Design Talk: Meet “The Queen of Ambiance”

Melissa Sorman "Queen of Ambiance"

Melissa Sorman is many things: a talented gardener and landscape designer, florist, party planner and stylist. But the thing that really sets her apart from others in these fields is something she always calls “ambiance”. Yes, she’s a talented gardener…but her vegetable garden, for example, isn’t just a series of straight rows…it’s a vegetable Versailles. Yes, she can do a floral arrangement…but hers are always stunning works of art.

I’ve been working with Melissa for over 10 years. She has done landscape and garden design at my own home and at the Barn. I’ve referred her to many customers who have become long-time clients and devotees of Melissa’s work. She deserves a place of honor in my Design Talk column because she indeed represents the level of taste, design and aesthetic that Hammertown is known for. Melissa and I work so well together — we start with an idea and she takes it beyond my wildest expectations.

"Wedding at Roundfield Farm" -- Event, Flowers & Design by Melissa Sorman, "Queen of Ambiance"

The latest example of Melissa’s command of ambiance is the wedding she recently planned for her friends, Mary (Auntie M) and Bonnie, which was recently featured on our website. The “dining-in-the-field picture” on our site really drew readers in so I thought it would be a good idea to share my design talk column with Auntie M. — Joan

Bonnie and I have known Melissa (and her husband, Steve) for many years. Melissa and I threw a “Lucia Party” (a Swedish Christmas tradition) some years ago and that’s when I first discovered she was indeed, “The Queen of Ambiance”. So, when it was time to plan our wedding reception at Joan’s farm, we knew we would be blessed if our friend, Melissa, would agree to perform her magic. As you can see…this time Her Highness out-did herself!

“I always start with a concept”, says Melissa. “Late summer and early fall are great times to have an outdoor wedding. If you have a hayfield with a backdrop of changing foliage, all the better. In this case, the concept was “Party-in-the- Hudson-Valley-in-early-fall-on-a-farm-in-a-field-with-the-perfect-barn-for- a-bar-and-the-perfect-home-to-repair-to-if-there-is-a-thunderstorm.”

And, amazingly, that’s how it all went. The field was picturesque, the barn made a great (and heavily frequented) Bar and towards the end of the evening there was a sudden passing thunderstorm and indeed, we all repaired to Joan’s porch and living room.

The table centerpieces using gourds from our neighbors and grasses from Roundfield itself were truly inspired. For flowers, Melissa used “stuff from my garden — giant salvia Indigo Spires, cosmos, cleome, castor bean flowers, verbena bonariensis, sweet autumn clematis, hydrangeas, cabbages, and plume poppies.” She also borrowed “goldenrod, asters, pokeweed, sunflowers, roadside grasses, burdock, thistles, yellow flag leaves, and corn from mine and my client’s fields”. One of the most unusual and gorgeous things Melissa did was arranging cuttings of Rainbow Swiss chard in a large Simon Pierce vase. “All those many-colored stalks in water really stopped the show. People are amazed when I use vegetables in arrangements,” said Melissa.

Melissa’s advice: “Planning is key; I have done many of these events, and the thing is not to think it out too much, yet to think of every detail and contingency. Sounds like I am contradicting myself, but it’s true. If somebody has an idea that you didn’t, let them go for it. That way, everybody feels that they made a difference, and everybody has fun.”

And we did have fun! With Melissa as the maestro conductor, so many people helped to make our wedding an event we’ll never forget. Even our guests said they would remember it with great joy for years to come. That is the finest compliment any event planner could ask for…and Melissa…no one deserves that compliment more than you. Thank you.