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Luxury Defined

April 9, 2018

ROHL, a company that has been bringing authentic luxurious products to the market for 35 years, debuted its Auth Lux Designer Guild earlier this year. As an extension of that, the company recently hosted it first 2018 Auth Lux Summit at The Estate in Atlanta, and the program was designed to define “authentic luxury” from several points of view.

Marketing Authentic Luxury for Designers
In this session, Pamela Danziger of Unity Marketing defined authentic luxury as a commitment to craft, material and originality. The qualitative characteristics of authentic brands include sensuality, mystery, confidence, beauty, timelessness and the wow factor. Quantitative characteristics include exclusivity, rarity, best in class, quality materials and value.

Danziger stressed the need for designer professionals to get in tune with consumers’ needs and values, stating that they often underestimate the competition, including companies that sell direct to consumers like home furnishing retailers. Designers today have to justify higher-priced alternatives; there is a different between something that looks authentic and something that is authentic.

She cited the following as some of the key qualities that define authentic luxury:

  • Superior performance
  • Craftsmanship
  • Exclusivity
  • Innovation
  • Responsibility
  • Sophistication

“There is a need for design services today, and there is a huge demand in our market for home design in the affluent market,” said Danziger. “Some homeowners are using design services offered by retailers like Restoration Hardware. You have to brand yourself to get ahead, you have to be the real deal and set yourself apart, and you have to understand your consumer.”

She cited the following as some of today’s consumer values in regard to products:

  • Practicality and functionality
  • Authenticity
  • Inclusivity
  • Quality

In closing, Danziger explained that the authentic luxury product isn’t for everyone, but for the right people it can be everything.

Understanding Original Design
This panel discussed the importance of original design and how to educate and protect designers and manufacturers who are committed to preserving its integrity. Lisa Mende of Lisa Mende Design moderated, and panelists included Greg Rohl, ROHL; William Peace, Peace Design; and Martin Goebel, Goebel & Co. (pictured above).

According to Mende, an Auth Lux Designer Guild member, the topic of the importance of original design began with Elle Decoration and its 30-year commitment to defending design from knock-offs, counterfeits and unlicensed replicas.

“We want to educate, inform and influence designers, business and the greater public on the value of purchasing authentic design,” she added.

Original design needs to be unique and created true to form; it also needs to bring value to your clients. If design professionals all do different things, there should be plenty of work out there for everyone.

Some of the criteria of original design include:

  • It is an expression of an original personality or perspective
  • It needs to be executed with no compromise

Designing for Luxury Boutique Hotels, Restaurants & Resorts
This session talked about best practices to successfully cross over from residential to the boutique hospitality design world. Mende moderated, and speakers included Greg Rohl, ROHL; and Patrick Sutton, Patrick Sutton Design.

“Hotel chains no longer adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach to interiors and instead seek out interior designers who can choreograph a sense of brand identity, place and a unique visual experience for clients,” said Mende.

Some call the line between residential and commercial design “resi-mercial,” as more hotel guests want a more intimate home-away-from-home hotel experience. Designers need to specify products that have definite cross-over.

Crafting the Authentic Luxury Bath
This session stressed the importance of understanding what goes into the making of artisan-crafted tile and decorative plumbing. Mende moderated, and speakers included Greg Rohl, ROHL; Jonathan Zanger, Walker Zanger; and Leslie Delli-Venneri, Victoria + Albert.

Each speaker talked about why it is important to bring luxury products to this significant and widely used room in the home and how designers can explain that importance to clients and manage the budget. The speakers agreed it’s important for designers and brands to stay true to who and what they are in a tight, competitive market.