“Luxury is a perception, not a price point,” says Dann Foley. At a recent series of panels at the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, Foley and co-panelists Libby Langdon, Kristi Hopper and Toma Clark Haines shared their insights on what constitutes luxury for their clients.
Toma Clark Haines
Antiques dealer & Design Industry Entrepreneur, The Antiques Diva & Co.
“If you look at luxury from a European perspective, it’s just life. It’s the way in which Europeans live. They live elegantly. Things that have fallen out of fashion in America are still very normal in a way of gracious living on a day-to-day basis.
“This concept of selling luxury? I don’t think this conversation would even exist if we were in a showroom with a room full of Europeans.”
Dann Foley
Interior designer & Product Designer
Dann Foley Lifestyle, Foley & Stinnette interior design
“A lot of people today confuse joyfulness with finding a thrill. You find joyfulness in the things you have in life, that you are surrounded by in your home.
“There’s a joy to sharing that with family and friends. You have to get clients to focus on that. It’s exciting to buy expensive stuff, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have a beautiful room at the end of the day.”
Kristi Hopper
Interior Designer
Kristi Hopper Designs
“I think luxury is when you can walk into your home, in your closet, in your car, and you feel good about it. It makes you happy. It’s that simple.
“For me as a design professional, luxury is having a partner who looks after what they’ve done for you. They don’t mark up prices to a point where I can’t still make a good margin on it. That’s luxury.”
Libby Langdon
Interior designer & Product designer
Libby Langdon Interiors
“Right now, more than ever, luxury can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It’s not about ‘Let’s spend the most money.’
“I think luxury, as it relates to design, incorporates items that are smart and beautiful. How annoyed are you when you get an étagère and there’s no cap on the top? Little things like that feel like luxury to me. Luxury is when your life feels full and good, and everything is working.”
