Luxury is a matter of details. This is the key difference between the regular and the luxury brand. What could be more luxurious than commissioning something bespoke?
A lot of luxury brands have been upping their luxury quotient by introducing limited- edition and bespoke items like custom- made Burberry trench coats or limited edition of Bottega Veneta cabat bags. By doing so, they aim to create a new stratum for their big spenders who do not want to stay in the same category of those who can only afford entry-level items like wallets, key chains and small purses.
Truly rich people have always been, and still are, consumers of bespoke luxury products, the ultimate in luxury. When your product is one of a kind, hand-made or customized for you, you create instant exclusivity, no one else can have what you have. The same happens with luxury furniture; the challenge for interior designers is to find out what, deep down, a client wants, so it does require a level of trust. Interior designers have to question their clients about their lives and tastes, even about their superstitions, and they have to develop a reputation for discretion as well as creativity in designing luxurious and unique projects.
A good example of the latest trend towards highest customization is the studio of Nina Campbell, one of the world’s most respected and influential interior designers. Renowned for her contagious wit and brilliant sense of style, her designs appeal to both young and old and sit well in both contemporary and traditional interiors.
Nina Campbell provides a very personally tailored service to each client, working with a large and trusted team of craftsmen in all the decorative fields. In most cases, her clients are very private individuals who require a high level of confidentiality and privacy. Nina Campbell feels very strongly that, “to be truly luxurious”, a house should be personally tailored to each client and should reflect his/her own particular needs and lifestyle. This is confirmed by the many returning clients, throughout the generations and for houses in different parts of the world. Nina Campbell’s main current projects include a large residence on mainland China, a private house for a member of the Jordanian royal family in Amman, a town house in New York and a country house hotel overlooking Cheltenham race course, UK.
Remaining in the UK, birthplace of many influential designers and country where the “Bespoke phenomenon” is very popular, David Linley developed an international reputation for creating furniture and accessories that represent British craftsmanship at its very best.
In particular, Linley has become known for its imaginative use of wood in the design of furniture, using a balance of traditional and modern techniques to achieve the best possible result whether for an individual piece or an entire room. The ethos of Linley is to fuse contemporary design with exquisite cabinet-making.
Bespoke commissions undertaken by Linley range from individual domestic pieces such as dining tables, games tables and jewellery boxes to entire interior design projects including private residences such as an apartment within Norman Foster’s Chesa Futura building in St Moritz and a number of apartments in London’s prestigious development at The Lancasters, Hyde Park.
Commercial projects include suites at Claridge’s and the Kempinski Baltschug in Moscow as well as the furnishings of the Avro Business Jet.