New Years, New blog!

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New Years by ab home featuring jeweled clutches

Christina Strutt's best tips for the holidays

The holidays are meant to bring family and friends together. It is a time to share warm meals and good conversation, cozy blankets, soft flannels, and warm fires to snuggle up to. Bitter cold days filled with snow, and naked trees are an unmistakable sign to head indoors and secure your spot on the couch with a yummy cup of hot cocoa. Preparing for the holidays can be a hectic task but it doesn’t need to be a chore. Back in October I offered up the Holiday survival guide with my best tips and tricks to get in gear, and recently had the chance to talk with Christina Strutt, of Cabbages and Roses, to find out her best tips on holiday decorating and making your festivities homey.

{CLICK HERE to read more}

True design therapy equals getting a Harley

Nike

As most of you know I lost my beloved Nike back in late August. For twelve years he was there through it all. The moves, the up’s and downs, and just a true companion. I could never imagine the loss I would feel until he was gone. I had thought about it and I knew that someday it would come, but I always pushed it to the back of my mind figuring I would worry about it when that day came. Little did I know that day came all too fast and in the blink of an eye his health deteriorated and in a flash he was gone.

{Read more on the new blog here}

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Do you need decorating assistance? Want your home to be filled with warmth and joy?

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Guest rooms: Your ultimate guide to the essentials

What is it about the word luxury that appeals to us? Does it personifies fulfillment and satiation in all things that satisfy us? Or is it the epitome of magnifigance? I recently started working with a branding company and they asked that very question: What does luxury mean to you? The more I thought about it the more I realized it really has very little to do with money; which is what most people associate with the word luxury. Back in September I wrote a post on this very subject. One of my favortie lines from that post, “Luxury is not about money, it is about the simple pleasures in life that influence your mood.”

{Continue reading on our new blog}

Festive tablescape: A how-to guide to smart Southern style

Each of us, whether a professional or a homemaker, has our own distinctive style. We all design and arrange our homes to showcase our personalities that are shaped by our lives. These personalities may be subtle or strong, but the backbone of a home’s style is built on experiences and memories. At the heart of all Southern homes is the table, in particular the dining table. Here a family gathers to pray, share a meal and discuss the blessings of each day. When mama assembles the family to eat it is a deeply respected and honored experience. It is also a way to entertain  our closest friends. The South is deeply rooted in tradition, and nothing is more important than friends and family. Nothing. Ask anyone who is a true Southerner and they will agree that the family meal is as sacred as going to church on Sunday.

{Click here to read more} on the new blog!

Artful living through design

Ever wonder why a designer room has that special look? Why a room that we design has bold choices, dramatic paint and risk factor? As designers we definitely take risks that every day people may fear to do, but our biggest weapon is the sources we use. I tell my clients all the time that I am only as good as the people I surround myself with, and the vendors I use. When I travel to Highpoint my goal is to meet with existing vendors and connect with new sources that are charming and special. These sources are not available to everyday people because they are ‘to-the-trade.’ I am sure that every industry has this, but our livelyhood depends on remarkable things that are distinct and exceptional because without them we cannot achieve extrordinary results. Sure we have many tricks up our sleeves to make your space individually yours, but it doesn’t hurt to have product that makes us look like super heros! Here are a few of my favorites from Highpoint on it’s way to our showroom.


Click here to read more...

Highpoint trends by designer Amanda Burdge

This year traveling to Highpoint Market was more fun than ever. Market not only helps me see upcoming trends and recognize new ones, but most importantly it gives me the opportunity to connect with other designers. Being able to sit down with them allows me to talk shop about top design trends and current swings in our industry. It is also a great way to discuss popular buying habits in different regions. For instance, talking shop with one of L.A.’s hottest designers, Brooke Giannetti of Velvet and Linen I learned that her shop cannot keep Swedish antiques and vintage finds in stock. Maria Killam, an expert at design and color and author of Colour Me Happy rarely sell’s an antique because in Vancouver the style is very sleek and modern with great pops of color, her specialty. Kim Grigg from Knotting Hill Interiors is a luxury Interior designer who is an expert at combining inexpensive finds with beautiful treasures for a beautiful layered look unique to her and South Carolina. Each area has a unique buying focus, but High Point Market always sets the tone.

Here are some items that we all agreed were going to make a big splash in the upcoming year (click here to read more)

Colors you need now for instant holiday glamour!

Still trying to figure out why feedburner isn't working on the new blog. Here is our latest post. 

To visit the new blog 

click here.

Color is such an intrinsic part of the holiday season. When fall leaves begin to change, the colors of warm cinnamon, spice, and umber envelop us with familiar things. It is no surprise that people love fall. When the warm temperatures quickly turn cool, we gravitate towards warm earthy colors that provide us comfort and bring us back to the routines that we are accustomed to. The holidays deliver to us rich traditions that remind us of joyful memories spent with our families and friends and each year our rituals begin: the decorations get unpacked, the recipe cards get pulled, holiday cards get sent and the decorating unfolds.

This year I wanted to embark on something new. As a designer I am an expert at creating stylish and updated homes, and I wanted to approach this holiday season with this same frame of mind.  I teamed up with Lori Sawaya of Color strategies to talk shop about how you can create stylish and updated holiday decorations with new colors in a way that still honors our favorite season but giving your home a fresh take on an old classic.

One of the biggest trends in fashion this fall was deep plums, with splashes of yellow. I loved this combination and wanted to sit down with one of my favorite colorist to find out why this combination works, and how we can incorporate it into our existing holiday decor for a fresh take on Christmas 2010. Listen below to my conversation with Lori Sawaya, color expert:

Click here to Listen to our podcast:

Purple & Gold~Indulgence and Joy!

How are you going to incorporate this new combo into your decor this season?

Tune in next week to learn how we incorporated this new color combo in our Festive table scape post.

AB HOME Interiors holiday photo shoot 2010

Next week will be our final post for Mrs Bliss’ holiday workshops. We are delighted to bring to you my tips on:

Festive Tablescapes-A guide to true Southern style.

We had the opportunity to use Christina Strutt’s, (the owner and CEO of Cabbages and Roses) beautiful linens to show you how to get true Southern style.

Christina will be offering up her top holiday tips and I will be offering up some of the best tips to set your table with Southern grace with a little AB HOME twist.

My staff and I had a blast doing this photo shoot (see a sneak peek above) and I cannot wait to share all the fun. Be sure to follow our blog and leave a comment because we will be raffling off several

of the goodies from the photo shoot, styled by Amanda Burdge (moi) and staff of AB HOME Interiors, and photographed by Christy Bryan of Waldorf Photography here in Nashville.

Dont forget to follow the Holiday Workshop Train with our host Mrs Bliss!

Mindy Lockard Getting your stationery wardrobe ready for the holidays + a giveaway

Pemberley Collections Creating a Fall Centrepiece

The Entertaining House Cocktails to Kick off Your Holiday Season

Lily Lemon Tree In Vogue at the Tailgate Party: The Height of Chic on the Twenty Yard Line

Tatertots and Jello Thankful Garland

Lucky Life Parties Setting Up Bar and Food Stations

The Daily Basics Creating Fun Holiday Traditions – Memories You’ll Love

Housewife Bliss The Art of Wrapping

Do you need decorating assistance? Want your home to be filled with warmth and joy?

Call us about our online design services.

We offer an array of services to meet your design needs whether you live in our area, or out of state.

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Fabulous holiday florals-Essential tips for the floral impaired

If you are like me you know nothing about flowers. But I know what is most important, they are gorgeous, smell great and I ADORE getting them. Other than that, my expertise runs out. As I grow into this blog, and share my own tips, I have realized that many people are just like me; lazy and just too busy. They want the best, but don’t always have the time, or patience to achieve results that Martha bequeaths onto us. My motto in life GO BIG OR GO HOME, and keep it SHORT, SIMPLE and STUPID-(all while making it look fabulous) are words that I live by. I demand simplicity and I demand things to be easy and effortless.

But the designer in me still wants Martha results, just without all the work!

Abrahams and Group, NYC

Florals are something I cherish. After my husband and I got married he became good friends with a local florist and I was lucky enough to receive fresh flowers on a weekly basis.  I prized their beauty and relished in having a kitchen island adorned with fresh flowers. Once we moved to Las Vegas my days of receiving fresh flowers on a weekly basis stopped and I was forced to live with out them. Still wanting Martha results without all the work I learned how to wing it, and found that florals were not nearly as intimidating as I had thought. And despite not knowing most of their names, my color and design background served me well and allowed me to make fabulous florals. Read more

How to decorate your mantel in 10 minutes or less

Hey everyone. For some reason my google connect follower thingy is not working on the NEW, FANCY more PROFESSIONAL wordpress blog. Funny that the good ol' blogspot blog never lets me down....so unprofessional that google! SO, until I can get it fixed I will post an excerpt here of any new posts that go up on the "other, more professional" blog with a link taking you to the post, so you don't miss an ounce of good content from me. 

Happy Sunday!

As with any fall, this is our busy season. I work non-stop, seven days a week frantically trying to get everything done until December. Happens. every. year. And every year I wonder how on earth I will get through it all. Ironically enough, January is our slow season and every year I wonder how on earth I will get through it. I swear I can be such a designer sometimes! The good news is somehow, some way, it all comes together and we get through to the New Year, which we kick off with big plans, stars in our eyes, and tons of yummy left overs. But until then, here are some great tips on holiday mantels that are easy to assemble and easy to tear down when all the adoration of the holidays and eggnog has worn off.
Using items you have:
1) Take ornaments that you already have and string them through some decorative ribbon and hang on your mantel. Take existing hurricanes and fill them with decorative ornaments, acorns, nuts, or candy canes and use them to hold the ornament garland. For added glow, throw in some beautiful votives that will cast a magical glow when lit in the evenings. Click here to read more