Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

Organizing the Basement

by Filed Under: basement, design, kids and design, organize, personal design style


Now that our basement is finished, we have had fun using the space so far. It has become an additional family room for us… play zone, TV zone and loads of shelving/cubbies just waiting to get spruced up. For now, everything has just been brought downstairs, with no particular order or ryhme and reason. But, I have plans- big plans! Who says organizing kid’s toys can’t be fun and chic?!? Here is where our space is right now…

Currently

I would love a gallery wall down these stairs 

Organized baskets with labels, top half will be ours, bottom half for the kiddos 

Our massive chalkboard wall that needs a good cleaning
Luckily, we use dustless chalk that we found at Staples!
Dust free chalk = no messy clean up on the baseboards and carpet

Oh, this is not how I pictured these shelves would look!  🙂 My plan is for some large bins with a graphic print or stripe on them. I also want to do some type of modern decal on the right side wall.
And now for the inspiration images! I have been gathering these rooms since we started thinking about the renovation. I plan to pick elements/ideas from each of them.
Inspiration
via
When I saw this image, I immedialtely fell in love with the striped bins. A small detail like that, takes this space to the next level.
The decal I plan to use is shown above. I love the graphic look to it, while it can also remind the kids to practic their math facts!  🙂 Urban Walls on etsy has so many great options for wall decals. And I love that there is a smaller commitment/effort than using a stencil!

via
Did anyone see Kirsten’s Land of Nod playroom post yesterday? Head on over here to check it out! I love the way she added color, pattern and a tent to the room! The tent will also happen over here. Such a cute idea! I also love the Dr. Seuss picture and quote she put on the chalkboard wall. Maybe she can come over to draw on ours?? I’m not too sure I have the same artistic abilities!
Since this is a space the kids will use often, I want to make a huge gallery wall of their art. We are running out of places upstairs to display the art, so this will be an extra spot to showcase what they have done. I wanted to hang it in a unique way, with jumbo clips/clipboards and colorful washi tape.
These are my thoughts for now. No idea when this will all happen, but it will happen! Next up, I will show the TV side of the space and my plans for all of that.
Wish me luck !!!

The Horse Print is Up!

by Filed Under: art, design, equestrian, family room, personal design style


I am so excited today… our horse print is framed and is already up on the wall! I have been stalking calling Hobby Lobby to check on when it was set to arrive in the store. I even said to the saleswoman on the phone today, can you tell I am a little excited?? I knew it was going to be beautiful when she asked {over the phone} if she could have it?!?  🙂 Let’s get right to the pictures, shall we?

I am so glad I went with the lighter, foggy print. It blends in, yet still makes you take notice. I thank my readers for their help on that one! The gray driftwood frame also brings a rustic quality to the print and I think it works well with the equestrian photo. I am really pleased with the quality of work in the framing from Hobby Lobby. It took about two weeks to get it back, but it was well worth the wait. I really searched around frame shops for the best price, and Hobby Lobby was the least expensive by far. And I didn’t even have to sacrifice quality to get a better price! And now to discuss the artist’s work… I am blown away by the talent of etsy seller Jennifer Meyers, from her shop, Apples and Oats. She does an amazing job capturing these beautiful animals in a way that is ethereal and whimsical. The title of this print is Once Upon A Dream and can be found here. That is the perfect title for this picture, since it is so lovely and dreamy. Jennifer is able to enlarge prints and this one is the 30×40 size. When the print arrived, it was very well packaged inside a tube, which was then securely placed inside a box for added protection. Jennifer was also super sweet and included this 8×10 horse print in the package! I can’t wait to find a home for that beauty! I would definitely buy from this shop again. Please pay her wonderful shop a visit and browse around.

Have a wonderful weekend! Wish us luck… we are mulching in the yard!

My Top Home Accessory Picks {And Basement Sneak Peek!}

by Filed Under: accessories and vignettes, basement, design, personal design style, style


A room truly does not feel complete without the accessories. They definitely make the space and take it to the next level. For me, a room feels completely finished when there are layers of pattern, art and texture. It is through the careful editing that a space fully comes together. I thought it would be fun to round up my favorite accessories and pieces that work with any home and style. Every room pretty much needs one of these pieces!  🙂

X Benches or Small Ottomans

Whether by themselves or in pairs, x benches and small ottomans look great under consoles, at the foot of a bed, under a large piece of art or mirror and to use as a foot rest. They are such a chic and practical option for almost any room. Plus, you can add a pop of color to the space by upholstering them in a fun fabric.
Poufs
via
Poufs are similar to small ottomans and x benches, in that they can also go anywhere! I love seeing them in a family room or nursery. They are great for resting your feet, a small seat for playing games or a step stool for a child. The above nursery shows how they can add great texture to a room with a sweater like fabric. 
Abstract Art
Whether your home is modern or traditional, any space would look stunning with abstract art. It gives an edge to a room and shows an eclectic, fun style.
Sculptural Accessories
Our Living Room
Accessories with a fun shape add texture and interest to a space. They can be layered on top of a few books to add depth and dimension.
Do you have any favorite accessories to add to the list???
And now for a sneak peek {via instagram} of our finished basement… The carpet is installed and we are loving the new space!
Our basement

The carpet is a light sand color, which is hard to tell in the picture. I can’t wait to snap some real after shots soon!
Have a great day!!

Snapshots of Our Family Room

by Filed Under: design, family room, paint colors, personal design style


In about one week, we will have our new horse print framed above the sofa! I cannot wait! I chose a gray driftwood looking frame, which will bring out a lot of the color tones in the picture and add to the rustic quality of the print. For now, here is what our family room looks like! I am excited about how this room is coming together. For some reason, it all of a sudden is starting to feel like us. We have done a lot of editing and moving things around lately, and this space is beginning to take shape and truly suit our style.

The coffee table is finally out of storage! We bought it when we lived in Germany. I was on my way home from teaching one afternoon, and there was a vendor outside on the side of the road, selling wood furniture pieces. I pulled over, and bought our first coffee table! It wouldn’t fit in my car, so the sweet older couple followed me home and delivered it themselves. I love pieces with special meaning! The basket and lantern vignette was on our dining table, but I think I like it here, instead. The coral runner brings out the pink shade in the suzani print pillow. Now, what should I do for the dining table?? Maybe a large vase of hydrangeas!?! We are entertaining for Memorial Day tomorrow, so the dining room will be full of food, anyway. That will buy me some time to decide what to do. Still to do for this space…

1. Pick up and hang the horse print.
2. Switch out the poly fill pillow inserts for some down inserts.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, as we celebrate all that the Armed Forces does, has done and will do, to keep our country safe!

Can You Layer Rugs on Wall to Wall Carpet??

by Filed Under: design, personal design style, rugs


A great way to add texture and dimension to a room is by layering rugs. It can also be a very clever way to hide unsitely stains on your carpet. People may be hesitant at first, to layer an area rug over wall to wall carpeting, but it’s a great way to add a splash of color and pattern to the floor and sustain the life of your carpet for a bit longer. When I started thinking about this topic, it occurred to me that I already have this look in our master bedroom. When something is there for so long, you tend to get so used to it that you no longer notice it’s there. But we have a small oriental rug over our cream wall to wall carpet and I am thinking about doing the same thing in our family room. Our house is almost 20 years old, and the original carpet is still there! {I guess being crazy about having people take their shoes off at the front door pays off.} So to keep the life of the carpet for a few more years, an area rug that is cleverly positioned is the way to go! It can also be a great room divider when you want to create a specific zone within a space.

Source: bhg.com via Shabby on Pinterest

So my answer to this question is YES!! Definitely go for it. I forgot that I already tried this in one room. Now, on to the second!

Sneak Peek of Our Finished Basement!

by Filed Under: basement, design, paint colors, personal design style


The time is finally here! The construction part of our basement is finished!! I named this post sneak peek because the carpet still needs to be installed next week. But, I couldn’t resist showing these pictures, since it now looks so much like a regular space. I will do a proper before and after once the carpet is in, but for now, here are the almost complete after pics…

We will truly have more storage than we know what to do with, but I am sure it will fill up quickly. Baskets are a wonderful thing, because anything can fill them and no one would be the wiser! We kept everything super light down here with the paint colors, since it can be a rather dark basement. The support posts are painted the same pale blue/gray as the walls, to help them blend in and fade away. In person, there is a definite difference between the wall color and creamy white trim, although it’s hard to see through the pictures. We have chosen a sandy/camel color for the carpet, which will work with our furniture and be an overall neutral choice. All of the doors and the stair railings were painted a dark gray/black. I love how that came out! The contractors doubted me on that decision, but in the end, they loved it! They might not think I am that crazy, after all.  🙂 I am over the moon excited to get this carpet installed. I am even more excited, though, to start using this space and make it our own. Count on many basement posts for the future, as I style this place up! To catch up on the beginning of this project, visit here.

More Basement Progress

by Filed Under: basement, design, personal design style


I hope you wonderful moms had a great Mother’s Day! My mom came over and we had an amazing Mushroom and Sausage Risotto made by the hubby. It was a great day! I have some basement progress to show you! The walls have been painted and a special treatment has been done to one wall. Let’s get right to it…

Painted Walls

Soon to be Bookshelves

The walls have been painted Horizon by Benjamin Moore, which is a super pale blue/gray. We chose a light color because the basement is already dark and we wanted it to feel bright and airy. We have this color on our ceilings on the first floor and one shade darker for our kitchen, family room and master bedroom walls. So, the basement will flow with the rest of the home. There will be built in bookshelves for the space under the stairs and shelves along this long wall that you see in that last picture. You may have remembered a recent post where I discussed my shelf dilemma and whether I should opt for the gas pipe shelving unit or go with white cube (IKEA expedit look alike) built ins. I hope you’re not all going to be mad at me, but I chose the latter. I thought and thought about this and it really came down to the use for the space and the upkeep in this moisture rich basement. My husband is super supportive and still wants me to have my gas pipe shelves, so we’re going to work on it together and install them in our office! It will be a fun project and in the end, the office location will suit us better. In the beginning of the post, I mentioned a wall that will be getting a special treatment. And here it is… an entire chalkboard wall!!

One Coat of the Chalkboard Paint

It will be pretty dramatic when it’s complete! Maybe I could find the inner artist in me…


With chalkboard paint, you can choose any color and have it mixed with the chalkboard paint. I chose Dragon’s Breath by Benjamin Moore, which is a deep gray/brown/black color. I already have this color on the interior side of our front door and love it! We will also use it on the doors downstairs and for the railings. {The doors and railings won’t be mixed with the chalkboard paint, though!} And in other related news, I have chosen the horse print for our family room wall! To recap, there is a giant empty wall space above our sofa that needs a giant piece of art. With much deliberation and so many great options to choose from, here is the winner…

The name of the print is “Once Upon A Dream” and I love it! It’s ordered, and I can’t wait to see it in person. And mom, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry that I forgot to tell you this when you were over!  🙂 I will make sure to take lots of pictures when she is framed and up on the wall! Thanks so much to all of you that weighed in on the decision! I was torn for a while on whether to go light or dark with the horse print, and with a darker frame, I think this will be a perfect compromise for our space. I say compromise because my husband is not too keen on this art idea, so with a washed out print on our light walls, it won’t stand out too much, yet still make the dramatic effect I was after. I just had to go with my gut on this one. Every room has to have a touch of the unexpected, right?? I hope Mike agrees when it’s up!  :)
I’ll be back later this week with a client’s painting project that you won’t want to miss!

{Office E-Design} Adding Hints of Gold and Sparkle

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


It is no doubt that the gold/brass trend is here to stay for a long time. I wrote a post a while back for Design Shuffle about this trend, and I’m happy to see that it’s still going strong. So when my e-design client wanted to update her office with some modern accents, I quickly thought about using some gold accessories! I also took into account the style in her nearby rooms, as it’s important to create flow in your home. Each room will be a bit different, but when they can all be tied together through a common theme, there is continuity and it all makes sense. Here is the accessory board I came up with…

The Design Plan {click on image to make larger}

She is very excited about the plan! I can’t wait to see it all come together.

{Choosing Art} I Need Your Help!

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


I may have said this before, but I can be very indecisive when it comes to the decor of my own home. When working with clients, it’s easy for me to choose what I think is right for the space. My own spaces, on the other hand, can be a different story. Maybe it’s because I over think too much, when I should just go with my gut feeling. Maybe it’s because I will look at it everyday, so I better make sure it’s an investment worth having. Either way, I need your advice! We are back on the topic of the art above my sofa that I talked about here. I think I am looking for a hint of nature and one large piece, as opposed to a grouping of art. I love gallery walls as much as the next person, but I just took down our massive gallery wall and want a change. I am thinking about art that is at least 30×40 insize, which can get expensive. The below options, however, are very reasonably priced! To recap the space we are working with, here’s the massive empty wall that is begging for some art…

The Empty Wall

Here are some of the options, in no particular order…

Option 1- Equestrian Art

Option 2- Equestrian Art
Option 3- Equestrian Art

Option 4- Equestrian Art
Option 5- Equestrian Art
Option 6- Equestrian Art
If I am thinking about art that might be more meaningful to us, I could go with a snowy landscape, like the option below. After all, we do get snow here almost half of the year! How about that for meaningful art??
Option 7- Snowy Landscape
Coincidentally, this wintery landscape is from the same etsy shop as most of the above equestrian art. I guess I like her style!
It did occur to me though, that I have liked horses for a while. Here is our dining room…

So actually, it wouldn’t be that far fetched to add another horse to the mix! Seems I like them already and forgot I did!
Which one gets your vote? Brutal honesty is needed!!  🙂

Sectionals Can be Chic

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


Since we are moving our sofas into the (almost) finished basement, we bought a sectional! We have always loved the loungy feel you can get with sectionals. They just welcome you in and seem so cozy. That, to me, is what a family room should be, right? Sectionals sometimes get a bad wrap and I don’t know why. But I think there are so many great options that would fit any design style. Here’s proof that they are chic…

Here are some quick snapsots of our sectional, bought from a local furniture store…

It’s a deep brown color, and we love how soft and comfy it is! There is that huge empty wall staring me in the face, ready to get some new art. But, I really want to be patient with this art and find something we really like. Since I had so many wall holes from the previous gallery wall, I spent a few hours spackling and painting this entire wall, giving it a fresh start. I have learned the hard way, that just painting small patches on the wall gives a different sheen than the rest. Our local paint store clerk advised I just paint the entire wall when recovering patches. It might take the extra effort, but in the end, it’s a seamless paint job.

So now, comes the art! I am still thinking about the horse art. We’ll see…