Sleep & Eat—New Luxury and the Great Reset in Hospitality
Together, Decorex and the Sleep & Eat event hosted an online event focused on hospitality: 17-19 November 2020. To whet the design palate, their platform shares online conferences first shown at Designscape 2020.
In anticipation of the online event, the organizers of the Sleep & Eat event and Decorex put together an ensemble of online conferences originally shown at Designscape 2020. While certain areas of the design world were already shifting, we can expect more change following the current events of 2020. During online conferences, professionals discussed new luxury and the Great Reset in hospitality.
MORE: Of our articles on the Sleep & Eat event here.
New Luxury and Its Many Facets
The conversation on new luxury is promising for some and disappointing for others. The days of simply making objects shine, of displaying one’s wealth, of vaunting one’s antiques, might have come to an end.
“Luxury is subjective today. It’s different for everyone,” said Staffan Tollgard, co-founder of Tollgard Designs. “It’s something everyone can achieve but it will mean different things to them.”Danish Summer House by Tollgard. WINNER: Best Interior Design Scheme, Europe: The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019. Courtesy of Tollgard Design Group.
One of the major shifts is in regards to sustainability, according to Karen Howes. Luxury products must be well-made and although such products are often expensive, the high price doesn’t equate well-made, and the same goes for the tag “by hand”.
“By hand doesn’t necessarily mean better made than if it were made by machine. It’s also about originality and uniqueness,” said Karen Howes.
READ: Tollgard features on Luxdeco Top 100 Interior Designers of 2020
What has changed over the years?
“MBF dipped in gold. We had this thing in the early 90s where we tried to make everything shiny,” said Staffan Tollgard. “Authenticity has become really important now. If it’s an old piece, you understand its heritage. For new pieces, it has a narrative around it. You understand who’s made it, what it is and how it got to you. Uniqueness and authenticity in luxury is something that makes you feel good much more than a branded piece that has a name on it.”
“Luxury is not following a trend but you carving out what luxury is to you,” said Tollgard. Clients don’t necessarily want the same piece as their friend, like before. Now, they want a piece that speaks solely to them.
Europe: The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019. Courtesy of Tollgard Design Group.
Europe: The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019. Courtesy of Tollgard Design Group. Europe: The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019. Courtesy of Tollgard Design Group.
“With COVID, everyone has had their eyes on their home. Luxury now is being able to work from home in the peace and quiet—alone—inside or in the garden,” said Tollgard.
Space is luxury, according to Karen Howes. Her clients realize this more and more as they request work with requirements that are much different from what they would have been six months ago.
“Clients realize even more that their home is their special place. The home study and dining room had disappeared but they’re now back.”