So luxury, whether one is creating it or experiencing it, comes from unexpected places. And, it’s not always the most expensive. During the winter, I stayed at a very, very nice hotel. The suite did not have a refrigerator. They wanted $25 per day to provide a fridge unless I had medicine that required refrigeration. In March, I stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn that provided a refrigerator at no cost. So the posh of the very nice hotel was not luxurious because I could not have cold milk in my room without ordering it and waiting 30 minutes for room service. Where’s the luxury? The very nice hotel is a famous, 5 star resort. Should I wish a ride to somewhere in town, they provide a chauffeur and a Rolls. But not a refrigerator. It’s always fun to ride in a Rolls, especially since I don’t keep one myself, but is the luxury experience complete?
In our homes, the luxury is often subtle, but carefully planned. Components like switches are placed where one would expect them to be, and we know, unlike other builders, that they are not design elements. They are servants, ready to serve, but otherwise in the background. Our hallways are wide so two people can pass in them. Our customers choose their own granite slabs, even when they order a basic, Group 1 stone. This is because, at Laurence, luxury is about attention to the details and the quality of the execution. It’s about the customer meeting with our designers to choose from a plethora of standard and upgraded features.
We’re proud to share this photo of our newest completed custom home (grass courtesy of PhotoShop). The lucky family will be moving in within a week, and we’ll be sure to share some additional photos once our photographer is able to visit!
Wood-Mode, www.wood-mode.com, builds magnificent cabinets. Their designs and applications are innovative and flexible. They are built with thought to the environment and to ease of living. So why was I invited to a seminar on “Value Engineering in Wood-Mode Cabinets” by their distributor? “Fun and Affordable Applications of Wood-Mode Cabinets” would have been more interesting.
Wood-Mode's Gemtlemen's Quarters
Our spring trip to LA was a little different this year as we didn’t make it to the beach (we did visit the Atlantic City boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend. The beach was enticing but the boardwalk and town are depressed. It ain’t Vegas). We stayed in a friend’s guesthouse in Hollywood and did Downtown and some of the more exclusive parts of the valley. The best shop we saw was on La Cienega but, surprisingly south of the high fashion area. In a dress shop in an old stucco, single storey, store front, one window showed a surprisingly refreshing take on a mini dress with bunting. It wasn’t Madonna, and it wasn’t Versace. It was fresh and elegant, not over wrought, but certainly not understated. I drove past that window 3 or 4 times because I was so excited by the sheer creativity of the dress. Next time I’m in LA, I’m going to make a point of stopping in.
This outstanding home is available for over $14.5 million in the Hamptons. It has a great pool house too. The developers bill this house as “less is more” as they could have done a McMansion. I love modern, and this one is special because it’s done in traditional Hamptons cedar shingles, not split block, which is such a cliché. Modern architecture is like custom cufflinks – a very personal statement.
Surely, a large percentage of the price for this house is due to its location. It would be our honor to create so personal a statement for our customers, whether in the modern vernacular or any other style. Homes like this don’t have to be expensive, they just have to be exquisite.
Laurence Communities is proud to announce that Lauren Merrell has joined us and taken over the role of Sales Manager. Lauren actually became part of our team a couple months ago, but alas, lots of construction is keeping us busy, and we’ve been just a bit slow on updating our blog these days ;).
Lauren comes to us with a background in planning and zoning in southern Maryland and is a new Baltimore resident.
Lauren has hit the ground running, building new relationships and selling Laurence homes. Please join us in welcoming Lauren to Baltimore and the Laurence Communities team.
Old line, New York retailer, Paul Stuart, has an outstanding website at www.paulstuart.com. It conveys the luxury of the store and the quality of the merchandise they sell. Value priced catalog retailer, Paul Frederick also has a website, www.paulfrederick.com. I found the site to be busy, but I really enjoy the expansive variety of products they show, particularly their creative shirtings. I also like that their sales reps strongly believe in the quality of the Paul Frederick product.
The Tale of 2 Godivas
To me, Godiva Chocolate has always been a symbol of excess, particularly among the Yuppie set. Personally, I enjoy the taste of the chocolate and its presentation. When I kept offices in Philadelphia, I would often have the downtown Godiva store send gifts to customers I was courting.
Each year, at holiday time, we send Godiva chocolate to dear relatives and friends across the country. My wife anxiously awaits the catalog that beautifully presents our choices and makes us want to buy more! This year, placing our Miami order was a challenge. The Godiva 800 phone line ran out of the selections we wanted. Godiva, like all retailers in this strained economy, is probably trying to limit risk and made sure not to overstock. But if you’re selling EXCESS, LUXURY, and GLAMOUR, can you afford to have too little inventory? And, should your telephone operators sound like they work for a call center that sells chocolates on line 1, balloons on line 2, and discount close-outs on line 3? So Judy called the local Godiva store. The fellow didn’t know the charge to deliver our gift, but did call back with the information as promised. He was gentle in tone and the store did have adequate choices available. And, most importantly, it was so clear that the store clerk wanted to help and make our experience pleasant and comfortable, the way a luxury goods purveyor should.
We’re happy to share the video above with you, as it was filmed to celebrate the ground breaking of a new home in Ashmans Hope custom designed for the Chongqui Dixon family. We love to make memories for our customers, even before they’ve moved in.
Onion Skin envelopes are an old fashioned elegance turned ultra modern fashion trend. They are translucent and rich feeling to the touch. Earlier this month I received 2 different invitations enveloped in onion skin. The first, an oversized 4 color glossy invited me to the holiday party of a prominent architect. The address was in calligraphy and the presentation was amazing. The second was from a local newspaper asking me to re-subscribe. They spelled my name wrong and it looked like bulk mail, but it was in onion skin! Classy? Class and elegance are creations that require thoughtful planning and detailed execution.
Check out this cool envelope, it makes me want to open it!
Congratulations are in order for some of our newest Laurence home buyers. We understand the importance of creating a new home for your family, and we make each ground breaking event a special and memorable one based on each buyers’ preferences and traditions.
We hope to have an opportunity to break ground on your new home very soon.
The Federal Government recently extended the home buyer tax credit through the middle of next year, but also expanded it to include repeat and move-up buyers! The video below explains a lot of the new details.
Call David at 443-255-0697 to learn how you can build a custom home with Laurence and move-in in time to take advantage of this great opportunity.
So luxury, whether one is creating it or experiencing it, comes from unexpected places. And, it’s not always the most expensive. During the winter, I stayed at a very, very nice hotel. The suite did not have a refrigerator. They wanted $25 per day to provide a fridge unless I had medicine that required refrigeration. In March, I stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn that provided a refrigerator at no cost. So the posh of the very nice hotel was not luxurious because I could not have cold milk in my room without ordering it and waiting 30 minutes for room service. Where’s the luxury? The very nice hotel is a famous, 5 star resort. Should I wish a ride to somewhere in town, they provide a chauffeur and a Rolls. But not a refrigerator. It’s always fun to ride in a Rolls, especially since I don’t keep one myself, but is the luxury experience complete?
This outstanding home is available for over $14.5 million in the Hamptons. It has a great pool house too. The developers bill this house as “less is more” as they could have done a McMansion. I love modern, and this one is special because it’s done in traditional Hamptons cedar shingles, not split block, which is such a cliché. Modern architecture is like custom cufflinks – a very personal statement.
Laurence Communities is proud to announce that Lauren Merrell has joined us and taken over the role of Sales Manager. Lauren actually became part of our team a couple months ago, but alas, lots of construction is keeping us busy, and we’ve been just a bit slow on updating our blog these days ;).
