If you’re wealthy enough to have 1500 bottles of good wine lying around, then you probably also have the money to buy this Walk-In Wine Cellar Vault at Bar Cigars & Brew, which provides safe and secure storage of your wine in a computer climate controlled environment.
Featuring a brushed aluminum exterior, the inside can holds approximately 1,500 bottles.
It targets the sophisticated collector without the burdens and complications arising from creating a custom cellar.
British Airways is going to buy the French all-business airline l’Avion for 54 million pounds ($107 million) as it steps up efforts to take advantage of the recent liberalization of transatlantic travel.
The privately owned airline flies two Boeing 757 aircraft with 90 seats each between Paris and New York. L’Avion has flown 65,000 passengers since its January 2007 launch.
The deal, which includes £26m of net cash on L’Avion’s balance sheet, will allow OpenSkies to raise its Paris Orly-New York flights to three per day. Both carriers use reconfigured Boeing 757 aircraft.
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The Amaltea bathtub, designed by Baldi of Florence, Italy, is made entirely of the precious purple gem amethyst, and adorned with 24-karat gold-plated legs.
Matching lotion dispenser, soap dish and tumbler are also available. Now there’s no reason for a bather ever to get out.
Priced at €95,000 ($190,000) – Via newsweek.
South African born artist Marlene Dumas set a new record this month for the most expensive living female artist, when her painting The Visitor, fetched £3.1 million ($6.2million) at a Sotheby’s auction.
Dumas’s painting was sold at the Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale held in London on the 1st of July.
The £3,177,250 million bid for the painting surpasses Dumas’ previous record of £1.8 million set in February 2005.
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Louis Vuitton has released their latest ad campaign for Fall Winter 2008-09.
The campaign features almost everything from the new Damier Graphite collection. The campaign stars French actor Nicolas Duvauchelle.
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance announced today it will celebrate world renowned coachbuilder Bohman & Schwartz as well as a pair of 50th anniversaries for significant races at Sebring and Daytona, during its 14th annual concours March 13-15, 2009 at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island.
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is one of the nation’s most innovative vintage auto events featuring more than 250 rare classics from seldom-seen private collections nationwide.
The elegant creations of Southern California coachbuilder Bohman & Schwartz will be featured in a separate class, which will display the one-of-a kind “Phantom Corsair†that was commissioned for Rust Heinz, heir to the H.J. Heinz food empire.
The Phantom Corsair’s futuristic shark-like body was mated to a Cord 810 Chassis and enjoyed a brief stint in Hollywood appearing as the mysterious “Flying Wombat†in the movie, “The Young in Heart.†The car will be making a rare trip outside the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada for its showing the Amelia Island Concours.
Also celebrated at this year’s concours, are the 50th anniversaries of the first US Grand Prix Formula One race at Sebring International Raceway and the only Indy car race ever held at the Daytona International Speedway.
A seminar called “The Great Roadster Drivers,†will be held to recount the history and legacy of these races. Miami native Jim Rathmann, the 1960 Indy 500 winner, will be the Concours’ guest for the weekend and will participate in the Saturday seminar at The Ritz-Carlton grand ballroom.
For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or 904-636-0027
Maxxium Global Travel Retail is to launch a new seasonal gift pack for Absolut vodka in September 2008.
The one-litre pack is made from shiny red spangles, complete with a zipper in the back. On opening the pack, the zipper slides apart, revealing the bottle. The pack is made from 3,238 shiny red sequins, while the label states: “In an Absolut world every night is a masquerade.”
“We are more than confident that the new design will be at least as much appreciated as its ground-breaking predecessors, Absolut Bling Bling and Absolut Disco. said Director of V&S Absolut Spirits Global Travel & Retail Anders Olsson
The shiny red packaging was developed with design agency Family Business.
Jeremy Kipnis, a music engineer, producer, classical music lover, has paid a whooping US $6 million for this ultimate home theater experience, designed to feature the very best audiophile equipment.
“The picture elements alone are composed of a Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector with an impressive 4,096-by-2,160 resolution and the Stewart Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen stands a t a mammoth 18 x 10-foot which is nearly equivalent to an actual theater screen viewed from the balcony!
The Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player complements the state-of-the-art Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player with SATA Drive (72 HDTV Hours Total) and Mark Levinson N° 51 DVD/CD Media Player upping the bet for other HT systems.
It also features HLD-X0 Hi-Vision HDTV MUSE Laserdisc Player along with JVC HMDH-5U D-VHS recorder that helps you record a running live telecast. And for gaming fans, it offers a Sony PlayStation 3 Gaming Console.”
Jeremy Kipnis hopes wealthy movie industry professionals, actors, directors, and producers will soon be lining up to commission him to custom-design and build a KSS for them. And no worries, for just $60,000, Mr. Kipnis suggests that movie aficionados can enjoy a top shelf home theater experience.
So, you think you are super good at Dunk Hunt ? Then you should play a game that really approximates hunting.
The ST-2 shooting simulator from Marksman Training Systems is the first shooting simulator for shotgun and rifle shooting designed specifically for demanding users such as shooting instructors who give professional shooting advice.
Anyone, both new and experienced in shotgun or rifle shooting, can use the simulator to improve his or her shooting skills and enjoyment of the sport.
The simulator can be used with most shotguns and rifles. The camera sensor that registers gun movements and shooting direction can be easily attached to the barrel of your own gun. If you want to get hi-tech analysis of the dynamics of your technique, recoil, and other shooting info, then you will appreciate the meticulous feedback and analysis of the ST-2. (source)
Almost one year after the original Apple iPhone went on sale, Apple has unveiled a new 3G version of its popular iPhone that will go on sale on 11 July.
The addition of 3G support is a big win : This will allow users to surf the internet at faster speeds than is currently possible on the original iPhone. If data speeds hold up as Jobs demonstrated, the new iPhone really will put the internet in your pocket.
It will also feature built-in GPS technology, which will enable users to use their iPhone as a satellite-navigation device both in-car and on-foot using Google Maps.
iPhone 3G isn’t perfect, but there’s a lot to like here : Though the iPhone 3G is thinner at the edges than its predecessor.
The 8GB model will come in black only, while Apple promises the 16GB version in back and white.
In the US the phone retails for US$199 for the 8GB model (down from $399) and US$299 for the 16GB version (down from $599).
Indeed, Steve Jobs said that one of the main reasons people had given for not buying the handset was that it was too expensive.
It will be rolled out to 70 countries worldwide over the next few months.
More than six million iPhones had been sold globally since the device first went on sale in the US in July 2007.
This post is really meaningful to me. When I was a student, I used to live in Juan Les Pins, everyday, on my way to school, I was fascinated by this huge abandoned hotel and I really wanted to explore it. Le Provençal was the hotel that actually embodied a golden age on the Côte d’Azur.
“The 256-bedroom Art Deco palace and its “bright tan prayer rug of a beach” were, in the 1930s and 1940s, the symbol of the French Riviera. Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe ranked among the sun-worshippers; and on one balmy July evening, Ella Fitzgerald threw open an upstairs window and sang to the crowds at the world-famous Jazz à Juan festival in the park below. […] Built by an American millionaire Frank J Gould in 1925, with tennis club and jetty, restaurants, bars and luxury suites, the hotel marked a new way of life: la dolce vita.â€
(copyright : Telegraph)The famed Art Deco hotel on the Côte d’Azur has been derelict since 1973 and is now being turned into a luxury apartment building. I was sure they would never leave this hotel to squatters and pigeons forever and was dreaming of living in this dream hotel in the future… Too bad.. It is a little too early, I’m still not rich enough to buy any of the luxury apartment!
The London Telegraph reports that Developer Cyril Dennis is transforming the 45,000-sq.ft. beachside property, built in 1925, into 56 luxury units :
“Some have 360-degree views, and indoor pools, as well as outdoor pools and gardens; they will be fitted out with Porche kitchens, marble floors, Turkish baths, aquariums and separate staff lifts and entrances. Music, heating, lighting, flowers and shopping can be computer-controlled. Landscaped gardens, replanted each season, will feature fountains, ponds and an infinity pool with 360m terraceâ€
He describes the Provençal as “the last jewel in the Cap d’Antibes,” an area where top-drawer villas now go for over $200 million thanks to an influx of superrich (Russian) oligarchs. The luxury apartments will cost between €2million and €40million ($60 million)…
Via telegraph.co.uk
The Maybach Exelero is a high-performance sports car designed and built by luxury car manufacturer Maybach, and was unveiled in May 2005 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.
The 700 hp two-seater with a bi-turbo V12 engine is a one-off design commissioned by Fulda to act as a high-profile demonstrator for its tire line.
It’s more than just a show car though – in tests at the Nardo high-speed oval, the prototype reached a speed of 218.38mph, despite weighing over 2.66 tonnes. It is capable of acceleration from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds.
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The deepest pool in the world is known as Nemo 33, a recreational scuba diving center located near Brussels, Belgium which opened in 2004.
It is filled with 2,500,000 liters of non-chlorinated, highly filtered spring water maintained at 30 °C (86 °F) and contains several simulated underwater caves at the 10 m depth level.
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Dior has launched two new watches , La D creation and Christal Midnight Blue rubber.
Designed exclusively by John Galliano for Dior, The Christal Midnight Blue rubber watch has a 33mm stainless steel case and a blue mother of pearl dial set with 36 diamonds. , the stainless steel bracelet is set with 117 diamonds, and the registers are set with pyramid-cut, scratch proof blue sapphire crystal. The model is produced in a limited edition of 500, priced at £3,150 ($6,200).
The La D creation from Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of fine jewelry at the Dior house, has an 18K rose gold case with a mother of pearl dial and an 18k rose gold in-set spiral of 55 pink diamonds, while the bezel is made up of a further 76 diamonds off set against a black satin strap. This watch is a limited edition of 15 and sells for £14,900 ($29,800)
They both have been available from Dior boutiques and selected retailers since May 2008.
In Russia they now drive in solid gold covered Porsche cars!
It seems only Porsche wasn’t enough for this guy who seems to want to attract everyone’s attention though.
He used more than 40 pounds of the pure gold while decorating this Porsche 911 (The best and the most expensive method to screw up a really nice car ^_^).
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Created in Belgium Dinner in the Sky is a unique experience. Dinner in the Sky is like a deluxe patio dinner or sky high gourmet picnic with the best possible view, suspended about 50 meters in the air via crane.
You start by having a pre-boarding drink in the “lounge†while you wait to get on the crane-hoisted table. Once the purse and the keys are checked into their safety box on the ground, you sit down and get strapped in.
Usually, the platform spreads across 1 x 5 meters work area, and comes outfitted with cooking prerequisites, including a stimulation oven. The 5-tonne table sits 22 people and three staff in the middle. They even hoist another platform to the same height if you want live music available!
Breakfast in the sky, lunch in the sky, cocktails in the sky, meeting in the sky, internet café in the sky… there is no limit to your imagination.
Dinner in the Sky is available for a session of 8 hours.
It can be divided or personalised according to the client’s wishes. Dinner in the Sky is an event that can be held anywhere (golf course, public place, race track, castle, vineyard, historical site…) as long as there is a surface of approximately 500 m² that can be secured !
In Dubai, they’re thinking big these days. Emaar Properties has unveiled it plans to build one of the largest fountains in the world with an integral light and sound show, as the centerpiece of its Downtown Burj Dubai project.
This new iconic feature will be one of the city’s major tourist attractions and is expected to draw over 10 million visitors annually.
At 825 feet long, the $218 million project will be 25 percent larger than the iconic fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
Powerful water nozzles will shoot water sprays to heights of over 500 ft (150 metres) – equivalent to that of a 50-storey building.
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Designer : Maël Oberkampf
This ribbon-like construction is the roof to a unique hotel in Alava, Spain
Designed by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, The new, landmark Hotel Marqués de Riscal, is nestled in the “City of Wine.
The winery of Vinos Herederos del Marques de Riscal is one of the oldest wineries in the region and as a component of an overall plan to redefine and invigorate its public image, Marques de Riscal commissioned the design of a small building intended to provide a unique experience for visitors to the winery.
The hotel has 43 guest rooms, including 11 suites that feature a modern, comfortable atmosphere and unique design, all with wireless internet, LCD TV’s and marble bathrooms.
Of course you will find a wine tasting room as well as an indoor swimming pool, steam room, fitness centre, Jacuzzi, invigorating shower, and 14 treatment rooms with wide variety of “wine therapy” massages and treatments. All products are made of grape’s extract!
Dubai heralded the new year as only it knows how to, by trying to outdo everyone on planet earth. As always, it had to be the biggest and best spectacular that anyone has ever seen.
Their attempt was to break the world record for a fireworks display.
Grucci, the fireworks company that created displays at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, was hired by organizers to create the world’s largest fireworks display – reaching as high as 1,000 feet reports UPI.
Via thedubailife
Here we go again with another diamond-encrusted handset.
This diamond encrusted Nokia N95 has been designed and developed by Continental Mobiles with a retail price of £10,000 ($20,000).
The handset features a smooth Sterling silver front panel that has been festooned with 4.42 carat of brilliant-cut, VS1 quality, naturally mined diamonds.
