This builder basic kitchen in a condo was an every present eye sore to the home owner and the bain of her open concept home.  Simply adding a dark trim crown, light valance and toe kick changed the look completely and tied it in with the rest of their space.  The final touch was installing the blown glass pendants over the island by simply adding a conversion kit to the existing pot lighting.

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh eye to look around your home and see the potential with what you already have.

The post Trim Tricks appeared first on AMR Design.

“There’s a change in the are that can only mean one thing – a hot round of handpicked, new products from IKEA is here!  Coming this February are a mix of products with styles that draw from traditional, contemporary and a little bit of country – Swedish country, that is.

New Swedish country style textile like AKERKULLA, AKERFRAKE, AKERTISTEL and more bring the calm light and simple touch of Swedish folklore to quilt covers, rugs, cushions, curtains and more.  Look for lots of red, ochre, green, grey and white in these floral and striped patterns.

Summoning a strong sense of tradition with a fresh take are pieces like the handmade, detail-rich ALMSTA rattan chair; and playful blue and white porcelain; ROMENAD dinnerware.

There’s plenty of contemporary news too from the graphic patterns of KVITTRA storage boxes and bold limited edition colours of BILLY bookcases to the modern angle and cut-outs in SELJE bedside table.”

The post Sneak Peak on IKEA appeared first on AMR Design.

As we expand AMR Design in 2013 we are looking forward to a new website with even more ways to follow our projects and events. Check us out on Houzz and take a read through the blog posts at www.amrdesign.ca as we share our thoughts and the newest and best products available.

We have truly enjoyed working with all the wonderful clients and suppliers who have supported AMR Design over the past year! We wish you all a very merry holiday season and all the best in the New Year.

Warmest wishes,
Brenda and Michelle

The post Merry Christmas appeared first on AMR Design.

BTW, to hang a mirror over another mirror we either use 3M velcro (if second mirror is very light) or hang a heavy duty picture hook upside down behind the first mirror and using clear fishing line to hang the second mirror over top.  This is especially effective if you wish to do as we did below and layer in seasonal greenery.

The post Mirror, Mirror on the Mirror appeared first on AMR Design.

There are so many great ways to use script and readily available too!  We tapped into our local suppliers for the Homes for the Holidays house (thanks SignKore and Accabord) but websites like ETSY.com make it available around the world.

1. Large wall to fill in mud room:  Vinyl wall decal of “twas the night before Christmas”
2. Required a hit of red of the dining room buffet to draw the eye in: Merry Christmas printed and framed in red frames
3. Wanted to reflect the beautiful Candy Tree:  Mirrored closet doors with script leaning on the wall beside tree
4. Dress up kitchen cabinets:  JOY from painted MDF adhered with 3M velcro
5. Impact at front door:  24 over scale white vinyl on black foam core
6. Keep visitors from going up the stairway:  Large scale HOLIDAY out of painted MDF (hint, would be gorgeous leading up the front steps of a walkway)

The post Merry Script appeared first on AMR Design.

How about switching it up this year and rethinking how you decorate your tree?  While we were working a third tree in a large house we didn’t love any of the ornaments left over that had to be use and just could not get the tree looking right.  Then as I was taking a break to put the fabulous fat candy canes in the candy bar inspiration hit.  Why not take all the red, white and green ornaments to create a candy striping effect?  And voila, thanks to the worker elf we had who spent a few hours getting to know that tree really well, it became one of our favorite features of the house.

While the same basic rules still apply, such as varying the ornament sizes and depth that you hang them in the tree,  just have fun!  Think of different things to use this year from around your house or the dollar store.  How about a tree of all small mirrors – imagine that reflection on that tree!

The post Rethink the Tree appeared first on AMR Design.

We loved the thought of a countdown to Christmas done as the old flip clocks – taking you back to 70’s with a modern twist.  Simple DIY project that turned out amazing and will now be hung every Christmas with the stockings.

We purchased black foam core (any office or craft store) and ordered white and black vinyl lettering/numbers from SignKore.  We had planned on using wide red ribbon to hang but then came across these fantastic over scale clips from Crate & Barrel which we painted out Christmas red.

Installed the vinyl, clipped on the red clips and instant large impact Christmas décor!

The post Count Down to Christmas appeared first on AMR Design.

Everyone evolved in the event got a chance to meet and greet at the wonderful Duchess Bakery on 124th street – what a treat!  A big thank you to Kathy House (Edmonton junior league),  Caitlin McElhorne (event coordinator), Carmel Orthner (Crate and Barrel),  Peggy Dachwitz (Hypnotic Bloom), Tina Burbank (Greenland Garden Centre), Korey Simmons (SignKore), Kevin (Accabord Millwork)  and our wonderful home owners!  Not to mention all the other volunteers who made the event a success and our sponsors – a very long list.

Hope everyone gets a chance to take in this wonderful tour and start of the Christmas season with lots of fresh decorating idea’s!

The post Home for the Holidays appeared first on AMR Design.