Making Luxurious Details a Means to a High End.

In the world of design, there is one word that all clients and aesthetics-seekers love to use commonly. The word is thrown around like it is a zeitgeist to every blueprint, like it is a pro-forma requirement. The word denotes so much more than what clients assume it means.

The word: Luxury. 

‘Luxury is when it seems flawless, when you reach the right balance between all elements. Understated theatricality – that is what my luxury is all about.’ These words from Jean-Louis Denoit, renowned interior designer, are most aligned with Concept Me’s definition of luxury - but there’s more to it in our opinion.

In our industry of designing living and commercial spaces, aesthetics are integral. However, aesthetics are the shell and the exterior reflection of the true depth, taste and quality we aim to portray across blank space. The majority of the projects Concept Me has accepted, heralded by our Chief Vision Officer Nina Parvaresh are accentuated by a sense of luxury. This high-end result is not achieved by flamboyant brand names and generic haute couture companies turned home décor mass producers. This high end is achieved through the focus and curation of details in the most excruciating but rewarding of manners.

The high-end features of the projects we curate are achievable due to our unshaken faith in the fact that luxury is a necessity, not a flamboyant theme to parade in residential or commercial spaces. Luxury is not merely an outspoken statement to reflect status onto others, but an understated display of craftsmanship, taste and knowledge-based choices. The devil is in the details in our opinion. Look over The Library Project, completed by Concept Me in 2020 for a visual elaboration of what we are trying to convey.

The level of pretentious that we may sound like right now to some people is totally understandable! Bear with it - because luxury and high end do not fall under the connotation of pretentious or profligate. Those are the connotations of empty extravagance and tasteless trinkets. High-end luxury is the display of narrative space in the most eloquent of ways. It is a designer’s method of telling the story to the best of their abilities. It is space made alive in narrative context, creative detail and sublime quality. That is why high end is necessary. That is why luxury is a requirement rather than an embellishment to space. And that is why Concept Me is selective about the projects it undertakes.

Now, onto the million-dollar question - how to utilize luxury as a means to a high end? The answer is summed up by our Chief Vision Officer:

‘Luxury means time, taste and intangible feelings. It means putting to use the experienced knowledge of acquired taste in the aim of achieving the wow factor through timely curated processes.’
-    Nina Parvaresh
 

Time. Experienced Knowledge. Wow Factor. Noted - but allow us to elaborate.

Simply put, if you want the best burger out there, you don’t pull up to the McDonald’s Drive-Thru. That’s a fact. If you want to turn heads as you walk in, you don’t dress off-the-rack. Last year’s Blanc de Blanc doesn’t compare to its 10-year-old brother. Here we go - sounding pretentious again…

The point is - great things require time. Any wallpaper could look aesthetically pleasing to the unknowing eye. However, when we commission a wallpaper from Zuber and wait for 3 months for it to be crafted by their expert hands, anyone perceiving that wallpaper will be subject to that wondrous feeling it gives off. The wallpaper speaks for itself - its quality and effort are self-explanatory.

Moreover, knowing what to commission and what to choose is an expert’s art in and of itself. The knowledge of luxurious elements requires an experienced eye and soul. There is an innate appeal to them. Added to that innate ability to tell what should be used is the acquired taste for luxury which is only achievable through having an encyclopedic catalogue in the back of one’s mind to be used as a reference, as a benchmark. Just because things look pretty, doesn’t mean they are right. Lessons for life over here!

Thirdly, the wow factor. We don’t mean wow factor in the way social media make up influencers exclaim it. We mean it in the most understated and authentic contexts. 

When the right elements are brought together in the finest of ways from the cladding to the tiny scented candle on the polished surface, one will involuntarily receive that sense of luxury exuding off of every surface, every thread and every light source. This feeling is only stimulated when every single element has been carefully calculated and thought of. We at Concept Me have witnessed Nina spending 2 hours deciding on what shade of blue is to be painted or what sheer curtain is to be installed. And we were astounded by the results - because it is not creative confusion or deliberate indecisiveness that led to that; instead, it is calculated taste taking its time to understand all the factors that must be taken into consideration. The wow factor is not easy to achieve. But, like all difficult things, its reward is unmatched. 

When it comes to the projects we take on, we like to remind our clients that cost is merely a detail. When we opt to work with the echelons of the industry, we are not merely seeking a name and a wow-factor price tag. We are purchasing decades of experience, taste, research, creativity and knowledge. When we use luxurious details to compose a high-end project, we are aiming to portray stories, aged wisdom, quality and genuine taste. Quality and taste are irreplaceable and priceless. Choosing high-end is paying equal attention to invisible details and prominent features. High-end is craftsmanship and artisanal experience. High-end is about creating a red thread for every project and making that red thread the narrative core across which all the elements will fall and fit in the most elegant, understated and authentic design possible.

In the world of immediate gratification and replicated desires, we at Concept Me aim to create luxury patiently, authentically and personally. This is a necessity. We aim to imprint quality, beauty and stories on the spaces we are responsible for. In this vast blankness, we strive to put the high-end in high-end. We hope that makes sense…