Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

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My Statement Chair With One Kings Lane

January 22, 2014 by Amber Filed Under: chair love, design, one kings lane, personal design style, this piece has history Leave a Comment

I was thrilled when a representative from One Kings Lane reached out to me to discuss the topic of statement chairs. This was right up my alley, since I have always considered myself a chair person. I love and appreciate so many different styles and when antique or market shopping, I always make a straight line to the furniture! This amazing site features a home decor resource guide that introduces you to the history of statement chairs from any design era you can imagine!  I have decided to show one of my favorite chairs in our house… the timeless and classic Windsor chair. My chair is a modern version and is a reproduction, but its homespun, traditional quality still shines through. During the height of the more ornate furniture designs, like Baroque, England introduced this humble and classic piece that is still so popular today.

Rather than being a centerpiece in the room, it is an accent and is part of our dining room set. I think what I love most about a Windsor chair is the ability to mix it with modern decor, to give it a fresh, new take on a classic piece. Although it’s a timeless shape routed in tradition and simplicity, it can also appear more modern against a table with clean lines. I paired our Windsor chairs with modern pieces, by adding a clean lined hutch and dining table to the room and also by bringing in contemporary art and accessories. I have often thought the chairs would look amazing if painted a bright color. {Maybe a rich teal/blue color!}

The most important thing to do with any furniture in your home, is to have fun with it and make it your own! Thanks to One Kings Lane for including me in this series and reminding me about one of my favorite furniture pieces in our home!

A New Face on Our Wall

July 22, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: art, living room, this piece has history Leave a Comment

Recently, I went to an antique fest with my mom that we visit every summer. Vendors come from all over and stay for the weekend, bringing their unique and special treasures for us to hunt and find. I didn’t leave empty handed this year. In fact, there’s now a new member of the family on our living room wall.

Our Newest Addition…

I love the history that it brings to the room, with its stature and military background. My husband was in the army several years ago, so it also brings a meaningful quality to the space. My mom thought it would look great beside our secretary desk, which has its own special history. The decision was made, once we tried it on that wall. And here he is…

The colors on his jacket, the frame finish and even his blushed cheeks work so well with the color palette in this room. The real shocker was the price! I almost didn’t even ask, because I thought it was going to be out of my budget and too good to be true. When they told me it was $10, I couldn’t believe it! What a deal! I’m all for trying to get the best deal, but I didn’t even think I needed to negotiate this price down. And I love that I was able to hang it right up, without changing a thing. I will have to keep an eye on it, though… my mom wanted to take it off our walls when I wasn’t looking. 🙂

Have you found any unique, ‘had to have’ pieces lately??

This Piece Has History

March 14, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: this piece has history Leave a Comment

I am happy to return with another post from my series, This Piece Has History. If you read last week’s post, then you know it’s been about a year since this series was a regular on the blog. I wanted to bring it back to remember the importance of collecting and having things in a home with memories and meaning. Today, I am showing our secretary desk.

I love this piece of furniture, because it definitely has a fun past to tell! When my husband and I lived in Germany, I started going to flea markets and antique fairs to begin to fill our empty nest. One weekend, we went on a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium for their famous antique markets. I stumbled upon our secretary desk while at the market in Tongeren, Belgium. I loved it right away, as I had been recently browsing through magazines with similar desks. We drove to the markets in an SUV, so this filled the entire back of our car on the way home! I knew it would be a practical purchase for us, because we didn’t have a ton of space in our apartment. We were living in a 700 square foot apartment, so smart shopping was key! Not only was it beautiful, it became our desk for our laptop. Now that we are no longer cramped for space, the desk is now a place to store books and meaningful accessories. The coral was a gift from my mom, and the book it sits on was a gift from a dear friend. You may have heard me say before, that I am constantly moving things around in this house. Accessories don’t sit in one place for long. So now that the coral is here, I may need to shop for a new accessory for my living room dresser! The shelves are filled with pictures, including one of my husband when he was little.  This desk also holds some of my blue and white china collection that I started while living overseas. This may not be a furniture piece that we use every day, but it has meaning and special memories attached!

This Piece Has History

March 5, 2013 by Amber Filed Under: this piece has history Leave a Comment

If you have been reading for a while, then you may remember when I started the series, This Piece Has History. The premise for this series was to pick a furniture/accessory piece from my home and discuss its roots and personal story. We all have unique, meaningful pieces in our homes with a past, and it’s always those pieces that tell a special story. Well, the last time I wrote for this series was in May. {Are you allowed to post once a year and still call it a series??} I thought I would bring it back with one of my most favorite furniture pieces… the chest of drawers in my living room!

I’ve had this piece for a few years now, and it’s the special story behind it that makes me love it even more! This chest of drawers has actually been with me for almost three decades. When we were growing up, my mom used to work at a local antique shop. {Hence my love for design!} While my mom was working, she would also envision how some of those pieces would fit in our home. When she came upon this chest of drawers, she loved it! My sweet dad went back to the shop when she wasn’t working and bought it! My dad arranged for the shop owner to bring it to our house Christmas Eve night to surpise her! I love that story. We had it in our living room growing up, and we used it to store craft items, wrapping paper, etc. As I got older and appreciated antiques, I have always loved this piece! When my mom was moving things around in her home one day, she realized there was no space for it anymore. She then asked me if I wanted it! I didn’t say yes right away, because I knew she always loved it as well. But, she truly wanted to find space for other things and didn’t see a fit for it in her home. She wanted to keep it in the family and knew it would work for us in our space. We also have it in our living room, and I feel as though it’s still both of ours! It continues to be one of my favorite pieces in our home. And when I look around our house, I find that it’s always those pieces with history that are a favorite!

What about you… any favorite pieces with history to share??

This Piece Has History

May 14, 2012 by Amber Filed Under: this piece has history Leave a Comment

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful, restful weekend. I am back for the second installment of the new series, This Piece Has History, where I show a furniture piece in my home and discuss its roots and special story. In my dining room in between two windows, sits an antique bench from an old church. It’s funny how you stumble upon things for your home that you didn’t even know you needed, but had to have:

I came by this furniture piece at the last second. My mom and I go to an annual antique fair held during the summer. This particular year, we didn’t find anything we wanted and were ready to leave. We decided to go into one more tent, and there it was! It was a great price and I instantly loved it! I knew it would be a versatile piece and could be moved into different rooms, to occasionally switch things up. The antiques dealer said it was salvaged from an old church and was one of their benches for playing the organ. I love pieces with a history and loved it even more after knowing its past. It now happily sits in our dining room as an extra serving piece or just a place for baskets and storage. A few years back, it was also a sofa table! And a big thanks to my mom for giving us this furniture piece as an early birthday present! I look forward to searching for more treasures with my mom this summer at the antique fest.

This Piece Has History

April 24, 2012 by Amber Filed Under: this piece has history Leave a Comment

Do you often look at pieces of furniture in your home and smile, thinking of its story- where it came from, the special or crazy meaning behind it? NO? Well, I do!  🙂 I thought it would be fun to start a new series called This Piece Has History… where I pick a furniture piece or accessory in my home and discuss its roots. When we lived in Germany, we brought home some interesting stuff from flea markets and our travels. Some have silly, crazy and unique stories behind them! I will kick off this series with our dining room hutch…

This piece was bought while living in Germany. I saw it in an antique shop in Wurzburg, right across from the castle. I loved it at first sight, but it was way too expensive to make it home with us (that day.) I went back to the shop a few weeks later, to check if it was on sale. But to my dismay, it was no longer there. I was crushed. I thought that was it…. until, one night when my husband and I went out to the movies. (Poor guy thought we were only going to spend about $20 on movie tickets and some popcorn! Little did he know!) We had some extra time before the movie, and I spotted a clearance store with the same name as the shop by the castle. It was on a side road by the theater, and I had never heard of it before. We go inside, and there it was! Not only was it still around, it was about 40% off! It was truly meant to be. We paid for it, right then and there and they delivered it soon after! I could not get the smile off my face the entire movie. (We saw The Bourne Identity when it just came out.) To this day, my husband still says that was the most expensive movie we ever went to!  🙂

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Amber... a wife, mom and interior decorator. I am the writer of Simple Dwellings and the designer behind Amber B Design. Blog topics are all things design, with the occasional DIY attempt! Thanks for stopping by.Read more...

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Umbrella update… after two years, this @target f Umbrella update… after two years, this @target find still looks brand new! It has been through wind, rain and lots of sunshine and still has that beautiful navy blue color. I wasn’t able to find the exact one, but my Like to Know It page has two very similar options! And if you need me, I’ll be here all weekend! #amberbdesignathome #coastalliving #poolside
Enjoying those ‘not rushing out the door, spring Enjoying those ‘not rushing out the door, spring break mornings’ #amberbdesignathome #coastalliving #sharemygrandin #yespb #myballardstyle #howyouhome #bhghome #hgtv #livingroom
A full recap of my visit to this year’s Kips Bay A full recap of my visit to this year’s Kips Bay Show House in Palm Beach is up on the blog! Link to my site in my bio. Enjoy all of this inspiration, including @katieridderinc Primary Bedroom design! #kipsbaypalmbeach #kipsbayshowhouse #coastalliving
I love every space to have at least a touch of bra I love every space to have at least a touch of brass and rattan! #amberbdesignathome #coastalliving #howyouhome #bhghome #sharemygrandin #yespb #myballardstyle
Show houses are so fun to visit to gain inspiratio Show houses are so fun to visit to gain inspiration. I could probably write a whole blog post on the fun, new ideas I have for our home over the next few years. But I also think it’s meaningful to find joy with the changes you have already made in your spaces and to reflect on how far it’s come. When I walk into our family room, I feel at home. It makes me smile and it’s one of those spaces where I don’t want to change a thing. I think it’s worthwhile to celebrate being content and feeling joy in your home just as it is! Celebrate that corner of your room that took a while to get just right. Finding joy and contentment along the way and during the process makes the end result that much sweeter! #amberbdesignathome #coastalliving #howyouhome #loveyourhabitat
I loved this guest bedroom designed by @eneiawhite I loved this guest bedroom designed by @eneiawhiteinteriors The bed’s canopy was so unique and felt like a luxurious getaway! #kipsbayshowhouse #kipsbaypalmbeach
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