Amber Lewis's Modern Bohemian Home

Anyone who spends as much time on Pinterest as I do will be familiar with the earthy modern, Cali-cool work of Amber Interiors. Founder Amber Lewis took the twee out of farmhouses and the coldness out of modern design and heralded in a new era of cozy minimalism that’s since become a design favourite. Her blog, All Sorts Of, has long been a source of inspiration for me and everything she curates- from Amber’s collaboration with Anthropologie to the more pricey Shoppe by Amber is something I want in my own house.

So what’s in the house of the lady herself, the queen of the Pacific ranch style?

Thanks to a feature in Architectural Digest, as well as some candid Instagram content, we get a full-on tour of every gorgeous nook and cranny.

One of my favourite things Amber does with her designs is her ability to make everyday items feel like little works of art and part of an overall design scheme.

The living island was custom made by Matthew Cox and shipped from the UK. Cox’s design’s often merge several materials, and this island features finishes in ebony Douglas fir, copper, marble and brass hardware.

When I wrote for House and Home, I often lamented on my love for a banquette seating set-up. One that features storage and is custom-built from wicker makes me next-level excited. According to AD, Amber’s was “designed to resemble a church pew—with solid sides and an open undercarriage—Lewis commissioned a custom 11-foot wicker banquette with a soft French tuft cushion to create a cozy dining nook.”

Looking for some Amber-approved ceiling solutions? “If flat, it gets reclaimed wood,” she explains. “If vaulted, it gets tongue-and-groove beams. They help draw the eye up and add another layer to make the house feel done.”

What makes the lounge space feel so inviting is the assortment of seating options, facing one another. “I wanted it to feel conversational,” says Lewis. “There are only so many butts you can fit on a sofa comfortably, even if it’s 10 feet long.”

Amber’s husband Mike does his part to contribute to the aesthetics by keeping his Xbox hidden in a 13-foot vintage wood French baker’s table. The piece was retrofitted to house the console and cables neatly inside. Could this be the key to a successful marriage? I think maybe so.

In an interview with AD, Amber explains that for their 14th wedding anniversary her husband “commissioned contemporary artist Addie Chapin to create a painting inscribed with the couple’s wedding vows: “I Fear No Fate” from the E.E. Cummings poem “I Carry Your Heart.””

I enjoy hearing that my favourite home designers do the same thing I do when it comes to home design; buy something even when you don’t have the right space for it… yet. That’s what Amber said she did with this vintage mirror she picked up years ago at the famous Texan flea market, Round Top.

In the master bedroom, Amber told AD, “a Jeanette Farrier quilt—hand-stitched from vintage saris by women in Kolkata, India—inspired the shades of black, mustard, and rust used throughout the East-facing main bedroom. “They relate to each other without feeling too match-y”.” she explains.

The exterior of the home was inspired by a “funky barn in Sonoma,” California’s wine district noted for its rustic architecture. I love the wholesome charm of the cobblestones mixed with the industrial style Crittall doors. As seen inside the home, this gentle layering of styles feels timeless, cosy yet young and cool. The same could be said for all of Amber’s work.

All imagery courtesy of Ye Rin Mok for Architectural Digest and Amber Interiors.