Discover The Quiet Luxury Lookbook

The quality of the materials and the craftsmanship is what sets this look apart. Gone are gold accents, ostentatious works of art or gaudy sofa choices, in their place lies soft linen upholstery, chequerboard marble floors, antique brass lights and an inherently relaxing sensibility. Here, the luxury is felt through the softness of the cashmere throw and the smooth polish of the figured wood side table. It’s about investing in fewer, higher quality treasures that last for generations with unwavering timeless appeal. It’s quiet all right, but its impact throughout the worlds of interiors, fashion and entertainment of late has been nothing short of thunderous.

Highlighting just a few proponents of the style, the Quiet Luxury Lookbook explores the effortlessly inviting properties of LuxDeco 100 designers Banda Property, Peter Mikic, Alyssa Kapito and BradyWilliams to discover what it is that has captured the hearts of their distinguished clientele and, now, the entire world. Perhaps it is the mix of old and new as found in Banda’s Notting Hill project, where detailed cornicing meets a monolithic marble kitchen island, and parquet floors lie beneath vintage rattan dining chairs. Or maybe it’s the calm palette of Kapito’s living room showcase—the perfect backdrop for wooden antiques, sash windows and contrastingly modern pieces.

For BradyWilliam’s director Emily Williams, luxury means comfort, refinement and attention to detail. To her, it’s not about designer labels or eye-catching pieces, it’s about a well thought through space that flows with ease and makes life seamless. In her mind, luxury is nothing without liveability. It is this that she finds her clients requesting time and time again, and it’s why they come to her to transform their homes into peaceful retreats hidden within the city. “It should bear scrutiny,” as one of her clients so aptly put, “but mustn’t scream for attention.”

Of course, for these spaces to constitute luxury they must be elevated—separated from the norm by an unspoken understanding of quality. Though the pieces might not instantly draw the eye, it is the materials from which they are crafted that set them apart. Often as desired now as they were centuries ago, it is the finest and most precious materials the world has to offer—wood, stone and wool—that endure through the turbulence of trends, bringing a beauty that few new textures can. And endure they should as we look forward with care of the planet in mind.

A space where ironmongers adorn the balustrade with cascading leaves and carpenters install panelling that flows from room to room, these homes have been invested in with both time and attention to detail. And it is on the backdrop of this craftsmanship that quiet luxury’s hero pieces sit. Old master portraits are propped up on marble shelves; bouclé armchairs sit beside ornate fireplaces and desk lights fit into figure wood shelving. Monochromatic entryway marble offers a glimpse at the tradition that lies beyond and dining rooms’ moody walls bring a moment of intensity to an otherwise light scheme. 

Beyond the pieces, the use of abundant space unfolds where carefully considered designs make the experience of being in a room as enjoyable as the way it looks. From the cinema, where full-length curtains thoughtfully cover the bar to avoid unwanted reflections and offer the perfect acoustic accompaniment to the space to architect Charlton Brown’s pool that boasts clean lines and skylights which balance the privacy of the indoors with all of the benefits of natural light.

Looking for where to start? Fill your home only with pieces that feel as good as they look and that will be just as at home in your scheme now as they will be in decades to come. Indulge in craftsmanship and time-honoured designs and embrace a look that doesn’t need to scream for attention—it simply attracts it without any sense of effort.