Laurence Luxury

So I visited a Macy’s Home store last night and enjoyed the Homedic back and foot massage equipment.  The store was interesting.  The linen department was staffed by a middle aged man and my wife wouldn’t ask him for help matching things, so we ended up buying nothing.  They had a really cool chandelier made of long chains of thick glass links, about 6” tall and an inch thick. The links were in the shape of a “C”.  It would have been magnificent if it were clean, I touched the links to see if they had really sprung for glass and not plastic, only to find them sticky and dusty.  The chandelier was supposed to be part of a table display, but the table wasn’t centered under it, and it was off in a way that made me think that no one had paid attention.  Yes I’m being critical, but I was disappointed.  In this economy we can’t let these details slip.

At our own firm, our trim carpenter, a true craftsman, pointed out that a crown moulding I installed myself, was put on upside down.  The bead should go at the bottom, and I thought it looked so good.  But how do we get better if those who know, hoard their knowledge? At least my miters were good.

Also visited IKEA and was smitten by the new Vanvik bed. This picture doesn’t do it justice because you can’t see the sleigh bed curve to the headboard.  This is high design. I know that there are those who think that if the bed were made by Baker it would be high design, but I give IKEA a lot of credit for being so brave.  I’m not really sure if they know what they have, the bed was just sitting there on the display floor next to some boring beige thing.

Hi, Wendy, our new sales manager showed me a cool new product called True Lemon.  It’s a powder that you can use in tea or a drink for concentrated lemon flavor.  I like it because it’s made in Baltimore.  Check out their site at truelemon.com

In my constant search for luxury and excellence, I have discovered a store in Brazil called Daslu.  They offer exclusive luxury that is tasteful, refined, high end, and not a cliché.  I can’t really begin to describe the overwhelming options they offer and you have to arrive by helicopter.  You can check them out at www.daslu.com.br .

A friend thinks we’ll all have nicer lives if we purchase products from www.sundancecatalogue.com. It’s Robert Redford’s website and has some nice things for sale.

I’m excited to offer our newest home at 2303 Hillhouse Road in Dickeyville, Baltimore.  The neighborhood is quaintly historic and requires that all houses be made out of wood, brick or stone and be painted white.  We have designed a home that is a great example of American Folk Victorian and offers charming entertainment areas.  It is oriented toward the hillside behind the house so the windows at the front are small as they serve the kitchen and bathrooms.  Take a look at the renderings and let me know what you think.

The home was designed by Joe Leatherman of Hampden and Fat Elvis fame.  He is noted for high end restaurant and home designs all over Baltimore, and works with Laurence customers on their new home designs.  We’re bringing this house to market at the crazy low price of just $379,000!!

Laurence Communities is proud to announce that Wendy Neumann has joined the organization as the new Director of Sales. Wendy comes to Laurence with over 10 years of new home sales experience and exemplifies the focus on the customer relationship that Laurence values. With more than 20 years in customer service roles, Wendy Neumann prides herself on helping home shoppers make smart decisions, and assisting them through an enjoyable process. This experience affords Wendy excellent and intuitive communication skills, ensuring the most positive buyer-to-builder relationship.

As the new Director of Sales, Wendy will take the lead role in designing and maintaining a luxurious customer experience. Additionally, Wendy will act as the spokesperson for Laurence within the broker community, maintaining Laurence’s reputation as a reputable and desirable builder in the region.

Give Wendy a call at 410-764-7100 or email her at wneumann@laurencecommunities.com and see how she can help you in your search for the right home.

What constitutes luxury? I continued to be baffled that friends of mine pay scads of money for “designer” items, only to find that the quality of construction, and often, the quality of service is not commensurate with the price that is charged. I for one, am tired of paying $85 (on sale) for a shirt whose collar shrinks at the cleaners. I am tired of salesmen telling me that my neck must have gotten fatter. Firstly, this isn’t true. Secondly, as the customer, I don’t wish to be told that a product deficiency is my fault, just because a purveyor doesn’t wish to stand behind its product.

On that subject, there is a men’s specialty clothier here in Baltimore, now a national, which built its reputation on offering a line, and service, similar to that of Brooks Brothers. My last experience there was disheartening. I wanted to purchase a glen plaid suit. I knew exactly what shade of blue I wanted as I have an excellent tie, with springer spaniels on it, which would match perfectly. The salesman told me that I am fat. Well, I may be comfortably middle aged. But these guys do sell separates, and he could have gently guided me to that rack, and I think I would have been perfectly happy. Instead, I was made to feel inadequate. I did ultimately purchase my glen plaid suit at that store, but I don’t think I will buy another there. And, by the way, the suit turned out to be of mediocre quality. It isn’t cut well. I have found someone who imports direct from Canada and can custom size me without my being embarrassed. You may ask, why don’t I order custom? I suppose I should, but I really enjoy having choices offered to me instead having to think of what I want myself.

My Burberry shirts have held up well to repeated launderings without shrinking. Many of my friends have begun to buy Brooks Brothers wash and wears. So in the case of off-the-rack shirts, buying a luxury brand does pay.

But does it pay to buy a luxury brand car? I don’t know. I purchased a new car for my college aged son, last week. Even at entry level, there are now several “luxury brand” cars available. They include, urban look, Nissan Versa, the Scions from Toyota, and the Honda Fit. Candidly, I was drawn to the Kia Soul, which might just be a fashion flash in the pan, but seemed like a lot of fun. The Nissan, the Scions, and the Honda all offered less power and fewer features than the Hyundai Elantra. So I bought the Elantra. I don’t love the exterior design, the interior looks great, and it offers so many features at no additional charge. Why is the Hyundai the true luxury? The car offers more safety features, more convenience items, and a 10 year warranty! In other words, I don’t have to worry about it. And I saved at least $3,000 compared to the Scions and Honda, and $600 over the Versa (which had an inferior warranty).

It was exciting to visit the lobby of the newly renovated Renaissance Hotel in downtown Baltimore, but I question the placement of several chaises in the lobby. Is a person supposed to put his feet up in the lobby of a 4/5 star hotel?