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Interior Architect Timna Rosenbauer on the Link Between Art and Well-being

Ever since her creative childhood, Timna Rosenbauer has been fascinated by colors and shapes. After completing her studies, she worked as an interior designer for a while, before venturing into the fashion world. Later, she worked in home staging, dressing homes and villas to prepare them for sale. But despite being involved in high-quality designs, she felt that something was lacking: interior design that really responded to the inner needs of her customers.

In this insightful interview, Rosenbauer takes us through the influence our surroundings have on our well-being, and explains how you can create an authentic atmosphere with art.

Hello, Timna! Tell us a little about who you are and what you do.

I’ve always been a creative person with a head full of colorful ideas. That’s why I studied interior design after school, and after four years I made a detour into fashion design and fashion management. Then I worked for a while as a home stager, making homes that were on sale look appealing. It was an incredibly exciting time in which I got an insight into many houses and apartments, from one-room apartments to villas owned by former nobility. I used to dream of living in a beautiful villa, but when I entered this kind of property myself, it didn’t feel homely. I couldn’t imagine having a sick day lying on the couch or anything. The rooms were so tightly designed to present a certain image to the outside world; I felt like I couldn’t really be myself there.

So I took some time off to renovate our house with my husband. Soon after, I came up with the idea to become self-employed as an “interior architect,” and to work with outside spaces as well as interiors. I wanted to go much deeper into my field and bring psychology into my work. Today, my aim is to help my clients create a place of well-being that enables them to regain their inner strength and sense of self. I like getting to know people, reflecting on their life situation and supporting them emotionally.

How can we turn a space into a home?

A place becomes a home when we take possession of it and give it a personal meaning. It is also important that we link it to positive memories, because then we have the opportunity to build an emotional base and create an anchor point – a place we can return to to feel safe, secure and private. For me, this is particularly important at the moment, because privacy has been a little lost in our day and age. I believe a home should be a retreat that helps us relax and find a healthy delimitation of stimuli and influences from the outside world.

How does our environment affect our well-being?

Our well-being is very strongly influenced by our environment because we perceive the environment with all our senses. So if we enter a sterile, white room, we may not feel comfortable; on the other hand, we may feel suffocated in a cramped room. Warm lighting, for example, can encourage social interaction and comfort, and bringing in natural materials such as plants and wood can make us feel calm and grounded.

To what extent is our home a reflection of our personality?

Our homes say a lot about us personally. Take an entrance area, for example. If it is bright and spacious, it implies that the owner likes to welcome people and be in contact with them, but if the space is dark and full of clutter, that could be a reflection of how they’re feeling. That’s not to say that sparse means perfect; extreme perfectionism can also be a reflection of personal compulsions.

When you design a concept for a new room, what’s your approach?

First, I analyze the customer’s stress factors, then I try to involve every sense in order to create a quality of perception. Then there is the sixth sense for me: body awareness or a gut feeling. I look at the personality of my customers and ask about their current needs and values, then create aesthetics around them and develop an atmosphere that matches everything I’ve discussed with them.

Timna Rosenbauer

What is the connection between color and mood?

Colors activate certain feelings and emotions in us. For example, when I was a child, I had blue wallpaper in my bedroom, then when I was a teenager I wanted powerful colors like red and orange, so changed it. When I renovated my home, I wanted to revisit blue – it’s been proven that, psychologically, blue provides us with feelings of inner strength and relaxation. Orange stimulates our creativity and red signals power and energy. Green is a natural color and creates calm, harmony and solidarity. Yellow can help to increase self-confidence and activate analytical potential. There’s so much meaning behind color!

What advice do you have for people who are looking for art that will fit in their homes?

First of all, it’s important to decide what you want the art to achieve. Are you after something that will harmoniously into your room or something that will build tension and stand out? Do you want the work to tell you something or should it tell your visitors something about you? Then, it always depends on the room. For a living room, something harmonious is good. For an entrance area, I’d choose something that looks welcoming and energizing. An artwork that I have a really personal connection to would be perfect for my bedroom – something just for me, that reminds me why I get up in the morning.

Feeling inspired to design your own home? Discover works that will fit seamlessly into your room concept:

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