Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Time for Some Equestrian Art

by Filed Under: art, equestrian, gallery walls, personal design style


Now that we are getting our basement finished, {are you sick of me talking about this yet??} it’s time for some shuffling around and moving furniture to different spaces. Our old sofas are going down to the lower level, making way for our new family room sectional. {More on that, later.} When I was looking at our large gallery wall of photos above our family room sofa, I knew I wanted a fresh start there, too. Instead of a gallery wall, I want to hang one large piece of art. I am leaning towards a black and white horse print! This might sound silly to those that know me best, considering I have hardly ever been on a horse, much less talk about the beautiful animal. But there is something about art and large scale photography that makes me lean in this direction. Art is definitely subjective and sometimes you know it when you see it! In this case, I’m not sure I have found ‘the print’ just yet. I am just thinking about this style of art. So here are some great spaces that use equestrian art to perfection…

For my space, I am leaning more towards a vertical print, since I have two floor lamps on either side of the sofa. A vertical image would draw your eye up and nicely fill the space. If you love equestrian art, this etsy shop sells beautiful prints with so many sizes to choose from. I was also browsing allposters.com and narrowed it down to these two beauties…

Or maybe this…

So how about you… do you choose art that you just love or do you stick to meaningful pieces?

My Contractors Think I’m Crazy

by Filed Under: basement, design, personal design style


Have you ever had a brilliant (or so you thought) design idea, and others didn’t quite see your vision?? That’s kinda where I’m at with our basement remodel. In my last post, I mentioned we are refinishing our basement from the concrete jungle that it is now, to a fully finished lower level. We’re so excited! I had the idea to have the contractors install a huge open shelving unit with plumbing and gas pipes. I gave them a written description taken from this post and I printed out a picture of what it could look like. This is what I showed them…

Now granted, the printed pictures were in black and white, so maybe that took away from the unique effect these shelves have. Here is how the conversation went…
Me: I have this great idea to have you guys install a shelving unit with gas pipes and stained wood planks. It will be a cost effective way to have a large shelving unit!
Contractor: You want to do what??
Me: Install shelves with gas pipes.
Contractor: Ma’am, that’s not going to look good.
Me: {Cricket, cricket} I think it will give an industrial, chic look!
Now all kidding aside, the contractors have been wonderful to work with. They are reliable, on time and do a great job at a great price. So, no complaints here. My bubble was a little bursted, though. They said they could do it, but the only problem might be the location. Since it’s a basement, they mentioned the gas pipes will rust over time, even after spraying them with rustoleum. The dampness that’s natually in a basement will make that happen, for sure. I am not one to give up on my vision very easily, but I’m not too sure I want to double check that every guest has had their tetanus shot before touching our shelves. And by looking on line, it seems as though every person who tried this project has theirs on a main level room. So it might be back to the drawing board. I haven’t given up all hope yet on the idea, and they said we still have time to decide. My sweet husband already knows about my quirky ideas, so he is on board with whatever! But, here are some other shelving solutions I have found along the way that can take its place…

via 

I like that these shelves are white, and I especially like the look of the symmetrical cubes. They can make these or stack together ready made cube units from Home Depot. (This is when I really wish I lived near an IKEA! I could have them install the Billy bookshelf or large Expedit and call it a day! If we do this, we would paint the walls first and then install the open shelving unit after. That would create a nice contrast. We will also add some trim, to mimic the look of true built in shelving, so no one would be the wiser!
So, that’s where we’re at now. Decisions, decisions!
Have you ever been looked at like you’re crazy when it comes to design ideas??

This is Happening…

by Filed Under: basement, design, personal design style


We are undergoing some renovations around here! This is the first time that we have changed our house in a big way. Let’s see if you can guess what we are doing, with these inspiration pictures…

You might have guessed it… we’re finishing our basement! We are so excited and ready for it all to begin. I have big plans for this space. I plan to get the walls painted a very pale blue gray, almost white color. We don’t get a lot of natural light down there, so that will help to brighten up the space. Also, we are going to install shelving for the space under the stairs. I showed the contractor the 6th image above {gotta love pinterest} and it will happen! I would also like a huge chalkboard wall. I have always loved that look! Also, we are installing industrial style shelving, like the last image above. It’s a cost effective way to have about 10 feet of shelving, using wood boards, plumbing conduit and gas pipes. Materials alone, that idea costs only $200, and I love the result! That just might be my favorite aspect of this design! More on that idea later. This is pretty big for us, since we have never had any major renovation work done in the house before. I will make sure to take before pictures, so you can see the concrete jungle that it is now! That will be quite the before and after.

Have you finished your basement?? Any tips, ideas to avoid??

{Before and After} A Master Bedroom E-Design Project

by Filed Under: before and after, design, e-decorating, e-design, personal design style


As I’ve said before, I love getting after shots of completed e-design projects. These pictures are great to share, since this room is already so beautiful to begin with. This e-design client was looking to add some texture and pattern to her master bedroom. She already had all of the main furniture pieces. I just came in to help add some fun accessories. Here is her space before…

Before…

First, we added some driftwood art for the wall space above the bed. I originally posted about that part of the room here. The art took us in a coastal, masculine, rustic, chic direction, which is a great style for a master bedroom retreat. Here are the afters…

After…

My client is so happy with the space and I love the calm, serene feel the new accessories bring. She did a great job bringing the design vision together. The ottomans beside the dresser are so versatile… when my client wants a change, she can easily move them to the foot of the bed or use them as foot rests with her ikat chairs. I actually cannot take any credit for the last image (ikat chairs vignette). My client already had the ikat chairs and shell and they made the tree stump table themselves! I love the texture it brings to the room. She did a great job taking the pictures, because the mirrors above the dresser beautifully reflects the other side of the room. Thanks so much to my client for allowing me to share these pictures!

Just Some Updates…

by Filed Under: before and after, design, foyer, living room, personal design style, styling


I purchased the curtain tie backs for the foyer panels and hope to have that installed today! But I do have some new updates to show you for now… I finally put a down filled insert into the foyer pillow. I can’t say enough about how important it is to use down filled inserts whenever you can! I am guilty of this too, but have seen the error of my ways. I was being lazy and cheap, thinking I could just throw a poly filled insert in and be done with it. I thought I was saving money, when actually, they’re about the same price! Jo Ann Fabrics sells 20″ poly filled inserts for about $18 when not on sale. That’s exactly what I paid at Pottery Barn for the down filled! The look is so much better and more inviting! Here is the pillow with a poly fill…

Before

And here is the same pillow, but with the down filling…

After

 
So much better! I also want to add how much better a photo can look with proper natural lighting. It brightens up the space and looks so much more cheerful when you can take pictures on bright, sunny days.

While at Pottery Barn picking up the insert and curtain tie backs, I came upon this lovely turquoise accessory. I have had my eye on this for a while, but didn’t want to pay full price. When I saw it on sale a while back, I still wasn’t convinced. Then, I thought it was sold out for a while, until I hunted and found a bunch on clearance for $13! It was meant to be and proudly sits in our living room…

The coral that was once there is now on our secretary desk in the same room. I needed something to fill this space in between our lamps, and this pop of color was the perfect choice. I pulled this color from our suzani print pillows in the foyer. Sprinkling the same palette throughout the home unifies the spaces. It also makes it easier to move accessories from room to room when you are bored with the current location!

Have you made any new updates to get you ready for spring??

{Before and After} An X Bench is a Better Fit

by Filed Under: before and after, design, DIY, foyer, personal design style, project


I recently posted about my pom pom fringe curtains, and as I was looking at the pictures, I noticed the bench was now a bit too long. Well, I actually noticed it when seeing it in front of me, but the pictures drove the point home even more. It was time for the bench to go somewhere else in the house and this spot needed a smaller seat. Here is what the foyer looked like about two days ago…

Before

The curtains were being pushed to the side by the bench. Once we install the tiebacks for the drapery panels, I think it would be that much more apparent. I love the bench and its new home. It is now in the guest room, where it be a great spot to place towels, small suitcases, etc. And here is the new option…

After

I have had my eye on this X bench for a while. It was finally on clearance at Target, and I scooped up the last one! Originally on sale for $69 and I bought it for $41!! I love their Threshold line of accessories and small furniture pieces. Yet again, Target is brining their ‘A’ game! The seat is actually much deeper than the black bench, so it will be much more comfortable when taking off shoes. We will actually use this one! And if I ever feel the need to move it around, X benches are one of those versatile pieces that will work anywhere. I love seeing two under a console and at the foot of the bed. Since I have only one, it will also work great as a side table, with the additon of a small tray. You may have noticed that I also switched out the pillow for the suzani print. I brought up this conversation on instagram, and my blog friend Holly liked the suzani option here better. I would have to agree, so here it is! In my last post about my master bedroom, I mentioned that if you keep a fairly consistent color scheme throughout your home, you will easily be able to switch out accessories from room to room. I was mainly referring to this pillow. Since I have had this suzani print pillow, I have been pulling colors from it and sprinkling it throughout the home. This new bench has the same coral color as in the pillow, the living room wall color has the same brown, the secretary desk lamp has the same turquoise, etc. This way, I can easily shop around my home without worry if it will work in each room.

Still to do… add the curtain tie backs and replace the polyester pillow insert with a down filled option. Always a better alternative! Oh yeah, and paint the stair railing black! And that door in the last picture, too. So much to do, so little time!

New Touches in Our Master Bedroom

by Filed Under: design, personal design style


I am always moving things around and shopping within my own home. When you keep your color scheme fairly neutral and similar throughout the home, it’s easy to move items from room to room and still make it work. I try to use a color scheme of blue grays, creams, browns with pops of coral to make every accessory versatile. There are always variations of the colors, but it all ends up making sense and creates some flow.

I am a huge fan of mixing metals. If you look closely, you can see three different metals in just this last picture. The silver jewelry box that sits on the right side nightstand is close to the bronze swing arm sconces, which are near the gold mirror. If you gather elements that you love, it just makes sense and brings a collected feel to the room. The sunburst mirror has actually been in this room for a while, but I’ve never shown the after photos on the blog. It was a steal at Home Depot and can be found here. The zebra print lumbar pillows were in other rooms in our home, but I think I like them together in this space. They are a Waverly fabric and can be found on a great sale here. In the second picture, you can see the side of the new quilt we found. It has this pretty orange color and I love the subtle batik chevron pattern in the fabric. This is a great blanket and comes in several different colorways. I think I need the gray one, too! It can be found here.

I have big plans for this space this summer, that involves a paint sprayer. That’s right… I want to try and paint this bed! I also would like to find a second nightstand for the left side of the bed (not matching). Currently, we have a suit stand that we found in Germany. Not very practical for books and magazines. Since this room will undergo some big changes this summer, do you like to see the in between process, or would you rather I just wait to show the finished product? Since a home is never really finished, you might have to wait a long time. {Especially, the way I work on my home!}  🙂 I would love to hear your thoughts! And if you have any experience painting large pieces of furniture, I’m all ears!!

{DIY} Adding Pom Pom Fringe

by Filed Under: DIY, Featured, foyer, personal design style, project


When I {or I should say my husband) installed a curtain rod above our front door, I chose the same drapery panels that are in our kitchen and family room. I wanted to do a little something more to them, so I decided to add black pom pom fringe to the edges of the panels. I am happy to report that this was super easy to do! It took about 20 minutes one night to get both panels finished!

After

Here’s a little step by step if you are thinking of adding a little pizazz to store bought drapery panels…

The Materials

You Will Need

1. Black Pom Pom Fringe cut to size
2. Aleene’s Fabric Fusion
3. Drapery Panels
4. Scissors

I had the lady at Jo Ann Fabrics cut the pom pom fringe to size for each panel. She was great and added an extra few inches, which I cut off after the project was complete. It was nice to have that extra bit of fringe in case one side had an unfinished edge.

First, I layed the fringe in place to make sure I liked the way it looked. When I knew I had enough and it was just the way I wanted, I moved the fringe to the side and started to add fabric fusion to the panels. I love this stuff! I have used it to attach trim to lamp shades and now this! The fabric is washable after 24 hours and can also be dry cleaned! I don’t have a picture of this step, since I was using both hands, but I applied the fusion about 1/4 ” from the edge of each panel.

I started this project on the carpet, and then realized I might be getting permanent glue on the carpet! Not good. Luckily, I didn’t… but I came up with another way to do this project just to be sure-

I decided to place an old sheet under the panel where I was working. Both are terribly wrinkly, but nothing is perfect during the process, is it??

I waited about an hour to make sure the glue was secure to the panels. This stuff is amazing. It adhered so well and I could tell it wasn’t going anywhere. I decided to add a little fabric fusion to the top and bottom of the fringe, to prevent fraying. The lady at the store said I could stictch the edges to prevent fraying, but this girl doesn’t sew! So, the fusion will also work like a charm. I was too excited to wait until the next day to attach the panels to the curtain rings, so I went for it!

Next up, is painting the stair railing black! One of these days!  🙂 Oh, and of course adding drapery tie backs and steaming those panels. Is it ever done???

{E-Design} Adding the Accessories

by Filed Under: design, e-decorating, e-design, personal design style, styling


As I’ve written in past posts, putting a room together is really all about the accessories. I recently wrapped up an e-design project where the client had the main furniture pieces for her master bedroom, but just needed to add the fun details. We started with her nightstands. I wanted to create a his and hers side, to make the space feel more meaningful and work with their own personal styles. Here are the options I gave…

Option 1

Option 2

Both options include a vase of fresh flowers, because I think that’s a great way to bring warmth and personality to any space. Both options also include whimsical, rustic and glam elements, to create both a masculine and feminine style. Adding accessories that are unique and fun take a space to the next level. You can find great vintage accessories like these from this great shop.

Next up, we chose blankets for the foot of the bed. I gave options that were both serene and calming and those infused with color. Here is the board I presented…

I also threw in a great pillow option for good measure, because you can never go wrong with this textile line.

We also styled the dresser. Here are the two options I presented…

The room is already beautiful, so we wanted to accentuate that by adding texture and unique accessories.

She is thrilled with the boards and has already started the fun accessory shopping!

{Trendspotting} Whimsical Design

by Filed Under: design, flowers, personal design style, wallpaper


If you follow me on instagram {AmberBInteriors}, then you know we just got about 6 more inches of snow last night! Really?? I am definitely ready for spring. So even if we don’t have spring weather here yet, I can think about warm days through design ideas. The new trend in interiors is leaning more towards whimsical florals. I love the sweet, inviting charm of flowers in any form. Here are some great ways to splash some whimsical design into your home…

Not many people can pull off florals as well as Bailey!
Flowers can also be incorporated in just the accessories, like the two images above. The above living room is awakened with vases of fresh flowers!
 ï»¿Our foyer
Have you embraced the floral trend?? Large or small doses?
When I presented my dilemma HERE about what to line the back of my secretary shelves with, blog friend Emily suggested in her comments to find a bright floral paper to brighten up the dark wood. I love the idea and I’m on the hunt!