April 22, 2025 • 47 mins
In this inspiring episode of Boulevard Beat, Meghan Blum and Krissa Rossbund explore what luxury truly means in today’s world. Gone are the days when luxury was defined strictly by price tags, designer labels, and grand estates. Instead, Krissa and Meghan dig into the emotional depth and intentional choices that now shape our perception of luxury.
From the materials that surround us to the stories behind curated pieces, the discussion shifts toward how personalization, craftsmanship, and thoughtful living embody modern luxury. Krissa shares her insights from years in the editorial world, noting how readers and homeowners alike are gravitating toward experiences and environments that offer beauty, comfort, and meaning—without necessarily being opulent or extravagant.
Meghan emphasizes how luxury can be found in the quiet moments: a perfectly tailored chair, a hand-thrown ceramic vase, or the peaceful rhythm of a well-designed room. Together, they explore how classic style and current trends can harmonize when guided by intention.
This episode is a refreshing reminder that true luxury is about how something makes you feel—not just how much it costs.
Street Style Takeaways:
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15! Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
From the materials that surround us to the stories behind curated pieces, the discussion shifts toward how personalization, craftsmanship, and thoughtful living embody modern luxury. Krissa shares her insights from years in the editorial world, noting how readers and homeowners alike are gravitating toward experiences and environments that offer beauty, comfort, and meaning—without necessarily being opulent or extravagant.
Meghan emphasizes how luxury can be found in the quiet moments: a perfectly tailored chair, a hand-thrown ceramic vase, or the peaceful rhythm of a well-designed room. Together, they explore how classic style and current trends can harmonize when guided by intention.
This episode is a refreshing reminder that true luxury is about how something makes you feel—not just how much it costs.
Street Style Takeaways:
- Luxury is Personal, Not Just Pricey
Today’s luxury is less about the label and more about emotional connection, comfort, and meaning. - Intentionality is Everything
Curated, thoughtful choices—like quality textiles or a handmade item—elevate a space more than trends ever could. - Craftsmanship Carries Weight
Pieces that tell a story or reflect true artistry add depth and richness to a home that mass-produced items can’t replicate. - Luxury is in the Everyday Moments
A serene corner, the way natural light hits a room, or the ritual of morning coffee in a beautiful mug—all are quiet luxuries. - Classic Design Is Timeless
Krissa and Meghan highlight how staying rooted in classic style creates lasting beauty, even as trends evolve.
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15! Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast where life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom, along with my co hosts, editor
Chris the Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast
focuses on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews
with taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight
achievable style. You can stroll one street at a time,
Boulevard Beat proves the one you should take.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Chris, I'm excited about today's conversation because we're talking about
a concept that often feels out of reach, and that's luxury.
But luxury isn't just about big houses and fancy cars
and things like that. It's about so much more than
just price.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Tags and exclusivity.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
What if it's about the way we experience our homes,
the materials we surround ourselves with, and the small, intentional
moments that bring us joy I think I think that
has more value of luxury in my mind than the big,
ice syed things.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I think when it comes to luxury, the obvious definition
of it I think has to do with upprice tag,
has to do with the label. And we're at a
time right now where I think that people are really
seeing beyond that and they are digging deeper into the
meaning of life and figuring out what luxury means to
(01:28):
them in a way that makes sense for their family,
makes sense for their lifestyle, and isn't all about the
flash and something that can contribute to their day to
day versus just be on the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Well, and Chris, I think too, the luxury of all
these little simple luxuries that are better and more meaningful
to your life is also kind of part of what
we wanted to have in this podcast as well, is
that we are interviewing guests and taste makers and people
that are showing us other luxuries in their own creative
way that aren't just about big homes and things like
(02:05):
that either.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
It's so true the guests that we've had on thus
far and who we will continue to tap into are
people who they offer a little something. Maybe it's a
beautiful linen, maybe it's a beautiful piece of stationery, maybe
it's a mindset, and how they look at design in
the lens at which they look at design through and
(02:29):
the lens at which they look at life through. And
that is in the end, so much more meaningful, and
I think just gets you further because again you're digging deeper,
and it's all about appreciation and recognition of the small things.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I think sometimes we.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Overlook the small things that are little luxuries that we
can create for ourselves while we're aiming to swipe that
card at a label or some of logo into our existence.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, and you're so right, I think some of those
daily luxuries are some of the best parts of life. It's,
you know, like you said, that mindset of kind of
stepping back and appreciating enjoying some of those things. I
know you often talk about drinking your cup of tea
out of something perfect, and those small moments are just
the everyday things too. Whether you've got a vintage music
player that you enjoy and it holds memories and you
(03:26):
get to hear the music of jazz and how it
moves you.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
In your body.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Part of luxury. One definition of it is comfort. And
so when we create those moments on a day to
day that are really rituals, whether it's something we do
every day or once a week or once a month,
whatever the time frame and the frequency is. When we
create those little rituals, those equate to comfort, and we
(03:53):
all want to be comfortable, and so I think that
when we look at the word luxury and it's cousin luxurious,
you know, to define them. I think comfort is a luxury.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It definitely is. It's just that moments of the day
that make you feel feel good and calm, and you know,
as we've talked about to just having those spaces and
times in your day that just feel like ease and
that you're in the flow of the day. Everybody wants
to be in the flow of the day too.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So I love that and that takes us to you know,
talking about time as a luxury.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Time is that one currency we've.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Said it before that can never be manufactured. Additionally, we
get what we get while we're on this earth, and
so anything that extends our time, whether it's the way
we treat our bodies, exercise, and the way we eat,
things like organization, those elements that make our day to
(04:52):
day lives go more smoothly. When you know exactly where
your car keys are and you know exactly where your
wallet is, those sorts of elements that can sometimes be
a challenge. So anything that gives life more time or
makes the time that we have go buy more smoothly.
I think that is a luxury.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
It definitely is, like you said, just those well designed
storage things that make your life more of an ease
and their flow to have everything in the right place
your home. Technology can be that ultimate luxury is just
having things be more efficient in how you're using your
home and things like that too, and the time of
just slow moving you know, moments at home that are
(05:30):
that are calling those cozy reading nooks or your spat
like bathrooms. I don't make enough time for nice slow
baths and evenings like that, but I always love it
when I do that and you feel so luxurious and
you take the time, you know, even just like intimate
dining experiences, like when you just have nice memories with
your family or a friend over for dinner and having
(05:53):
an evening where you're not rushed to finish the meal
and just have time. I think time really is that
ultimate luxury.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Well, slowing down is very important, and I am guilty
of being really bad at it, and I think that
that's a problem that a lot of people have, just
because our schedules tend to be overstacked, and so slowing
down can be difficult because in theory we like to think, well,
the faster we go, the more we get done, the
more time we have, when really it's more difficult when
(06:21):
you are overscheduled and when you're trying to multitask and
something always gets neglected in the end or something is
done in error, that happens as well. So forcing yourself
to slow down, even if it's just for ten minutes,
because the reality is what I love to take a
long bath, maybe maybe not. I'm kind of a shower girl,
(06:44):
so that's not the best option for me. And you know,
for some people it is. Some people love their long baths.
But for me, even just spending ten or fifteen minutes
outside does something, even if it's just a double walk
to my mailbox or a walk around my block or
something like that.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
You know, I think it's all relative.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And so even if slowing down means only taking ten
or fifteen minutes in your day, for a lot of
people that's all they need.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, and like you said, too, I agree with the nature.
I think it is a luxury all in itself too.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
That grounds you. It gives you a hug.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
It's nothing better than when the sun hits your face.
And you feel the warmth of that and taking the
time just to spend some time in nature, on a
walk in the trees and just really feeling what nature
can bring to you and your calming and everything as well. Too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's also a luxury if you live somewhere that doesn't
have winter.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yes, that's the luxury in itself.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Although I love, I love the small moments of the
four seasons, but winter can be very short. I would
take that every day.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Well, and that's funny because here we are on the
heels of winter, you know. I take that back, because
I mean, certainly, as a Midwestern kid, there's nothing more luxurious.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Than a snow day.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I admit that as an adult, I kind of enjoy
the snow day too, or a snow weekend when you
have that blizzard and you literally cannot go anywhere. You
can't leave your house because it's too cold or it's
dangerous to drive around. And so I think that luxury is,
like so many parts of life, all relative, and I
(08:21):
do quite enjoy a blizzard weekend when I can binge watch,
and for whatever reason, calories don't count on blizzard weekends.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Definitely. Well, it's back to what we talked about earlier.
It's just that free day and so that luxury of
time because you're always overscheduled. You're over even on the weekends,
you've got games, events, things, and then when you're like, wait,
we can't do any of that, it's like, what am
I going to do? So then you're got to do
what you really want to do. Do you pick something
off that list of spending time that you don't get
(08:48):
to do all the time.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Or there's a luxury in doing nothing? Yes, and that's
hard sometimes it is how hard. I'm not very good
at just not doing anything.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I feel like I always end up finding busy work
to do something else. It is a challenge.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Same same, I think that there is a lot of
pressure to constantly be educating yourself. I know that I
am not a very good fiction reader. In fact, I
am embarrassed to say this, but since I graduated college,
I'll bet I've read fewer than ten fiction books because
(09:24):
everything I read is nonfiction because I feel like I
should be learning something, and so I don't ever really
unwind by letting myself escape into some completely made up story.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It's just not something I do.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
You need to take that up there's so many great
books out there. I started reading again just the last
couple of years, and I've just loved reading the stories
and taking you away to other lands and history and
things like that too, that intertwine events that happened, but
you know, have their own twist on the story.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
So that's what I hear.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I hear about all of these great authors that out there,
and I really just I really just dabble in the nonfiction.
I don't I should, Yes, maybe that's a goal for
this year, well, Chris.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I also think that there's a lot of luxury in
products as well, and what they can do for your
home and your space and how you use them. And
it's something that you don't necessarily have to have, but
it's something to keep in mind as you are buying
things thinking through things, and scale is one of them.
I think luxury really comes from a sense of proportion
(10:31):
and presence. And that's just a grand chandelier. I love
it when you know a fixture is a little oversized
for a space and it just what it does. It
just feels very luxurious. Art's kind of like that too.
I feel like when it's oversized or even just an
extra deep sofa invites you for comfort and drama. And
a mirror is another one that I absolutely love what
(10:52):
it does for a space when you have a large
scale mirror in the room, and how it enlightens things
and just brings that sense of grander into this well.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Scale is important for a couple of reasons. First, I
echo everything that you just said. When it comes to luxury,
this is sort of counterintuitive because as Americans, we have
this idea in our heads that more is better.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
More is luxurious.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
The more we accumulate, that means something to us that
we've succeeded or that we've arrived. But through the lens
of design, when you talk about accessories, fewer things better,
fewer things more luxurious, Fewer things in larger scale always.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Looks more expensive.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I mean, I'll just say it so I you know,
when it comes to scale and buying products, I always
advise people buy bigger.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Than what you think you need.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
No, I think that's a great advice for sure. I agree.
It always feels better in the space when you do
it right.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
And one mistake I wish that somebody would have advised
me when I was young and just arading out I
would visit antique fairs and all of those sorts of places,
and through my travels and when I was in my twenties,
you know, I always wanted to bring something back, and
so you end.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Up bringing a little thing because that's what you can
afford when.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
You're twenty two or twenty three or twenty five. So
you bring back this little thing, and then you have
the little thing. It's a great memory, but it doesn't
have that presence. It doesn't really do anything to say
about who you are. It's just like, oh, I bought
this little thing. I decided in my twenties that I
would collect little pill boxes antique. Their silver and the
(12:37):
engraving on them as beautiful. It was an affordable thing,
you know, it was maybe a couple one hundred dollars
at the time when I would go to anywhere USA
and visit an antique shop. And I created a little
collection and that was great, and it's beautiful and the
artistry of them is fantastic. However, they don't really have presents.
(12:59):
I need so many. I mean, I have, like I
don't know, maybe nine or so of them that I
bought back in the day, and they all are arranged
on the little tray. They're corraled that way, and I
mean they're sweet, right, But had I just like maybe
saved all of those two hundred dollars purchases and bought
one thing, I wish I would have known that at
the time. The things we you know, we learned later
(13:20):
in life.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I also think one area kind of in the home
as well, and actually, you know this happens in fashion
as well too, is the idea of layering. I think
layering in spaces and I think that's a true luxury
because it gives depth, that gives interest, It tells the story.
You remember that little pill box of where you picked
it up, what antique story you got that from too.
(13:41):
But I think the layers in the home, in the
room are really a beautiful luxury and that that goes
with the depth of the pillows, contrasting pillows having multiple
patterns on those pillows, maybe a little trim as well.
And coffee tables a great one you can really just
layer in and lots of different things on there that
(14:02):
just tell the story. They give the luxuries of your
life of all the things that have gone on. And
a favorite coffee table book or favorite scent, the candle
is always a great little luxury to enjoy a scent
as well, So I think layering is a really important
one in luxury as well.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Layering is definitely luxurious. The problem is people try to
within the home space anyway, try to force layering or
they attempt to, and layering happens over time. Good layering
happens over time. There's good layering and bad layering, like anything,
and that takes time to craft, and it takes time
(14:45):
to research, and there's a skill that goes along with that,
and it's not just placing anything with anything. Early in
my career there was a lot of design that was
very eclectic. That was the big buzzword. It's eclectic, and
it's like, no, it's just a bunch of mismatch.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Actually, you can get together.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
You can put a fancy label, a fancy word on
it if you choose, but it's just a bunch of stuff.
Layering is very important, and I think the beauty of
layering is it tells a story, perhaps more than any
other design theory that happens within a home, because where
(15:27):
there's layering, it's sort of a greatest hits. It's a
soundtrack of a person's life, of a family's life. They
are things that they've collected through travels or things that
have been inherited and passed down. So good layering, I
would say, as a luxury comes with the luxury of
time in order for it to be done successfully. It
(15:48):
doesn't happen by just adding more to the pile.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Well, and I think that's so true because those luxuries
are those one of the kind pieces. They're not just
the stuff that you can just map producer go out
and buy all the time. Those one of a kind
pieces really tell that story of luxury. They're artisan all,
they're handmade. Antique pieces tell the story and that can
even just be that handwoven rub that took nine months
(16:15):
to do and the story that goes along with that too.
I love a good handblown glass piece as well, and
I think that layer and that one of a kind piece,
it's like no one else has this, or I wonder
where it came from, and things like that too. It's
that irreplaceable charm that mass produced pieces lack. And I
think with those one of a kind pieces comes craftsmanship
(16:36):
as well.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Megan. When we talk about pieces that are one of
a kind or arteasonal pieces, antiques, things that aren't mass produced.
That's certainly a luxury.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
And just as we.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Segue from the topic of layering to one of a
kind sorts of objects, again, layering takes time, and when
successful layering is done, it's when it has that bit
of grit to it. And what I mean by grit
are pieces with things and dents and things that don't
make sense. And some designers will I recently interviewed somebody
(17:12):
who said that every room deserves a moment of ugly
and I think that that's so true because it's always
that odd ball piece, and it doesn't have to be
antique or vintage, but it's that conversation piece. The challenge
when putting a home together, and this applies to fashion
as well. You don't want to appear that you've just
(17:33):
walked into a showroom, bought the whole.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Thing and put it together.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
It's like that's somebody's runway presentation. It's not necessarily yours.
So what is a skill is learning how to acquire
objects and then how to piece them together in a
way that is appealing visually, with silhouettes and extra and
(18:01):
scale and finishes and all of those elements that are
our visual additions, and when put together, you know, it's
the whole idea of the sum being greater than any
individual part, and that should.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Be always the goal.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Look, occasionally there's a reason to buy a mass produce something, right,
because we have to fill our homes. But when it's
all that, it's just not interesting. So I have a
little rule for my house, and I am pretty committed
to this.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I adhere to it.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I don't have anything that's decorative in my house that
is mass produced from an accessory perspective, not one thing.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I don't buy a box, I don't buy a tray.
I won't buy anything that is mass produced.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Just because it's my little rule.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Well, the world still spin if I buy a tray
from somebody tomorrow, Yes, it will. Usually when it's an
artisanal piece, that usually equates to quality and thus you
have sustainability.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well yeah, I mean I think there's it's always quality
over quantity in home and design and fashion. Really, I
think that shifts important to get the right pieces that
are made well and will last a long time than
just buying, buy and buying. And I think that mindful
consumption has become a new luxury and people want those
sustainable materials, and it has become a new luxury, which
(19:31):
I love and that idea with those vintage and antique pieces,
they add that timeless elegance, but they also are creating
that story and are sustainable too, so it's a win
win in that area. Well, Chris, I also feel like
within all of that the luxury and products, it's also
the materials that make things so luxurious as well too.
(19:54):
You know, the inserts of your pillows. A downfilled pillow
is so much more luxurious than a five or any
of those other random fills that come. You just feel
so much better when you sit on that sofa and
you sit down and feel that downfilled pillow behind you.
To me, that's a luxury. I think that it's just
how you feel and how you're embraced by that that's sofa.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You can manipulate a downfilled pillow. You can't really do
that with a fiber filled pillow, and they sit up nicer,
they last longer, and there's there's nothing better when you
sit down on a sofa or against a pillow, when
there's that initial just like just sort of deep lates. Yeah,
it's the best feeling. It's this great sound. It's so
(20:39):
there's something about that. It's tactile, it's more experiential. I
think to sit on a sofa and have that initial
you know where you sit, and then you just sink
into it.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Well, and with that too, just how you're feeling. I
think it's the the fabrics and the things that go
into that as well too. There's nothing more luxurious than
a velvet sofa or a mohaired throw silk also in
a room. I think those are all just the materials
that make up the interiors and how they can make
a room feel luxurious just by their texture, their depth.
(21:12):
I mean you can just when our fabric vendors come
in and show us the stuff. I mean, our team
of designers all just kind of oohs and os, and
you're just like, that looks expensive. You can tell it's
just been handcrafted, it's been woven. It just feels luxurious
when you pet that fabric and makes you feel good.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Well and in the design space for so long and
this is certainly not to criticize this because there's a
time and a place and it's allowed so much creativity,
but because it is a relatively simple process to print
on linen. The design space for the last I don't know,
(21:51):
more than a decade at this point has been inundated
with so much linen, and that was sort of it's
been the story. Printed linen on drapery panels, printed linen pillows.
People really just embraced linen of all kinds. I mean,
linen's a great material. I love linen, and nothing pains
(22:11):
me more than when summer is over and I can't
live in linen anymore. It's a wonderful material, but I
think it's very dry and it has nochine generally speaking,
and so I know that there's a little bit of
a return to materials like silk and velvet. Mohair's never
(22:32):
gone away, Velvet's never gone away, but sort of these
more sumptuous versions of these fabrics that have a little
bit of sheene to them and do feel a little
bit more formal after many many years of dry linen.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Well, and it's just that little bit of warmth.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I think that those fabrics give you and give a
space as well too, that you want an interior that
just is going to feel a little bit more cozy,
and I think those fabrics do that to this.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
I want a hair sofa so bad, like I really
want a mohair sofa, specifically in Blue Beauty. I just
nothing is better than mohair. It's just it's so good.
But I love to see all of the velvet that's back.
And you know, velvet can be scary for people because
it seems really really fancy, but it's not. If you
(23:20):
get like a cotton.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Velvet is a little more well in the market. It's
really advanced too, that these velvets are so much more
durable and how they wear, and that they're not going
to mat down like they used to back in the
day either, so they've they've come a long waist.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
But that's great on an antique too. If you want
velvet that's worn down, that's so good.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Yes, that's so good.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Never for anybody who's listening, don't recover that if you
have velvet that's naturally worn down over time on.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Antique well, and I think too, with those fabrics, it's
the luxury of trims that has come such a long
way too. I think adding those beautiful bullion fringes to
the bottom of that mohair sofa would beautiful.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
I think those.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Luxuries in the home have come up in recent years
and I absolutely love what they're doing for extra trims
on your drapery panels or like I said, the sofa,
a skirted chair. I think it's just absolutely beautiful. Just
adds that touch of luxury. And materials too that I
think are luxurious are just the idea of you know,
beautiful brass I think just is so luxurious. It looks expensive.
(24:26):
I think a lot of times too, even if it's
got a little molding to it or beautiful on lays
in it as well too. Light fixtures, I mean, I
think there's nothing better than a beautiful brass light fixture
and it feels luxurious in the space and it just
glistens like we talked about before too, and it looks
beautiful and the light shines on it. It just has
that ambiance of luxury.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Brass looks expensive and brass is brass is expensive. I
have been delighted by the return of brass years ago
and how the unlaquered brass and watching it patina and
age naturally is so lovely. And you know, when talking
(25:09):
about how every room needs that age needs, the dings
and the dents and the imperfections. There's nothing like brass
to do that just on its own.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
I know, I have a shelf in my kitchen that
I did the unlacquered brass on and it's only about
four years old, but it is starting to show some
of that and it just is beautiful how it's starting
to patina and how it looks in the space. I
love it.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
But that's that idea of time as a luxury to
get that house that looks great. It's no different than
the leather boots or the leather jacket.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
When you buy a new pair of boots.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
They don't look good, then they don't look good until
you wear them every day five years. They'll look good
five years from now. And there's nothing to speed up
that process. And so when you're talking about a furniture
finish that has worn and the paint has naturally and
beautifully worn down and weathered a bit, or unlacquered brass,
(26:05):
it does take time and you have to wait for
those things. You know.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I think of all of that shingle.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Style homes on keep cod that whole style, and you
know when they install those shingles, they're sort of a
honey brown color. And it's not until a year or
two of them weathering down that they turn that iconic
gray color that those houses are famous for. So patience
is a key, and the patience is a very difficult virtue.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Well, and I think that brings up a good point too,
and just those materials. And I think wood is a
beautiful luxury too. There's nothing better than when you see
a beautiful inlaid table that has beautiful patterns in it,
or the world wood that's coming back into I think
that those are just beautiful luxuries. And especially when they're
(26:51):
heavier and you can just feel that the weight of
them makes them more expensive and luxurious in the space.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I would say that would more so than any other
material equals warmth. And the other thing about what is
it absorbs sound differently than other materials, and it softens
the blow, so to speak, and what is porous and
so there's a softness to it while it embraces us
that I think is so lovely.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Well and Chris, I think, as we've been talking about
all these materials, I have to say one of the
most luxurious things is a well appointed bed, and I
think luxurious sheets do that. There's nothing better than crawling
into bed has good sheets and you just feel so luxurious,
especially after a long day, and it's like your beds
(27:43):
just giving you that hug back and saying relax, rest,
and it feels just lovely.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Okay, I'm a sheet snob. I hate to say this.
I feel really good.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
And you know what, I don't feel guilty about it
at all. Actually I'm not a snob about it.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
If I go to somebody else's home or you know,
another like that, I can't control. But in my own house,
I was spoiled early on with luxurious.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Italian sheets and I just can't go back, won't go back.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
I don't know in my coffin they're going to have
to line up with Italian.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Sheets, I'm afraid.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Well, you know. And we talked about the weight of
things when we were talking about the wood tables, But
I think luxury can also be in like the weight
of the hardware on your kitchen, cabinet tree, or a
beautiful doorknob. When you feel just a nice piece of
hardware and as it feels in your hand, you can
tell that it's you know, solid metal or solid brass,
(28:40):
and it just it feels good. It feels luxurious to
feel that versus just a handle on your cabinets that
feels cheap and inexpensive. I think that's a small luxury
that we can all have.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
When you're talking about weight, it definitely equates to luxury
because oftentimes what something that weighs more signifies is that
more of the material was put into it. So that
is going to be a natural cost increase. Hardware, this
is so cliche to say at this point, but it
becomes the jewelry of the room. We've all heard this
(29:12):
phrase a million times, but it does matter. When you
have hardware that's a little larger in scale and a
little weightier, it does feel better and it feels more sturdy,
it feels more long lasting. Ceramics, that's an area I
challenge anybody who's listening to pick up a really good
(29:33):
quality lamp that's ceramic and it's heavy, and then you
might go to a big box store and go to
their lamp section and pick up one of their lamps
and it's like weightless, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I think that those sorts of places and that sort
of lighting is ideal for kids rooms, for second homes,
(29:55):
guest bedrooms, places that maybe you know you don't want
to have the big but when you pick up a
ceramic lamp that's really well made versus you know, one
that's mass produced that's again weightlesss almost you really really
can see it there. Or furniture. One designer I had
(30:15):
on a panel one time gave this tip to the
audience because the question was, it's so expensive to reupholster
a furniture frame. When does it make sense to just
start from scratch and buy a new piece of furniture
versus reupholstering something. And this designer gave a really wonderful
(30:36):
piece of advice. She said that how she knows whether
or not a piece is worth being reupholstered is if
she can lift it with one hand, if she can
pick up a sofa, and I don't mean, you know,
pick up the whole thing and carry it around a mile,
but if she can move it with one hand, lift
it up or a chair, that it's not really worth
(30:58):
reupholstering it because it's not a heavy piece of furniture
that's meant to last forever and ever and ever.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
It's just meant for now.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
And you'd probably do better selling that piece of furniture
and getting some money back that then you can apply
to a new piece. And I thought that that was
a really interesting piece of advice. Now there are exceptions
to that rule, and she admitted that as well, but
I thought that that was a good rule of thumb
because weight does matter, and weight does equate again to
(31:32):
luxury to better quality.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Well, Chris, that quiet luxury has I don't know if
it's necessarily been a trend, but it's been something that's
been talked about and people are looking at doing quite
a bit more, both in their homes and in fashion.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And I really admire it.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
I like the idea of all that it brings and
kind of that mix of some high low in the
home and just mixing pieces that not everything has to
just look expensive. I think it's those layers, like we
talked about that it's a calmer palette that just has
that understated luxury and it's not screaming at you like, oh,
(32:10):
I spent a lot of money on this room. I think,
to me, that's luxury is just that quieter, calming luxury.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
So I have a lot to say on this topic,
and I know that we've talked about maybe having an
episode that just addresses the idea of quiet luxury. I
think that it is not going to be a trend.
I think that it is a movement and an answer
and a reaction to the craziness that has tried to
(32:43):
communicate luxury through logos and labels. To me, quiet luxury
looks more expensive on its own just by way of
being calmer without the flash. I always say glass over flash,
But oftentimes I think quiet luxury can be about high
(33:04):
low in the mix, and we always want to encourage
people for the mix because sometimes that target base is
just a great shape. I mean, let's be honest, there's
great design there. And sometimes I think to myself, yeah,
that's something good that I should have in my arsenal
of vasis, because sometimes you have a certain kind of
flower that would just look good in it. So I
(33:26):
think that people should always feel like they have permission
and give license to themselves to mix high and low.
When it comes to quiet luxury. I think that that
can be a totally different sentiment that is about just
not being flashy, because I still prefer to adhere to
(33:47):
the idea of luxurious materials always, but they don't have
the flash.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yeah, sometimes I feel like too. You can look at
a purs Or bag and you're just it doesn't have
a label on it, but you can tell it's just
high quality leather and it was crafted really well. And
I think that's that quiet luxury that just is beautiful.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Yes, that's another personal rule of mine. While I love
the luxury brands, just like anybody, I will not have
a logo that is like larger than a nickel on
my back, And so I have to go find the
shape that they have that has the smallest logo because
I just personally I won't go there. But I like
(34:30):
this quiet luxury trend because understated is always more elegant
in the home space as well. The more objects you have,
it does decrease the value almost and it's so counterintuitive
as to what we naturally want to think in our minds.
But the quiet luxury movement, I hope it's here to stay.
(34:53):
And when it comes to fashion, the calmer palettes that look,
you need a little pizazz, right, you need of color,
you need a little flash here and there. So I
think that there's a time and a place for that.
I think it always looks more elegant. Less is more
is true in so many parts of life well.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
And I think it's a perfect example of why presentation matters.
Just those beautiful supplies in your home too, just a
leather notebook that feels luxurious, or you know, swapping out
plastic materials for handcrafted wooden organizers and you open that
the junk drawer and it looks beautiful with lacquer trays
or glass penholders. It just there's something about that small
(35:34):
luxury that is substantial and it's timeless. And I love
some beautiful marble desk accessories too. They just feel so
beautiful in the space.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Anytime that you can take something that is just mundane
and elevated. And again, that's sort of why we talked
about producing this podcast, is to celebrate those little luxuries
that we can accomplish. But I think that that is
a good thing. And when you look at you know,
when I grew up, my mom bought tide and it
(36:07):
stayed in the orange tide container, like that's how it
came out, which she did laundry. Now, you know, we
get our little glass jars with the lids and we
put all the pods in there and then we take
the oxy clean out of its ugly oxy clean container
and we put it and make it all pretty. And
that's how we do laundry now. And you know, I
(36:27):
think that's that's special. Laundry rooms are no longer these
spaces that are in basements, that are in dungeons. They
look beautiful. The same thing with the office that you've
just mentioned. Instead of going and buying the office supplies
that are in the big box stores, why not go
find a little bowl that you buy from a maker
(36:47):
at some sort of craft fair or an antique at
a flea market that can hold your business cards.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
That's what I have.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I have a wonderful little cloison A box that I
use to hold my business cards in my home.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Office that I love.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
You know. I bought it in one of my adventures
into an antique shop in Minnesota, and that's where I
remember that box, and that's elicited a whole other collection
collection of cloison a for myself as well. So all
of those little moments of life that you can elevate
into something special that matters. But when you talk about presentation,
(37:22):
even a label on something, I think anybody who's listening
to this podcast has either bought a candle at some
point or been gifted one, and either to have that
experience of being gifted or give a really beautiful candle
with a beautiful label, or sometimes that's how people choose their.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Wine that they give.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
I am not a wine connoisseur, and so when I
go to somebody's home and I, you know, make a
stop at the store to buy that bottle of wine
to gift, I go buy the label.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Like that's all I got, nothing better than a beautiful label.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Yeah, yeah, So I think that presentation does matter when
it comes to packaging. It matters to I mean, a
beautiful label makes something look more expensive than it probably is.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
It probably does for that wine.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
That I bought that I have no idea what I'm
tapping into. But when it comes to things like office
spaces and laundry spaces and your closet having all of
the hangars match, that's a luxury, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
Well, I think that's the overstimulation of all the images
we see on social media and different things or influencers.
It's just that that you see these matching spaces or
your laundry room with the beautiful canisters, and it's like, well,
why wouldn't I do that. I want my space to
look good too.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
But I have to tell you a funny story. So
I had this idea. It sounded good, No, it actually
was good.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Had I followed through.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
So early in the COVID days, I had wanted for
some time to make all of my spices match. So
I went and I bought all of the jars at
a little local spice shop that we have here, and Okay,
I'm gonna do this. So I decanted all of the
spices into the jars and then I walked off from
(39:08):
that project and didn't to label them. Oh no, yes,
so some of them I could figure out, like, you know,
dill is obviously dil, cinnamon's obviously cinnamon.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
But those yellow and orange.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Spices the yeah, the human versus the curry. And I
luckily I had the benefit of the women who work
in the test kitchen to assist me. Well, that was
helped me solve my problem because after many case test
panels in my own kitchen of spices, I know what
was going on and I didn't know what was what.
(39:41):
So Megan, when we talked about putting this episode on
Luxury Together, that reminded me of an Instagram post that
has come across my feed at a few times, and
it posed the question to people, what, as a child,
when you visited other families homes, what did you think
(40:01):
meant that they were fancy.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
That they had it, they'd made it.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
So the answers were so buried and through the eyes
of a child, It's funny how kids interpret life and
interpret things and what they think and what they wish
they had, and they think, oh, those people down the street,
they must have hit it big, they must be really rich.
And again the answers were so buried. So I thought
(40:25):
it would be fun for both of us to talk
about some things that as a kid that we thought
were really really cool, really fancy.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Probably one of them for me was just when you
would go into a basement that was finished really well
and really well done, and it just it was another
living space that they had their own TV area or
something down there that was the kid's hangout or just
a family room versus an unfinished space, because at the time,
I think there were a lot of unfinished basements. My
(40:53):
first house had one that way, although I did love
it was our roller skating rink for a long time,
and that was lots of fun memories. But the idea
that the basement was finished, I think was just such
a luxury to me when I was little. I thought
that was like, you really made it.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Oh that is funny that you say that, because I
was a dancer as a child, and we did have
a finished basement, but there was a little corner of
a storage room that had you know, concrete floors, and
I could do my tap dancing here and actually hear
the sounds.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
So it's funny that you say. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
But I mean people way back, you know, had wreck rooms.
That's what they would call them reck rooms because they
had the pool table and that's where the kids hung
out with the beat up sofa. And when we think,
I mean, I don't have to tell you, because you're
a designer, what the family room looks like now, I mean.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Wow, yeah, those living spaces are just completely different. And
who wouldn't want to live down there?
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Speaking of family rooms, one thing that I thought when
a family had this that it was really fancy was
a sectional.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Oh yeah, I just thought.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
To myself, how cool is that you have a sofa
that has a thing on the end and a thing
on the other end and sometimes all sit on it.
You can all sit on it, you can change the
shape of it. I thought that that meant, wow, one
thing that came to mind that is so funny to
me now.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
And we earlier in this.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Discussion talked about brass and that beautiful unlacquered brass, and
I think when brass came back, for anybody who was
around at the time, they were probably terrified because they
probably had awful memories of those dinete sets from the eighties.
They were kind of modern and they had that awful
(42:39):
shiny brass. But as a kid, we never had one,
and I thought, oh, gosh, if we could just have that,
it would be so great. Looking back, I'm like, oh,
maybe my parents had better taste than I did as
an eight year old or seven year old. But when
I would go to other people's houses and saw a
dying neete set with that shiny brass, I thought it
(43:03):
was gold. I was like, oh, my gosh, they have
a gold eating area in their in their home, Like wow, again,
they've made it yeah, fit for a king, Like how'd
they get it for a king? How did they get
a gold dyeing net set? So And it was just
that horrible brass. So I think that people, you know,
probably had to go to design decoration therapy after that,
(43:26):
and that's probably why when people heard that brass was back,
they shook their heads until they saw our.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
New version of it.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Well, and thankfully we're not seeing those in antique stores
anymore either, so not very often.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
So I think that those have probably died. Madd on
to the burial grounds, which yes, flying by me, Yes,
what's another one for you?
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Well, kind of a funny one. And this is so
small because then you really think about what it would
have cost. But the kids that had a teen line,
I thought was so cool that they had their own
phone line. And then now here we think about all
these teenagers that all have their own cell phones and
all of the world that we live in today, but
yet that fifteen dollars teen line that they could talk
(44:09):
to their friends on was just like, oh my gosh,
that's they so made it.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Did you have a team line?
Speaker 1 (44:15):
I didn't know we had to share and who's going
to answer the phone when they call and all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
We didn't have a team line either, because there was
enough distance between I'm the oldest of three and there
was enough distance between us that phone overlap was probably
not a big challenge. And I don't think my parents
would have gotten us a team line anyway. But here's
the thing about the team line in the phone book,
it would say teamline.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
You're right.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
I forgot about that it did, and so it's like, oh,
my gosh, people are going to know they're rich because
right there, teen line you have two.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Numbers under their names. So I yeah, that's a really
good one.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
That brings me back too. I mean, isn't it funny
you can still remember some of your best friend's phone
numbers today that you would call all the time. Han, Yeah,
that's funny. What about for you, Chris, what's one that
you remember?
Speaker 2 (45:08):
So I spoke before about the brass slash gold, and
on that same note, I remember when my parents decided
they were going to put wallpaper up in a bathroom,
and in the end, I don't even think they ever
did that. I don't think the wallpaper ever went up.
But my mom and dad went, you know, on one
Saturday morning and got all of the wallpaper books and
(45:30):
brought them home. This is before you hired a designer
to do everything.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
Now, people don't I.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Don't know if people do that anymore, but they brought
home these wallpaper books and some of the patterns. I
remember there was one and it was a shell pattern,
which didn't make sense for the Midwest anyway, but it
had metallic on it, and I just thought, Mom, Dad
didn't need this metallic wallpaper because it's shiny, and shiny
(45:55):
means luxury, and so that was something that again, their
taste was clearly better than mine in nineteen eighty whatever.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
They didn't go for it.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
We didn't get the.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Metallic she shell wallpaper.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Well, Chris, I think this has been a fun conversation
to talk about in just the luxury of life and
in our home. And I think, you know, one of
the underlying things I think that we've talked about is
luxury isn't something we wait for. I think it's something
that we create in our own It's not waiting until
you can buy that big thing. It's those everyday luxuries.
It's using the pieces, it's the patients that you talked
(46:28):
about and enjoying the beauty we already have every day.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Yeah, it's been fun to talk about this.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Thanks Megan, Thank you for listening to this week's episode.
Of Boulevard Beat. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow
along and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you listen so you never miss an episode, and
of course, follow your host on Instagram at Megan Bloom Interiors,
at CHRISA. Rossbund, and at Liz Legit. We'll be back
(46:54):
next week as we take a stroll down another boulevard
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Dot ba
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast where life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom, along with my co hosts, editor
Chris the Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast
focuses on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews
with taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight
achievable style. You can stroll one street at a time,
Boulevard Beat proves the one you should take.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Chris, I'm excited about today's conversation because we're talking about
a concept that often feels out of reach, and that's luxury.
But luxury isn't just about big houses and fancy cars
and things like that. It's about so much more than
just price.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Tags and exclusivity.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
What if it's about the way we experience our homes,
the materials we surround ourselves with, and the small, intentional
moments that bring us joy I think I think that
has more value of luxury in my mind than the big,
ice syed things.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I think when it comes to luxury, the obvious definition
of it I think has to do with upprice tag,
has to do with the label. And we're at a
time right now where I think that people are really
seeing beyond that and they are digging deeper into the
meaning of life and figuring out what luxury means to
(01:28):
them in a way that makes sense for their family,
makes sense for their lifestyle, and isn't all about the
flash and something that can contribute to their day to
day versus just be on the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Well, and Chris, I think too, the luxury of all
these little simple luxuries that are better and more meaningful
to your life is also kind of part of what
we wanted to have in this podcast as well, is
that we are interviewing guests and taste makers and people
that are showing us other luxuries in their own creative
way that aren't just about big homes and things like
(02:05):
that either.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
It's so true the guests that we've had on thus
far and who we will continue to tap into are
people who they offer a little something. Maybe it's a
beautiful linen, maybe it's a beautiful piece of stationery, maybe
it's a mindset, and how they look at design in
the lens at which they look at design through and
(02:29):
the lens at which they look at life through. And
that is in the end, so much more meaningful, and
I think just gets you further because again you're digging deeper,
and it's all about appreciation and recognition of the small things.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I think sometimes we.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Overlook the small things that are little luxuries that we
can create for ourselves while we're aiming to swipe that
card at a label or some of logo into our existence.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, and you're so right, I think some of those
daily luxuries are some of the best parts of life. It's,
you know, like you said, that mindset of kind of
stepping back and appreciating enjoying some of those things. I
know you often talk about drinking your cup of tea
out of something perfect, and those small moments are just
the everyday things too. Whether you've got a vintage music
player that you enjoy and it holds memories and you
(03:26):
get to hear the music of jazz and how it
moves you.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
In your body.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Part of luxury. One definition of it is comfort. And
so when we create those moments on a day to
day that are really rituals, whether it's something we do
every day or once a week or once a month,
whatever the time frame and the frequency is. When we
create those little rituals, those equate to comfort, and we
(03:53):
all want to be comfortable, and so I think that
when we look at the word luxury and it's cousin luxurious,
you know, to define them. I think comfort is a luxury.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It definitely is. It's just that moments of the day
that make you feel feel good and calm, and you know,
as we've talked about to just having those spaces and
times in your day that just feel like ease and
that you're in the flow of the day. Everybody wants
to be in the flow of the day too.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So I love that and that takes us to you know,
talking about time as a luxury.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Time is that one currency we've.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Said it before that can never be manufactured. Additionally, we
get what we get while we're on this earth, and
so anything that extends our time, whether it's the way
we treat our bodies, exercise, and the way we eat,
things like organization, those elements that make our day to
(04:52):
day lives go more smoothly. When you know exactly where
your car keys are and you know exactly where your
wallet is, those sorts of elements that can sometimes be
a challenge. So anything that gives life more time or
makes the time that we have go buy more smoothly.
I think that is a luxury.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
It definitely is, like you said, just those well designed
storage things that make your life more of an ease
and their flow to have everything in the right place
your home. Technology can be that ultimate luxury is just
having things be more efficient in how you're using your
home and things like that too, and the time of
just slow moving you know, moments at home that are
(05:30):
that are calling those cozy reading nooks or your spat
like bathrooms. I don't make enough time for nice slow
baths and evenings like that, but I always love it
when I do that and you feel so luxurious and
you take the time, you know, even just like intimate
dining experiences, like when you just have nice memories with
your family or a friend over for dinner and having
(05:53):
an evening where you're not rushed to finish the meal
and just have time. I think time really is that
ultimate luxury.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Well, slowing down is very important, and I am guilty
of being really bad at it, and I think that
that's a problem that a lot of people have, just
because our schedules tend to be overstacked, and so slowing
down can be difficult because in theory we like to think, well,
the faster we go, the more we get done, the
more time we have, when really it's more difficult when
(06:21):
you are overscheduled and when you're trying to multitask and
something always gets neglected in the end or something is
done in error, that happens as well. So forcing yourself
to slow down, even if it's just for ten minutes,
because the reality is what I love to take a
long bath, maybe maybe not. I'm kind of a shower girl,
(06:44):
so that's not the best option for me. And you know,
for some people it is. Some people love their long baths.
But for me, even just spending ten or fifteen minutes
outside does something, even if it's just a double walk
to my mailbox or a walk around my block or
something like that.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
You know, I think it's all relative.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And so even if slowing down means only taking ten
or fifteen minutes in your day, for a lot of
people that's all they need.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, and like you said, too, I agree with the nature.
I think it is a luxury all in itself too.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
That grounds you. It gives you a hug.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
It's nothing better than when the sun hits your face.
And you feel the warmth of that and taking the
time just to spend some time in nature, on a
walk in the trees and just really feeling what nature
can bring to you and your calming and everything as well. Too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's also a luxury if you live somewhere that doesn't
have winter.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yes, that's the luxury in itself.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Although I love, I love the small moments of the
four seasons, but winter can be very short. I would
take that every day.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Well, and that's funny because here we are on the
heels of winter, you know. I take that back, because
I mean, certainly, as a Midwestern kid, there's nothing more luxurious.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Than a snow day.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I admit that as an adult, I kind of enjoy
the snow day too, or a snow weekend when you
have that blizzard and you literally cannot go anywhere. You
can't leave your house because it's too cold or it's
dangerous to drive around. And so I think that luxury is,
like so many parts of life, all relative, and I
(08:21):
do quite enjoy a blizzard weekend when I can binge watch,
and for whatever reason, calories don't count on blizzard weekends.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Definitely. Well, it's back to what we talked about earlier.
It's just that free day and so that luxury of
time because you're always overscheduled. You're over even on the weekends,
you've got games, events, things, and then when you're like, wait,
we can't do any of that, it's like, what am
I going to do? So then you're got to do
what you really want to do. Do you pick something
off that list of spending time that you don't get
(08:48):
to do all the time.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Or there's a luxury in doing nothing? Yes, and that's
hard sometimes it is how hard. I'm not very good
at just not doing anything.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I feel like I always end up finding busy work
to do something else. It is a challenge.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Same same, I think that there is a lot of
pressure to constantly be educating yourself. I know that I
am not a very good fiction reader. In fact, I
am embarrassed to say this, but since I graduated college,
I'll bet I've read fewer than ten fiction books because
(09:24):
everything I read is nonfiction because I feel like I
should be learning something, and so I don't ever really
unwind by letting myself escape into some completely made up story.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It's just not something I do.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
You need to take that up there's so many great
books out there. I started reading again just the last
couple of years, and I've just loved reading the stories
and taking you away to other lands and history and
things like that too, that intertwine events that happened, but
you know, have their own twist on the story.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
So that's what I hear.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I hear about all of these great authors that out there,
and I really just I really just dabble in the nonfiction.
I don't I should, Yes, maybe that's a goal for
this year, well, Chris.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I also think that there's a lot of luxury in
products as well, and what they can do for your
home and your space and how you use them. And
it's something that you don't necessarily have to have, but
it's something to keep in mind as you are buying
things thinking through things, and scale is one of them.
I think luxury really comes from a sense of proportion
(10:31):
and presence. And that's just a grand chandelier. I love
it when you know a fixture is a little oversized
for a space and it just what it does. It
just feels very luxurious. Art's kind of like that too.
I feel like when it's oversized or even just an
extra deep sofa invites you for comfort and drama. And
a mirror is another one that I absolutely love what
(10:52):
it does for a space when you have a large
scale mirror in the room, and how it enlightens things
and just brings that sense of grander into this well.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Scale is important for a couple of reasons. First, I
echo everything that you just said. When it comes to luxury,
this is sort of counterintuitive because as Americans, we have
this idea in our heads that more is better.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
More is luxurious.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
The more we accumulate, that means something to us that
we've succeeded or that we've arrived. But through the lens
of design, when you talk about accessories, fewer things better,
fewer things more luxurious, Fewer things in larger scale always.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Looks more expensive.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I mean, I'll just say it so I you know,
when it comes to scale and buying products, I always
advise people buy bigger.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Than what you think you need.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
No, I think that's a great advice for sure. I agree.
It always feels better in the space when you do
it right.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
And one mistake I wish that somebody would have advised
me when I was young and just arading out I
would visit antique fairs and all of those sorts of places,
and through my travels and when I was in my twenties,
you know, I always wanted to bring something back, and
so you end.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Up bringing a little thing because that's what you can
afford when.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
You're twenty two or twenty three or twenty five. So
you bring back this little thing, and then you have
the little thing. It's a great memory, but it doesn't
have that presence. It doesn't really do anything to say
about who you are. It's just like, oh, I bought
this little thing. I decided in my twenties that I
would collect little pill boxes antique. Their silver and the
(12:37):
engraving on them as beautiful. It was an affordable thing,
you know, it was maybe a couple one hundred dollars
at the time when I would go to anywhere USA
and visit an antique shop. And I created a little
collection and that was great, and it's beautiful and the
artistry of them is fantastic. However, they don't really have presents.
(12:59):
I need so many. I mean, I have, like I
don't know, maybe nine or so of them that I
bought back in the day, and they all are arranged
on the little tray. They're corraled that way, and I
mean they're sweet, right, But had I just like maybe
saved all of those two hundred dollars purchases and bought
one thing, I wish I would have known that at
the time. The things we you know, we learned later
(13:20):
in life.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I also think one area kind of in the home
as well, and actually, you know this happens in fashion
as well too, is the idea of layering. I think
layering in spaces and I think that's a true luxury
because it gives depth, that gives interest, It tells the story.
You remember that little pill box of where you picked
it up, what antique story you got that from too.
(13:41):
But I think the layers in the home, in the
room are really a beautiful luxury and that that goes
with the depth of the pillows, contrasting pillows having multiple
patterns on those pillows, maybe a little trim as well.
And coffee tables a great one you can really just
layer in and lots of different things on there that
(14:02):
just tell the story. They give the luxuries of your
life of all the things that have gone on. And
a favorite coffee table book or favorite scent, the candle
is always a great little luxury to enjoy a scent
as well, So I think layering is a really important
one in luxury as well.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Layering is definitely luxurious. The problem is people try to
within the home space anyway, try to force layering or
they attempt to, and layering happens over time. Good layering
happens over time. There's good layering and bad layering, like anything,
and that takes time to craft, and it takes time
(14:45):
to research, and there's a skill that goes along with that,
and it's not just placing anything with anything. Early in
my career there was a lot of design that was
very eclectic. That was the big buzzword. It's eclectic, and
it's like, no, it's just a bunch of mismatch.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Actually, you can get together.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
You can put a fancy label, a fancy word on
it if you choose, but it's just a bunch of stuff.
Layering is very important, and I think the beauty of
layering is it tells a story, perhaps more than any
other design theory that happens within a home, because where
(15:27):
there's layering, it's sort of a greatest hits. It's a
soundtrack of a person's life, of a family's life. They
are things that they've collected through travels or things that
have been inherited and passed down. So good layering, I
would say, as a luxury comes with the luxury of
time in order for it to be done successfully. It
(15:48):
doesn't happen by just adding more to the pile.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Well, and I think that's so true because those luxuries
are those one of the kind pieces. They're not just
the stuff that you can just map producer go out
and buy all the time. Those one of a kind
pieces really tell that story of luxury. They're artisan all,
they're handmade. Antique pieces tell the story and that can
even just be that handwoven rub that took nine months
(16:15):
to do and the story that goes along with that too.
I love a good handblown glass piece as well, and
I think that layer and that one of a kind piece,
it's like no one else has this, or I wonder
where it came from, and things like that too. It's
that irreplaceable charm that mass produced pieces lack. And I
think with those one of a kind pieces comes craftsmanship
(16:36):
as well.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Megan. When we talk about pieces that are one of
a kind or arteasonal pieces, antiques, things that aren't mass produced.
That's certainly a luxury.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
And just as we.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Segue from the topic of layering to one of a
kind sorts of objects, again, layering takes time, and when
successful layering is done, it's when it has that bit
of grit to it. And what I mean by grit
are pieces with things and dents and things that don't
make sense. And some designers will I recently interviewed somebody
(17:12):
who said that every room deserves a moment of ugly
and I think that that's so true because it's always
that odd ball piece, and it doesn't have to be
antique or vintage, but it's that conversation piece. The challenge
when putting a home together, and this applies to fashion
as well. You don't want to appear that you've just
(17:33):
walked into a showroom, bought the whole.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Thing and put it together.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
It's like that's somebody's runway presentation. It's not necessarily yours.
So what is a skill is learning how to acquire
objects and then how to piece them together in a
way that is appealing visually, with silhouettes and extra and
(18:01):
scale and finishes and all of those elements that are
our visual additions, and when put together, you know, it's
the whole idea of the sum being greater than any
individual part, and that should.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Be always the goal.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Look, occasionally there's a reason to buy a mass produce something, right,
because we have to fill our homes. But when it's
all that, it's just not interesting. So I have a
little rule for my house, and I am pretty committed
to this.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I adhere to it.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I don't have anything that's decorative in my house that
is mass produced from an accessory perspective, not one thing.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I don't buy a box, I don't buy a tray.
I won't buy anything that is mass produced.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Just because it's my little rule.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Well, the world still spin if I buy a tray
from somebody tomorrow, Yes, it will. Usually when it's an
artisanal piece, that usually equates to quality and thus you
have sustainability.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well yeah, I mean I think there's it's always quality
over quantity in home and design and fashion. Really, I
think that shifts important to get the right pieces that
are made well and will last a long time than
just buying, buy and buying. And I think that mindful
consumption has become a new luxury and people want those
sustainable materials, and it has become a new luxury, which
(19:31):
I love and that idea with those vintage and antique pieces,
they add that timeless elegance, but they also are creating
that story and are sustainable too, so it's a win
win in that area. Well, Chris, I also feel like
within all of that the luxury and products, it's also
the materials that make things so luxurious as well too.
(19:54):
You know, the inserts of your pillows. A downfilled pillow
is so much more luxurious than a five or any
of those other random fills that come. You just feel
so much better when you sit on that sofa and
you sit down and feel that downfilled pillow behind you.
To me, that's a luxury. I think that it's just
how you feel and how you're embraced by that that's sofa.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You can manipulate a downfilled pillow. You can't really do
that with a fiber filled pillow, and they sit up nicer,
they last longer, and there's there's nothing better when you
sit down on a sofa or against a pillow, when
there's that initial just like just sort of deep lates. Yeah,
it's the best feeling. It's this great sound. It's so
(20:39):
there's something about that. It's tactile, it's more experiential. I
think to sit on a sofa and have that initial
you know where you sit, and then you just sink
into it.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Well, and with that too, just how you're feeling. I
think it's the the fabrics and the things that go
into that as well too. There's nothing more luxurious than
a velvet sofa or a mohaired throw silk also in
a room. I think those are all just the materials
that make up the interiors and how they can make
a room feel luxurious just by their texture, their depth.
(21:12):
I mean you can just when our fabric vendors come
in and show us the stuff. I mean, our team
of designers all just kind of oohs and os, and
you're just like, that looks expensive. You can tell it's
just been handcrafted, it's been woven. It just feels luxurious
when you pet that fabric and makes you feel good.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Well and in the design space for so long and
this is certainly not to criticize this because there's a
time and a place and it's allowed so much creativity,
but because it is a relatively simple process to print
on linen. The design space for the last I don't know,
(21:51):
more than a decade at this point has been inundated
with so much linen, and that was sort of it's
been the story. Printed linen on drapery panels, printed linen pillows.
People really just embraced linen of all kinds. I mean,
linen's a great material. I love linen, and nothing pains
(22:11):
me more than when summer is over and I can't
live in linen anymore. It's a wonderful material, but I
think it's very dry and it has nochine generally speaking,
and so I know that there's a little bit of
a return to materials like silk and velvet. Mohair's never
(22:32):
gone away, Velvet's never gone away, but sort of these
more sumptuous versions of these fabrics that have a little
bit of sheene to them and do feel a little
bit more formal after many many years of dry linen.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Well, and it's just that little bit of warmth.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I think that those fabrics give you and give a
space as well too, that you want an interior that
just is going to feel a little bit more cozy,
and I think those fabrics do that to this.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
I want a hair sofa so bad, like I really
want a mohair sofa, specifically in Blue Beauty. I just
nothing is better than mohair. It's just it's so good.
But I love to see all of the velvet that's back.
And you know, velvet can be scary for people because
it seems really really fancy, but it's not. If you
(23:20):
get like a cotton.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Velvet is a little more well in the market. It's
really advanced too, that these velvets are so much more
durable and how they wear, and that they're not going
to mat down like they used to back in the
day either, so they've they've come a long waist.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
But that's great on an antique too. If you want
velvet that's worn down, that's so good.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Yes, that's so good.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Never for anybody who's listening, don't recover that if you
have velvet that's naturally worn down over time on.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Antique well, and I think too, with those fabrics, it's
the luxury of trims that has come such a long
way too. I think adding those beautiful bullion fringes to
the bottom of that mohair sofa would beautiful.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
I think those.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Luxuries in the home have come up in recent years
and I absolutely love what they're doing for extra trims
on your drapery panels or like I said, the sofa,
a skirted chair. I think it's just absolutely beautiful. Just
adds that touch of luxury. And materials too that I
think are luxurious are just the idea of you know,
beautiful brass I think just is so luxurious. It looks expensive.
(24:26):
I think a lot of times too, even if it's
got a little molding to it or beautiful on lays
in it as well too. Light fixtures, I mean, I
think there's nothing better than a beautiful brass light fixture
and it feels luxurious in the space and it just
glistens like we talked about before too, and it looks
beautiful and the light shines on it. It just has
that ambiance of luxury.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Brass looks expensive and brass is brass is expensive. I
have been delighted by the return of brass years ago
and how the unlaquered brass and watching it patina and
age naturally is so lovely. And you know, when talking
(25:09):
about how every room needs that age needs, the dings
and the dents and the imperfections. There's nothing like brass
to do that just on its own.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
I know, I have a shelf in my kitchen that
I did the unlacquered brass on and it's only about
four years old, but it is starting to show some
of that and it just is beautiful how it's starting
to patina and how it looks in the space. I
love it.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
But that's that idea of time as a luxury to
get that house that looks great. It's no different than
the leather boots or the leather jacket.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
When you buy a new pair of boots.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
They don't look good, then they don't look good until
you wear them every day five years. They'll look good
five years from now. And there's nothing to speed up
that process. And so when you're talking about a furniture
finish that has worn and the paint has naturally and
beautifully worn down and weathered a bit, or unlacquered brass,
(26:05):
it does take time and you have to wait for
those things. You know.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I think of all of that shingle.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Style homes on keep cod that whole style, and you
know when they install those shingles, they're sort of a
honey brown color. And it's not until a year or
two of them weathering down that they turn that iconic
gray color that those houses are famous for. So patience
is a key, and the patience is a very difficult virtue.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Well, and I think that brings up a good point too,
and just those materials. And I think wood is a
beautiful luxury too. There's nothing better than when you see
a beautiful inlaid table that has beautiful patterns in it,
or the world wood that's coming back into I think
that those are just beautiful luxuries. And especially when they're
(26:51):
heavier and you can just feel that the weight of
them makes them more expensive and luxurious in the space.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I would say that would more so than any other
material equals warmth. And the other thing about what is
it absorbs sound differently than other materials, and it softens
the blow, so to speak, and what is porous and
so there's a softness to it while it embraces us
that I think is so lovely.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Well and Chris, I think, as we've been talking about
all these materials, I have to say one of the
most luxurious things is a well appointed bed, and I
think luxurious sheets do that. There's nothing better than crawling
into bed has good sheets and you just feel so luxurious,
especially after a long day, and it's like your beds
(27:43):
just giving you that hug back and saying relax, rest,
and it feels just lovely.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Okay, I'm a sheet snob. I hate to say this.
I feel really good.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
And you know what, I don't feel guilty about it
at all. Actually I'm not a snob about it.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
If I go to somebody else's home or you know,
another like that, I can't control. But in my own house,
I was spoiled early on with luxurious.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Italian sheets and I just can't go back, won't go back.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
I don't know in my coffin they're going to have
to line up with Italian.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Sheets, I'm afraid.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Well, you know. And we talked about the weight of
things when we were talking about the wood tables, But
I think luxury can also be in like the weight
of the hardware on your kitchen, cabinet tree, or a
beautiful doorknob. When you feel just a nice piece of
hardware and as it feels in your hand, you can
tell that it's you know, solid metal or solid brass,
(28:40):
and it just it feels good. It feels luxurious to
feel that versus just a handle on your cabinets that
feels cheap and inexpensive. I think that's a small luxury
that we can all have.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
When you're talking about weight, it definitely equates to luxury
because oftentimes what something that weighs more signifies is that
more of the material was put into it. So that
is going to be a natural cost increase. Hardware, this
is so cliche to say at this point, but it
becomes the jewelry of the room. We've all heard this
(29:12):
phrase a million times, but it does matter. When you
have hardware that's a little larger in scale and a
little weightier, it does feel better and it feels more sturdy,
it feels more long lasting. Ceramics, that's an area I
challenge anybody who's listening to pick up a really good
(29:33):
quality lamp that's ceramic and it's heavy, and then you
might go to a big box store and go to
their lamp section and pick up one of their lamps
and it's like weightless, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I think that those sorts of places and that sort
of lighting is ideal for kids rooms, for second homes,
(29:55):
guest bedrooms, places that maybe you know you don't want
to have the big but when you pick up a
ceramic lamp that's really well made versus you know, one
that's mass produced that's again weightlesss almost you really really
can see it there. Or furniture. One designer I had
(30:15):
on a panel one time gave this tip to the
audience because the question was, it's so expensive to reupholster
a furniture frame. When does it make sense to just
start from scratch and buy a new piece of furniture
versus reupholstering something. And this designer gave a really wonderful
(30:36):
piece of advice. She said that how she knows whether
or not a piece is worth being reupholstered is if
she can lift it with one hand, if she can
pick up a sofa, and I don't mean, you know,
pick up the whole thing and carry it around a mile,
but if she can move it with one hand, lift
it up or a chair, that it's not really worth
(30:58):
reupholstering it because it's not a heavy piece of furniture
that's meant to last forever and ever and ever.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
It's just meant for now.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
And you'd probably do better selling that piece of furniture
and getting some money back that then you can apply
to a new piece. And I thought that that was
a really interesting piece of advice. Now there are exceptions
to that rule, and she admitted that as well, but
I thought that that was a good rule of thumb
because weight does matter, and weight does equate again to
(31:32):
luxury to better quality.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Well, Chris, that quiet luxury has I don't know if
it's necessarily been a trend, but it's been something that's
been talked about and people are looking at doing quite
a bit more, both in their homes and in fashion.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And I really admire it.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
I like the idea of all that it brings and
kind of that mix of some high low in the
home and just mixing pieces that not everything has to
just look expensive. I think it's those layers, like we
talked about that it's a calmer palette that just has
that understated luxury and it's not screaming at you like, oh,
(32:10):
I spent a lot of money on this room. I think,
to me, that's luxury is just that quieter, calming luxury.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
So I have a lot to say on this topic,
and I know that we've talked about maybe having an
episode that just addresses the idea of quiet luxury. I
think that it is not going to be a trend.
I think that it is a movement and an answer
and a reaction to the craziness that has tried to
(32:43):
communicate luxury through logos and labels. To me, quiet luxury
looks more expensive on its own just by way of
being calmer without the flash. I always say glass over flash,
But oftentimes I think quiet luxury can be about high
(33:04):
low in the mix, and we always want to encourage
people for the mix because sometimes that target base is
just a great shape. I mean, let's be honest, there's
great design there. And sometimes I think to myself, yeah,
that's something good that I should have in my arsenal
of vasis, because sometimes you have a certain kind of
flower that would just look good in it. So I
(33:26):
think that people should always feel like they have permission
and give license to themselves to mix high and low.
When it comes to quiet luxury. I think that that
can be a totally different sentiment that is about just
not being flashy, because I still prefer to adhere to
(33:47):
the idea of luxurious materials always, but they don't have
the flash.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yeah, sometimes I feel like too. You can look at
a purs Or bag and you're just it doesn't have
a label on it, but you can tell it's just
high quality leather and it was crafted really well. And
I think that's that quiet luxury that just is beautiful.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Yes, that's another personal rule of mine. While I love
the luxury brands, just like anybody, I will not have
a logo that is like larger than a nickel on
my back, And so I have to go find the
shape that they have that has the smallest logo because
I just personally I won't go there. But I like
(34:30):
this quiet luxury trend because understated is always more elegant
in the home space as well. The more objects you have,
it does decrease the value almost and it's so counterintuitive
as to what we naturally want to think in our minds.
But the quiet luxury movement, I hope it's here to stay.
(34:53):
And when it comes to fashion, the calmer palettes that look,
you need a little pizazz, right, you need of color,
you need a little flash here and there. So I
think that there's a time and a place for that.
I think it always looks more elegant. Less is more
is true in so many parts of life well.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
And I think it's a perfect example of why presentation matters.
Just those beautiful supplies in your home too, just a
leather notebook that feels luxurious, or you know, swapping out
plastic materials for handcrafted wooden organizers and you open that
the junk drawer and it looks beautiful with lacquer trays
or glass penholders. It just there's something about that small
(35:34):
luxury that is substantial and it's timeless. And I love
some beautiful marble desk accessories too. They just feel so
beautiful in the space.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Anytime that you can take something that is just mundane
and elevated. And again, that's sort of why we talked
about producing this podcast, is to celebrate those little luxuries
that we can accomplish. But I think that that is
a good thing. And when you look at you know,
when I grew up, my mom bought tide and it
(36:07):
stayed in the orange tide container, like that's how it
came out, which she did laundry. Now, you know, we
get our little glass jars with the lids and we
put all the pods in there and then we take
the oxy clean out of its ugly oxy clean container
and we put it and make it all pretty. And
that's how we do laundry now. And you know, I
(36:27):
think that's that's special. Laundry rooms are no longer these
spaces that are in basements, that are in dungeons. They
look beautiful. The same thing with the office that you've
just mentioned. Instead of going and buying the office supplies
that are in the big box stores, why not go
find a little bowl that you buy from a maker
(36:47):
at some sort of craft fair or an antique at
a flea market that can hold your business cards.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
That's what I have.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I have a wonderful little cloison A box that I
use to hold my business cards in my home.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Office that I love.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
You know. I bought it in one of my adventures
into an antique shop in Minnesota, and that's where I
remember that box, and that's elicited a whole other collection
collection of cloison a for myself as well. So all
of those little moments of life that you can elevate
into something special that matters. But when you talk about presentation,
(37:22):
even a label on something, I think anybody who's listening
to this podcast has either bought a candle at some
point or been gifted one, and either to have that
experience of being gifted or give a really beautiful candle
with a beautiful label, or sometimes that's how people choose their.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Wine that they give.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
I am not a wine connoisseur, and so when I
go to somebody's home and I, you know, make a
stop at the store to buy that bottle of wine
to gift, I go buy the label.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Like that's all I got, nothing better than a beautiful label.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Yeah, yeah, So I think that presentation does matter when
it comes to packaging. It matters to I mean, a
beautiful label makes something look more expensive than it probably is.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
It probably does for that wine.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
That I bought that I have no idea what I'm
tapping into. But when it comes to things like office
spaces and laundry spaces and your closet having all of
the hangars match, that's a luxury, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
Well, I think that's the overstimulation of all the images
we see on social media and different things or influencers.
It's just that that you see these matching spaces or
your laundry room with the beautiful canisters, and it's like, well,
why wouldn't I do that. I want my space to
look good too.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
But I have to tell you a funny story. So
I had this idea. It sounded good, No, it actually
was good.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Had I followed through.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
So early in the COVID days, I had wanted for
some time to make all of my spices match. So
I went and I bought all of the jars at
a little local spice shop that we have here, and Okay,
I'm gonna do this. So I decanted all of the
spices into the jars and then I walked off from
(39:08):
that project and didn't to label them. Oh no, yes,
so some of them I could figure out, like, you know,
dill is obviously dil, cinnamon's obviously cinnamon.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
But those yellow and orange.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Spices the yeah, the human versus the curry. And I
luckily I had the benefit of the women who work
in the test kitchen to assist me. Well, that was
helped me solve my problem because after many case test
panels in my own kitchen of spices, I know what
was going on and I didn't know what was what.
(39:41):
So Megan, when we talked about putting this episode on
Luxury Together, that reminded me of an Instagram post that
has come across my feed at a few times, and
it posed the question to people, what, as a child,
when you visited other families homes, what did you think
(40:01):
meant that they were fancy.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
That they had it, they'd made it.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
So the answers were so buried and through the eyes
of a child, It's funny how kids interpret life and
interpret things and what they think and what they wish
they had, and they think, oh, those people down the street,
they must have hit it big, they must be really rich.
And again the answers were so buried. So I thought
(40:25):
it would be fun for both of us to talk
about some things that as a kid that we thought
were really really cool, really fancy.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Probably one of them for me was just when you
would go into a basement that was finished really well
and really well done, and it just it was another
living space that they had their own TV area or
something down there that was the kid's hangout or just
a family room versus an unfinished space, because at the time,
I think there were a lot of unfinished basements. My
(40:53):
first house had one that way, although I did love
it was our roller skating rink for a long time,
and that was lots of fun memories. But the idea
that the basement was finished, I think was just such
a luxury to me when I was little. I thought
that was like, you really made it.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Oh that is funny that you say that, because I
was a dancer as a child, and we did have
a finished basement, but there was a little corner of
a storage room that had you know, concrete floors, and
I could do my tap dancing here and actually hear
the sounds.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
So it's funny that you say. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
But I mean people way back, you know, had wreck rooms.
That's what they would call them reck rooms because they
had the pool table and that's where the kids hung
out with the beat up sofa. And when we think,
I mean, I don't have to tell you, because you're
a designer, what the family room looks like now, I mean.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Wow, yeah, those living spaces are just completely different. And
who wouldn't want to live down there?
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Speaking of family rooms, one thing that I thought when
a family had this that it was really fancy was
a sectional.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Oh yeah, I just thought.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
To myself, how cool is that you have a sofa
that has a thing on the end and a thing
on the other end and sometimes all sit on it.
You can all sit on it, you can change the
shape of it. I thought that that meant, wow, one
thing that came to mind that is so funny to
me now.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
And we earlier in this.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Discussion talked about brass and that beautiful unlacquered brass, and
I think when brass came back, for anybody who was
around at the time, they were probably terrified because they
probably had awful memories of those dinete sets from the eighties.
They were kind of modern and they had that awful
(42:39):
shiny brass. But as a kid, we never had one,
and I thought, oh, gosh, if we could just have that,
it would be so great. Looking back, I'm like, oh,
maybe my parents had better taste than I did as
an eight year old or seven year old. But when
I would go to other people's houses and saw a
dying neete set with that shiny brass, I thought it
(43:03):
was gold. I was like, oh, my gosh, they have
a gold eating area in their in their home, Like wow, again,
they've made it yeah, fit for a king, Like how'd
they get it for a king? How did they get
a gold dyeing net set? So And it was just
that horrible brass. So I think that people, you know,
probably had to go to design decoration therapy after that,
(43:26):
and that's probably why when people heard that brass was back,
they shook their heads until they saw our.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
New version of it.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Well, and thankfully we're not seeing those in antique stores
anymore either, so not very often.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
So I think that those have probably died. Madd on
to the burial grounds, which yes, flying by me, Yes,
what's another one for you?
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Well, kind of a funny one. And this is so
small because then you really think about what it would
have cost. But the kids that had a teen line,
I thought was so cool that they had their own
phone line. And then now here we think about all
these teenagers that all have their own cell phones and
all of the world that we live in today, but
yet that fifteen dollars teen line that they could talk
(44:09):
to their friends on was just like, oh my gosh,
that's they so made it.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Did you have a team line?
Speaker 1 (44:15):
I didn't know we had to share and who's going
to answer the phone when they call and all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
We didn't have a team line either, because there was
enough distance between I'm the oldest of three and there
was enough distance between us that phone overlap was probably
not a big challenge. And I don't think my parents
would have gotten us a team line anyway. But here's
the thing about the team line in the phone book,
it would say teamline.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
You're right.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
I forgot about that it did, and so it's like, oh,
my gosh, people are going to know they're rich because
right there, teen line you have two.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Numbers under their names. So I yeah, that's a really
good one.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
That brings me back too. I mean, isn't it funny
you can still remember some of your best friend's phone
numbers today that you would call all the time. Han, Yeah,
that's funny. What about for you, Chris, what's one that
you remember?
Speaker 2 (45:08):
So I spoke before about the brass slash gold, and
on that same note, I remember when my parents decided
they were going to put wallpaper up in a bathroom,
and in the end, I don't even think they ever
did that. I don't think the wallpaper ever went up.
But my mom and dad went, you know, on one
Saturday morning and got all of the wallpaper books and
(45:30):
brought them home. This is before you hired a designer
to do everything.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
Now, people don't I.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Don't know if people do that anymore, but they brought
home these wallpaper books and some of the patterns. I
remember there was one and it was a shell pattern,
which didn't make sense for the Midwest anyway, but it
had metallic on it, and I just thought, Mom, Dad
didn't need this metallic wallpaper because it's shiny, and shiny
(45:55):
means luxury, and so that was something that again, their
taste was clearly better than mine in nineteen eighty whatever.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
They didn't go for it.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
We didn't get the.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Metallic she shell wallpaper.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Well, Chris, I think this has been a fun conversation
to talk about in just the luxury of life and
in our home. And I think, you know, one of
the underlying things I think that we've talked about is
luxury isn't something we wait for. I think it's something
that we create in our own It's not waiting until
you can buy that big thing. It's those everyday luxuries.
It's using the pieces, it's the patients that you talked
(46:28):
about and enjoying the beauty we already have every day.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Yeah, it's been fun to talk about this.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Thanks Megan, Thank you for listening to this week's episode.
Of Boulevard Beat. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow
along and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you listen so you never miss an episode, and
of course, follow your host on Instagram at Megan Bloom Interiors,
at CHRISA. Rossbund, and at Liz Legit. We'll be back
(46:54):
next week as we take a stroll down another boulevard
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Dot ba
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