Who we are, and how we move through the world, is a lustrous tapestry of emotions, perceptions, rational determination, and lived experiences that shape our persona and grant us agency in an environment full of connections, confrontations, and collaborations with the objects and actors that journey along with us, vigorous and synergetic. How we define ourselves and how we choose to express our desires, individuality, and character is often reflected in the design we elect to grace our bodies and our homes, making it what we at Luminaire call our second and third skin, extensions of ourselves that speak to who we are, what we love, and how we choose to live.
Design addresses the notions of the self in a dynamic myriad of ways by uplifting the soul and guiding our daily activities with a forthright finesse that makes our experiences in this world interesting and unique to us. As we traverse the paths we forge in life, we confront varied challenges and adapt ourselves to the situations that arise, reimagining and redesigning who we choose to be, aided in part by the designs that help us navigate these roads, resolute and electrified with purpose. Whether immersing oneself in the serenity of self-care among the sleek and supple comforts of an Agape bathroom, or redefining what it means to dress oneself in the presence of a Porro closet, the self becomes, in the vein of Aristotle and Plato, an activity, intertwined in the fulfillment of desires and needs, made complete with the beautiful yet useful tools that inform our movements.
Insightful and poignant, the philosophy of the self also singles out the characteristics that makes one distinct from all others, articulating an expression of the self that is exceptional and unique. Expressing oneself in their environment with objects like Mood Mirrors, with an ethereal play of color that reflects one’s image and mood, or with Darius and Suri sculptures that grant one’s surroundings a sense of whimsy and elegance, or illuminating space with a Zettel’z chandelier that sings a love song of light, one crafts their own dreams of emotion, fantasy, and delight, expressing the self with design that entices sensation and sentiment, a collection of the experiences, feelings, and perspectives we have amassed over the years, or as David Hume would note, a bundle view of the self.
Design can also emerge as a manifestation of the self with the products we wear, whether a useful and inviting Dressbag Shoulder bag, a colorful and animated Bark bracelet, or simple yet sophisticated Concrete Round Pendant necklace, or in the interiors we curate, whether enlightening our workspace with a Stadera desk, adding a spark of style to a breakfast with the S table, or engaging in conversation or repose with an unconventional twist on an On the Rocks sofa or a bright red Ludo chair. Whether expressing oneself with novel material and form as with the Pipe chair or Monster sculpture or exploring the self through activities inspired by a Minimal kitchen or an outdoor Molo sofa, we reveal who we are in the designs we collect, a reflection of ourselves as manifested through the senses and the intellect, one’s true nature as enacted in the world, steadfast, meaningful, and impassioned.March 2024
