I was reading a design magazine yesterday in which the editor posed a question to her staff; she asked them “What is luxury”?
The answers were so varied, but one of them, in particular, struck a chord and has stayed with me for the last 24 hours. This person’s definition of luxury was “Long lunches with friends that turn into dinners”. I just loved that. What a juicy and delicious sentiment.
It started to make me think about luxury in my life, and wanting to jump into the New Year as though it were a giant cashmere hand-knitted blanket, with all sorts of new intentions!
What in fact is luxury?
Quality? Quality of life? Quality of product?
Is it the time you spend with friends, uninterrupted? Is it Crane’s Lettra paper? (my alltime most favorite! Well, maybe Murillo is right up there with it!) Is it enjoying the smile on my daughter’s face when I walk in to her room first thing in the morning?
I feel like the word “luxury” technically means something of perceived high-value, but to me it’s how you experience the item, or the event that makes it truly enjoyable. Yes, a $10,000 Gucci purse is “luxury” in the best sense of the word. But if you don’t enjoy it, if you don’t crave it, if you don’t dream about it – then maybe it’s not so luxurious? Hell, a $10 pedicure with a great massage can be luxurious, so where is the line of demarcation?
I could probably type around in circles about the differences I see in how the word is used, but I’ll let you think about it instead, and hopefully you’ll feel newly inspired to make your own list.
Here are my top ten luxuries of the moment:
1. Hands down, seeing Grace’s smile first thing in the morning is the best luxury
2. Dinner together with my husband – NOT in front of the tv
3. Clients who are willing to pay for the ideas I come up with
4. Uncompromised design
5. Time to think
6. Time to act
7. Time for a manicure & Pedicure (I’ll settle for someone cutting my nails!!)
8. Letterpress Printing (although I wish it WASN’T a luxury!)
9. Facebook (without Brad over my shoulder telling me to turn it off!)
10. Great memories