In this era where the luxury tag is a big business, companies that aspire to that and their marketing and brand managers are continually asking themselves what is luxury?  The brand Twinscape and all our products are considered to be luxury so it is something we often try to define in order that we can better position ourselves in the right markets and arenas. The brand Twinscape and all our products are considered to be luxury so it is something we often try to define in order that we can better position ourselves in the right markets and arenas. 

The old adage that one man’s famine is another man’s feast suggests luxury is personal and differs hugely depending on the position the receiver is in.  What we may think of as luxury may simply be a rich man’s necessity or desire to be different.  

Luxury is often a form of self-indulgence, something to treat ourselves to in the same way a child who has sat through injections may be rewarded with a packet of sweets. A hard working person may reward themselves with a designer handbag, an upgraded kitchen, an exotic holiday or a new car but is this luxury?    If that car is an upgrade to a more conspicuously designer brand but the car still does the same as the older, cheaper, more mainstream brand than surely that defines luxury.  Is something luxurious because it is an indulgence but not a necessity? Aspirational brands market themselves as if owning it will make you part of an elite set where money is no object and life somehow exists on a more polished, higher plane.   Is that luxury or is in fact luxury simply a state of mind?  Or does rarity and elusiveness in fact equal luxury…In the world of precious stones, a diamond that is a rare colour such as a hot pink diamond is more highly valued because of its rarity.  This means the whole business of having a designer bag the same as many other people instantly downgrades it to being of a lesser luxury status.   If others can have it to then is it still luxury? Rarity is definitely important with the luxury label and in fact part of why vintage has become so desirable because vintage is much less attainable and more likely to be unique. 

When something is handmade or custom made it is often unique.  After all, if luxury is about rarity and individuality then made-to-order and one-off designs hit the mark.  This is why couture can charge the eye wateringly high prices that they do as the buyer is getting a one-off original design made exclusively for them.  There is also the element that the item, whether clothing or perhaps an interior of a car, would be hand crafted and not mass-produced by machines.  This again seemed to be define luxury.  I read interviews with some public eye people, some who were self-made and others for further definition.   One thing that rang true across the board was that they all valued quality and by paying extra they expected more not just in visual terms but in performance too.   They still demanded value for their money despite their deep pockets and perhaps more telling three of them stated that time was the luxury most desired.   So in fact the ultimate in luxury is not a thing or a place or a style but the elusive commodity of time, something that cannot be bought.   In this day and age of time saving devices and permanent connection via wifi and mobile phone technology, isn’t that rather telling?

And luxury in home ownership or architecture?   How do we define that?  Certainly size matters to many in terms of luxury as does design, technology, location and uniqueness.  We work in many different locations with many different agendas and the reason our clients choose us and our products range from the flexibility our products offer their space to the advanced technology they employ to the desire for the ultimate safety to their homes.   We work in diverse locations from mansions on vast estates where space is not an issue to penthouse apartments in highly desirable but space restricted city locations and all have the feel of luxury.  Our movable floors, for example, have been incorporated into swimming pool designs in houses with pared back modernity but also in those designed with flamboyant opulence and to date no two have been the same.   The common factors with the projects we have undertaken are uniqueness and the way our products can transform a space to make it a performing, versatile and safe area. It would be true to state that Twinscape products encompasses all the different elements that define luxury; from their custom-made nature to their high functionality and their ability to make a spectacular visual impact.   The one thing we cannot achieve for the owner is the mythical luxury of time but should they have it, then where better to spend it then in their own Twinscape-d home!