The Experience Economy

I wonder how designer Richard Gordon is fairing. He spent most of the holidays unpacking a client’s new home in Dallas while the client was in Aspen. Richard, who works with designer Marilyn Rolnick, had found four beautiful pieces of art for their 11,000 square foot Dallas home prior to the holidays — the art was even here in Dallas. But the client had recently read the book “The Experience Economy“, which describes how business of the future must incorporate “experience” into everything — for example, you cannot just sell a cup of coffee but the experience of drinking said coffee. (I hope Starbucks is paying attention.) Anyhow, this client wanted to experience the purchase of the artwork for their home — presumably go to the source, meet the potter, smell the oil paints, touch the brush bristles, anything but select a painting from the shelf of an art gallery. Interestingly, while they wanted to experience this art purchase they did not want to experience the process of bubble wrap, packing, moving and unpacking from a 6600 square foot home to 11,000. That experience, my dear readers, they chose to leave to their designer.