Before your mind automatically categorizes this word in what your own experience of luxury means, let me explain.
As I age, how I define luxury is evolving from what it meant in my youth (being able to buy things and quantity vs quality) to a more refined definition involving uniqueness, especially in our times of mass produced products and services.
I don't exactly know when and at what point my tastes and viewpoint of luxury changed but I do know that it has completely changed my life!
In what way?
I say "no" to more things and invitations than I say "yes" to...being in a position to control your own time is luxury defined to me. (I used to wear myself out working 10 hour days at a demanding job, sitting on multiple nonprofit boards all while volunteering at least 10 hours per month and being completely depleted)
I live my life out of a 1/3 filled walk in closet...wearing the clothes I really love that includes about 60% vintage (including my absolute favorite vintage dress that was in the $1 bin and is extremely well made) is luxury defined to me. (I used to have enough clothes to fill two walk-in closets and a hallway closet filled with coats/jackets)
I live in an urban neighborhood whereas I can hop on a bus to get to downtown in 10 minutes and I walk to work through a scenic, gorgeous historic neighborhood....not sitting in a car for a long commute to work is luxury defined to me. (I used to commute 40 minutes each way at that 10 hour/day demanding job)
These are just a few examples that are from my personal experiences.
While I was thinking of this post, I was pleasantly surprised to see an article in the October/November 2015 issue of Luxe Interior+Design magazine that asked some of the best tastemakers their definition of luxury. Based on their responses, I now know that I am not the only one going through a metamorphosis of determining what luxury means...here are some of the tastemaker responses I liked best:
"An overly planned space becomes mundane as does an overly planned life--spontaneity is everything." -Robert Passal
"We have reached a point where luxury is uniqueness: the painting that was a gift from an artist friend; the fabric brought back from a trip to Istanbul. Luxury is deeply personal." -Alexa Hampton
"It's experience that defines luxury, it's no longer about product." -Peter Dunam
"Luxury is harmony. At the core of harmony is decisive editing. If you don't love an object, lose it." -Amy Lau
"Luxury is time: time to create. Time to read. Time to relax. Time to focus. Time to explore. Luxury leaders find the time." -Ralph Pucci
"Invest in what you touch everyday--sheets, towels, the fabric on your favorite chair. These tactile things bring quiet comfort to your everyday." -Thomas Pheasant
"I subscribe to the 'less is more' credo. Buy fewer high quality pieces as opposed to a lot of junk." -Heather Hilliard
"There is no substitute for beautiful manners and thoughtfulness, or, for that matter, sheer quality." -Tricia Guild
"Comfort and quality are the ultimate luxury to me today and always." -Alessandro Branca
I hope this post and these quotes inspire you to find your own vein of quality and inspires you to evolve your definition of what it means to live a well lived life of luxury...based on your own stylish and purposeful terms!
It's Curva-Lish...
Photo Credit: all pics are from Instagram/Luxemagazine
No comments:
Post a Comment