Monthly Archives: November 2008

Christophe Pillet Designs Louis XIII Cognac Set

French designer Christophe Pillet has designed a contemporary set to accompany Remy Martin’s top class cognac Louis XIII. This collaboration is, according to Remy Martin, a way to pay homage to the heritage and artistry of the high-quality cognac.

Pillet is well known as a furniture designer and has worked with Philippe Starck and brands like Zanotta, Cappellini, Tacchini and Pallucco.
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Traum Heirloom Safe

Are you looking for a stylish, high-security safe to store your million dollar phones and other expensive belongings? Priced at a whopping $180,000, the Traum Heirloom Safe is a work of art in itself.

The safe boasts Swiss bank security and strong Relastan armoring that makes this safe stronger than the usual bank vaults.

Easy to operate patented digital dual electronic locking system offers the highest security available. Interior lighting and pull-out drawers can be customized to match your storage needs. Customization available and can be built to your specifications. No detail is overlooked, from exterior lacquer finish to the placement of the lock.

Moreover, the Traum Heirloom can be connected to your existing security system. I think the Traum Heirloom Safe is worth more than what you can put in it : )

karl

Karl Lagerfeld Does Le Petit Larousse 2009

Larousse 2009 Lagerfeld

The latest designer invited to design the cover of the holiday edition of France’s ‘Le Petit Larousse Illustre’ (an illustrated dictionary) is none other than Karl Lagerfeld.

The French reference book consists of a dictionary featuring common words and encyclopedia featuring proper nouns.

The limited edition book is covered in matte black featuring a corner illustration by Lagerfeld of the famous Larousse “Semeuse,” or “Seed-Scatterer,” blowing a puff of dandelion seeds in her birthday suit and a pair of blue, elbow-length gloves.”
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Dunhill’s Pave Black Diamond USB key

Other than the limited edition $10K Mechanical Alligator Belt, Dunhill’s Christmas gifts collection has one more offering that would appeal to the style conscious geeks : the Pave Black Diamond USB key is a perfect example of combination of decadent luxury and quotidian functionality.

Boasting an impressive storage of 8GB, this piece of equipment will make that perfect first and lasting impression in any presentation.

With a base of oxidised sterling silver and embellished with 272 black diamonds – each 3 carat – it has discreet Alfred Dunhill branding on the reverse and obvious Dunhill luxury throughout.
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St. Regis penthouse on sale for $70 million

Real estate mogul Victor MacFarlane has placed his huge St. Regis penthouse on the sales block for $70 million, a figure that would obliterate the previous record price tag for a San Francisco residence.

Commandingly sited atop the highest floors of the Five-Star St. Regis Hotel & Residences in San Francisco, this one-of-a-kind, palatial penthouse features over 20,000 expansive square feet, including 2,900 square feet of terraces – one of the largest personal residences in all of San Francisco.

The property also features 2,900 square feet of terraces with 360-degree views of many San Francisco landmarks. Glass walls also offer plenty of light and the foyer has a winding staircase and two-story waterfall.

There are six bedrooms, seven baths, four powder rooms, four fireplaces, two offices, a wine storage room, a gym with a sauna and steam room and a 13-seat cinema. It is definitely one of the most striking apartments in the country.

The asking price for the completed condo works out to $3,500 for each of the roughly 20,000 square feet. MacFarlane bought the property, originally three unfinished units on the top two floors, for about $30 million in late 2005.

The question remains, however, whether anyone will be willing to pay that much for one now.

(The Ohio-born MacFarlane is the chief executive officer of MacFarlane Partners, a San Francisco real estate investment firm with $11 billion under management. He has been managing money for the California Public Employees Retirement System since the early 1990s.)

Louis Vuitton Chooses Madonna For Spring Ad Campaign

Madonna has signed a deal worth $10m to become the face of Louis Vuitton’s 2009 spring/summer ad campaign.

She was photographed in Café Figaro from Los Angeles – Cafe Figaro is located off Vermont and Sunset for all you L.A. based readers – by Steven Meisel, styled by Marie Amelie Sauve (working as a fashion editor for Vogue Paris and as a consultant for Balenciaga) and Garren (for the hair)

The ads are expected to be racy as Meisel was the photographer behind the images for Madonna’s notorious 1992 book ‘Sex’, which was released as an accompaniment to her fifth studio album Erotica.

Madonna is no stranger to ad campaigns having previously starred in ads for Gap, H&M, Versace and Max Factor.

Last month the original James Bond, Sean Connery, was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton’s Core Values ad campaign. Connery was shot lounging around in the Bahamas.

New Nokia Concept

Nokia concept phones come and go all the time and the new phone doesn’t have a name yet, but it surely has a distinctive design.

Mobile phones are getting so thin, they are almost ignoring every rule of handheld ergonomics. the The Finnish designer Heikki Juvonen has therefore decided to backtrack and redesign a futuristic mobile complete with all modern accoutrements but with realistic ergonomics in mind.

Placing the heavy components on the bottom part of the phone, and leaving the top part of the phone very light with only a thin display ensures good usability. The unique profile shape also helps it sit better in the hand providing multiple surface areas to grip…

There are no features listed for this Nokia, but its creator says it should come with a fingerprint scanner, in order to “allow actions for each fingertip”.

You can view more of Heikki Juvonen’s designs on his website, at this PDF link.

Hublot All Black Skis By Zai

Geneva based luxury watchmaker Hublot has now teamed up with Swiss manufacturer Zai, based in the village Disentis in Graubünden canton Switzerland, for an exclusive ski called the “Hublot All Black.”

The Hublot All Black takes inspiration from two concepts that made the “Big Bang” collection a true success story – the black tone on tone and the merger of contents.

The Hublot All Black skis are made of carbon fiber, Triax fiberglass, steel, Gneiss (a stone found only in Graubünden) and has a Nano-Highspeed race coating. The surface of the ski is coated with a rubber bracelet to resemble the chronograph.

Only 111 numbers pairs have been put into production, and they will be available exclusively through Hublot and Zai outlets. Source Bornrich

Bespoke Vuitton iPod Trunk

Karl Lagerfeld is famous for his hundreds of iPods and he’s even designed a Fendi trunk specifically for the storage of multiple iPods. For his personal storage needs, however, he commisioned a bespoke trunk from Louis Vuitton .

Made of black Taiga leather with brass fittings and a red microfiber interior, it contains an interior case which holds 20 iPods and a power charger. There are compartments for JBL iPod speakers and subwoofer, and Lagerfeld’s initials are stamped in red near the handle.

Vuitton can actually create a trunk for anything that you wish to carry around : The process of creating a bespoke case like this can take four to eight months and costs tens of thousands of dollars. If they don’t like your request, they will modify the idea and make a suggestion – their polite version of refusal. Now why would anyone want space to carry around 20 iPods is anyone’s guess : )

BMW designs coffee machine for Saeco

BMW Group DesignworksUSA, an international design studio and subsidiary of BMW Group, announced yesterday that it has developed a new coffee machine for Saeco called Xsmall.

The BMW Saeco Xsmall is the smallest model in the company’s portfolio and comes with a two-color combination of the machines with a strong color contrast.

The operating elements of the BMW Saeco Xsmall are decoratively placed at the focal point of the typical, half-closed colored casing, crowning the 360-degree surface design.

The design of the BMW Saeco Xsmall has been developed for the Xsmall stands for emotion, passion and quality.

source : zercustoms

Luxury Faucets with Crystal Glass Handles from Joerger

The perfect complement: sparkling water and crystal. The two elements meet in these gorgeous washbasin 3-hole mixer faucets with Crystal Glass handles from Joerger.

Shown here are two styles of handles; an angular, geometric shape known as the Empire Royal and a round shape with many facets called Florale. They are sure to make a statement of luxury and refinement in your bathroom ! (more pictures on Trendir)

AsiaSpa Awards – And the winners are…

Thailand picked up the largest number of awards at the glamorous AsiaSpa Awards Ceremony, which was held last week in The Salon of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.

The awards, organised by AsiaSpa magazine and now in their fourth year, celebrate the best spas in terms of innovation and quality, and are voted on by 29 independent judges.

More than 400 industry VIPs attended the black and bling themed event.

“We are very proud to support the best businesses in the industry and to give them the recognition they deserve,” said Olivier Burlot, Managing Director of Blu Inc Media.


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Egg shaped beds by lomme

Lichtenstein design brand Cycle 13 launched this futuristic cocoon-like egg bed called ‘Lomme’ (abbreviation of « Light Over Matter Mind Evolution »). his naturally shaped shell combines state-of-the-art sleep enhancement technologies with a classic organic shape – the egg.

Prior to the development of the LOMME egg-bed, a 2 year study into sleeping habits and therapies for the treatment of sleeping problems has been conducted. This bed is supposed to offer an environment which enhances all the senses – forming a place to rejuvenate, relax, meditate and of course, sleep.

The Lomme has a number of enhancements that encourage lingering, including light and sound therapy for blocking out external distractions and a muscle-relaxing system. You can hook up your iPod to the sound system so you can chill in your egg to your own tunes, and there are storage compartments, too.

Perfect isn’t it? This unique egg shaped creation helped Lomme win the coveted Red Dot Award for Product Design in June. The price is supposedly at around EUR 42′000 ($53,000).

The Liechtenstein based Lomme team (Agnieszka Bernacka, Andreas Batliner and Günther Thöny) are now working on a range of equally bold concepts, which will be launched beginning of the next year.

Limited Edition Macallan Fine Oak 21

The Macallan is one of the world’s most awarded and admired Single Malts. The Macallan Sherry Oak is exclusively matured in selected sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain resulting in satisfyingly complex Single Malt characterized by its rich color and hints of dried fruit and spice. The Macallan Fine Oak is matured in a unique combination of bourbon and sherry oak casks delivering a particularly smooth, delicate yet complex Single Malt

ForScotchLovers.com
has commissioned Inner Light Crystal to produce a limited edition of exactly twenty-one engraved bottles of Macallan Fine Oak 21 years old whisky. Each bottle is signed by the artists and individually numbered and will be accompanied by a pair of CelticMalts Spirits Glasses, engraved with wonderful quotes, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the artists.

The bottles are offered at $2,500 a piece. If you are one of the only 21 owners of this rare and beautiful bottle, remember you can refill the bottle later as needed : )

Diamond Studded Key for your Lamborghini

While most of the automotive companies are focused on the crisis the auto industry is facing today, Amosu Luxury is into something new for those who really love luxury at its best no matter what.

This luxury customization company, known for customizing such items as cellular phones, cameras, and phone and ipod cases and incorporating them with diamonds and gold, has shifted its focus to doing such customization to the Lamborghini key fob.

Amosu decorated it with 183 little diamonds for a total of 2.02 carats, focused on detailing the Lamborghini logo. The diamond-studded key is priced at £7,000 (approximately $10,500). Just play with it in your hands and see how every body begins to see green !

Other than Lamborghini, Amosu Luxury has also produced similar items for Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Bentley.

Enjoy The Feeling Of Weightlessness For $3,900

Europe plans to enter the fledgling space tourism market by offering a chance to experience weightlessness to help pay for scientific research.

Novespace, a unit of France’s CNES space agency claims to be leading the field in scientific deployment with a converted Airbus A300 jetliner. With Europe’s space ambitions facing a budget squeeze due to the weak economy, the plan to mix science with adventure was unveiled in a “zero G” flight for European space agency chiefs on a converted Airbus jet.

Passengers feel twice their normal weight during the steep climb and descent but experience 22 seconds of weightlessness along the crest of the arc when engine power is sharply reduced.

The Novespace ticket sales would not aim to make a profit but would help sponsor research carried on board. The price tag would be 3,000 euros ($3,900) for 30 parabolas or 22-second bursts of weightlessness – 11 minutes in all.

Trips like these are pretty affordable and cost a fraction of the $30-35 million paid by wealthy individuals for the ultimate ride into orbit. But the only difference with weightlessness as felt in space is the time spent afloat !

Source : Reuters

TOP 10 – Futuristic Concept Laptop Designs

Compiled below is an edited list – originally made by Listphobia – of the most futuristic concept laptop designs, some of which have won achievement awards while the rest are just too cool to know about.

1. Canova Dual Screen Laptop

Canova Dual Screen Laptop possesses two screens, a multi sensitive touch screen and is very easy to use. Not only can it be used to handle your daily computing tasks but it also lets you read articles on your laptop in the old-school newspaper fashion.

2. Vaio Zoom

The Vaio Zoom notebook takes everything we know about holographic technology and squeezes it inside a thin glass form factor. When off, the screen is completely transparent and the keyboard goes opaque. Turn it on and the touchscreen holographic festivities begin. Even the mouse buttons are holographic!

3. DesCom

Sung-kyu Nam’s DesCom laptop integrates into the desktop surface. And what do you have to do once the laptop is dead or should be repaired?

4. MacTab


Being portable, MacTab is the complement to MyBook in the high-end. The thin wireless keyboard is used as a protection cover for transportation. On the back of the computer a hinge allows it to be put in a vertical position so you can use it on your desk.

5. LG Ecological Laptop Concept


LG introduced e-Book, an ecological laptop concept that uses fuel cell batteries and features organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology. This concept notebook received a Red Dot Award nomination for “Best Concept Design”.

6. Compenion Laptop Concept

Felix Schmidberger’s Compenion laptop has a OLED touch screen. The computer itself has an OLED touchscreen, where you can directly work on, much like with a umpc or pda.

The whole screen is a slider, as it can be moved forward to reveal a second OLED touchscreen underneath, where you can have a keyboard or working controls, similar to a setup with 2 monitors.

7. Samsung Amoled Concept

AMOLED concept notebook by Samsung features a unique design which is thin and sleek and a touch-sensitive keyboard which lacks tactile feedback.

8. Satellite Navigation Laptop

Satellite Navigation Laptop is Nikita Golovlev’s concept for travelers. Using an e-ink display, the ‘Traveller’ is a GPS enabled navigation system for pedestrians. The design incorporates an internal drive for storing any photos you take along the way and will tag the with GPS data, so you know just where you took them.

9. Canvas Laptop Concept

Canvas is a futuristic concept laptop that is supposed to provide a better quality for the designer and also its said that it will raise the productive rate of the artist. It will feature a very thin touchscreen and the other components will look just about the same but they will be better adjusted.

10. Macbook 0801

MacBook 0801 is a laptop concept by Isamu Sanada. The keyboard is transparent and ultra-thin.

and a #11 ^_^

11. Music Stand Laptop

Music Stand Laptop
Use the pedal to turn digital sheet music or just touch the screen. It also throws in some computer functions by allowing on the fly scoring, note taking, and collaborative writing. When you need a real computer, a keyboard slides out from underneath the screen and use the foot pedal as a stereo to enjoy the music you just played. Designed by Sungho Lee.