This holistic mindset highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to weight management. This addresses not just physical aspects but also psychological and environmental factors.

With this refined perspective, let’s explore the type of factors influencing weight and the sophisticated strategies available to address them:

The Role of Genes

Obesity which is a chronic condition characterized by excess weight, has deep genetic roots, as numerous genes are intricately linked to obesity. One particularly noteworthy gene is the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO), present in approximately 43% of the population. The high-risk variant of FTO can elevate the risk of obesity by up to 70%.

However, the influence of genetics on obesity is not absolute and can be significantly altered by environmental factors. Physical activity, for instance, has been shown to mitigate the effects of the common FTO variant. Similarly, diets low in fat and high in protein may be beneficial. Genetic testing provides valuable insights into an individual’s genetic makeup and the presence of the FTO gene. This knowledge is crucial for mental preparation and planning personalized diets and exercise regimens, making the weight loss journey more effective and tailored to one’s unique genetic profile.

Hormones Influence Hunger and Satiety

Practising self-control can be challenging in an environment filled with readily accessible indulgent foods. This challenge could be compounded by hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, such as ghrelin, leptin, and glucagon-like peptide 1, which communicate between the brain and stomach to influence appetite and fullness. When levels of these hormones become abnormal or uncontrolled, perceived hunger increases, often leading to overeating.

The effective management of these hormones involves sophisticated strategies that promote mindful, healthy eating and stress reduction. Crafting and enjoying customized, nourishing meals help maintain consistent, healthy dietary habits. Additionally, staying hydrated, indulging in luxurious spa treatments, and engaging in meditative activities are excellent ways to reduce stress.

Recent medical advancements have also introduced prescription weight-loss medications that aid in controlling hunger. These medications, prescribed by medical professionals and combined with lifestyle changes, have led to significant weight loss for many individuals, transforming lives across the US and other parts of the world.

Metabolism Mastery

The concept of basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a cornerstone in the science of weight management. BMR represents the body’s energy at rest to sustain essential functions such as blood circulation, respiration, and cellular repair. It accounts for approximately 50-80% of the body’s daily energy expenditure. Various factors, including medical conditions, lean muscle mass, age, biological sex, and physical activity, influence BMR.

To enhance BMR and achieve positive metabolic outcomes, it is essential to have refined lifestyle habits. Tailored exercise regimens, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and cardio workouts, are designed to sculpt, tone, and increase lean muscle mass, thereby boosting BMR. Additionally, curating meals that are rich in protein, and incorporating fat-burning ingredients and beverages like green tea can further support weight loss and metabolic health.

The Mind-Body Connection

Mental health is an integral element of holistic well-being, providing the energy, motivation, and vitality needed to pursue physical health. Mental health disturbances, such as depression, anxiety, or high-stress situations, could complicate weight management.

Cultivating a positive mental landscape enhances health-conscious decision-making and lowers stress hormone levels. Daily practices such as meditation, self-compassion, and mindful eating are essential for maintaining mental health. Achieving restful sleep is also crucial and can be enhanced through luxurious sleep environments, relaxing spa treatments, bespoke sleep concierge services, and exclusive sleep retreats or programs.

Social Network for Support

As social beings, we thrive when surrounded by the right influences and environments. A robust support system is crucial for a successful weight loss journey, providing essential medical support for health conditions, mental support for a positive mindset, and social support for motivation and accountability.

A wealth of resources is available to tailor your weight loss experience, including health coaches, gourmet chefs, personal trainers, and medical professionals. For those seeking group support, specialized weight loss programs offer valuable peer connections and have proven to deliver exceptional results.

The post 5 Biological and Psychological Factors Linked to Obesity first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post 5 Biological and Psychological Factors Linked to Obesity appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Unlike fashion, following trends in interior design is not very practical. However, these predicted luxury home decor trends for 2024 reflect our current reality, and, if you’re looking to declutter or switch up your space, including one or even all of these might be exactly what your home needs for the incoming year and beyond.

Understated luxury

AKA quiet luxury but not quite.

This is one trend that has held everything in its grip from fashion to beauty, and while it has become quite an overused and over-flogged term at this point, it is rather handy in luxury home decor and would be spilling over to important trends for 2024.

How to incorporate

Soft, subtle and soothing are the underlying tenets of this style. Think soft colour palettes, lush and luxurious textures (cashmere, mohair), high-quality materials, and, casual yet chic designs.

The last thing you want when you are spending most of your days indoors is to have room after room feel like an office or a factory. Introducing understated luxury into certain rooms like the bedroom or the living room is a great way to keep your home looking like one when it also multifunctions as a workspace, an entertainment venue, or a school.

Brutalism

Brutalism is back, and would most likely be in full force in the new year, according to experts.

How to incorporate

Adding stark, brutally pared-down pieces will not only help to break any softness that may begin to border on over-cosiness, but it also adds more character to your space by introducing a pleasant ‘shock factor.’

You can integrate this style by using pieces, fittings and furniture made from materials like steel and concrete, or, you can even have an entire room in brutalist style, like your home office for example or even your kitchen.

Biophilic designs

AKA bringing the outdoors in, will definitely have its moment in luxury home decor in 2024 per current indications.

How to incorporate

Spending long hours indoors can be quite tedious, regardless of how beautiful your home is. A useful way to animate and invigorate your space is to bring in items that would normally be found outside the home, especially when you do not have the luxury of a yard.

Adding potted plants to your decor is the most obvious choice, but also, using natural materials for accent pieces like wood and clay works just as well. Floor-to-ceiling or extra-large windows bring in the light and the views in a fantastic way and are beneficial if you live close to landmarks like the sea or a monument. You can consider converting your balcony into a mini-conservatory for potted plants and herbs and add sliding doors to lead into it.

Bold colours and patterns

This is one trend that has never really gone away and is especially handy considering the others in this list.

How to incorporate

If you’re not feeling overly bold, think of accessories and accents that would fit nicely in this category — a centre rug perhaps, or a large image covering a greater part of the wall.

If you’re more adventurous, however, consider covering an entire wall with vibrant patterns or colours, or include furniture with rich hues.

Smarter homes

This is more the future than a trend for a time and season. As technology improves, our desire to bog ourselves down with house chores and other tasks that we can easily delegate diminishes. Employing humans to handle some of these chores has been the go-to solution for years, but, considering the challenges around getting reliable and trustworthy help, smart homes are looking more and more alluring.

How to incorporate

Having lights come on automatically; window blinds roll up on their own at sunrise, a robot vacuum sweep and clean when everyone is out of the house, and your door lock or open when it senses you sounds truly fantastic (and a tad scary). However, it comes with its own drawbacks and challenges that must be understood before converting your home.

Consider starting with one or two items you really need, and then scaling up from there once you get a better hang of the tech. You may also want to speak with an expert first before making a final decision.

Ultimately, setting up a home is never easy, but, judging from these predictions of luxury home decor trends for 2024, it is definitely a more exciting task than it was 50 years ago.

The post Luxury Home Decor Trends for 2024 — According to The Experts first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Luxury Home Decor Trends for 2024 — According to The Experts appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Don’t believe us? Just ask Silver Hill Atelier, a custom art and design studio that only recently completed an indoor and outdoor children’s play space for 2200 Brickell, a luxury property in Miami that includes a tree house and a pirate ship structure.

Silver Hill Atelier is rather experienced in creating unique structures since it was founded in 1979. Over the years, the New York-based firm has worked with restaurants and resorts like Planet Hollywood and Disney to create themed, distinctive spaces. To understand why more and more families are choosing to include custom-designed and built structures for children on their properties and in their homes, we turned to Michael Whiston and Norvel Hermanovski of the Atelier for some insight.

When did you start to notice this shift to custom-designed play areas for kids in luxury apartment buildings?

Though developers have previously been interested in the concept … we have seen it become more popular over the past few years as luxury real estate has skyrocketed, especially in South Florida. 

What do you think brought about this trend?

Luxury real estate developers are constantly vying for their buildings to stand out to prospective residents. They want to show residents (that not only will they) feel cared for and at home at their properties, but that they will also have access to a range of amenities and services no other development can provide. Curated amenity spaces like our children’s play areas add an extra personal touch that gives buyers confidence their needs will be met and they will experience a high-quality lifestyle, no matter their age. That is a very attractive prospect, and as more luxury buyers witness the difference between organic and manufactured designs, more developers are hopping on the trend to meet their growing demand.

Are the requests for indoor or outdoor spaces?

Yes, we have received requests for both indoor and outdoor children’s spaces. At 2200 Brickell for example, we were tasked to build both types within the condominium so that everyone, rain or shine, can have a space to safely explore and play. 

Can you take us through a brief description of your journey to designing custom play areas?

Since 1979, we have strived to build artwork and environments that tell a story through visuals and build connections. We began as a traditional mural-making company creating murals for Limited Express stores and later expanded to doing artwork, theming, and 3D work for restaurants and larger hospitality projects such as Hard Rock Café and Canyon Ranch. From there, the door was opened to working with residential developers, and we quickly progressed from mural work to designing entire interiors as the demand for custom spaces grew.

What’s your design process like?

We begin by sitting down with the interested developers and architects of a project to get an understanding of their building and vision. This includes learning the artistic background and inspiration for the project as a whole, their goals for the space we will create, and so on. Once we have a solid feel for the building and its needs, we focus that information into developing the creative designs for our play structures.

Why did you choose to design the play items/furniture yourself instead of going with already existing furniture?

As artists, we are passionate about bringing unique ideas to life. We see and honour the value within personalized craftsmanship and organic spaces, and we want all those who see, touch, and explore our designs to understand our work was crafted for them and their homes. Making play items and installations from scratch gives us the ability to convey this far more than we could with items we could purchase from a store. It also allows us to seamlessly mesh our installations with the existing aesthetic of their space, be it the room, building, or greater neighbourhood.

Let’s talk about your design for 2200 Brickell, Miami. What informed the final design?

At 2200 Brickell, we wanted to create two spaces that would remain true to Miami’s natural aesthetic while giving children room to have fun safely. With our indoor play space, we wanted to bring the outside inside by referencing the beautiful trees seen throughout Brickell. As such, we designed nature-inspired wooden play structures and artwork throughout the space and covered the walls with painted and sculptural trees. For the exterior space, we wanted to draw from Miami’s seafaring history and give children a chance to be their own captains of the sea with a nautical-themed playground, equipped with an interactive pirate ship.

What are some of the other designs you’ve done? Which is your favourite creation to date?

We have worked on various restaurant, corporate, and hospitality projects across the globe, including designs for Planet Hollywood, Disney Hong Kong, and Disney Tokyo. Though we had a wonderful time designing for these projects, we are proud of our work at The Alyn in New York. This property required us to fill 2,400 square feet of space with a safe, highly interactive area for children of all ages on the Upper East Side. The resulting area held everything from climbing walls and jungle decor to ships and castles, as well as slides and sprinklers. Not to mention that we also designed and built the parking garage space for the Alyn (the best-looking parking garage in NYC!) It was full of colour and activity and turned out wonderfully. We are equally excited about 2200 Brickell and look forward to crafting its nautical and nature-based elements.

What, in your opinion, makes this trend important? What are the advantages?

Children of all ages love to play. They love making friends, running and climbing, and letting their imaginations run wild. It is important, as more apartments and condominiums rise in larger cities, that children continue to have access to safe, welcoming, and engaging spaces where they can do all of this and more. Custom designs like ours add an extra touch of whimsy, creativity, and warmth that makes these play areas really shine compared to colder, manufactured displays.

What are the possible downsides to having private play areas, and how do you think developers can navigate them?

We see no possible downsides to having these custom play areas for children so long as they are well maintained and managed.

What do you think is next for this trend? What’s a natural progression in your opinion?

The tangible next step for this trend is for more buildings to join the trend and for future children’s spaces to become even more magical and engaging. Luxury buildings today are constantly trying to outdo each other with dynamic designs and opportunities for their residents. Custom play areas are great places for developers to expand, and I can see them becoming more elaborate, vibrant, and personalized as the trend takes off. Perhaps instead of seeing one or two custom play areas in a building, we may see multiple or even entire custom amenity levels dedicated to children. These spaces could extend even into private residences that would have custom pre-built structures as an added amenity. Play areas will transform into places where play and learning are merged seamlessly. The possibilities are endless. 

The post Trend Alert! Luxury Property Owners Turn to Custom-Designed Play Areas for Their Younger Residents first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Trend Alert! Luxury Property Owners Turn to Custom-Designed Play Areas for Their Younger Residents appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Whilst the subscription/retainer-based models are popular today, the concept is not. This form of health care is also about to become more popular, states Dr Chichi Menakaya, founder of Annomo Health, a UK-based global concierge medicine company.

“Personalised healthcare and wellness is here to stay.”

“I think that’s where medicine is going anyways. It’s all about personalised health care and wellness in the whole world at the moment.”

“I was always the person that people would call and say, ‘I want to go and see a doctor in London. Do you know anyone I can see?’ And then I would do that,” Dr Menakaya said during our conversation. But then I think what really made me start the business was when a few years ago – like 13 years ago, that was when the dream started – I had a relative that was in the UK and he had to see a particular doctor. So I went in, found someone I thought was the best person to see [and] referred them to that person. This relative even though they were paying cash to the doctor, turned up 15mins late to that appointment, and the doctor refused to see them even as they were coming from abroad. So what the hospital did was find the next available [doctor] and refer him to the person. And even though the person he was referred to had the best manners, did really, really well; when it now came to their surgical option, what that person offered them was not the best practice option. So they offered them an open surgery when there was already a robotic option for the surgery. What then happened – because obviously, I am a doctor, so I can easily detect – [I realised] that this is not the right thing for this person, because there is more advanced treatment.”

“I was upset so I found the best surgeon to handle the surgery, who also happened to be on the queen’s medical team. The day we eventually went to that appointment with the relative, this professor, even though he is one of the best in the UK, came downstairs to welcome the patient. And for me, that was literally an eye-opener, because it meant that although you could get the best, their manners are also very important.”

“And after that time, I said to myself, ‘I need to start a place where people can get the best care that they need.’ A lot of people are coming from abroad and they can afford it. They get given some mediocre doctor just because they think you’re coming from [another country]. They’re going to get you the cheapest doctor for the hospital … while the hospital is making the most money.”

“And obviously, there is another story to it about other people saying to me, ‘Listen: let’s get this done as a business, right?’ But I think that is the reason, like for me, I just wanted to make sure people got the best care that they needed. And I think that story is actually what triggered me to get in. And … literally 2 years later, we got the business up and running.”

“Medical concierge is not health insurance.”

Starting any business is difficult, and even though it’s in the health industry, Annomo Health was not without its challenges in the beginning.

“I think the biggest challenge I faced starting the business was explaining to people that Harley Street does not mean everything on Harley Street is good. I think that is [still my biggest challenge]. Because everyone comes to the UK and goes, ‘Oh my doctor is on Harley Street’, and I am like ok yeah, whatever. There are people in Harley Street that don’t know what they’re doing and I don’t want to use that word exactly, but there are people that are not that great and they’re on Harley Street.”

“What was also difficult for us is explaining to people that a concierge company is not an insurance company. Every time I have a meeting, no matter how educated they are, they say to me, ‘Is it health insurance?”

“Someone would say ‘I am coming from Nigeria, and I just want to see anybody because it is better than Nigeria.’ But that is not the point. The point is that they’re not doing it for you for free. Therefore, what you need to be asking for is ‘I want to see the best person because I am going to spend money seeing that best person. So it does not matter whether it’s me … it’s best to see the best person. And I think that is really difficult to explain to people. And as a company, we are still explaining that every day.”

“Concierge medicine is … having an advocate in your corner … constantly fighting for your health”

So, what exactly, in layman’s terms, is concierge healthcare, at least through the lens of Annomo Health?

“So I think there are very simple ways to explain Annomo Services, right? What Annomo Services does is simple: all we want to do is put the patient first. And all we want to do is get the private patients to see the best doctors, be treated in the best hospitals and have access to the best technologies. That’s all. And literally, we want to introduce them to the doctors’ doctors and make sure they are treated the way they need to be treated and get value, not just because of the money they have, but also because they’re using their money to get the best out of the service. That’s a summary of what we do.”

“I think for a lot of people, especially Africans, we see health as something we have to think about when it gets bad, but that’s the whole idea of having preventive medicine: you don’t have to wait till you’re sick. I think we’re getting to a point where people would need to start thinking that what they need to spend the most money on is making sure their health is right, and every other thing is secondary.”

“I think at some point we will get there obviously because it is like a learning process, everybody is trying to understand that and that is what we’re trying to do all the time by saying to people, ‘listen, make your health your priority.’ and that’s just the truth. I think that for every single person, whether you’re a child, an adult, you’re old, a concierge is important for everybody; personalised health care is for everyone: it’s not like for anyone in particular.”

“At Annomo Health, it is not all about money”

While we say concierge medicine is for everybody, in reality, not everyone can and would have access to it. There are various reasons why this would happen, with finance being top of the list, but according to Dr Chichi, this is not even always the case.

“When I say concierge is not about money, people don’t understand me sometimes. We had a pregnant, one-off client who wanted us to provide her with accommodation amongst other services. But, unless you have a maternity package where we’re constantly looking after you, it is a one-off service: we get you to the [OB/GYN who] is going to look after you and your baby. We settle you in and we walk away.”

“But because the woman was coming with a child [and] had no assistance … we offered to give a complimentary concierge service for free. [Unfortunately] from day one that she arrived, it was all abusive, everything was wrong [and] we could never make her happy. And trust me, it wasn’t the hormones. So we then discontinued the complimentary service that we had offered her, and we did instead hand her over to her gynaecologist to look after her.”

“I know this sounds a bit arrogant for us, [but] we don’t care how much you’re bringing into the business. If the relationship is not working we will refund. And we refunded all her money, to be honest. We refunded every single service that she had paid for, and let her gynaecologist look after her while we just hovered to make sure she was ok.”

There’s another instance where Annomo Health could decide not to extend its concierge services to a client. “If we look at [the medical reports we get from the patient’s country]  and think that making an out-of-country trip is a waste of time for the family in terms of the prognosis, whether they’re in the UK, in Nigeria, Ghana, wherever else; we will call the family and advise them not to come abroad because it is a waste of money. Because what you don’t want is people spending all this money and the outcome is still the same. Over the last 10 years, we’ve turned down about maybe 5 patients. Maybe more than that actually … it’s us saying that we don’t think it is going to work.”

“People think [personalised healthcare] is a luxury service, [but] it actually saves you a lot of money”

Speaking about membership tiers and benefits at Annomo Health, Dr Chichi clearly states that, “at the moment, we have 5 tiers of membership for the private members club. One is called the ‘travelling membership’ and it gives access to health care in both the UK and the US, including emergency services in the US. And it is actually only available to travelling executives through their companies; it is not for individuals.”

“Then we have the ‘individual membership’, the ‘family membership’, the ‘corporate membership’ and also something called the ‘student membership’. In each of those memberships, there are different cadres of membership. So it starts out with silver to gold to platinum and something called bespoke. And literally what bespoke means is you handpick what services you want, depending on what you want.”

“The family membership at the moment is actually for a husband and a wife, or a couple with 2 children, and the children are add-ons. When you come to corporate membership, it is also for high-level executives. The company has to have at least 3-10 members to be able to access this package. And obviously, each time you add a different person, you get a bit of a discount. And these memberships are targeted at preventative medicine and also give you access to having a personalised doctor, your own personal nurse and a personal health consultant … which means in this case a concierge health consultant who basically can do stuff like your luxury concierge for you, and also do your health things and be your advocate. But then you have a doctor you can call anytime, text, [and] message when you are really stressed out, whatever you want to talk about. And then also you have a nurse that can go out to you.”

“Then we have something called the student membership. Literally, the student membership is for people based in the UK only. And what that does is that if your child is here on private education, we have a pediatric consultant that actually looks after the students. Of course, depending on their ages: if they are more than 18, they don’t have a paediatrician, they now have a general practitioner that looks after them. And again, it’s a personalised service so they can hold them when there is a problem, give them advice, come out and visit them, whatever they want to do and it’s just a yearly membership for the kids also. Because obviously, when kids are abroad, you want to make sure that they are having the best care that they can get.”

“The other thing I didn’t mention with the corporate membership is that we also offer them health education services a few times a year depending on what they want, and this is training people on things like stress management, how to cope with workload, and masterclasses that we do for an hour just to support them. And like I said, each of these memberships can be made bespoke. We have families with three wives, four children: they can just pick what they want and create a personalised package. Because … there is no one fit for everybody in medicine we’ve tried make sure that people can handpick what they want and mix and match, till they get what they need.”

“Now I think that I spoke about the health bit of the membership, but what I forgot to mention is the luxury concierge that comes with it also. So, with the membership, you get access to a concierge assistant who literally would do all the other things you need them to do for you. So if they have to do personal shopping for you, airport pickups [they’ll do it]. Some people might say to me, ‘Listen, I need someone to come and help me pack my bags because I’m travelling’: they can do that also for them.”

“And that’s it, that’s just how it works. That’s the membership..in a nutshell.”

“Concierge Medicine is like having health care in your pocket and walking around with it”

It may appear that concierge healthcare involves moving from one point to the other in search of excellent healthcare. But actually, this is not the case. This niche in medicine is only concerned with one thing: giving the patient real value for their money. And while it may involve travelling, especially if the options the patient seeks are not close by, it does not mean concierge health care cannot be local.

“While we do not offer our services in every single country we can localise our services in the client’s home country. So I’ll give you an example: the services we offer in Nigeria are mostly rehabilitation. If someone has had an operation in the UAE, if they go back to Nigeria, we have a team of people that would manage their aftercare, including a doctor that would go out to see them.”

“And we do that a lot with cancer patients because chemotherapy is really expensive in the UK. So someone comes to the country because they have lymphoma, they come to the UK, they have all their scans done, [and] we do a treatment protocol for them that says they need chemo for 6 weeks. Doing chemo in the UK would cost like, I don’t know, 70,000 pounds. But in Nigeria, it may cost 4 million naira. We would plan the treatment plan in the UK, they would go back to Nigeria. We would find a professor in oncology that can give them the chemo in Nigeria, [and] when they need to have their scans or follow up, [they] come back to the UK to see their professor [who has all the while been] speaking to the one in Nigeria.”

“So we do those types of services for people in their home countries to 1) help them with cost. 2) to help them be able to stay around loved ones when they’re being treated. But they are really handpicked cases, we don’t do it for every single service. The only other way we also do it is that sometimes we’ve flown doctors from here to like Nigeria; we’ve done that a lot with UAE. So we fly doctors from here to go do operations in those countries for patients. So like somebody can say, ‘Listen, I’m in Dubai. I don’t really want to come to the UK, I don’t want to be treated in the UK.’ Because we have partner hospitals we work with, we fly a surgeon from the UK to do the operation for them, because obviously, they can do it in their home country. We have a lot of that also.”

Annomo Health has shown that concierge medicine is clearly a fantastic option for just about anyone seeking more flexible and effective healthcare. But potential subscribers should beware: it is not entirely flexible.

“So let me be honest with you: we’re really not that flexible. We’re very, very strict with rules, not because we’re difficult, but because there is regulation for different things. And we have to be strict about the regulations.”

“Concierge healthcare can work in Africa”

Can concierge medicine become ubiquitous in Africa? Dr Chichi thinks so.

“Actually, we were planning to offer the same services in Nigeria in 2019, [but] then the pandemic happened. And I think Nigeria is the first market for it; that’s my honest opinion. I think it would work in Nigeria: you just have to get it round people’s heads to do it. And I think in the future, yes we will. For me, my ultimate goal is to make sure healthcare in Africa is better and to be honest, I don’t like people coming abroad for healthcare. When I say it, people don’t believe me. What I want is that if Nigeria had those services, then we should be able to utilise them in Nigeria.”

“The problem we have in Nigeria is that people think that nice-looking hospital means they know what they’re doing. It’s all about handpicking people and I know that there’s a lot of groups now in Nigeria saying we can do this. The problem I worry about is … we need to have regulations, we need to have policies in place that actually censor what people are doing. But I think we’re getting there because I am now seeing court cases in Nigeria won by families because doctors screwed up. And I think it is really important because these are human beings. We need to be asking questions.”

“And I think healthcare in Nigeria is fantastic, I think Nigeria has a lot of experienced and seasoned doctors. But I think that we need to put in rules and good regulations to be able to sieve out [the rest]. Like if I was sick in Nigeria, I would go to the teaching hospitals easily, I won’t even be worried because I know that they are very good at what they’re doing. But people don’t see that … there are very good doctors in Nigeria; I know a lot of them and I have spoken to a lot of them.”

“Annomo Health is taking concierge medicine to Turkey”

What then is next for Annomo Health?

“Turkey.”

“So I think we’re going to do business in Turkey. It’s going to take us like one or two months to set it up because there is so much that needs to be done. We’re going to send a few people as [part of a] pilot and then get our board’s approval.”

But of course, expanding any business comes with its unique sets of challenges and learning curves.

“I think scaling the business part is easier because of the people we want to try and get. I think one of our biggest challenges is 2 things.”

“For a long time, you know pre-pandemic, we ran membership by invitation only. Now, there is a one-off service but initially, when we started, we struggled to ensure that we were not offering the same service to people in this category because we were used to our premium healthcare packages. 

“Now that we are scaling even further, we want to be able to ensure that we never dilute the brand or make a mistake with the brand. Because if you’re going to expand and go into new markets, you need to have better options that offer wider, more varied payment options. So not everybody can afford the very expensive people that we work with, but some other people can. We’re trying to navigate that by opening up other countries that are more affordable. We would never stop working with the best people, right? And obviously, the best people cost more money, but what we could do is get the best people in places where the entire health service is cheaper. And that is what we are trying to do. But it’s a bit hard sometimes to navigate all of that.”

Dr Chichi Menakaya: the human behind Annomo Health Services

I cannot leave home without

“My mobile phone and my Macbook. If I don’t have my Macbook my life is not normal.”

I cannot go into a meeting without

“My Macbook. I love it so much, it’s like my best friend. It’s so bad, my Macbook sleeps on my bed.”

A typical day for me would be

“Fun with a bit of stress, and also exciting. I normally get up about 5:30am. If I am operating on that day, I am at work at 7, just to see my patients. Then I operate the whole day: my operating days are an all-day operating day. If I have a clinic day, then it’s not really that busy. But in between, I could have a business meeting or meetings with people. I also love watching movies, that really helps me relax. And I say my prayers and I go to sleep and the next day starts.”

“It’s always different every day. Sundays I do less business work. I spend a lot of time with family over the weekend, in the evenings mostly. My weekends are also full of business meetings for the businesses.”

What are your 3 absolute best cities to visit?

“Paris – it is the love of my life. I’ve been about 1 billion times a year.”

“South Africa – I love South Africa a lot. I’ve been to Cape Town which I really loved.”

“Sicily – I’ve never been to Sicily but Sicily is like the love of my life also. And I am not going to go to Sicily till a special time.”

My most expensive buy is

“I have to confess: I am addicted to shoes and bags. I buy a lot of shoes and bags, like you don’t even want to know. But the most expensive thing I own is a wristwatch I have. It’s nothing that anyone uses. It’s an Italian brand and it’s got real diamonds in it. I can’t remember the name, but I bought it in Italy like 12 years ago. I bumped into Milan and I bought it.”

What are 3 things most people don’t know about you?

“I have a relationship commitment phobia.”

“Even though people think I’m very confident, I still get scared when I have to do a presentation, but people don’t see that. They only see the fact that I am so confident when I’m doing it but deep down I’m scared. I don’t want it to go wrong. But once I say my name, the fear leaves me. My mum used to say to me, you need to remember who you are, whose child you are. So whenever I say my name and hear my name, it makes me remember who I am and it helps me take away that fear.”

“My best friend when I was a child was a dog called Oscar. Till I was 21, my best friend was Oscar, but he died of hepatitis.”

If you were not a doctor, what would have been a natural career path for you?

“It would have been one of multiple things. My natural career path would have been to do charity or missionary work. I love meeting new people because I think life is all about your relationships, your network with people. And I feel like if you can make one person smile if you can take away pain from one person, it works. That’s why I did medicine in the first place.”

“Two, I would have wanted to do fashion which I still do as a doctor. I design clothes. The other thing I would have really wanted to do is business full-time, like buying and selling or owning a shop.”

The post ASPIRE CEO: Dr Chichi Menakaya is Delivering the Ultimate Concierge Medicine Experience first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post ASPIRE CEO: Dr Chichi Menakaya is Delivering the Ultimate Concierge Medicine Experience appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Tierra Viva — a luxury auto-inspired real-estate concept like no other

In the last five years, luxury automakers from Bentley to Aston Martin, Porsche and even Bugatti have debuted several residential properties in America, the Middle East and Asia. All of these projects have either been high-rise buildings, as in the Bentley Residences in Miami, or, single private properties like the Aston Martin № 001 Minami Aoyama in Japan.

Lamborghini however chose to take a different path in its latest foray into this niche: the Tierra Viva is a collection of 53 two-storey villas on a hillside, making it more like a luxury community concept than simply a large building with different luxury apartments. Each of the houses will be “carefully constructed at different levels on the hills to ensure every villa enjoys endless panoramas of the Mediterranean Sea,” explains Dar Global.

Unlike other auto-branded real estate properties featuring shared amenities like plunge pools, each of the 53 villas will come with its own rooftop swimming pool and sprawling garden. It is not immediately clear if there would be shared facilities such as a communal gym and spa, but, it may be safe to say that based on the overall concept, it would not be unlikely.

One luxury village, different living options

According to both brands, the Tierra Viva villas are divided into three distinct types: Diamante, Zafiro, and Esmeralda. The smallest is the Esmeralda which offers four bedrooms in addition to other features and amenities. Zafiro would have five bedrooms while Diamante is the largest with six bedrooms in total.

Whatever your choice, expect the best of the best of the best luxury accents and touches – Lamborghini would be in charge of the design – from marble floors to fine leather detailing and floor-to-ceiling glazing. Each of the villas will be perched atop a basement and garage so that you can have ample space to park all your autos away from the beautiful, natural views.

A new location with endless possibilities

Although this is not Lamborghini’s first residential project – it unveiled a 40-unit housing project in Dubai in 2021 – this is its first real estate project in Europe. So far, Europe has not been the most popular location for luxury brands to try out their residential projects and it remains to be seen how well Lamborghini’s first attempt will be received.

The Tierra Viva is located in the tranquil town of Behanavís near Marbella, on the south coast of Spain, and overlooks the Mediterranean. Residents of the villas will have easy access to an array of nearby attractions, including the pristine beaches, the vibrant Puerto Banús, the illustrious Marbella Club Golden Mile, and the captivating Marbella Marina.

There is no fixed date for its completion, but, if Lamborghini’s Dubai real estate project is anything to go by, we will know soon enough, by which time all the units may have been snapped up.

The post Lamborghini Unveils Tierra Viva, Its First Luxury Real Estate Project in Europe first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Lamborghini Unveils Tierra Viva, Its First Luxury Real Estate Project in Europe appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Until it’s time to leave the hospital and you realise those kind nurses are not going to follow you home. Even if your hospital stay was not the best of experiences, suddenly having to deal with a newborn can be an overwhelming experience for mothers. Granted, in some cultures like what obtains here in Africa, it is expected that a member of the family, usually the grandmother, comes over to stay for at least a month to help the new mum adapt. But, times are changing, and even with the support of family members, adjusting to life post-birth can quickly become stressful for new parents.

Luxury retreats for new mums want to help solve this challenge, and they are on the rise.

The idea for luxury retreats for new mums has its origins in postpartum confinement practices in Asia, which can be traced as far back as 960 AD. It is based on the fact that childbirth, though beautiful, can be difficult, and coming home to guests who would have to be entertained, as well as chores and sometimes older children, while adjusting to the demands of a newborn can be too much for mummy. So, a ‘middle home’, which eases parents gently into their new role – whether or not they’ve had children before – is the best solution for everyone.

In South Korea, this post-natal retreat concept is called Sanhujori and is typically offered at choriwons (postpartum care clinics).

Singapore, nearly 5000km away, offers the same kind of services, but in a completely different way. Instead of postpartum clinics, they have luxury postpartum retreats. These five-star-like hotels for new mums come with all the bells and whistles, including spacious, fully-fitted rooms with perks such as 600-thread-count sheets for deep, comfortable sleep; aesthetic clinics for rejuvenating facials; in-house physiotherapy centres to help soothe aching muscles and help new mums get their bodies back to shape; spas that offer weekly postnatal massages and yoga classes. There are also salons that help fix mum’s hair, chauffeur services to take her and baby to the hospital for checkups, herbal baths to promote healing and dining services that offer foods tailored to deeply nourish mom and baby, and help to heal the latter.

In-house nannies and general nurseries are on hand to help take care of the baby when she wants to rest solo. Dads are welcome, and so are family members/other visitors, although the latter are usually not allowed to stay overnight.

The concept is beginning to catch on outside Asia.

The Boram Postnatal Retreat at the Langham Hotel in Manhattan, New York offers the same services as the Singaporean luxury retreats for new mums. There is a nursery run by employees with backgrounds in infant care, a mother’s lounge where moms can attend seminars organised by paediatricians, physical therapists and mental health specialists on everything from pelvic floor therapy to curing insomnia. Messages and sitz baths are offered to mums to help with swelling and soreness, while a robust menu, “prepared by an award-winning chef” ensures the new mothers have all the nutrients they need at this stage.

At $900 per night (the Singaporean Luxury retreats on average cost less at roughly $770 per night) the facility does not come cheap. But those who have used them swear that they are the best thing that happened to them after childbirth. And while it has not become commonplace outside Asia, the fact that non-Asian postnatal facilities like the Boram require bookings well in advance is a good indication that it is simply a matter of time.

The post Luxury Retreats for New Mums is a Thing. And it is probably coming to a Location Close to You first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Luxury Retreats for New Mums is a Thing. And it is probably coming to a Location Close to You appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Avoid a stressful, panic-filled trip across different stores with our thoughtful holiday gift edit that has something for you and everyone on your list.

Shop the ASPIRE x Montaigne Place 2022 Holiday Gift Edit below!

Gift Ideas for Him

Creed Aventus for Him

What could possibly go wrong with a fragrance that starts out citrusy, light and bubbly, then dries down to a smokey, musky scent that lasts and lasts?

Nothing, if you ask us.

But, if you’re shopping for something more robust, bolder, more intense and more intimate, then you should look at:

Apex by Roja

Read our review on this chypre, citrusy fragrance to discover more.

Gift Ideas for Her

Creed WindFlowers

If you’ve never been drawn to powdery, citrusy scents that are popular with female fragrances, allow us to introduce you to Wind Flowers, Creed’s latest perfume for women.

Our review breaks down everything you need to know about it.

Clive Christian Crab Apple Blossom

This fresh, fruity, bubbly fragrance is all bright and cheerful thanks to its top notes of apple blossom and bergamot. However, as it tapers down to its heart notes of driftwood and sandalwood, it becomes warmer, like a shift from a bright sunny day to a cooler evening.

Perfume Accessories

Some perfumes have really great sillage and can last the whole day. However, it does not mean you couldn’t touch up at different points during the day. 

Atomisers are an excellent, comfortable and compact way to have your favourite perfume with you everywhere you go.

Know someone who is always on the move? Get them these chic atomisers from Creed.

Creed Atomiser 10ml, Gold

Creed Atomiser 50ml, Black

Gift Ideas for the Home

Sometimes, the best way to experience a scent is to have it fill up a space.

These luxury scented candles and diffusers will infuse every nook and cranny with their fragrance. The candles also have the dual effect of creating a warm, intimate mood.

Orens Parfums Home Collection

Silenda d’Ecume reed diffuser

A mix of bergamot, apple and peach at the top; with heliotrope, orris and lily of the valley in the middle mixed with cedarwood, musk and vanilla at the base makes for a long-lasting fruity scent with a tinge of woodiness.

Serr D’Eden Candle

Spice up your home this holiday season with this candle that contains notes of pepper, tangerine, rosemary, vetiver and vanilla.

Callis Subtile Candle

Callis Subtile combines notes of sugar and amber with musk and moss for a sweet, earthy scent reminiscent of warm, intimate evenings.

Orens Photophore Kadou Candles

These beautifully-engraved candleholders that come with three small candles are the perfect accent for your dinner parties this season.

Roja Parfums Luxury Home Fragrance

Paris ‘Love is in the Air’ Candle

Bring the unmistakable scent of Paris into your home or the home of that ardent traveller this season.

London ‘the Capital of Cool’ candle

Quintessentially British fragrances of rose, lavender and violet are softened by vetiver and warmed up by amber and myrrh in this candle that would be a welcome addition to any home this season and beyond.

Amber Aoud

Here, the intense woodiness of oud is countered with the sweetness of fig and benzoin and warmed up by cinnamon and saffron.

Aoud

If you love oud, then this traditionally-oud fragrance is the perfect gift for you.

Luxury Reed Diffusers

What makes the Roja diffusers stand out is the fact that the scents (sold separately) were created as perfumes using high-quality oils. Whether you’re going for the lavender or the musk aoud scent, the long-lasting fragrant effects of the diffuser make it a great gift for anyone, including you.

Gift Ideas for the Skincare Enthusiast

The face is literally the first part of you people see before their eyes get drawn to other aspects. This is why gifting facial products is always a great idea.

Here are some great ideas to look out for at Montaigne Place

Troiareuke H+ Cocktail

These K-beauty ampoules are infused with antioxidants and phytochemicals to combat signs of ageing and leave the skin softer and more supple. Each formulation addresses different skin concerns from dryness to acne-prone and sensitive skin.

Troiareuke GPS Mask

This minimal at-home spa kit includes a cleanser, a mask sheet and an energy cream that takes out dirt and revitalises the skin.

Clarins Double Serum

Want more youthful, firmer, radiant skin? Clarins Double Serum promises to give you all these and more.

Clarins Body Brightening Veil

Not only does it offer light protection from the sun with its SPF20, but Body Brightening Veil also evens out skin tone for clear, youthful-looking skin.

Clarins Nutril-Lumiere Day/Night cream

This day and night cream is another powerful anti-ageing formulation perfect for mature skin.

Murad Essential C cleanser

This Vitamin c cleanser will not only remove impurities without stripping your skin of moisture, but it will also leave your skin brighter and more refreshed.

Murad Essential C toner

The Vitamin c toner is a perfect accompaniment to the vitamin c cleanser. Full of antioxidants, it infuses even more moisture into the skin while treating hyperpigmentation.

Murad Retinol Youth Serum

Retinol is considered the OG of anti-ageing, and with Murad’s retinol tri-active technology, this hyaluronic-infused retinol serum, formulated for sensitive skin, is a great gift for anyone.

Ready to shop the gift edit? Visit the nearest Montaigne Place store or call/Whatsapp 0700MONTAIGNE. You can also download a pdf version of the gift edit here. 

The post The ASPIRE x Montaigne Place 2022 Gift Edit first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The ASPIRE x Montaigne Place 2022 Gift Edit appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The living room is usually the first place visitors get to see when they come in, and sometimes, its ambience can set the tone for the rest of the house. The Christmas/New Year holiday is usually a time for families to get together, and instead of planning a party for both days, how about veering off a bit from tradition and getting the whole family to partake in your luxury living room revamp project?

Whether or not you choose to do it this holiday season, here are some great tips to consider for a DIY living room renovation

Go monochrome

Black and white, when mixed creatively, can endow on any piece a look of sophistication.

If you’re looking to give your living room that high-end look, simply introduce a black-and-white colour scheme and allow all the design elements, including walls, flooring, furniture and accents feature both colours in different tones and shades.

But also remember that monochrome is more than black and white. If these are not your kind of colours, then choose one that you absolutely love and pick shades and tones in this colour to give you the look you want

Vintage is always welcome

Does anything really go out of fashion?

Maybe, but when it comes to home decor, vintage is always welcome.

If you have inherited antiques that mean a lot to you, you can include them in your decor, no matter what they are. Silk scarves can be framed and hung on the wall; ceramic dish sets can be placed in a cupboard with a glass door and even gilded mirrors can be placed on a strategic spot on the wall.

Even if you do not have any family heirlooms to display, there are always stores dealing in vintages that would have something lovely for your living room.

Turn on the lights … with style

It’s not just enough to slap lights at different points in the living room. If you’re looking to convert this space to a truly luxurious room, go for layered lighting including ambient, task and decor lighting.

Also, per Mali Langa, ‘a statement chandelier is a fantastic lighting moment’ that must be included. The chandelier does not have to be extravagant to make a statement, but it should be interesting enough to give the living room character and maybe start a conversation.

Art, but make it big

A single, large unique piece of art in a strategic spot screams ‘luxury’ more than a dozen artworks scattered everywhere.

As for the strategic spot, choose one behind your couch or on a side wall of your living room.

Complete the look with luxe textiles

What is more luxurious than soft, beautiful, plush textiles? Use luxe fabrics like velvet, boucle or mohair for your furniture upholstery, cushions, throws and even rugs to soften the overall look and infuse even more luxury into your living room.

Now that you have all these tips, go ahead and get started on your DIY living room luxury revamp this holiday season, or anytime you are ready!

The post This Holiday, DIY Your Living Room into A Luxury Haven first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post This Holiday, DIY Your Living Room into A Luxury Haven appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

From dazzling, complicated jewellery and timepieces to the world’s tallest residential building

The name Jacob & Co is synonymous with creative and unique jewellery and timepieces, almost always infused with precious stones and/or metals. Historically, every creation from the luxury and timepiece jewellery brand pushes the limits of innovation and the Burj Binghatti Jacob & Co Residences, billed to be the world’s tallest residential structure, will be no different.

“Both our brands are born from the sheer desire to achieve what breaks boundaries. What Binghatti has done in real estate by creating a brand through a distinct design philosophy and architectural identity is very similar to what Jacob & Co. has done in the world of jewellery and horology,” Muhammad Binghatti, CEO of the eponymous real estate company, said in a press statement.

Real estate, meet haute horology and fine jewellery

Of course, in a partnership like this, it is expected that both brands will incorporate elements from one another.

“We took inspiration from the complex horological movements that beat in Jacob & Co timepieces and we integrated them into the key elements of the tower. The diamond-shaped spires sitting at the peak of the tower are reminiscent of an actual crown, an ornament of unique finesse inspired by the design of Jacob & Co’s finely cut gems. This is the apex of the luxury narrative in this evocative construction, a signature feature that adds further grandeur to the city’s skyline.” explained Binghatti.

The over 100-storied tower, which will be located in the Business Bay district, will feature two and three-bedroom units dubbed the Sapphire Suite Collection and the Emerald Suite Collection respectively. There would also be three penthouses named after Jacob & Co’s flagship timepieces – Fleurs De Jardin, Astronomia and Billionaire. According to Jacob Arab, Jacob & Co’s chairman, “As suggested by the name, the Billionaire Penthouse is the hypertower’s jewel in the crown.”

Other perks and amenities include a crystal blue infinity pool overlooking the Dubai skyline; a concierge team providing daycare, bodyguards, private chefs and chauffeurs; a luxury spa and gym; and, a private members-only club.

But perhaps, the greatest perk is this: a purchase of any of the suites and penthouses will come with unique shopping access to exclusively curated timepieces and jewellery, most of which are limited edition or unique pieces.

The post Jacob & Co pivots to Real Estate with a New Partnership with Burj Binghatti first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Jacob & Co pivots to Real Estate with a New Partnership with Burj Binghatti appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

It may be safe to say that everyone desires a Louboutin, even if they may not necessarily love wearing stilettos – of course, the eponymous French brand also makes flats, but the heels are somewhat more popular, especially because they show off the signature red soles better. There is something edgy, dangerous even about these shoes that makes you want to try them on and dream, even if it is just for a minute.

But not everyone has had the pleasure of experiencing a Louboutin. Yes, these iconic red-soled shoes are expensive, but, unless there is a really good and valid reason, no one is going to put a size-whatever-100-mm shoe on a child’s feet. And while there are other accessories like bags, there has not really been any product designed for a child.

Until now.

Earlier this month, Christian Louboutin announced the launch of the LoubiFamily collection, a new product category designed to cater for every member of the family, from adults to kids and beloved pets. From the Super Loubi sneaker, available in Loubi red or the Comics print; to the Melodie Chick, a snap button-strapped ballet pump that is a mini, flat-soled version of Hot Chick available in Psychic red, patent black and three shades of nude; the Melodie Strass with its sheer mesh upper which is a junior take on the Maison’s Follies Strass pump, and, the Maxi Me & Mini Me capsule, featuring kids’ shoes designed for adults, there truly is something in the LoubiFamily collection for everyone.

But that is not all. Alongside the footwear, Christian Louboutin has also crafted a range of collars, leashes and harnesses for dogs with either signature Caraspikes or ‘Louboutin’ engraved Loubi red rubber detailing. There is also a dog toy in the shape of its spiked sneakers, a pet waste bag purse, and, as if the collection were not inclusive enough, a line-up of cartoon superheroes and stars of the Comics print including Superloubi, Wonderloubi, and Pilou the Lemur, which represent the designer’s imaginary childhood world of adventure and excitement.

Commenting on the new collection, Christian Louboutin said, “The idea for LoubiFamily was born during lockdown. For the first time in a long time, I got the chance to spend several months in the same place with my closest friends, my daughters and our dog. I wanted to explore the idea of adulthood for children and childhood for adults, transposing fabrics and colours and playing with details.”

The LoubiFamily collection had an exclusive pre-launch at Saks Fifth Avenue New York on October 25 with a special window installation that has been on display since Tuesday, October 18 and will end on Sunday, October 30. It will be available on christianlouboutin.com from Wednesday, November 2. Retail prices range from $245 to $395 for babies and $445 to $775 for kids, with some exceptional, crystal-paved sneakers topping out at $2,445. Pet collars, harnesses, and leashes, meanwhile, run from $290 to $620 and from $1,190 to $1,490 for special pieces with crystal elements. Toys are priced from $90 to $250, with pet carrier bags ranging from $1,790 to $2,390.

The post LoubiFamily, a New Christian Louboutin Collection for Every Family Member, has arrived first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post LoubiFamily, a New Christian Louboutin Collection for Every Family Member, has arrived appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.