A LIFE WELL LIVED
The Pleasure of Knowledge
The one thing you can count on in life is change. as I pen this, there are several events going on around the planet earth that are both changing and redefining the physical and cultural landscapes of nations. so change happens regardless of anyone’s take on these events.
The thing that does not change however, is the human desire to live a good life and find happiness in things owned and experiences had. This is one of the main reasons people work hard and strive to live a life well above merely providing the basics required for existence.
as income increases, the desire to acquire what I term as objects of pleasure increases. These types of objects usually speak to the level of wealth possessed but most importantly for the discerning, speaks to the knowledge acquired over time. There’s a great difference between acquiring a piece of art by an unknown painter because it looks quite good and acquiring a piece by an artist who produces works of distinct and distinguished provenance such as Ben enwonwu. That is a choice driven purely by knowledge. and this type of knowledge can get very specific. a person in the know might choose to buy a watch by an obscure watchmaker who hand-makes very simple, classic looking timepieces with exquisite mechanical movements and cost $100,000 while produced in a limited number of 50 over an audemars Piguet timepiece of the same cost but which physically looks a lot more impressive and is also much more recognisable.
In matters of personal style, there is truly a world of difference between wearing expensive items of clothing and elegance. Knowledge of what works for each individual and of what to avoid becomes very key in matters of presentation and separates the aspiring from the accomplished.
for the well heeled traveller who enjoys the twice a year trip to dubai, the sudden discovery that abu dhabi, a literal stone’s throw away from dubai, is more like the Monaco of the emirates is a pleasant surprise indeed. and that includes formula 1 races just like Monaco.
for the foodies, the whole planet is a treasure trove of culinary gold. There’s amazing street food in singapore; the three (or is that four) year journey through the restaurants of new York; the Cordon Bleu driven bistros of Paris; the wines and excellent produce of oregon and south africa; and not to mention Vietnamese, Thai and 32-course Chinese dinners. These are only a selection of what is out there to be had as almost every nation on the planet boasts of cuisines that are unique and will enthral your taste-buds.
so you like televisions and the outdoors. have you come across a Porsche design creation that is buried in your back garden in a tube, rises up and unfolds into the largest wide screen television made for home use? garden entertainment and parties at a different level. Your cost is merely about €1 million. given the rather nigerian proclivity for visiting shores near and far, we might choose to just get there or make the journey itself a destination. starting from airport lounges, through to the choice of airline and the amenities / privileges of the particular business or first class space and even to arrival lounges, the journey can indeed be a destination. let’s not forget the private jet aficionados.
You might even be one of those who enjoys the finer tipples form the vineyards of france, spain, Italy, south africa, napa, australia / new Zealand, Chile and even argentina. The wine routes in these wine and champagne (france only) destinations might be an attractive option when you need to take a well deserved break.
Then you choose to build a home for yourself and you consider the dictates of the environment you live in but then ask that Mediterranean architecture be transplanted into a tropical region. hmmm…
In your completed home, do you install a stein way
In matters of personal style, there is truly a world of difference between wearing expensive items of clothing and elegance. Knowledge of what works for each individual and of what to avoid becomes very key in matters of presentation and separates the aspiring from the accomplished.
sound system or a top end Bang and olufsen? Is that piano a baby grand or a full grand? Is your coffee a blend from the fields of Malawi and the mountains of Jamaica? The wood your summer deck is made from, is it proper tropical well-cured hardwood? You also happen to be live on the waterfront but is that sunseeker vessel just right for the waters of lagos or you need something more streamlined and fast to access your beach house at Ilase?
In essence, what this column seeks to do is to bring to you, the reader, the knowledge you need to take decisions that lead to a much better quality of life. helping to take you from ‘living da life’ to ‘a life well lived’.
The categories we will be privileged to bring to our readers are under the umbrella of luxury and lifestyle but more specifically broken down as follows.
art & Culture — knowledge about what makes a people unique and their collectibles.
destinations — those places you really need to get to and including how you get to them in style.
environments — the good, the great and the exquisite types of spaces you need to be spending time in.
fine living — raising a crystal glass of lemony sauvignon blanc while indulging in seared scallops to a background of dianna Krall or even a virtuoso on the grand piano. You get the idea. and remembering to engage in quality exercise so you can continue to live well.
gadgets — french press, vacuum brew, moko pot or even a cold brew tower for coffee? and that’s just after unpacking your rimowa suitcases…
speed — how fast on land, sea or in the air? or just how luxurious?
style — Male style deconstructed, male style icons, and some of the best tailoring houses for men put under the microscope.
watches & Jewellery — To bling or not to bling, that is the question. whichever way, quality and authenticity are taken for granted as basic rules of whatever we bring to your attention.
It must be said that while we are global citizens where luxury and lifestyle are concerned and we will be bringing you as much information as possible from across the globe, we are very bullish on nigerian and african achievements in this space and will celebrate these whenever we are privileged to feature them.
having given you a teaser with regards to what we are bringing to you, our readers, we bid you a warm welcome on this particular journey of discovery.
Babatunde Olaoluwa Jeje believes in filling each moment with the very best experiences possible. Writing from Lagos, Babatunde is an entrepreneur, a foodie, a lover of great music, and a practitioner of sprezzatura. Babatunde will be writing about a Life Well Lived.