[dropcap]I[/dropcap]nterior designers have known all along that our home environment can make us feel comfortable, happy, and “safe” from the outside world. When I first read about luxury doomsday or fallout shelters growing in popularity, it seemed hard to believe.
When I was growing up, any so-called “bomb shelters” put in place by concerned homeowners of the 1950s and ’60s had been transformed into more practical use, such as the walk-in pantry in my childhood home’s basement. The threat of nuclear war had become little more than a Hollywood movie plot. Back then, a “bomb shelter” was more austere than the panic rooms making news in the early 2000s.
Fast forward to our lives today. Politics aside, there is global concern over the threat of nuclear war or an extreme natural event necessitating the need for substantial shelter once again — only this time, there’s nothing bare bones about roughing it. Those who can afford it (the notorious one-percent) are sparing no expense in purchasing and decoratively outfitting “doomsday shelters.”
Times have changed. For whatever reason – exposure to home improvement shows on TV or pinning fanciful ideas on Pinterest – people all over the world are interested in being surrounded by luxury whenever possible…yes, even during a disaster.
We’ve reported on the strength of Luxury in home furnishings before, but this takes the category to a different level. Our Assistant Editor Hannah Rachel Carroll digs into the phenomenon of decorative bunkers in this issue.
Speaking of bringing elements of luxury into our daily lives, you’ll want to check out the latest designs in our High Point Market coverage in order to stock your showrooms with the most in-demand styles. At the same time, our Lightfair Preview will keep you up to date on the latest technological advancements. In the wake of the power disruptions in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands, new products at Lightfair include disaster-ready models in solar- and battery-powered lighting that can provide illumination for longer periods in the event of electrical failure.
In 2018, the Boy Scouts’ motto “Be prepared” seems to dovetail with the consumer creed to “live as comfortably and as luxuriously as you can.”
