Defining Luxury: The Qualities of Life at Home

In effervescent and thoughtful prose, Bilhuber reveals to the reader why seeking luxury in our surroundings is admirable and worthy of both our understanding and effort. At its essence, luxury is about excellence and achievement - it represents the very best of human endeavor. And how better to embrace those ideals than by celebrating gracious, enlightened interiors that revel in beautiful materials, finely crafted furnishings, and life's pleasures? Bilhuber argues that luxury is integral to every life well-lived, a way of appreciating and sharing our joy in existence. The designer encourages the reader to aspire to and indulge in luxury at home: from the cosseting of a perfectly tufted reading chair to an heirloom vase cradling freshly cut garden roses to a dazzling chandelier that makes light dance. In seven chapters filled with charming anecdotes and lovely observations, the designer - whom Hamish Bowles likens to a twenty-first-century Billy Baldwin - explores the idea of luxury as life's abundance reflected in its varied elements: Discovery, Passion, History, Ornament, Grace, Comfort, and Delight. Within these, the reader gleans insights from Bilhuber's singular style and learns that luxury is as much about cultivating a state of mind as it is about the objects with which we surround ourselves.

Jeffrey Bilhuber founded his eponymous firm in 1984. Many of his clients are themselves legendary trendsetters: Anna Wintour, Iman and David Bowie, Elsa Peretti, and Mariska Hargitay, among others. His work has been published in more than fifty design books as well as every major national and international shelter magazine.