Edition No.2

With an exciting Winter ahead, the studio is buzzing with new ideas and as always, inspired by brands across the luxury spectrum from fashion, automotive and film. In this month’s OB musings we dive into luxury brands in the Metaverse, Valentino’s pop up at Palazzo Avino and the £2million price tag on Porsche’s new Mission X model.

Barbie Luxe

A topic as hot as her Malibu Dreamhouse, the studio has been struck by the Barbie craze that is sweeping the globe. As many of us rush to the cinema to watch, we’ve been left wondering what a Barbiecore Super Prime property could look like… Although it’s not on our current design agenda (for now at least) we look back at our own use of this iconic colour, as well as some other luxury pink pieces, brought together in our very own Barbie Luxe mood board.

Luxury Brand in The Metaverse

Leading the way in the Metaverse, the likes of Gucci, Burberry and Balenciaga have all activated within this virtual world, where their collections blurred the lines between virtual and reality with NFT inspired collections. We have been particularly excited to see how our fellow Walpole member, Wedgwood, have embraced Web 3 to produce a collection in colours that would be impossible to achieve in physical Jasperware. We love the way they have combined striking and modern colour combinations with a traditional design from their extensive archive. We cannot wait to see what Creative Director, Alice Bastin, does next.

Beach Clubs

As if we needed another excuse to take a trip somewhere hot, the lure of luxury beach clubs has got us one step closer to pushing the ‘book now’ button. Our founder, Sharon Lillywhite’s top pick is the beautiful Palazzo Avino on the Amalfi Coast, who this summer have partnered with Valentino for a summertime beach club pop up in their signature red! Fashion sits very comfortably poolside this Summer, with Dior, Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana also partnering with some of the finest hotels to create exclusive beach clubs. With aesthetics worthy of a Wes Anderson film, the fusion of fashion and beach must be here to stay!

Biohacking Your Home

This month we have been looking again at ‘Wellbeing’ and ‘Holistic Homes’. This has been on our agenda for some time, but this trend shows no sign of abating. We see a continuing demand, not just for wellness suites but for smaller moments in the home designed to promote a sense of calm and relaxation. A recent article in Wallstreet Journal detailing how ‘Biohacking devotees’ are taking it to the next level with light therapy beds, Infrared saunas, cryotherapy chambers and ice baths has us reading more!

Japandi

Having enjoyed discussing our love of pink, we all agreed we needed something that was a little more zen! Japandi is a trend where East meets West and centuries old design aesthetics and principles combine to offer a style that truly supports a sense of wellbeing.  These individual design styles have been around for many years but with a renewed emphasis on sustainability and the importance of wellbeing the combined design aesthetic is making waves. With a focus on the very best quality, natural materials and craftsmanship, there has been much chat in the studio about how these core principles work very much hand in hand with our own ethos. Head over to our Pinterest to see our design inspiration.

Electric Supercars

Porsche launched their Mission X concept car earlier in the summer and there has been much discussion since on whether it is more than just a concept! Porsche have been careful not to reveal too much about this exciting fully electric two-seater, but they are certainly indicating that it would be the fastest fully electric car on the road if it were to go into production. We are keeping a keen eye on the luxury motor sector to see how they bring their electric concepts to life.

The List

We are excited to announce that we have recently joined House & Garden’s, The List, a print and online guide showcasing the very best of British, European and American design professionals.

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