For Andrea Böck, founder and Creative Director of Ambience Home Design, one of the most rewarding moments in her profession is her clients’ first, emotion-filled viewing of their newly refurbished home.
It is fascinating to think that many high-end buyers who may have owned lavish homes throughout their lives might have never lived in one that was designed by and for them from start to finish – from major construction works to the tiniest detail that can nevertheless have a powerful impact on the emotions. For a creator, nothing quite equals the sensation of seeing what was once a handful of ideas, deconstructed and reshaped into the fusion of the client’s desires and the designers’ talents, born of a wealth of influences, interests, and inspirations.
Ambience is a multiple award-winning interior architecture firm that has brought luxury residential and commercial projects to life the world over. “We are a market leader in turnkey renovation projects, both in Spain and abroad,” says Andrea, whose company started out as a three-person firm in San Pedro in 2002. Today, she employs 26 people, some 12 of whom are creatives – Interior Designers, Architects and CGI Specialists. The firm carries out the interior design project and the full reformation, taking care of “everything from major architectural changes to finding the perfect door hinge.”
Ambience has made its mark both nationally and internationally, with projects that range from a luxurious seaside mansion in Estepona to a chic contemporary villa just outside of Amsterdam. Recent asignments have additionally been carried out in the UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium. The latest international project is a condo in Hong Kong.
A look through Ambience’s completed projects on their website will instantly reveal the powerful emotional reaction caused by the firm’s interiors. Each project draws the eye towards different spaces and light plays a key role in making a home comfortable, warm, and liveable. From airy, high ceilings with delicate designer lighting features to intricately carved wooden doors and ceilings, the inviting sheen of bespoke furniture pieces and art, or the youthful appeal of a light wooden Scandinavian kitchen, each home or commercial project is completely distinct. “Ambience doesn’t have a ‘signature look’. We consistently recreate styles, which we have to do, since every client is different. ‘Signature’ means redoing the same thing over and over again and we are all about personalisation.”
Because Andrea’s creative team is 12-strong, each project begins with them bouncing ideas off each other. These are immensely subjective, based on each designer’s background, training and interests, but also the images, memories, films, and music that have shaped them. Meetings with clients also take their time, says Andrea. “To obtain the client brief we spend various hours going through their wishes as well as image galleries. When they say they love something, we ask them why. We dig deep into their taste and style, trying to come to the perfect point between what they originally envisioned and what the property calls for.”
A good designer must be a great listener. Before giving life to a new space or completely eradicating what came before, the design team must start with the very reason why the client purchased their new home. Once purpose and style are elicited the team can get to work. Ambience deals with a host of specialist firms from Italy, Germany and the U.S. – including Meridiani, Poltrona Frau, Living Divani, Zanotta, MisuraEmme, Cassina, Flos, and Vibia, to name a few. When asked how she would describe these suppliers, Andrea notes, “Italian design is more straightforward and contemporary, while Portuguese and American designers are a little more playful.”
Ambience works closely with local craftsmen in Spain, who give life to bespoke piece with the styles, dimensions and finishes required by the client. Pieces such as large-size fireplaces with inset televisions, delicate bath ceiling lights, signature kitchen lights, artistically tiled floors, or huge walk-in wardrobes all work together to transform a home into a thing of beauty as well as a source of comfort. “True harmony is only possible when interior architecture and interior design are in sync,” says Andrea. At Ambience, the team comprises architects and interior designers who together ensure that the final outcome is not just aesthetically pleasing but also sturdy, reliable, and sufficiently well-designed to last a lifetime.
Author Amy Harmon could very well have been speaking of interior architecture and design when she said that, “True beauty, the kind that doesn’t fade or wash off, takes time. It takes incredible endurance. It is the slow drip that creates the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pounding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rough edges.” Ambience is a team that knows the importance of taking time to create design and bring it to life. Andrea notes, “We take four to six weeks for a complete proposal, which includes high quality 3D Images. Technology is fantastic; it enables a client to see exactly what the final product will look like… but creating such a detailed proposal requires time.”
Once the project design obtains the seal of approval, work begins, with Andrea supervising every stage of the works to ensure everything goes to plan. When asked if clients normally visit the project during construction, Andrea answers in the negative, noting that there is nothing better than unravelling the final result, “as though it were a Christmas present.” The reaction is every bit as powerful, with some clients fighting back a tear or two. This is probably because a completely new construction or refurbishment must reflect the delicate balance of a client’s mental, emotional, and spiritual needs, and a designer’s ability to listen, shape, and build the place where we live, love, and laugh – our home.
WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AMBIENCE
Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, C.C. Poveda, Local 6, Marbella. Tel: 952 858 699.