Edition No.1

With our Creative Director and Founder, Sharon in Monaco meeting clients and summer fast approaching, the studio is buzzing with chat about holiday plans and wish list travel destinations. It got us thinking about the current trend of ‘Quiet Luxury’ and the way in which it promotes a focus on curating investment pieces and thoughtful shopping habits. While this term has been largely linked to fashion, it is of course relevant to design and travel too. Or it certainly is to the way we work. We pride ourselves on creating and curating investment pieces for our clients and with our Positive Luxury membership in the works, we are busy making sure ‘thoughtful shopping’ actually means something too.

Speaking of curating investment pieces, we are all swooning over the new collection, Yaawa. Launched at the new Carpenters Workshop Gallery venue which, as their largest space to date, is also a triumph.

If you are looking for a travel brand that understands ‘Quiet Luxury’ look no further than The Luminaire, a travel brand that offers more than just a luxurious bed for the night but an opportunity to expand your horizons with journeys of depth and enlightenment all while promoting a deeper connection to the world around us. We were lucky enough to interview Nicholas Priest of The Luminaire for our Penthouse View series, it is well worth a read.

For any luxury brand, understanding your clients wants and needs at any given time is paramount. The founders of The Luminaire have not just understood that “true luxury is not experiences but personal growth and knowledge”, they have built a travel offer around it. Their Foundation also looks to protect the places they visit, and with local experts they have unparalleled access to the very heart of local communities and what conservation work will make a difference. Their Dinosaur Dig in Wyoming has really captured our imagination!

As fellow members of Walpole, we attended the Walpole British Luxury Summit at The Londoner, a chance for us to mingle with the top luxury professionals in the UK and chat new strategies. Helen Brocklebank, Walpole CEO, really is the cheerleader in chief for British Luxury and with an impressive list of speakers, we left feeling optimistic and full of energy! Watch out Gen Z, Gen Alpha are on the way!

So, if UHNWI’s are seeking out experiences and interiors that encourage personal growth and knowledge, what better way to combine the two in 2023 than in a yacht! The perfect way to travel the Med and all its beautiful and historic centres this summer? We think so!

It has been well reported that yacht owners are getting younger by the year and with an increase in those looking for a real sense of adventure will we see a rise in the number of sailing yachts commissioned? The traditional three-masted schooner yacht, Koru, built by Oceanco for Jeff Bezos has recently hit the headlines. At 127m in length, she is one of only four sailing yachts over 100m and part of a very select group of sailing yachts within the super yacht 60m + category.

Commissioned in 2018, she took five years to complete, and takes her design cues from the grand yachts of the 1920s. The interior is of course a closely guarded secret, but we hope it also takes inspiration from the golden age of sailing. We were excited to see one of the richest men in the world look to sail power; maybe the distances and speeds at which you can travel without burning gallons of fuel is the key. With Koru starting its Mediterranean tour from Mallorca, where will they be mooring next… Our vote is for Italy and the Amalfi Coast!

With a clear shift to more thoughtful purchases whether that’s in fashion, interiors, or travel, we continue to seek inspiration from the changing world around us. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing our work across the world’s finest interiors, including homes, marine, aviation, and other spaces synonymous with a luxury lifestyle. Join us for more OB Studio Musings soon.

‍