CASUAL BOHO
After a brief stint at fashion school, Amber Lewis’ love of interior design and knack for transforming homes soon shone through as beautifully exemplified in this sunny new Santa Monica home.
Words: Pip Miller / Photography: Tessa Neustadt / Interior: Amber Interiors
Amber Lewis is a Los Angeles based interior designer with 10 years experience that when combined with her extensive travels, brings to life an eclectic spirit focused on extraordinary finds and cleverly mixing bold patterns with colour.
According to Amber, this latest project, the client being an ‘adorable’, young family of four, comprised a brand new build situated just a few blocks from the beach. Her business, Amber Interiors was hired to choose some finish materials as well as completely furnish every room.
While describing the home as ‘beachy, casual, modern, and traditional with a side of bohemian’, Amber says that while there are elements of this home that reflect her own personal style she believes it says far more about her client’s which is always her ultimate aim.
In terms of her own ‘calling card’ Amber believes that one of her projects can be spotted from a mile away. “I love neutral crisp colour paired with funky textiles and lots of different textural elements. My signature style, may just be the way I mix patterns.”
Amber’s passion for texture is also evident in the coastal combo of soft furnishings and décor that adds zest to an otherwise neutral colour scheme and is an effect that she describes as achieving ‘pops of fun’ throughout.
“It’s very important to take into consideration the home’s natural light when selecting paint colours and your overall palette. I think I am almost always drawn to white walls, which help increase the feeling of ‘brightness’.
“In this house, I chose a very ‘cool toned’ palette since we were by the beach. I also chose very ‘kid friendly’ furniture with rounded edges and no white upholstery! A family with two small kids needed a durable and comfortable home, and that's what we aimed to provide,” she says.
The light fittings themselves are also a feature and in particular the chandelier in the dining room which Amber says is from Apparatus studio in New York – always their ‘go to’ lighting resource.
“I like to imagine a throw pillow will look just as fabulous on the floor as it does perfectly fluffed on a couch... all the signs of wear and tear will just add to the character!”
Along with lighting, art is also at the forefront of any Amber Interiors project and while Amber herself always gives it high priority, says it is something she struggles with most.
“I feel like art is VERY personal, so I like to suggest items to the client but then ultimately let them lead the way with what they love. It’s tough!”
Amber says that to mimic the style of this home, which has an effortless look and feel in keeping with its beach side location, its important not to try too hard or include anything too ‘precious’ to actually be lived on!
“I like to imagine a throw pillow will look just as fabulous on the floor as it does perfectly fluffed on a couch – the same applies to sandy feet on the coffee table – all the signs of wear and tear will just add to the character!”
