TECHNOLOGY and innovation go hand in hand and while this might be the most apparent in consumer goods, its effects also extend outwards into other sectors including architecture and interior design. In today’s technology-driven world, the meaning of luxury is also transformed, and in creating and designing todays’ homes and hotels, this means a marriage between the old and the new.
Kohler, one of the world’s leading kitchen and bathroom products invited several well-respected architects and interior designers to discuss the meaning of luxury in their Design Forum Manila held at The 5th at Rockwell Mall.
Cathy Saldaña – Managing Director of PDP Architects shared that luxury is about the experience. “Materials now are sculptural and for people to feel that luxury, they have to see movement. The kinetic adaptation of materials, of technology, allows people to see sculpture that moves. The way that water behaves and collaborates with your design, the way lighting works with digital technology,” she shared.
Meanwhile, Ivy Almario, Principal Interior Designer of Atelier Almario and Cynthia Almario, Creative Director of Atelier Almario see luxury as an expression of identity. “Luxury has the potential to unlock dreams of being somewhere else or someone else. Condominium units are often delivered bare and this allows unit owners to create homes that fit their own style and tastes. They have to be in love with everything in their house so that using it, feeling it, and being there in their home feels natural,” they shared.
“Making luxury is not concerned with practical solutions, but with the extraordinary, the non-essential, and the exclusive,” they added.
Clint Nagata – Founder and Co-CEO of Blink Design Group shined a spotlight on the changes of the definition of luxury in high-end hotels. “Travel is not what it used to be, especially in the luxury market. The old definition of luxury in hotels was about consistency, and predictability. However, today, it is about the creation of a home away from home. It is about delivering something unexpected.” he shared.
He noted that new luxury hotels are about creating spaces and views that are unique to them and their location. “We see properties that create views and areas that echo the characteristics of their environment. A luxury hotel in Israel will give a completely different atmosphere from a hotel in Bali, even if they are the same brand and run by the same company,” he added.
