What is the art of slow living, you may ask? Perhaps the most elegant expression of luxury — time.

Time to choose, to savour, to move at your own rhythm while the world runs itself ragged.

To stretch your mornings instead of your calendar. To travel without haste. To linger over matcha and morning light. To finish a deal call and still make a 1 p.m. facial. To take the long way home, because you can.

It’s the quietest flex.

Slow living isn’t about doing less — it’s about doing with clarity. Freedom disguised as calm, focus that feels like flow.

We all have our ways of practising it. For some, it’s a late-morning ritual — a game of padel, a slow swim, or a private Pilates class that ends with cold juice and conversation. For others, it’s an hour in silk robes, journaling, arranging fresh flowers, or simply deciding where to lunch.

Ruth Isabella Peters, author and founder of the Ruth Isabella Peters Foundation, has built a life anchored in ritual, soft mornings, and quiet reflection.

A Measured Morning

Ruth starts her day the way one might start a poem — slowly, without apology.

“I’m in an oversized orange kaftan,” she says from her home in VGC. “Soft light through the curtains. Pineapple juice on the table, fresh bread, sometimes plantain. I take a quiet walk or play tennis.” she reflects. “In the background, Max Richter or Nils Frahm. It’s slow, cinematic, grounding.”

Spaces That Breathe

For Ruth, inspiration blooms in spaces that honour stillness.

“SLoW, during the day,” she shares. “The architecture, the air, the people. I always order the kale salad and sit in the corner to write or reflect. The stillness helps me hear myself again."

When Lagos gets loud, Ruth retreats — to a juice bar near home, or to quiet sanctuaries like Mìlíkì and Makō.

“It's not just about the space,” she says, “it's about how it makes me feel. Rested. Unseen in the best way. Held.”

For her, indulgence and introspection are not opposites; they coexist in balance.

Where Taste Meets Time

Her idea of dining well is simple but soulful.

“The ONA,” she begins. “There is nowhere like it. Every dish carries memory and meaning. Chef Obehi curates with intention. You can feel the artistry in the room, not just on the plate. It's one of the few places that makes time feel slower.”

She speaks of it as an experience, not just as a restaurant.

The Art of Care

Beauty, for Ruth, is a return to self.

“Oríkì spa in VI,” she says. “The treatments are expert-level, but the space itself is a pause. You walk in carrying the weight of Lagos, and walk out feeling like yourself again.”

It's her reminder that wellness is not indulgence, but preservation.

A Quiet Kind of Style

Ruth's aesthetic follows suit: precise, unfussy, intentional.

“I don't shop often,” she says,” but when I do, it’s with full intention. MOT The Label, Éki Kéré, Y’Wandelag, and always Alára,” she lists. “I love pieces that carry identity and subtle drama.”

For her, fashion is not a trend but an extension of who she is becoming.

When asked what luxury means, Ruth doesn't hesitate:
“Freedom — to guard your time, your pace, your peace. Luxury is not proving anything. It’s choosing what feels right, without performing.”

The Lagos Experience, Her Way

When hosting friends, Ruth curates experiences that reflect Lagos’s quieter beauty — a day at SLoW, a relaxed evening at Makō, sometimes a gallery opening, or a conversation-led event. “I want them to feel Lagos at a deeper rhythm.” she says.

If there's one experience she insists on, it's The ONA.

“Their signature Monkeytail Agbalumo cocktails. A new tasting menu by Chef Obehi. Poetry flowing between the dishes. Intimate lighting, meaningful conversation, and people who are fully present. The Poetry x ONA experience is elegant, soulful and unforgettable.”

Slow living isn't stillness, it's style. It's the knowing glance between those who get it: the ones who've mastered ambition without urgency. Because the truly accomplished don't chase time. They curate it.

The art of slow living — time, elegantly owned.

The Art of Slow Living: Ruth Isabella Peters