Quiet luxury is the concept of opulence with a focus on understated elegance and well-made furnishings with modest uniqueness.  Traditionally reserved and exclusive to the wealthy.  Displaying designer brands is not what quiet luxury is about.  Focusing on the value and the experience of interior furnishings and accessories.  Creating a space that emits exceptional value and quality of all the pieces is the focus when designing a quiet luxury space.

Creating an experience rather than a showplace for the brands they represent.  Many have been designing spaces with quiet luxury for years.  However, this design trend is even more sought after and desired in today’s decorating world.  Especially when the pandemic hit, and we were stuck in our homes, noticing particularly what we didn’t like about our interiors.  Now that the home has become an even more valuable space for entertaining and adding quality furnishings to enjoy and appreciate.

What Goes Into Designing a Space with Quiet Luxury?

A sophisticated, more personal design.  Let’s think about how one wants to feel in space and the activities that will take place.  For instance,  a quiet luxury design is not just for the more valuable and luxurious homes.  Creating a more personalized space that fits the home's style and the homeowner's personality, where a connection is made with the products that go into the design.  Understated refinement and not a showplace of status.

Quiet luxury items that can be installed in a kitchen

• Undercounter refrigerator drawers – panel ready to blend with kitchen cabinets

• Undercounter ice maker – panel ready

• Hand-hammered sinks, and range hoods with impeccable craftsmanship

• A customized cooking range that doesn’t have to be all stainless.  Select a color for your own unique style and experience in cooking.  Selecting features such as dual fuel and hardware finishes.

• Oversized kitchen island lighting

Furnishings That Fit Into The Idea of Quiet Luxury in Interior Design

Well-made frames on upholstered furniture. 8-way hand-tied, nailed, and glued for a sturdy seat.

• Upgraded seat cushions on chairs and sofa

• Seek out long-lasting fabrics well-made with a seat wear test rating.

• Quality wool rugs that will clean well and stand the test of time

Quiet Luxury Can be Designed in Your Own Personal Style

More and more people are requesting high-end products that will last and designing a space that will provide a welcoming experience for all guests to enjoy without the brand tag being the main focus.  

Homes with any type of interior design style can obtain a quiet luxury experience.  This is not just reserved for the most glamorous of homes.  Products are available for all styles and design aesthetics, from lighting and bedding to area rugs and accent tables. 

Be original, and don’t forget about sourcing antiques.  Many well-made pieces of furniture can be found by sourcing antique and period furniture.  When you hear the word antique, your mind likely goes right to the ornate, dark wood, traditional furniture our grandparents and great-grandparents had.  This is not always the case.  If modern is your style, many brands fall under the quiet luxury category that is considered antique or vintage for instant mid-century if that’s your aesthetic.  Antique and vintage shopping is where you can find original, well-made craftsmanship in pieces from the past.  From modern, contemporary, and farmhouse styles to traditional and art deco, there are decor pieces and furniture out there that check off all the boxes if you know what to look for.

In our own restoration project, a 1918 post and beam in Sandwich, NH, my husband and I were on the same page about keeping the look and feel of this three-season cabin while renovating it to become a year-round country house.  We were lucky enough that the previous owners passed the typed written history of the home across the table.  This also sealed the deal for creating a quiet luxury space that would provide an experience of the past by adding many luxury brands without screaming logos.  A casual retreat home can be quiet luxury design without all the glam and flashiness.  It was all about the experience of adding high-quality items from the new kitchen design with hand-crafted and hand-painted brushstrokes on the finish by Jewett Farms.  The two-story chandelier with mixed iron arms and wooden drops in front of the fieldstone fireplace from Currey and Company.   From the hand-hammered copper ceiling panels, custom range hood, and kitchen and bathroom sinks by Thompson Traders, artisans with exceptional craftsmanship.  These items are full of exceptional quality; however, one would not know the brands.  The quality and value created can be appreciated by the experience of working with these artisans.

When designing a space with quiet luxury, look for craftsmanship, quality, authenticity, attention to detail, and pieces that appeal to the senses.

The quiet luxury experience can be created and customized by becoming educated on all products and furnishings that go into the interior design to make your own unlike any other to relax and enjoy for years to come.

ABOUT DEBBE DALEY

Debbe Daley is New England’s leading interior design expert in the fields of design, decorating, and styling of interior spaces. She is a professional speaker, educator, and influencer in the field of interior design. She also educates and coaches creative interior design, home decor enthusiasts, and change-of-career-minded individuals at her School of Interiors through courses, mentoring, and hands-on training.