The Elegance of Ambiance and How to Create It

First, let’s define what ambiance is. Ambiance is the mood, character, quality, tone, and atmosphere of an environment or milieu. It’s the intangible element that you experience that makes a room seem “magical.”

Creating ambiance is more than creating a look—it goes far beyond that. Many looks just seem to be superficial and lack the depth and draw power that a room with real substance has. It is very much like a person who has depth of personality. They may look beautiful or handsome, but they also have personality plus. The more you get to know them, the more you want to know them and the things about them that make them so unique and memorable. They, in essence, draw you in and vitalize you. Isn’t that the way you would want your room or home to be described?

That is why I call it “The Elegance of Ambiance.” It is “Elegant” no matter what your style is; whether casual or sophisticated.

These same “personality-plus” people come from all walks of life. Some are subdued, some are gregarious, some are mild-mannered, some are racy; but you get what I mean. The same happens in wonderful rooms. They also come in various looks, colors, themes, and backgrounds. But rooms of excellence have ambiance regardless of the degree of formality or informality.

Defining Your Version of Ambiance

The first step to obtaining ambiance is to define it; not just the dictionary version, but your version. How do we do that? With words! Words are containers for expressing and articulating thoughts, ideas, and emotions. So, what kinds of words shall we use to define our ambiance? The answer… adjectives!

We will use adjectives to define our objective. Adjectives will give form and substance to the intangible aspect of ambiance. This is particularly helpful for people you don’t have the ability to visualize well. So, I ask the client to answer this question by describing or explaining to me… “What do you want this room or home to “feel” like?”

The usual response is this… “I want my home to feel cozy and comfortable.” Can you see the necessity of getting beyond that definition and the need to go much deeper, so that you can have the kind of ambiance that is the unique expression of you, and not like so many others who have not taken the time to get below the surface issues?

My next question is to ask, “What does cozy and comfortable mean to you? How do you define that?” At this point, many will say, “I just never thought about it,” or “I have never thought about it that deeply before.” Bingo! That’s why they have never experienced any ambiance in their home all their life. Now is the time to change all of that and get them to experiencing their environment on a much higher level.

Creating a Vision Through Description

OK, so here are some sample responses that will help you stimulate your own mind and to dig deeper into being able to express your true self in your environment. Let’s say that a lady wanted a sophisticated living room that showcased, to a degree, her travels and experiences around the world. So, a start to a descriptive paragraph or “mission statement” would be as follows:

“To have a room that exudes multi-dimensions in textural orchestration with a fined-tuned combination of fabrics such as silks, chenille, leather, and other natural fibers in distinctive weaves. Oriental wool rugs, polished wood floors, and natural stone in a honed or textured finish forming a nice contrast with the polished wood floors and rugs. Walls will be in textured, mottled wall covering to emulate the rich environmental surroundings of ancient civilizations from around the world. The rich backgrounds will be a perfect foil and enhancement to various objects of art collected from around the world.”

As you can see, some of the adjectives are powerful and there are some good descriptive phrases to set up the desired end result. The words have helped facilitate the envisioning of what is the essence and desire of the client. Without a goal or target, it is impossible to hit the “bulls-eye” with accuracy on a continual basis. Without this approach, one cannot hope to accomplish any degree of ambiance, and the whole room will sink to the level of just a “look,” and the “magic” element will be nonexistent.

The Importance of Planning and Execution

This portion of the design process is so critical. Without it, there is waste of time, money, and energy. Without this step, it is hard to coordinate your resources for maximum return on your investment. Why settle for something less when you can have so much more?

Take time to invest in this vital first move, and you won’t be sorry later and wondering why… “It isn’t working.” The “magic move” is also “first mover advantage.” It puts you ahead of the rest, right from the very start.

There is a great phrase that I like… “Slow down to speed up.” One who fails to plan, plans to fail without knowing it. Tips and tricks without a good foundational plan, which starts with a dream, vision, description, and a plan, just won’t work if you desire excellence in your environment.

Applying the Principles Regardless of Budget

It does not matter what your budget is; the principles for success are the same. If your budget isn’t that strong, then leverage it with the principles put forth here and get more for your money. This helps to prioritize spending and lets you know what to compromise on and what not to compromise on.

If you have a very strong budget and financial resources, it will just allow you to get the most out of your investment as well. Again… the budget is not the real issue at first. It is a crystallized vision that is written out that acts as the baseline and measuring stick by which to evaluate every move, idea, thought, and selection, and there are hundreds of them from small to large. Everything hinges on each other, and they are all interrelated and tied together.

So do it right once and enjoy it forever.

For those ready to take their understanding of interior design to a higher level, explore the Steve Adamko Interior Design School on Thinkific.