While I had time off from the digital world of phones and computers this past summer (except for my job), I had time to contemplate what a luxury lifestyle truly means in this contemporary time. It seems everyone is quick to purchase the trendy handbag or clothing item or travel to that place that is popular on Instagram. So in a world where what was once considered luxurious is now democratized and oversaturated in the market, what does a luxury lifestyle truly mean for today?
While the messaging of popular culture has almost always been that luxury resides in luxury goods, cars, homes, and travel…I find that luxury is not one simple thing (or even many things), but that it’s more of a set of characteristics in the way that life is lived and not simply in the purchase of a product. While there are luxurious moments to be savored such as staying at a five star hotel, enjoying a night at the opera, or a fine dining experience, a luxury lifestyle is more about the mindset than the experiences or things.
-Luxury is about intention, refinement and a sophisticated self image.
-Luxury is owning fewer, but finer things that will last and become their own modern classics.
-Luxury is about self respect, discernment, and proper decorum.
-Luxury is a devotion to daily pleasure and rituals that make the ordinary feel extraordinary.
-Luxury is refinement in thought, style, space, and time.
-Luxury is choosing ease over excess.
-Luxury is surrounding oneself with beauty (in style, decor, environment, and music).
-Luxury is being selective, purposeful, and deeply personal.
-Luxury is built through refined curation, not mindless accumulation.
-Luxury is about elevating standards, developing a more refined eye and palette and having a commitment to excellence.
-Luxury is about curating bespoke experiences that matches one’s personal interests.
-Luxury is a seamless integration of comfort and beauty at home through well designed environments.
-Luxury is valuing rest, nourishing food, movement, and mental clarity.
Each of these tenets will look different for everyone. Luxury is not about creating a monoculture, it’s about knowing and understanding one’s self and what is valued and then using that knowledge through a lens of refinement to make intentional choices about where one’s resources and energy goes so that the day-to-day choices reflects the elegant, luxurious lifestyle that is being created.
Whether you live in the city or countryside, in a small apartment or heritage home, a luxury lifestyle is about cultivating a life that feels considered, beautiful and deeply your own. True luxury lies in the grace with which one lives.
This type of work takes time and careful intentionality as there is no shortage of ads and marketing that are thrust upon on us on any given day to try and tell us what luxury is. Taking time to journal what values are important to you can help guide you through creating bespoke experiences and curated surroundings that feels luxurious to you.
