Truly, in regards to interior design and decorating, it is all about the magic and excitement of Ambiance. But, how many know what Ambiance really is? I guess you could look it up in a dictionary. But, let’s check the dictionary right now.
Ok, we’re talking about a mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere of an environment. Or, this is a good definition, “that which surrounds or encompasses”. That’s a pretty good definition because what we’re looking at when we create ambiance, no matter what the budget is, consider this –how does it feel if you wrap yourself in a nylon windbreaker, ladies, versus, a mink coat? Now, you are the same person in both scenarios, correct? But, your emotional feeling, your ambiance, the way you talk, the way you walk, is different. Is that true? Yes!, so you put on a kind of different demeanor, in a sense. Or a more expansive demeanor of you…correct? That’s what we’re going to be talking about.
Now, I have taken this definition and expanded it a little more and made it My Definition of Ambiance. “It is the intangible element of an interior that touches the heart, the soul, the mind and the emotions that is visually appealing, intellectually stimulating, emotionally satisfying and tactilely enriching for the occupants and others.” Now, the same magic that creates excitement can also induce calm…so it can do several things at the same time. It provides a haven and creates a background or backdrop for the occupants and their possessions, so they are the gems in their own setting … A Very Important Aspect!
So think of photography. You want to have a portrait made of your family, and a photographer that is really good is going to choose the correct backdrop that really brings out the very best in you or you and your family. And, like jewelry, you are the gem, you are the ruby, you are the diamond. And, we want to position you in such a way that your setting or your environment brings out the whole character, the quality, the fire, the color of your personality because you’re unique and there is nobody like you in the whole world.
So why is Ambiance so important? And I’ll be just quite frank with you, without Ambiance, you end up with just basically a “look.” And a look, to me, doesn’t really incorporate the depth of your personality and character and other things of that nature. It’s rather superficial, if I can say it that way. And, it doesn’t, I think, express the true treasure that’s in you as a unique individual.
So, the big question is, why do so few people have Ambiance? Number one is they try to follow a trend or fad. Now those things come and go, so it’s very easy to get locked into a “time warp”… eventually. Like a time capsule. So, it can get outdated at a certain point if you don’t handle things correctly.
And, quite frankly, a lot of things that are perpetuated out there in the furniture and furnishings industry, or even in fashion and clothing; they are there to perpetuate an idea or look and to keep the constant change going, so as to keep up the selling. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s typically done to create in you, a continual state of dissatisfaction. But, everybody knows that there are certain things that you look best in, certain cuts of clothing that you look best in. And, if that doesn’t happen to be the fad, then where are you? I think there’s enough diversity out there in the world today that it really doesn’t and shouldn’t matter.
Anybody can look outside and see the beauty of nature, throughout all of the seasons – summer, winter, fall, spring – but, is there a fad for this color or that color in nature? Do you ever hear that red roses are in this year and in five years they won’t be? Isn’t that interesting to kind of contemplate that?
Very often people try to take what they have seen in magazines and, without really a full understanding of how does this really mesh with my personality, how does this mesh with where I live geographically, how does this mesh with my architecture, the type of home that I have? So, knowing yourself is a very important first step.