Sometimes, it is necessary for one to refurbish their office(s). It may not necessarily be a main priority but refurbishing can and will create a unique and tasteful image about one’s company. In such circumstances, getting hold of someone who designs artful and elegant pieces of furniture may just do the job. Speaking of elegant pieces of furniture, the best way to create a sophisticated image is to bring a really chic table to their office. Seen here is a RABOBANK Boardroom table designed by the eminent designer Lee J. Rowland. At first look, this table seems to depict the artist’s dream.
Held and supported by five pillars, the boardroom table can come in any color or shade. This elegantly designed table is not only beautiful but also unique in its own way. It is made of polyester resin and chromed steel, thus weighing a whopping 650kg. Measuring at 4500mm by 800mm, this table does take up quite a lot of space but it will surely catch the attention of many. This luxurious boardroom table retails at $68,188.
iPhone has been a target of haute couture brands where they grab and slap it with precious stones in order to elevate its exclusivity factor. The honor of the most expensive iPhone is bagged by Amosu Ultimo Diamond but the iPhone used isn’t a 3G version. Even so, we do have a few blinged 3G iPhones like Gold & Diamond from Goldstriker, Diamond studded Olympic iPhone and Diamond-Studded iPhone 3G by Knalihs Athem.
The latter being the most expensive jeweled 3G version till date. Today we have one more company that is aiming to revive the union of gemstones with hyped 3G iPhone. Continental Mobiles, well known for its range of luxurious cell phones, has pimped the 3G 16GB white luxury iPhone with Pigeon Blood Red rubies and white diamonds. It is exclusively and intricately handcrafted. This piece of art comes from England and retails for £3099 (about $5,550).
The Scandinavian design firm Aurumania has created 10 bikes made out of solid 24-karat gold.
Each piece of every bike was created by hand and the whole thing decorated with 600 Swarovsky crystals.
The bikes all come with a leather seats and horns and they each cost around 80,000 dollars. Why that expensive ? Unlike other “gold†bikes these are solid gold, not plated.
Fall is a wonderful time for cut flowers. If put in the right vase, the flowers will definitely stand out. Then again, you wouldn’t want to take the attention away from this gorgeous Tall (13 3/4″) Palm Vase by Christofle!
This vase is designed by Michele Oka Doner and is intended to capture the elemental essence of a palm frond. It is made of Christofle silver and is produced in limited edition of 50. Each vase is signed and numbered and retails for $16,000.
One of the things that impressed us most of Bottega Veneta in recent years was the addition of their home collection, which is always a great pleasure for the eye. Now, with the colder months in sight, their new fuss-free design leather desk is a perfect addition to any study. The size is just right and the leather details are fantastic and timeless.
The unambiguous shaped desk has room for three drawers placed under the tabletop. Each of these drawers can be pulled out with flat leather handles. One can move this desk around by simply pulling the stiff leather handles fitted to both sides of the desk. Every inch of this desk is made of leather except for the matte metal trimmings. This masculine yet chic desk comes in five shades and retails for $19,700 at Bottega Veneta Store.
TrekStor, a leading manufacturer of high quality audio players, external hard disks and USB sticks, received in 2007 an order from Russian-Canadian billionaire and owner of the Midland Formula 1 team, Alex Shnaider, to develop the world’s most expensive MP3 player so he could then auction it off to raise money for Cancer Research.
This luxurious piece of jewelry, features 18-karat gold casing and 63 diamonds that together make up 1-karat, which leaves us with one hefty price tag of $20,000. The player is also embellished with a small chain that includes aquamarine gems.
Jewelers Wenthe in Mannheim/Germany put over 100 hours of pains-taking handiwork into the exquisite gadget. It features 1GB of storage, and has dual headphone jacks.
Sol Kerzner, the flamboyant hotelier, is to launch his new Dubai resort with a party so extravagant that organisers claim it will be seen from space.
The event, for the grand opening of the $1.5 billion Atlantis, The Palm, will have 2,000 VIP guests. Kylie Minogue will perform – her first concert in the Middle East – and the final bill for the four-day beachside celebrations is estimated to exceed $30 million, the London Telegraph reports.
The 1,500 room resort, located on the world’s largest manmade island, the Palm Jumeirah ( which has been built to resemble a palm tree when seen from above) features 16 restaurants including a branch of Nobu, and is partially bankrolled by the Dubai Royal Family. Continue reading →
Shanghai is now the proud host of the highest hotel in the world !
Park Hyatt Shanghai is a sophisticated modern Chinese residence occupying the 79th to 93rd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC), otherwise known as “The Vertical Complex City”.
Situated in the heart of the Lujiazui business district in Pudong, the 492-metre SWFC, with its 101-storeys, will be one of the tallest buildings in the world, making Park Hyatt Shanghai the highest hotel in the world.
It is due to open in Autumn 2008. If you ever visit the hotel, make sure to stop by Cloud 9, a stunning bar located on the 87th floor that provides loungers with spectacular views of the skyline.
Marc Jacobs dark grey leather, large clutch bag, with a Rolls-Royce design multicolored leather car on the front… It doesn’t look like anything he has ever offered before.
It has a fold-over press stud to fasten the front, stud detailing on the car, a zipped compartment at the back, a zipped compartment on the inside, and it is fully lined in leather.
So… shall we call this Rolls Royce clutch the, well, Rolls Royce of handbags? To be franck, I don’t really like grey leather and anyway and this Marc Jacobs purse is simply unmatchable…
It is available to pre-order for $1095 at Saks Fifth Avenue. Go for it only if you are a Marc Jacobs and Rolls Royce fan.
The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Le Lierre Collection is a green fantasy turned to life! Swiss watchmaker has succeeded in producing an extraordinary creation of artistic haute joaillerie. Continue reading →
The new iPod touch is out. It has a new design: chrome rim, with a tapered back similar to the iPhone 3G, but thinner.
It has a 3.5-inch display and built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b and g). Like the iPhone and unlike the previous iPod Touch, the new model has a built-in speaker and external volume controls. It has the sensors such as the accelerometer (that allows the display to change its orientation depending on you hold the device), and Apple’s Multi-Touch interface.
There is also internal support for the optional Nike+iPod feature (It doesn’t require a receiver but you still need the in-shoe transmitter) as well as on-the-fly genius playlist creation, all included in the new iPhone 2.1 software.
Apple says the device is smaller and lighter than the previous version. It has a rated battery life of up to 36 hours for music and 6 hours for video on a single charge.
It also comes with new prices: $229 for the 8GB, $299 for the 16GB, and $399 for the 32GB. That is $100 cheaper than before.
As we saw a couple months ago, to celebrate Boucheron’s 150th anniversary, the jeweler is partnering with other companies to create some amazing pieces.
About 2 years ago Boucheron collaborated with Vertu to make an incredibly expensive phone that dripped with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
At the time only two versions of the phone were being made one styled after a Cobra and the other a Python. Boucheron obviously loved the collaboration pretty much. Continue reading →
Here’s a rather elegant and understated alternative to some of the more ostentatious champagne accessories and gift sets we’ve reported on in the past.
The Grand Siècle Coffret is designed to showcase Laurent-Perrier’s delectable multi-vintage prestige cuvee, Grand Siècle. The cleverly-constructed black case contains a magnum of the good stuff and six hand-blown Baccarat crystal champagne flutes in separate compartments.
This isn’t something for lovers of bling, as there are no diamonds or precious shiny metals But, those who know pure class will enjoy everything about the case, magnum, spirit and flute. The Coffret costs $3,100
Laurent-Perrier, founded in 1812 and located in Tours-sur-Marne, France, is the world’s largest family-owned champagne house.
Grand Siècle is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, with the latter being slightly dominant. The grapes are supplied by twelve of the most prestigious crus or villages, all of them Grands Crus classified at 100%, such as Ambonnay, Verzenay, Mailly, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
Within the vineyards of these crus, only the very best plots are selected, as are the finest musts from the pressings. The blended wine is then aged for about 5 years.
The most expensive Barbie doll in the world was introduced last week in Mexico City. It is valued at one million mexican pesos ($95,000) and includes 318 real diamonds in its design.
Her tiara, a pair of slippers, earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring, are all made out of white gold with diamonds. Even her dress is accentuated with 44 round-cut stones on her dress; the pieces total about 20.66 carats.
Intended only as a publicity stunt, the doll was launched on the occasion of the release of the DVD “Barbie and the Diamond Castle” (Universal Pictures). In it the famous toy embarks on an adventure with her friend Teresa, to break the spell on another friend, and save her. Continue reading →
You know there’s not just the Louis Vuitton Luggage to make your trip the stylish one ever! There’s also the latest edition of the Louis Vuitton City Guides!
For 10 years, the Louis Vuitton City Guides have been capturing the spirit of cities.
Now with the new 2009 edition, there are many new destinations and new sections with a vintage-inspired look inspired from the label’s iconic travelling trunks. Continue reading →
Here is an interesting video from TVB reporter Tesa Arcilla, a friend of mine, about the Jewelry and Watch fair that just ended at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong.
She looks at how the industry is faring amid global prince increases and economic slowdowns. ..
Hong Kong Jewellery and Watch Fair is the Asia’s Biggest International Mid-Year Jewellery Fair (800 Exhibitors – 27,000 square meters of exhibition space – 19,000 Visitors from 102 countries)
On the picture above, A sales assistant displays pure gold moon cakes at a department store in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Moon cake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 14 this year. Various brands of mooncake are already on sale, but some people are complaining that the seasonal delicacies are too expensive this year.
“The mooncakes have already become gifts for exchange but some brands are expensive,” said Zhu Ji, a Beijing resident. She said that some mooncakes cost as much as 1,500 yuan (US$180) each, a sum equal to one third of her monthly salary.
On the picture below, A salesgirl shows a blinged moon cake made of pure gold at a shop in Shijiangzhuang, capital city of Hebei province, September 12, 2007
When it comes to gifts usually it’s what’s on the inside that counts , right? but that’s not necessarily the case for the gifts Edwina Rogers gives : she wraps her presents in uncut sheets of real, government-issued, dollar bills.
The wife of Washington lobbyist Ed Rogers gets the money sheets from the United States Bureau of Engraving and then slices and dices as you would any wrapping paper to best fit the gift and get the best pattern on the front of the package.
A sheet of 32 one dollar bills costs about $55 USD and you can order them for yourself here.
A new book out by author Dana Thomas, called Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre, explores how the manufacture of luxury goods, and in particular luxury clothing, has been outsourced almost in its entirety to a handful of developing countries such as China and Turkey.
Dana Thomas knew it was time to investigate ‘luxury’ when her clothes started falling off. ‘In 2002, I bought a pair of cotton-poplin cropped trousers at Prada for $500. I put them on, and the gentle passing of my foot ripped the hem out. I put my hand in the pocket and it tore away from its seam. I squatted down to pick up my two-year-old and the derrière split open. I hadn’t had those trousers on 10 minutes and they were literally falling apart at the seams. I mentioned this to a former Prada design assistant. “It’s the thread,†he told me. “It’s cheaper and breaks easily.†Of course, not all Prada goods are shoddy . ..’
Thomas explains that despite the protestations of certain luxury house owners, the competitive landscape for luxury goods companies is one which makes this phenomenon hard to resist.
For the last sixty years, the actual production of luxury goods themselves has become much like any other type of product. The big difference is the way in which these luxury goods have been marketed to make you feel a particular way.
How? By creating a desire so powerful that, as Tom Ford, the designer and marketing genius behind Gucci, puts it, “It’s like you’ve gotta have it or you’ll die.â€
As Thomas notes in her book, the lion’s share of a product is made in China but then a small piece (a piece of stitching or pocket, for instance) is added in the West so that the ubiquitous ‘Made in China’ label can be avoided and the luxury illusion can be maintained…
The book isn’t especially well written or well edited but Dana has a wicked sense of humor and pulls no punches in describing the decadent denizens of the “Deluxe” world.
Even if you know nothing about fashion, this book will fascinate, educate and entertain. The section on Louis Vuitton is eye-opening. The chapter on the making of a Hermes bag is priceless. Also, in the last few pages of the book, Thomas describes what the truly rich now buy, which is basically what you can see everyday on Luxuo :)
DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Lustre by Dana Thomas
Allen Lane £20/$40 pp376
Ambitious plans to turn a Boeing 747 into a hostel are taking off after the jet was bought by a Swedish entrepreneur.
Oscar Dios is stuffing 85 beds into a gutted Boeing 747 he’s dubbed Jumbo Hostel and parked right outside Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. Dios bought the 500-seater jumbo jet, built in 1976, from its last owner Transjet after the air operator went bust in 2002.
Most of the 25 rooms are 20 feet square with nine-foot ceilings and have shared bathrooms and showers. Considering there are three beds to a room, that’s quite a squeeze, particularly if you’re bunking with strangers.
They have all got heat and air conditioning, WiFi and flatscreen televisions though and if you’re looking for a romantic evening with someone special you’ll want the deluxe cockpit suite. It’s bigger, it’s got its own bathroom and it offers a stunning view of the runway.
The Jumbo Hostel, which will remain grounded at the airport, will begin taking reservations from travellers in December.If the venture proves successful in Sweden, Dios hopes to open more jumbo jet hostels elsewhere.
Unless there are sexy stewardesses fulfilling mile high club fantasies, I’m not sure I will be on board.
Voting period for Peugeot design contest 2008 is on the go !
For the fifth time Peugeot is holding their futuristic design competition. Last year the Flux, designed by 20-year old Romanian Mihai Panaitescu, won the competition and was built as a concept car and eventually shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.
This year the competition was themed as “Imagine a Peugeot for the Megalopolis of Tomorrowâ€. The participants should take into consideration Peugeot’s stylistic codes and their projects must contain the following four aspects: environmental awareness, social harmony, interactive mobility and economic efficiency.
Entries were submitted in July and a jury has selected their 30 favorite designs so that the a popularity vote (15 August through 15 September 2008) can be held on the internet.
A top ten will be revealed on 16 September 2008. At the Paris Motor Show on 2 October 2008 Peugeot will announce the winner of the competition so that the concept can go into development for a 2009 Shanghai Motor Show in China global debut.
And now the most interesting part… The finalists with their concept car designs are presented below. Just vote for the concept car you most like on the official Peugeot site. In a week we will get to know the best 10 finalists.
* * *
Title: SVP
Author: Mickael Soubabère
Location: France
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Title: Module
Author: Cristian Fabio Di Filippo
Location: Argentina
Sometimes, it is necessary for one to refurbish their office(s). It may not necessarily be a main priority but refurbishing can and will create a unique and tasteful image about one’s company. In such circumstances, getting hold of someone who designs artful and elegant pieces of furniture may just do the job. Speaking of elegant pieces of furniture, the best way to create a sophisticated image is to bring a really chic table to their office. Seen here is a RABOBANK Boardroom table designed by the eminent designer Lee J. Rowland. At first look, this table seems to depict the artist’s dream.
