“…around its edges, the concept of luxury is getting blurry, making it less clear where it begins and ends.” — Quartz
Luxury: translating a changing trend
We’ve been writing recently about luxury, what it means to consumers, and how we translate that shifting meaning into our fabrics. It’s always interesting to see how hotels and restaurants are keeping up with the ever-fluid nature of modern life, particularly as they are such intensely experiential places.
Instagram stars are transforming hotel design, for example - the social media platform is an essential tool in the arsenal of interior designers. Millenials also have a seat at the table when it comes to the design of dining.
Even though the definition of what luxury is might be changing, hospitality design, for example, is adding even further experiential value to their guests’ stay rather than just an expensive bed in a corner room of the Four Seasons.
The Retreat Hotel, Iceland
Location: Grindavík, Iceland
What inspires us about this hotel: the neutral tones and earthy textures here are absolutely beautiful - we can almost feel the dry, wool-touch of those bedspreads! With only five suites in total, the rare experience offered by this lagoon retreat is surely worth a million instagram favourites.
With numerous treatments available in the once-in-a-lifetime spa and a fabulously appointed restaurant, this hotel stay definitely deserves it’s position on the top of our bucket list.
The naturally striking palette here evokes Lighten's Snow, the soft Loci Dim Out Pebble and the unexpected and stunning Jadeite Marine.
Tulum Treehouse, Mexico
Location: Tulum, Mexico
What inspires us about this hotel: The dense mangrove jungle surrounding Tulum Treehouse feeds a great diversity of fauna and flora and purifies the local water source. What really inspires us about this private hotel though is the collaborative feel that it cultivates, bringing together a collective of local artisans and international designers to realise a global-facing design while respecting the natural habitat of the Yucatan.
The interior design and styling was done by one of our heroes, Berlin-based Annabell Kutucu.
These beautiful, muted shades are reflected in Latin's Pistachio and Sand and Lexicon's textured Clay and Stone.
The z9 resort, Thailand
Location: Kanchanaburi, Thailand
What inspires us about this hotel: Floating off the shoreline of the Srinakharin Lake in Western Thailand are the new rafts of the z9 resort. On land, the main building is situated to optimize views of the sunrise and sunset.
What we love about this resort is that it’s fundamentally sustainable, always bringing the old mantra of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to the fore throughout both the design and construction process, sourcing the materials locally.
z9's windswept palette brought our fabrics, the delicate Almond (Jaxx) and the ever-ready Clay, to mind.
The Ned Hotel, England
Location: London, England
What inspires us about this hotel: A sumptuous club/hotel hybrid, The Ned was London’s most eagerly-awaited hotel opening of 2017. Once a bank headquarters, the building took 200 million pounds sterling to renovate and has been transformed in a space chock-full of glamour (and restaurants, of which there are no less than 7).
It’s the fun of this hotel that really strikes us though: the dazzle and wit of the experience of a stay there echo in the mind long afterwards.
The lush, gem-like hues of The Ned are reflected in Mastok, Moon's Gold and Navy, Gaspeite in peony and Gosh in bordeaux.
People like being in a piece of art and yet, at the same time, feel that everything is very natural and comfortable, that it is easy to be inspired and to live.” — Philippe Schiepan.
Finding luxury in the everyday
Luxury is a thing to be lived, not a thing you can own; and as you’ve seen, it doesn’t need to be absent from a business-trip or unexpected lay-over in a strange city. That’s the thing about how luxury is changing in these hectic times: it’s never far away, you just need to know where to look.
To explore the colour palettes shown in the photographs, check out the related products below.
