21st Century Luxury: Privacy

The significant development and increasing importance of social networking encourages the free-flow of information and blurs the limit between the private and public domain. Websites such as Facebook allow for the online publication of millions of profiles, and stores every single bit of information that one has ever uploaded on their account. Even if a user ‘deletes’ an entry, it is permanently stored in the Website’s databases. Consequently, the user loses control over their very own, private information, as whatever is uploaded online becomes the Website’s property. It follows that social networking will gradually acquire our information like one acquires a commodity. Moreover, the complex legal structures and privacy settings cause users to unknowingly operate and publish their information. Thus, as one becomes increasingly aware of these issues, it is likely that we will strive to protect and preserve our privacy.

By: Flora Gn.

21st Century Luxury: Aircruise- first floating hotel

The Aircruise, is a conceptual work created by the British innovation company Semourpowell. It is not only a very special luxury hotel of the future but also a transportation means. In otherwords, it is a floating hotel. Powered by natural energy, it brings passengers from point A to B. Although its slower than an airplane, with a 37 hours flight from London to New-York, the Aircruise offers a different manner of traveling. Because of the floating hotel's gigantic size and its policy to transport only a handful passengers, the Aircruise offers the luxury goods from the future to its guests: time and space. With a rapidly increasing world population, space is already rare today, especially in cities like Tokyo or Paris. Time, on the other hand is also becoming more and more a luxury: although we have worked less and less over the last century, we still feel more and more stressed. The Aircruise creates therefore a new approach to the luxurious environment. This may sound very futuristic but the Aircruise could already be realized by the year 2015 thanks to all the technical specifications which have been made. Maybe not to far from now, the Aircruise will be the most luxurious example of traveling the earth friendly way.

Seymourpowell.com

Palden MacGamwell

21st Century Luxury: Natural Rarity

By Gayatri Mittal

I came across this example while looking at an ongoing vintage market near Ecole Militaire. One of the sellers had a very beautiful statue of Krishna made in Ivory. The best quality Ivory comes from the trunk of very old elephants and for that so many elephants are killed. Use of Ivory is now illegal, in an attempt to protect elephants.

But still the practice continues. For example all piano keys were ivory but now some are plastic. Plastic is already been rejected by the masses. Ivory is desired not just for statues but anything else because of it high value and qualities. By killing the animals for our desires we are endangering the species. Objects made out of materials found in nature will remain a luxury. With globalization and mass production their has been exploitation at every level creating natural rarity.

21st Century Luxury: Natural resources; water by Minji Kang

As natural resources become more precious, they will become luxury.
For example in a cafe, water will be more expensive than other drinks as in some countries it is already costs more than coke. Besides that, as the world becomes a global society, in cafe there will be more choices for water. For example, they might sell different kinds of water from different origins. As the technology develops they also might serve waters that has functions(like vitamin water). Also indoor sports(like wii) will be more popular, and water sports like swimming will be considered as a luxurious thing.

21st Century Luxury : Nature

By Stefanie Fagerberg

In our day and age of rapid urbanization and exponential growth in terms of population, technological prowess and architectural constructions, our natural world is becoming more and more damaged by modernity. Nature and fresh unpolluted air are increasingly scarce and smaller percentages of the world have access to them. Moreover, as the wealthiest tend to concentrate in urban areas, access to genuine nature and a possibility of escape from modernity will become a luxury in the 21st century. It will cost money and time to be able to bring your children to experience authentic nature and not simply bring them to a small park in the middle of concrete jungles. Clean oxygen too will become luxurious. More people than ever will start to take better care of their bodies and search for cleansing and organic foods, drinks and soon, air. In this case, something that was for so long abundant and taken for granted will now become luxurious due to its newfound scarcity.

Authenticity v. The Thinker

‘The Thinker’ by Auguste Rodin was cast 21 times, and can be found scattered across the globe. Though there is a massive influx of people who insist on viewing the version showcased in the Musée Rodin, here in Paris. The sculpture, because of its physical attributes, gives the air of great debate, pain, and tribulation. One can feel the weight of the human condition, and man’s contemplation. Originally ‘The Thinker’ was part of a door that Rodin made for a commission for Les Arts Décoratifs. The Thinker was originally supposed to be Dante reflecting on his great poem, which the door depicted. When the sculpture was ‘blown up’ (Rodin often made large casts of smaller works) he decided the work stood alone, and the commission for Les Arts Décoratifs had fallen through, so he began casting ‘Thinkers’ and sending them around the world. The first cast is speculated to have been shipped to the U.S., so the version sitting at Musée Rodin, is likely not even the original. What this indicates is that authenticity is measured by much more than being the first of something. ‘The Thinker’ in Paris sits in the middle of the history of Rodin’s work, and because the sculptures are all the same, the history must be important to people. People may ‘project’ themselves into the past, daydreaming about what it may have felt like when Rodin was creating his works, or walking around Paris. Each sculpture is authentic in its own right, but the version sitting in Paris offers something other than just authenticity (materially speaking), it offers the closest experience to Rodin himself. ‘The Thinkers’ because of their material continuity will all carry the same message, the one intended by Rodin, which is one of contemplation and weighty deliberation. This message to me, defines the authenticity of the piece. If it loses the message, it loses its authenticity. Therefore the version of ‘The Thinker’ in Paris aligns itself not only with authenticity, but with history. I will keep history and authenticity separate, because ‘The Thinker’ in Paris, is not the original, and people often assume it is, thus it loses some form of continuity which keeps it for me, from being able to claim complete authenticity. The point in the end, is that authenticity is not as mechanically placeable as some may think. There can be different kinds of authenticity; authenticity that posits itself within a conceptual realm, requiring that the sentiment of the artist be upheld, and authenticity that posits itself within history/production, requiring that the process taken to achieve something is congruent with the one claimed, or that the artifact has in fact been through the process claimed.


Sara Martin

Luxury Design, Environments

Case Study: Le Meurice
By: Flora Gn

Parisian luxury hotels, renowned for their savoir-faire and characteristic decor, rate as some of the most beautiful environments in the world. The Meurice, a five start Hotel located on the prestigious rue de Rivoli, and an element of the elite Parisian Palaces, certainly seems to aim for ultimate luxury. By focusing on the entrance of Le Meurice in terms of its history, decor and overall impression, this essay analyzes why the Meurice qualifies as such. It is important to note that, when referring to “entrances”, I speak of the Meurice’s lobby, Dali restaurant and reception.

Hotel Le Meurice

The Meurice is located seconds away from the Place de la Concorde, and stands opposite to the Jardin des Tuileries. It belongs to the prestigious Dorchester collection, and rates as one of the few palaces of Paris. Its history begins when, in the early sixteenth century, upper-class English travelers were seeking for a place to rest between their travels from the UK to Paris. In 1771 Charles-Augustin Meurice, a local Frenchman, decided to establish a hotel, where the Englishmen could reside before arranging their coach-ride to Paris the following day. In 1817, Charles-Augustin Meurice’s son, named Louis-Augustin Meurice, decided to construct a similar hotel in Paris. It was not until 1835 that it was transferred to its current location, Rue de Rivoli. The intention was to establish a hotel that would incorporate English taste and savoir-faire to a French style and environment. The hotel became so imbued with the English culture that it was occasionally referred to as the “City of London”. In 1905, the hotel underwent its first extensive renovation, which was greatly inspired by Louis XVI styles and aesthetics. Today, this aesthetic still prevails, but since its recent renovation in 2007, it has been merged with a more contemporary approach and design.

Philippe Starck, Artistic Collaboration

The French designer, Philippe Starck, was asked to orchestrate this renovation. He created an environment that reflected the hotel’s history and contemporary design. Salvador Dali, who was one of the hotel’s regular customers, inspired Starck to design an entrance as elegantly eccentric as the surrealist master.

The Lobby

Upon entering the hotel’s lobby, one discovers a space covered in a lustrous marble alternating between various tones of blacks, greys and whites. The ceiling is perched well above the ground, and bares beautiful carvings. The walls, like the ceiling, are composed of stone of an off-white tone. Such delicate decoration already suggests the aesthetic richness of the space, thus reflecting a luxurious element of adornment. On the right-hand side stands a tall, gold-framed mirror covered in a large sheet of ice. It is covered in small engravings with people’s names, drawings etc. Every night, this layer is melted and frozen again for the next morning, so that the hotel’s clientele can start engraving new elements into the mirror. Apparently, it also symbolizes the hotel because the work is in constant renewal, all whilst maintaining the same base and values. It seems quite usual for a luxury hotel to have this type of ‘interactive’ environment, and, in this way, the Meurice distinguishes itself from other luxury hotels.

The Reception

After observing the lobby, I was directed towards reception, and was immediately drawn to a skewed painting placarded to the ceiling, right above the front desk. It depicted an arm, elegantly floating across the canvas. This painting is actually a close up of a portrait of the “Comtesse Regnault de Saint-Jean d’Angely”, painted by the artist François Gérard in 1798. This work was particularly impressive when standing at the far end of the 10.3 meter front desk, as its unusual angle structured the room in an anachronistic manner, further enabling the viewer to understand that they are not visiting any ordinary environment, but that of a luxurious, genuinely unique hotel.

The Dali

The Dali also underwent important changes during the renovation in 2007. Initially, the restaurant had a very classical feel, and perhaps felt more valued for its historic, antique style than for its value in terms of luxury and the experience this provides. Consequently, Starck modernized this space by merging antiquity, Dali and modernity to create a space rich in culture and aesthetics.

The Quality of Service

The quality of service is also characteristic of the Meurice’s luxurious status. When I asked one of the receptionists what she felt characterized the Meurice’s entrance, she replied: “It is a superb mix of Art, beauty and level of excellence in our savoir-faire”.

Cultural Importance

In an essay entitled “The Role of Culture in the Service Evaluation Process”, Anna S. Mattila, the author, analyzes the relationship between culture, environment and appreciation of service. Mattila explains that Western cultures are: “more likely than their Asian counterparts to rely on the tangible cues from the physical environment”. Thus, it is clear that a French hotel will strongly rely on the quality of their physical environment to qualify for luxury status, and this is precisely what the Meurice reaches by investing so much financial importance into the aesthetic quality of the environment constituting their entrance.

In conclusion, it seems that the Entrance of the Meurice, with its careful attention to decor, unique artistic collaborations, excellent quality of service and remarkable sense of extravagance successfully functions to create a true, authentic experience of luxury. What distinguishes this establishment from its competitors is also its ability to maintain the value of its historical essence by openly and atypically expressing it throughout the aesthetics of the entrance, which immediately sets the tone for a very exclusive, unique atmosphere, enabling it to be the real “Real Thing”.

21st Century Luxury: Space Tourism

This week Virgin Galactic opened its spacecraft to BBC. See the full story with a video unveiling the crafts here. Tickets will start at $150,000 a trip, limiting it to a select group of initial travelers. This will likely become a 21st century luxury, a form of extravagant but wasteful expenditure, for the experience alone, instead of actually going from one destination to another like conventional travel. But the extravagance of space travel may also generate new types of space tourism fashion and media coverage, creating a larger public interest.

21st Century Luxury: Youth

People of every era aim to look and feel their youngest. But people are now living longer than previous centuries. The luxury market should see an increase in older consumers, but not simply in older consumers but older consumers who seek out health and beauty products and services. This should mean a shift in luxury beauty which aims to young clients, now also serving seniors. Spas and fitness services will also expand to include these clients seeking youthful vitality at any cost.

Luxury, Authenticity & Environments

Above and below, Tina Barney, portraits at home

There are a number of different arguments that could be made about what makes an environment luxurious but also authentic. Environments are almost always designed by an architect, so there is, in most cases, the hand of a designer. Also, even basic environments need reproduced forms, multiple bricks for example. So it is not by one hand or by one material that environments achieve authenticity but also through history and legend, which are built through time and myth. Artisan aspects and personalization can be used strategically to build myth.

Home environments demonstrate obvious authenticity. Above, Tina Barney's photos of luxury homes reveal personal qualities and the additional aspect of luxury, the service provided. Having staff, a doorman, or security make a luxury environment a more personal place that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Below the contemporary take on luxurious, authentic environments by Todd Selby.

Above and below, the Carlyle in New York. Many hotels invite artists to personalize their spaces and build the myth of authenticity. In these cases the famous Madeline book illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans has decorated the hotel bar walls and Vertès decorated the cafe.

Above and below are cases in which the actual structure is a natural and permanent part of the location that gives an undeniable authenticity. The Ice Hotel in Sweden and the Anatolian caves of Turkey both offer specific luxury and authentic environments.

Above the Fregate Island spa, among Conde Nast's top of 2011, offers location specific luxury. Below Gulfstream private jets can be customized to designer standards to bring more unique, personal authenticity.

Above yacht environments at the Abu Dabi yacht show and the popular Pershing yacht. Yachts can also be made more authentic through customization such as left by artist Jeff Koons and right by Wally Hermes.

As we consider specific examples of luxurious, authentic environments, Monte Carlo stands out as 19th century branded city. The art nouveau aesthetic is seamless from the Hotel de Paris to the Cafe de Paris to the casino, all intended to attract French clients whose right to gamble had been outlawed. The result is an entire city with a luxurious, artisan feel that works like a resort, giving visitors a sense of getting away from the urban.

Cafe de Paris & Casino de Monte Carlo

Below Monte Carlo SBM is the luxury company of the country that has extended the name "Monte Carlo" to other cities, extending the "fantasy" of authenticity.

Above The Ritz-Carlton group of hotels throughout the world is driven by the motto "ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." The service emphasis makes the hotel stand out from other corporate hotels that offer the same quality. Below the perks of the Ritz Club for regular visitors include cookies and candies throughout the hotel, tea and snack times and personalized concierge.

Above The Mark in New York re-launched the older property with a new French design and promotions by French illustrator Delhomme, to add a contrived sense of European-historic authenticity. Below the jet set destinations map includes some of the global luxe spots. Places shift with fashions, with something new each season. Recent trends? Tel Aviv.

Above Andre Balazs' target locations on coastal America - Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Below Balazs seen as a influential personality and signature authenticity for the hotels. New York magazine called him the "tastemaker for tastemakers."

Above Balazas emerged at a time when the "boutique hotel" meant Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck. Balazs introduced something different and gave consumers two price points. With a creative team he tapped into the local significance of the architecture and stripped down the structures, resurrecting historic glory. Because he capitalized on existing legends, he was immediately embraced by the establishment and the fashion set. The hotels became not only luxurious and authentic but also offered clients a scene they would not find in other more corporate luxury hotels. Below the Chateau as backdrop for Vogue US May 2011.

Above from the Vogue shoot and below for the film Somewhere. The Chateau is loaded with legends as Belushi died here, Jim Morrison almost did, Led Zepplin rode motorcycles through the lobby, and Hunter S. Thompson and Howard Hughes lived here.

Above and below the Chateau lobby and gardens are for a small number of guests that create a sense of exclusivity and insider value.

Above and below Balazs created a hotel across the street from the Chateau at half the price. The Standard is his entry level hotel with a more modern spartan aesthetic. The logo was based on Los Angeles artist Ed Ruscha's famous Standard Station work.

Above the second Standard in Los Angeles is downtown. Below on the left the higher priced Chateau versus the Standard offers more historic and authentic rooms but comparable beds and linens.

Above and below Balazs repeats his two price point strategy. On the higher end, The Mercer gives patrons an ideal SoHo location with a sociable library lobby and gourmet cafe in the basement, The Mercer Kitchen. Also downtown is the lower priced Standard New York which is a high rise with more uniform rooms. The Standard is affordable and attracts a younger lower end luxe crowd. Balazs uses the hotel's bar to build aura.

Below left the higher price Mercer uses similar lines to the lower priced Standard. Only the quality of location and scenes differ and create the difference in prices.

Above Balazs in Miami honors the original structure of The Raleigh, highlighting its Cuban and art deco influences in the lobby and pool below.

Across town, Balasz again offers the lower priced option at the Standard Miami below. But this lower priced, more modern and simplistic space, offers many spa features not at the Raleigh.

Below the Raleigh left is twice the price of the Standard right. But here with similar linens, the Raleigh again has a better location while the Standard offers private courtyards.

Finally below, speculations that Balazs will soon expand to St. Barths and JFK Airport.