The End of the More Is More Era
Redefining Luxury, Taste, and the Art of Choosing Less
A New Perspective on Luxury
I want to share what feels like my most personal and aesthetic version of this story—an honest reflection on what luxury means to me now, and how my thinking has shifted over time.
The Changing Meaning of Luxury
The luxury conversation has become surprisingly complicated. For years, we’ve been told that luxury is all about access, exclusivity, craftsmanship, and owning things that most people can’t have. But what if real luxury is something else? Once you have enough access, you start to realize that true luxury might actually be the ability to stop searching and simply be content with what you have.
The End of the More-Is-More Era
We’re entering a new chapter: the end of the more-is-more era. It’s not that people suddenly want less; it’s that we’re all becoming much more thoughtful about what truly deserves a place in our lives. That distinction matters. Minimalism has never really been my goal. I don’t want an empty house, a five-piece wardrobe, or a life stripped of everything nonessential. What I crave is a life that feels edited, where every choice is intentional and meaningful.
Editing Your Life: Beauty vs. Fit
To me, editing your life means understanding the difference between something that’s simply beautiful and something that’s actually right for you. I can appreciate a spectacular handbag without wanting it in my closet. I can admire a restaurant without needing to make a reservation. I can see a trend everywhere and still decide that it has nothing to do with me. I can walk through a store and leave without buying anything simply because I did not find the thing I was looking for. That ability becomes more valuable as your access increases.
When you can buy almost anything, making a purchase is easy. The real challenge is in choosing what truly matters.
The Case for Curation
That’s why I’ve become so interested in the idea of curation. The internet solved the problem of access a long time ago, but it hasn’t solved the problem of judgment—knowing what’s worth your attention, money, and energy.
We’re exposed to an extraordinary amount of information and recommendations every day. Algorithms tell us what to buy, influencers share what they love, brands announce what’s new, and entire platforms exist just to make sure we never run out of things to want. At some point, abundance becomes noise, and it’s just there.
Taste is partly the ability to hear what is worth listening to. I think this is true of personal style, but it is also true of the way we build our homes, choose our travel experiences, consume media, and decide where our money goes. The most interesting people I know are not necessarily the ones who own the most. They are the ones whose choices feel unmistakably their own.
There’s almost always a thoughtful reason behind what they keep—and just as importantly, what they leave out. There is also a reason behind what they leave out. That is the philosophy behind Maison Marquet, which I am building around the intersection of taste, culture, business, discovery, and commerce. I am less interested in creating another place where everything is presented as something you need and more interested in creating an environment where the edit actually means something.
If I recommend something, it’s because there’s a real reason behind it—not just because it’s new or trendy. If I feature a brand, it’s because I understand exactly why it belongs in the conversation. And if I tell someone something is worth knowing, I want to be able to explain the story and the reasoning behind it. This approach may not sound revolutionary, but I believe it’s becoming increasingly rare.
Redefining Luxury for Today
The new luxury isn’t about having access to everything. It’s about having enough confidence in your own taste to know what you can walk past—and feeling good about the choices you make.
