever idea to show the room from this angle. A really cool perspective…

 

 

 

 

I will definitely get more depth about this project in the coming weeks! I will also soon reveal the dining room, so stay tuned!! Thank you so much to my client for allowing us into her home for the morning. I had so much fun. And thank you to Ana for your creativity, your spirit and this overall experience!

Lighting Tips in Your Home

by Filed Under: #projectclassicliving, amber b design, design, interior design, living room, sarah heppell photography


An eclectic, collected over time style is popular, but can be tricky to pull off when making most of your purchases at once. You instantly want the look of having a space that has evolved, but how do you do that with lighting that has to be purchased all at the same time?!? That’s the topic we’ll cover today. My favorite trick is mixing finishes when purchasing lighting. Just because one lamp is brass, does not mean that they all have to be that way… even in the same room. You can mix metal finishes with wood and with lamps that have a painted base. And you can also mix different metal finishes within that space. I love doing that!

A living room with a couch and table

Photo by Sarah Heppell

When I designed the living room for Project Classic Living, you can see the the wood spool floor lamp by the fireplace, in the same room with the antique brass floor lamp near the windows. Mixing wood and metal in a room brings an eclectic, collected over time feel to the space. These two lamps also have different styles and shade types. That’s important to think about, as well. The metal apothecary style lamp works in a small area where task reading is done. And the oversized drum shade on the wood lamp base brings a softness to the room with its fabric shade and is great for overall lighting.

A table with two blue and white stools in front of a mirror.

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In this same room, I went with a pair of lamps for this console, to bring symmetry to the space, which was not done with the other two floor lamps. I like to mix symmetrical and asymmetrical in one room, for that contrast and balance. These fabric shades work well against the wood table, while the base has a brass detail that ties in with the apothecary floor lamp. I also love the look of having floor lamps in the same room with table lamps. For me, it’s never all floor or all table.

A foyer with a mirror and a table in it

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In the foyer of the same home, I have mixed wall sconces with table lighting. The sconces were already there when the project began and adding the blue and white ceramic table lamp brought color and additional lighting to the table surface.

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

Photo by Sarah Heppell

In the dining room of the same home, I loved adding a pair of lamps to the buffet. It creates a great mix with the overhead chandelier. In this space, there was a lot of wood with the floors and furniture. So, I went with a brass chandelier with soft linen shades and then paired that with painted gourd lamp bases with a similar soft shade. All of the lighting in this room really pops against the other features, which was our goal.

So for a quick recap of fun tips for your home’s lighting, here is the breakdown…

-Mix your finishes and shade styles {task lighting vs. overall room lighting}

-Mix symmetrical with asymmetrical and floor lamps with table lamps

-Mix sconces with table lamps {great for a foyer}

-Mix overhead chandeliers with table lamps in a dining space

I hope these lighting tips helped! If you have any to add, please leave them in the comments! Happy Friday!!

A Living Room Inspired by Magnolia Home

by Filed Under: amber b design, design, interior design, living room, personal design style


We had a wonderful summer and it truly flew by! As the kids get older, time really does seem to be going in fast forward. I try my best to cherish these times and make the summers memorable. But with the kids back in school, it’s time to start back with writing more blog posts and diving into design projects! As many of you may know, the powerhouse HGTV duo that brought you the show Fixer Upper, now has a furniture line… Magnolia Home! You can browse Joanna Gaines’ signature rustic look on line or at your local store. I thought it would be fun to see how you can create a room using most of their collection and a few other fun finds. I decided to create a living room design, based off of that gorgeous new emerald green sofa!

 

A collage of furniture and decor items.

{all Magnolia Home unless otherwise noted below}

// chandelier // buffalo check pillow // blooms pillow // buffalo art // wool rug // floor lamp //

The sofa and chair from the new collection inspired me to give the rustic look a mid century inspired twist. The lighting and rug definitely reinforce that style. The spool coffee table, farmhouse accent tables and buffalo art definitely bring out the more rustic side to the design. And the icing on the cake- the floral and check pillows bring a whimsical, farmhouse fun style to the room. I hope you enjoyed my take on the new collection. If you have checked it out, what are your favorite pieces?!?

Make sure to check back later this week when I show how to mix different lighting into a space to bring an eclectic, yet pulled together look. Have a great day!

Our Living Room Plan

by Filed Under: amber b design, amber b design at home, living room, personal design style


Since we have lived in this home, our living room has sat pretty much empty. We do have our secretary desk, ottoman and a chest of drawers, but there has never been any seating in the space. The kids loved using this room as an open play area and took full advantage of our vaulted ceilings for those high three pointers. Now that we have our basement finished and use that as the primary open play space, it’s time to refocus this room and plan for a seating area! The perks of waiting so long to decide on furniture, is that I have overthought this room for many years, have decided against some design trends and now have a plan to stick with! I decided to go with a grouping of four chairs, as opposed to a sofa. I have gone back and forth with this idea and I am now certain this is what I want to do!

A drawing of a table with four chairs.

This is the quick floor plan rendering I came up with for our living room. This is the first room off of the foyer, so it makes the initial impression of our home. With it’s high ceilings, I went with a dark brown, almost black paint color {Mink by Benjamin Moore}. I will stick with that wall color for now. This space also opens up to our dining room, so I want the decor to flow well from there. Here are the two spaces, as they are now:

 

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

 

A lamp sitting on top of a wooden table.

 

A mirror reflecting the interior of a room.

 

A dresser with two lamps and a mirror

 

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

 

A dining room table with six chairs and a mirror.

All Images by Sarah Heppell Photography

We will take out the chest of drawers and table lamps and move that vignette to the dining room. This will free up some square footage and I will add two floor lamps to the back wall. That round mirror above the chest of drawers will be replaced with oversized art work. The small black accent table and lamp off of the foyer will relocate and be replaced with a leaning mirror. The more I see this four chair layout, the more I love it! I picture family game nights in this area and just time to sit and read for hours. Here are some of my favorite inspiration images…

A living room with two chairs and a table

Lauren Liess

A living room with two chairs and a table

Melanie Turner

A living room with white walls and furniture.

Southern Living

I am not sure about my center table yet, but I know I want it to be round. I have settled on a chair… the Stocksund from IKEA in the blue and white stripe.

I like that you can select the leg finish, so I will go with black for contrast. I can’t wait to find four matching throw blankets and pillows to add to the chairs. Ooooo- maybe in a buffalo check or plaid!! I have been back and forth about using four chairs, as opposed to a sofa and small accent chairs. The truth is, we have sofas in our basement and family room, so I want to go a bit different in here. Also, these chairs have depth and width, so it can still be comfortable to curl up in these chairs. I will keep you posted as we move along in here. There needs to be some touch up painting first, so baby steps. But now that there’s a plan in writing- it feels more permanent!

 

Why This Works

by Filed Under: design, interior design, living room, 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’s living room is all about a mix of traditional, classic design with a dose of modern fun. This stunning space was seen on One Kings Lane and it was love at first sight. Take a look!

 

A living room with a couch and table

image via

I love this space! What first gets me is the balance of formal with casual. The formality is definitely shown in the symmetry of the roman shades and table lamps. The furniture reads more traditional and then you are met with the gorgeous modern accessories, that take this room to the next level. The antelope rug is a favorite of mine and it works so well in this space, against the light furnishings. I am also a huge fan of oversized accessories and believe that a few, well chosen larger pieces works better than several smaller options. The large wall art, pillows, lamps and even the fresh flowers, allows your eye to look around the room and gives the illusion of more space. While the space is dressy, the large coffee table brings a functional aspect to the room. There is plenty of room for drinks, snacks and to rest your feet. Overall, this space works!!

What are your thoughts??? I will be back tomorrow with the final before and after from Project Classic Living… the Bathroom!

 

Before and After: Project Classic Living {The Living Room}

by Filed Under: #projectclassicliving, amber b design, before and after, design, interior design, living room, local clients


As promised from last week’s posts, I am now ready to show the before pictures of the living room from Project Classic Living, as well as some new after photos! It’s always fun to show how a space began, so we can appreciate how far we have come. The before pictures are taken by myself and the really pretty after photos are all from the very talented Sarah Heppell. For the living room, they wanted a light, neutral space that was a blend of traditional and modern, while also working with the character of the home. Here we go!

Before

A living room with brown leather furniture and fireplace.

 

A living room with two couches and a baby seat

 

A living room with hard wood floors and furniture.

We really wanted to try out a sectional in this room. We were so thrilled when we found one that was a perfect fit! We lightened the walls, added new furniture and accessories and were able to keep some existing key pieces. We kept the beautiful media cabinet, mirror and wall frames.

After

A living room with a couch and fireplace

 

A table with two blue and white stools in front of a mirror.

{This is the mirror, above, that we kept. It was on their mantel. We just changed the orientation and hung it vertically.}

A living room with two windows and a large cabinet

 

 

A living room with white walls and furniture.

 

 

And one more time, for comparison…

Before

A living room with brown leather furniture and fireplace.

 

After

A living room with a couch and fireplace

All after photos by Sarah Heppell Photography

I hope you enjoyed the before and after! Next up… the foyer!

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!