Custom Luxury

As far as your eye can see there is water. The water is so clear you can see your feet permeating the sandy bottom of the Florida Keys. I often describe the color of the water as coke bottle green there is a transparency and clearness but with a slight green color. As you look to the horizon the water appears to become more like the color of azure sky dappled with white puffs of cotton like clouds. The day is perfect, the sun feels warm on your skin, and you could stare into the horizon forever. Seeing that scene everyday would be such a wonderful luxurious experience and thanks to photography, it is possible to see it every day. Websters dictionary describes luxury as an indulgence in something that provides pleasure and satisfaction, and I think that great art will do that for anyone. Last week we talked about customization but this week we want to combine customization with luxury. Let’s peek into a stretched Lantana model and an Iris model to see how custom luxury is within reach of everyone somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

  •  Built in fireplace Stretched Lantana
Yes, I know that it is Florida, but we can have a fireplace if we want too! I like the look of the electric fireplaces because they create ambiance without the heat. However, if you want heat, they provide enough heat to cut the cold on those few days a year that you may need it. This fireplace is clean lined and created out of white stacked stone. The TV is large to match the size of the fireplace so that the scale is appropriate. I like the back light on the TV because it highlights the stone softening the effect in the space.

  •  Space on each side
Usually, when creating a fireplace there will be options for each side of the leftover wall. Some homeowners have shelves built in, and some homeowners create texture with applied molding, but this homeowner filled the space with art. This picture is one large picture that has been cut in half and hung on each side of the fireplace. Technically, this type of picture is called a diptych, and they would be hung together. I like the effect of the art on each side of the fireplace. These pictures are special because they are photographs applied to aluminum. I love photographs on canvas but a photograph on aluminum is amazing! Photography on aluminum look as if you could reach out and touch the water it looks so real.

  •  How to purchase large art
These pictures were purchased through Alan Maltz Gallery in Key West, and it was easy to see how they would look before the purchase. The homeowners were able to send pictures of the fireplace to the gallery and the gallery placed them in the space virtually. The ability to see the art in the space before you purchase it helps the customer feel confident that they are making the right decision. If you look around on the web, there are many sites for many things that will allow you to virtually place the item you are considering into the room before you buy it. This technology makes purchasing large items like rugs and art so much easier.

  •  Lighting
Lighting the artwork is always a great idea. When light shines on the art it appears that the sun is shining in the water, and it looks just like you are standing somewhere off the coast of Key West.

  •  Lots of Luxury in an Iris
This is an Iris model, and the homeowners designed and had a fireplace installed. I love the combination of stone and white wood because it looks classic. This fireplace has a TV over it and a cabinet on each side. The homeowners had panels built above the cabinets and the panels highlight two large attractive lighted wall sconces. This fireplace has looks and functions as extra storage.

  •  Seating luxury
I like the furniture configuration because not only is it attractive, but it meets the homeowner’s individual needs. One of the homeowners likes to lay on a sofa and watch TV and the other homeowner likes to recline. This arrangement allows them to enjoy the space and still be near each other. Also, there is room for two chairs opposite the sofa, but we only placed one chair because that is all they wanted.

  •  Couch Luxury
When the homeowners’ main seat in the space is a sofa, the sofa needed to be nice. Since the sofa was used to lie down and watch TV, the sofa needed to be comfortable when lying down. Therefore, when purchasing it in the store the homeowner would lie down on the sofa to see how it felt. The sofa that was purchased allowed customization of the seat depth and the foam density of the cushions.

  •  Small luxuries add up
All the customized luxuries seem small when you list them one by one, but they are important to the individual that enjoys them every day.

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