Stylish IonFlow Air Purifier For Clean and Healthy Air

If you suffer from asthma, allergies and respiratory problems then air purifier for you is not a luxury but a necessity. We have earlier told you about Manner Jet, the pollen cleansing booth meant for luxury offices and grand mansions, but then its $15,900 price is something that not everyone can afford. But no compromises with the quality here with this finest IonFlow 50 air purifier from LightAir. The IonFlow 50F Style is shaped by award winning designer Michael Malmborg and it combines efficiency, style and functionality all-in-one.
he air purifier is completely ozone free and it operates silently unlike most of the other air purifiers in the market. Its stylish lamp-like design does not look like an air purifier, in the first place and it perfectly blends with any interiors. The IonFlow 50F delivers the cleanest air in the world by eliminating 99,94% of all harmful airborne pollutants like dust, smoke, pollen and even bacteria and viruses in a room as large as 540 sqf. as proven by the Swedish Government, Ministry of Industry. Besides, its also very easy to maintain with no expensive filters to change and cost you almost nothing in operating costs.
The floor model sells for $395 and the ceiling model sells for just $280. So in case you are not allergic to anything except spending a few hundred dollars on stuff you don’t think you actually need, this is a small price for a clean and healthy environment for you and your family!

Tags: Michael Malmborg, air purifier, LightAir, IonFlow Air Purifier

Elie Bleu Deluxe Che Humidor for Cigar Connoisseurs

Food is preserved through refrigeration and the Cuban cigars through humidors. If you have just joined the cigar revolution and thinking of buying a cigar humidor, the Elie Bleu Deluxe Che Cigar Humidor might be the one you are looking for. Handmade from tinted Sycamore, it won’t just store your cigars but add to the looks of your work table too. Thanks heavens! It’s not colored black or brown. The colorful design is catchy but I am still wondering if it compensates for the stocky price tag of $2,900.

via Luxurylaunches

Tags: cigars, Humidors, Elie Bleu Deluxe Che
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Lustrous Luxe Rocks for the Luxury Homes

This is, what I think, another unique way to add to the lavishness of your luxury home. Designed by Italian designers, these lighted rocks by Oluce will just make your lawn look like something from a distant planet. The Luxe rocks have been crafted from weather-tested polyethelene. These lighted Oluce stones glow with the abet of a screw-in fluorescent bulb. Priced at $316, they can be had by special order only and that too in “large quantities.” What does this mean? I simply have no idea but the Luxe rocks are the ultimate thing for exterior lightscaping.

via LuxuryHomeDigest

Tags: bulbs, Lightscaping, Luxe rocks, luxury homes
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Poseidon 180 Superyacht Costs a Whopping $50 Million

A few days back, we were drooling at the Sabdes concept megayacht and many other luxury travel yachts. Now, we have the Poseidon 180 from Giancarlo Zema Design Group, which is being developed by Bugatti yachts. The 180-foot superyacht touts a military developed Bentley Yachts’ air cavity hull and a pioneering hull design. The luxurious yacht comes fitted with floating decks under a giant glass dome. There are eight staterooms that enrich you with the floor to ceiling panoramic ocean views. The Poseidon 180 is power driven by Bugatti Marine engines that can hit 40 knots. Priced at a whopping $50 million, the Poseidon 180 is merely a design for now.

via SuperYachtTimes

Tags: luxury yachts, Poseidon 180, Bugatti yachts, Hulls
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Diamond Studded Platinum Handbag for Rich Heiresses

GinzaTanaka, the Japanese jewellery maker who is well known for his blinged design sense and who earlier shot to fame with his 24-karat gold horse for the Japan’s newborn prince and gold christmas tree has now designed a Diamond studded handbag for Paris Hilton and the likes! The platinum handbag is studded with 2,182 diamonds totaling 208 carats and it adorns a even more dazzling price tag of $1.63 million. The diamond platinum bag was showcased at a fashion show organized by the designer in Tokyo on 14 June 2007.

via EliteChoice

Tags: GinzaTanaka, Diamond Handbag, platinum handbag, luxurious handbag

Exclusively Handcrafted 14K Gold DOK Set with Diamond

We have had seen a plenty of gaudy USB sticks earlier and the latest in the family is the USB stick pictured above. Ludicrously dubbed “Disk on Key” USB flash drive has been handcrafted out of 14K real gold. It is also festooned with Diamond 3 points (VS quality - very high quality diamond), which lights when the DOK is functioning. The gold DOK comes loaded with a variety of U3 programs and offers capacities of up to 4GB to store your photos, music, and valued data. The DOK is Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified and is compatible with Windows 2000, SP4 and XP. The ornamented flash drive is available for a limited period only and is made on demand. I wish if someone could gift me this $2000 gold stick.

via Luxurylaunches

Tags: DOK, USB, Flash Drives, diamonds
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Bulgari Assioma Tourbillon Multicomplication Squelette

A watch on your wrist is not just a means to check time but it also shows off how rich you are. If you have a passion for lavish designer watches, you really need to check out the Assioma Tourbillon Multicomplication Squelette watch from the house of Bulgari. The overgenerous watch features both a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon. This new Assioma model comes sheathed in platinum case that touts double sapphire crystals. Its tourbillon movement employs the Caliber BVL 416 with 64 hours of power reserve made entirely in house. Only twenty pieces will be put to production with each adorning a price tag of $155,000.

via TimeZone

Tags: Bulgari, Assioma, Tourbillon Multicomplication Squelette, watches
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Bits and Pieces of the Concorde Supersonic Jet Up for Auction

If you have always wished to fly on the Concorde but owing to one or the other reason couldn’t make that, don’t fret! We have good news for you as the spare parts from the crumbed supersonic aircraft will be auctioned off at the Hotel des Ventes Saint-Aubin in Toulouse, France from 28th September to 1st October this year. You can check out the big catalog of the bits and pieces online. You still won’t be able to fly on the fabled jet but if you are a mechanics nerd, an aviation aficionado, or an antique collector, you certainly need to be at the place of the auction. Concorde’s forward landing gear is anticipated to fetch between 1500 and 2500 Euros. Get a pair of Concorde airplane seats and simply transform them into an inimitable piece of furniture for your guest room. Or, you could even adorn your living room with Concorde’s landing gear. That sounds cool. Isn’t it?

via: BlogSciFi

Tags: Concorde, Supersonic Jets, Auction, Spare parts
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Gibbs Tech. Readies High-speed Amphibious Vehicles for the States

UK based Gibbs Technologies, a pioneer in high speed amphibian technology, has plans to bring its high-speed, cool amphibious vehicles to the United States. One of the three companies formed in U.S., the Gibbs Amphibians will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the Aquada that can reach the speeds of 30 mph on water. The door-less Aquada has a powerful four-cylinder, 175-hp V6 engine under its hood. For your info, the design work for the Aquada was started in Detroit in 1997 by a team of over 20 engineers. It was later taken to UK for further development.
While the Aquada is available overseas for a whopping $200,000+, it will reach the States in the first half of next year for under $100,000. The second company, Gibbs Sports Amphibians will sell the Gibbs Quadski, the coolest Jet Ski out there while the Gibbs Military Amphibians will provide amphibious vehicles to the military. Both Quadski and Aquada tout their ability to switch from land-to-water or water-to-land in a mere 5 seconds.

via I4U / PopularMechanics

Tags: Gibbs Technologies, Amphibian technology, Aquada, Quadski
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Lenovo’s ThinkPad Reserve Edition Notebook with 24/7 Tech Support

This ThinkPad Reserve Edition from Lenovo is wrapped-in leather just like the Intel’s Metro notebook and likewise it can remain attached while the laptop is in use. No dual-screen for this one, but this exclusive edition from Lenovo is packed with some great specs including 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and 160GB hard drive. An 80GB external HDD is also included for backups. And, this attractive package comes with a 24-hour dedicated telephone support. Lenovo says it will fly out to you anywhere in the world to fix any problems you might have with the product. Now, isn’t that worth its price of $5,000!

Via CrunchGear

Tags: Lenovo ThinkPad Reserve Edition, leather notebooks, Lenovo notebooks
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Vertu Goes Feminine with New Vertu Pink Diamond Signature Phone

The luxury phone manufacturer Vertu, famous for its high-end mobile phone sets have now introduced the Vertu Pink Diamond Signature which features a full spectrum of pink diamonds as well as clear diamonds set in flower patterns along the side of the phone. The phone is made of rose gold and will be available in limited quantities in certain Vertu stores worldwide.

via Sybarites

Tags: Vertu, Vertu Pink Diamond Signature, diamond phones, luxury phones
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Billiards Table with Built-in TV/DVD Entertains Even the Spectators!

Do you play billiards! Even, if you don’t then too you are going to love everything about this sport once you have laid your eyes on this geekiest billiard table, we have ever seen. Oh..no, it would be sheer injustice to call it just a billiards table when its no less then a multi techno entertainment centre! The ultimate pool table has it all: an LCD TV, stereo with flat paneled speakers, games/DVD player, library rack, night lights for un-interrupted play, ball storage rack and a mirror backed bar to let you enjoy a drink or two to celebrate your victory..perfect!! The “Executive table” adorns a designer price tag of approx. $12,000.

Tags: Executive table, pool table, billiards table, Gaming Table
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Pure Gold Shoes for Your Highness!

After gold brassieres the next into luxury apparel is Pure Gold Shoes designed for the ostentatiously wealthy. This gold pair of shoes is made of up-to-680g pure gold by some Italian designer in Wuhu, Anhui Province under the invitation from World Gold Council. There is no information available on its price.
Thanks, Lee!

Tags: luxury apparel, gold apparel, Pure Gold Shoes

Intel’s Convertible Tablet with Innovative Dock

Ok, so there’s nothing new in using your laptop as your TV but Intel’s 14-inches Montevallo adds twist to the tablet design with its innovative two dock feature which enables you to morph it into a laptop/tablet with one and into an LCD TV complete with built-in speakers with the other.

The convertible hybrid tablet is equipped with a built-in TV tuner card. But, what sucks is why they did not pay any attention to its 14-inch display!

via Gizmodo

Tags: Montevallo, Intel Grad Gift, convertible tablet, hybrid notebook

Lake & Sea Pedal Boat

If you are planning to go boating this weekend then this Lake & Sea Pedal Boat will come handy for your boating session…(only if you don’t mind peddling!). This pedal powered boat seats two, one person pedals while the other passenger simply enjoys the ride. The boat has a quiet, smooth drive system for an effortless sail and it can reach a pedaling speed of 4 m.p.h.

The sailboat-type hull positions the operator down inside the cockpit behind a protective windshield that guards against wind, waves and water sprays and the canopy provides shelter from the sun and rain. The water craft also has a built-in swim platform for diving. The driver’s seat is adjustable, fully padded and has a form fitting recumbent style for added comfort. The boat sells for $3,500 at Hammacher.

Tags: Lake & Sea Pedal Boat, Hammacher Schlemmer, peddle boat
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Diamond Studded Laptop

Not everyone can afford a million dollar PC or a diamond-studded laptop. But, if you are looking for a unique PC case then you can very well settle for an artistic case mod. But, no compromises there on looks, so, how about going with this retro-looking Steampunk monitor from Jake von Slatt. The chime levers installed on the underside of the monitor frame to trigger the monitor controls and the brass arms complete the antique looks.

And, if you want a complete set up then you can match the monitor with the other steampunk computer accessories he has built. Great on looks but otherwise on price..perfect!

via SciFiTech

Tags: Steampunk Monitor, case mod, Jake von Slatt, artistic case mods
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$1 Million Diamond Ice Cream Cone

Unlike the most-expensive ice cream sundae that comes garnished with 23k edible gold this Million Dollar Diamond Ice Cream Cone is not edible! This blinged-out ice-cream from the Bruster’s ice cream company is created in the likeness of its signature waffle cone. Bruster’s masterpiece was created by renowned diamond manufacturer, Lazare Kaplan International Inc., and it consists of nearly 20 troy ounces of 18k white and yellow gold, 548 round diamonds, 87 square emerald cut diamonds, and one breathtaking 5.63 carat Fancy Intense Yellow radiant cut diamond.

The one-of-a-kind piece is being offered for sale for a million dollar and the sale proceeds will go to charity! So, if you have a heart of gold with wealth to match then you might be interested in doing some charity work!

via DiamondVues

Tags: $1 Million Ice Cream Cone, Bruster ice cream, diamond cone, Lazare Kaplan diamonds

NetJets

NetJets, the pioneer and worldwide leader in fractional jet ownership, and Marquis Jet have an exclusive alliance providing Marquis Jet Card Owners access to the award-winning* NetJets fleet and service in 25-hour increments. As a result, Marquis Jet Card Owners are entitled to all of the rights and privileges available to NetJets fractional Owners.

The NetJets program offers more aircraft, more choices, more experience, and the best long-term financials in the fractional aircraft industry. NetJets is the overwhelming choice of Fortune 500 companies. In 1998, after experiencing NetJets ownership for the prior three years, Warren Buffett and his company Berkshire Hathaway purchased NetJets and its parent company, NetJets Inc.

NetJets primary focus is safety and their commitment to offering the best service in aviation is unparalleled anywhere in the world. No one spends more on safety and service than NetJets with the best-trained pilots, uncompromising maintenance standards and more service excellence awards than anyone else in the aviation industry. NetJets selects the best light, midsize and large cabin aircraft from the leading aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing, Cessna, Dassault Falcon, Gulfstream and Raytheon to meet the varying needs of NetJets and Marquis Jet Card Owners.

Whether you are flying for business or quality of life, NetJets offers guaranteed availability. NetJets schedules over 370,000 flights for NetJets and Marquis Jet Card Owners to more than 150 countries**.
**NetJets flights for Marquis Jet Card owners are operated by NetJets® under its FAR Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate.

Seawind 300C

By Land or Sea
The Seawind 300C is a state-of-the art amphibian aircraft designed to outperform any other in its class. The Seawind explores un-chartered territory by combining form and function with its speed, versatility, and range. And it's easy on the eyes with its sleek, contemporary design, making the Seawind 300C an all around smarter amphibian.
A $9,000 deposit will guarantee you a Seawind 300C, scheduled for release in 2008. The deposit will be held in an interest bearing escrow account held by Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust. This entitles you to a demo flight in the certified aircraft, and if for any reason you're not satisfied, your deposit (plus interest) will be returned. But if you are satisfied, you can purchase a Seawind for less than $350,000. Because seaplanes have an international appeal, plans for worldwide service centers are now in the works.

Each Seawind 300C comes equipped with Garmin technologies, and a seamless fiberglass shell. It has the widest cabin in its class with 52 inches of shoulder room in the front seats and 54 inches in the back. The cabin comfortably seats four adults or two adults and three children. The Seawind will use 75 percent of its power at 190 MPH, or 165 knots. Since most pilots generally fly at a power setting between 55 and 65 percent, the unused power can be saved for times when maximum speed is desired.

For a full demonstration of all the Seawind's capabilities, head to the 33rd annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The event, scheduled from Tuesday, April 17 to Monday April 23, 2007, will feature a static aircraft display and daily demonstration flights. There will also be more than 500 commercial exhibits and more than 450 educational forums and hands-on workshops. Don't worry if you can't make it to Florida as this is the first scheduled event this year, with many more to come.

For LxM Christina Stewart

Emirates A340-500

Good "Buy" to Dubai!
Luxury Airlines: Flights on the Emirates A340-500 make even the longest treks pleasurable and comfortable. Emirates designs its planes to be more accommodating for all flyers. With its flights from New York, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Osaka going in to Dubai, the luxury commercial airlines made it a top priority to provide passengers with ample space and comfy seats. The first-class cabin has only a dozen spaces configured to provide customers with maximum privacy. Each seating area is a personal suite that has its own door and, with the push of a button, converts to a full-flat bed. A handheld controller enables guests to order a meal or a movie, and there is a personal mini-bar for drinks. The handheld device also enables a passenger to close the door to the suite and to raise or lower a privacy screen. The "suite-seat" is plush leather with walnut trim and gold accents. There are no overhead storage compartments, which increases roominess. The additional space combined with wider aisles allows passengers to move about the cabin easier. The Airbus A340-500 has an approved passenger capacity of 313. However, Emirates' maximum capacity is only 258, providing more space throughout the plane. The airline has a high staff-to-customer ratio in all three sections. The innovative ICE entertainment system is available to all passengers on personal viewing screens. Information such as local weather, location of restaurants, current events, et cetera, is accessible on screen, and e-mails can be sent or received through it. For entertainment, over 600 choices for entertainment are offered, ranging from movies to programs to music to video games. The Airbus A340-500 is one of the world's longest-range commercial airliners with a flying range of 8,650 nautical miles. Additionally, it is one of the quietest flying passenger planes. The A340-500 is one of the most frequently used aircraft for longer flights. This same aircraft is used for an 18-hour, non-stop flight from Singapore to New York, which is the longest non-stop commercial flight flown. Dubai-based Emirates' flights go to over 80 destinations.

For LxM James Rothaar

Book It with Taxijet.com

Luxury Aircraft Charter Services : Finding the right jet-charter company can be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. There are thousands of firms offering such services these days. Although affordable is definitely an issue, safety and service should be at the forefront of any buying decision. Taxijet.com puts all the pieces together and tailors its flight services around the needs of its clients. Booking a flight is as easy as a five-minute visit to Taxijet.com's Web site. It is a very simple process. Once all the info regarding a flight is received, Taxijet.com submits the flight itinerary to all aircraft companies capable of fulfilling a client's exact specifications. Charter companies respond to such requests by submitting a binding or a non-binding bid. Generally, the bid is non-binding, whereas, the service provider provides a price quote for the flight. However, the requester must directly contact the service provider to officially seal the deal. Taxijet.com provides all pertinent info regarding bidding service providers to enable the purchaser to make an informed decision. Once an agreement is in place, all communications is done between the client and service provider. Bids presented to clients also include links to third-party audit services, such as the Aviation Research Group (ARG/US), the Flight Safety Foundation, or the Wyvern Aviation Safety Intelligence Group. As of March 2007, the luxury air-chartering agency currently has 86 air-chartering companies at its disposal. Taxijet.com's goal is to recruit more than 500 FAA-certified air carriers by 2008. Visit JustLuxé's Jet Charter Companies and Services classified section to view additional jet-chartering companies and related services.

For LxM James Rothaar

Eos Airlines

A Goddess of the Sky Returns!
Eos Airlines is a commercial airline that is offering luxury-business flights from NYC to London in a manner that rivals the service meted out by private chartering services. It may be syncretism at its finest. From a limousine shuttle to curbside check-in service, Eos is focused on pampering its patrons luxuriantly. But the über alles level of posh really kicks into overdrive upon boarding one of Eos' 757 aircrafts. From this point forward, it is all in the numbers and how those sum to a sumptuous transatlantic trip. Most commercially used 757 aircrafts seat 220 passengers, whereas Eos' entire seating capacity is only 48. This results in 21 square feet of room per seat. Each passenger's area includes a 78-inch lie flat bed and a leather headrest. Each area also includes two retractable tables, lumbar pillows, a power outlet, a guest seat and a high surrounding wall for ultimate privacy. There is sufficient room to relax, work, dine or sleep. Additionally, a five-course gourmet meal is served on all flights. Frequent business flyers are encouraged to join Club 48, which is an awards package that gives flyers $150 of redeemable gifts per roundtrip. The airline that is named after the Greek goddess of dawn, Eos, is elevating luxury-business flights to unparalleled heights.

For LxM James Rothaar

The Luxury Institute

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and objective research institution that focuses solely on the top 10 percent of America’s wealthy. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research that guide and educate high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, wealthy consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. Publications include the monthly Wealth Report, the Luxury Brand Status Index surveys, the Luxury Best Practices surveys and the Luxury Consumer Experience Index surveys.

The proprietary research is based exclusively on responses from wealthy consumers as to their needs, wants, opinions and expectations. They also conduct secondary research from only the most respected and reliable sources. As a result of our single-minded focus and meticulous approach to consumer research, they are the sole objective and independent voice of the wealthy American consumer. Find out more about Our CEO.

Louis Vuitton’s Plasma Screen Staircase Plays Technicolor Tricks

Store designs certainly play a big role in attracting the eyes of the customers. Louis Vuitton, in its effort to use conceptual architecture to festoon each of its stores with new innovative looks, has opened a new Vuitton store on Rome’s Via Condotti lately. The front of the store touts a plasma screen staircase that plays technicolor ploys on the eye. The inimitable stairs can convert themselves into gushing water, trailing vines, or a classic Louis Vuitton trunk. Isn’t that interesting? Tourists visiting the unique store are simply mesmerized by the technicolor tricks of the plasma screen staircase. The concept for the store design has been penned down by architect Peter Marino.

Via: EternallyCool

Tags: Louis Vuitton, Stores, design, Rome’s Via Condotti
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Elite

We are a Part 135 Air Carrier (Certificate X5EA177Y) and have a full FAA Part 145 Repair Station (Certificate X5ER177Y) under our sister company, Elite Turbine Maintenance. Elite has an administrative facility, owns several hangars totaling over 150,000 sq feet---all of which are located conveniently at Addison Airport. Our Charter division operates 24/7, 365 days a year for the convenience of our clientele and maintenance is available anytime Monday-Friday and on call thereafter. On a daily basis, we work with prominent individuals and companies, some being our own aircraft management clients, some in charter; all of which we have established close business relationships with. In addition, we are a Part 135 ARG/US rated Gold air carrier. Being a member of this organization means we meet and exceed all aviation research safety requirements and are current with aircraft and flight crew data. Our staff has decades of aviation experience in aviation management, maintenance and charter. Our office location in Addison, Texas has a state of the art operations facility that includes flat screen flight and weather tracking panels, pilot break rooms, a reception lobby and around the clock dispatching. Our maintenance facility also located on site includes a full repair shop to handle any and every aircraft need such as: parts, modifications, refurbishment, repair & overhaul, cabin a/v equipment, avionics, and much more.

For more informationplease contact us at

Phone: 972-735-8247

E-mail: elitecharter@aviationservices.com

4502 Claire ChennaultAddison, TX 75001US

www.myelitejet.com

Bling's the thing

The bygone era of utterly beautiful hotel restaurants has made a comeback, writes Elizabeth Meryment

THERE was a time, not long ago, when to eat in a hotel restaurant was akin to suffering a social death. Nobody, but nobody, would choose to dine in the boring dining room of some faded brand-name hotel. All the best eating places were in trendy hot spots away from the CBD locations of big hotels.

Then hoteliers began realising they had been left behind in the gourmet stakes and started doing something about it. One of the first to receive a shake-up was London's grand dowager of hotels, Claridge's, which installed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to head its restaurant. The coup worked and the restaurant became one of the city's best.

The trend has finally caught on here and now Australian hotels are locked in a race to see who can offer the most sumptuous dining room, best chefs and most innovative menus. For travellers, it means luxe nights of dining, without venturing much further than the elevator.
Here are some of Australia's most luxurious restaurants, all within the distinguished walls of fine hotels.

Vanitas, Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast: Located snugly beside the lagoon-like swimming pool of Australia's only six-star hotel, Vanitas boasts Australia's plushest dining room. Expect gilt-edged mirrors, velvet furniture, domed serving dishes and Versace china.http://www.palazzoversace.com/

Glass, Hilton Sydney: When the tired Hilton received its megabucks renovation last year, management did not fail to revamp the hotel's menus, installing celebrity chef Luke Mangan in the kitchen of the keynote restaurant, Glass. The lofty ceilings and plush furnishings have to be seen to be believed. http://www.glassbrasserie.com.au/

The Grange, Hilton Adelaide: Cheong Liew was Australia's hotel restaurant trendsetter, taking over the Grange at a time when hotel dining was at its most unfashionable. A pioneer of nouvelle Australian cuisine, Liew is one of our most lauded chefs and continues to maintain premium standards in an elegant setting. http://www.hilton.com/

Absynthe, Q1, Gold Coast: French chef Meyjitte Boughenout has brought cuisine class to the super-tall Q1 hotel and residential complex at Surfers Paradise. His food is both weird and wonderful and plenty of money has been spent on the glossy, very "GC" fitout. http://www.absynthe.com.au/

Koko, Crown Towers, Melbourne: Crown will this year update its eatery options with a Neil Perry grill, but for the moment Koko is a worthy dining parlour to the stars. Chef Allan Koh's Japanese creations match the sumptuous design, watery gardens and Yarra River views.http://www.kokoatcrown.com.au/

Lake House, Daylesford, Victoria: Consistently voted one of Australia's best regional restaurants, the Lake House is beautifully plush dining by the water, with deluxe accommodation. http://www.lakehouse.com.au/

Altitude, Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney: Newly installed British chef Michael Kean has already made his name at the five-star Dorchester Hotel in London and is now revamping Altitude's mod Oz menu. Situated on the hotel's top floor, Altitude is one of Sydney's most glamorous locales with a spectacular view. http://www.altitudesydney.com.au/

The concept of luxury

The concept of luxury is undergoing a huge transformation as a response to the ever-changing world around us. Over the last few years, as a result of the on-going economy boom and increased awareness, we have seen an explosion of luxury goods. The luxury segment has been divided into an uber premium trend and a more enlarged trend. The enlarged luxury trend is about products and services that a lot of people at least in theory could afford. Image climbing H&M will launch an upgraded collection this spring called Collection of Style. Even if it maybe doesn’t reach all the way to the luxury segment it is definitely a sign of our time! The uber premium luxury trend on the other hand consists of product and service offerings with super expensive prices. Products like the worlds most expensive computer mouse from Fabstuff, Malmasion flatware by Christofle with handles trimmed with diamonds, Clive Christian’s Imperial Majesty perfume or a clock from Zadora Timepiece are good examples of the trend. Quite unnecessary products for very few people at the very top of the Maslow’s pyramid. If we are talking about living an uber premium luxury life then Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands (among a lot of other island projects going on) in the Gulf region is the place to be.If you are obsessed with luxury products you can try out samples by entering exclusive communities like Fractional life or Limited Edition. Through renting they offer you to fly a private jet, drive a Rolls-Royce or swing around a limited edition bag from Gadino. The same goes with services. Today people pay a lot of money for door-to-door luggage delivery services like Flylite. Flylite even packs your clothes and dry-clean them if necessary. Other people dream of a membership in Quintessentially, world’s leading private members’ club with an irresistible package of offers, privileges and bespoke services. Another private members club called Casa Casuarina, situated in Gianni Versace’s former residence in Miami, has a membership price tag equal to a years salary for an average American.There are fairs as well that concentrates on uber premium luxury. Millionaire fair sticks out as world’s leading luxury fair and it is a glamorous spectacle with branches in Moscow, Amsterdam, Shangai and Kortrijk.

One of the Most Expensive Homes In The World

$135 millionHala RanchAspen, Colo.The Starwood Ranch estate boasts a 56,000-square-foot mansion with 15 bedrooms and 16 baths.

Volkswagen New Beetle Turbo S

Overview The Volkswagen New Beetle Turbo S is a terrible car for hauling sheets of plywood back from Home Depot or taking a family of five and their gear on a cross-country camping trip. Of course the same could be said of a Mazda Miata, Porsche Boxster, Corvette or dozens of other cars that have a high fun quotient and little practicality. The Turbo S, in contrast, is high on fun but also has its practical attributes. At 3,005 pounds, the Beetle Turbo S is a solid little bugger--one that comes well equipped for $23,400 (that's before a $550 destination charge). This sticker represents a 47% premium over the $15,900 lowest-priced New Beetle, the GL, which comes with a 115-horsepower motor. Even the affordable GL, like all new Beetles, comes with a long list of standard features--but Wolfsburg's carmeisters packed extra treats into the Turbo S.

HIGHS:
Better interior than American cars costing twice as much; smooth and powerful 180-hp turbo four engine; solid German engineering.

LOWS:
Form is favored over function; steering wheel height adjuster has limited range; wind deflector needs a kill switch that really kills .

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The best feature of the Turbo S: its 180-horsepower four-cylinder engine. This silky power plant, which gets a boost of 10.5 pounds per square inch from an intercooled turbocharger, is shoehorned into the Beetle's front end and is attached to an equally righteous six-speed manual transmission that has final drives in both fifth and sixth gears. This combination propels the Turbo S to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds and to a top speed (computer-controlled) of 130 mph. The long feature set on the Turbo S includes four-wheel disc anti-lock brakes, a power glass sunroof, two-tone leather seats (heated up front), heated side mirrors, heated windshield washers, an eight-speaker Monsoon stereo/cassette player, an automatic air deflector and Volkswagen's electronic stability program (ESP). The only option is a dealer-installed trunk-mounted, six-disc CD changer, which runs about $350. On the outside, VW distinguishes the Turbo S--which like all new Beetles is built in Puebla, Mexico--with revised front and rear fascia, including a front spoiler and fog lights and a dual exhaust. The Turbo S sits on 17-inch alloy wheels and fat low 45-series tires. For 2002, Volkswagen fiddled with its warranty program. The good news: The new car warranty--which covers pretty much everything on or inside the car--is extended to four years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first). And VW's 24-hour roadside assistance program has been expanded to four years or 50,000 miles. The tradeoff: The ten-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty has been cut back to five years/60,000 miles. Great. But the point of the S wasn't supposed to be about the warranty but about the way the car delivers more performance than the housewife (base) edition. Not bashing housewives here, but they, as well as singles and empty nesters, now seem to be the primary target for the New Beetle and its sagging sales. So is the S enough to lift the image of the soft Beetle?

Goldmund’s $300,000 Turntable is World’s Most Expensive Turntable

You must be a die-hard music enthusiast and of course immensely wealthy to buy million dollar speakers or $300,000 turntable! The high-end audio is getting more and more expensive. We have recently told you about the Top-10 luxurious speakers and now its back to age-old turntables but not like you knew, for even the turntables are getting pricier with $19,000 ClearAudio Master Reference Turntable or the latest $19,000 TEAC’s VPI HR-X1 turntable, but the most expensive, we knew was this $150,000, quarter-ton turntable “Transrotor Artus” from the German company Transrotor. But, GadgetLab has an update and this time it’s undeniably the most expensive one from Goldmund’s titled “The Reference II,” that carries a price tag of $300,000. A very limited series of 25 Reference II turntables, it features a degree of refinement and a number of new features never seen before.

The turntable features a 20kg platter machined to a hundreth of a millimeter, a motor vibration-shielded by 15kg of brass, and teflon-insulated signal-carring electronics. It is also packed with loads of features including cog-free motor with lowest electrical and mechanical noise, liquid-nitrogen-rectified belt, touch controls integrated in the tabletop specially designed new Goldmund T8 straight-line tone arm with total weight of 7 kg to name a few.
Limited editions of 25 units are sold on subscription with a maximum production of 5 units per year.

Tags: Turntables, 000 Turntable, 300, most expensive turntable
Related Entries:$19,000 TEAC’s VPI HR-X1 Turntable ...Linn’s $2,800 flagship Sondek LP12 turntable ...World’s Most Expensive $150,000 Turntable ...

Damien Hirst Unveils $98M Diamond Skull ‘For the Love of God’

There is art in smoke and even in those filthy granules of the soil you never pay heed to; however, you need to have the eyes of the bad boy Damien Hirst to perceive the glitter. Yes, he’s back again with his most daring effort yet showcasing his intrinsic beauty in the shape of a $98M diamond skull named ‘For the Love of God’.

The latest piece is Damien’s most expensive diamond encrusted skull decked with 8,601 sparkling diamonds (worth £12 million), eye and nose sockets filled with hundreds of jewels and a 52-carat pear-shaped stone fixed on the forehead, which is further bordered with 14 diamonds. Critics may view it with a slant eye, as usual, however, we know the artist doesn’t need to prove his hunger for the extraordinary yet awe-inspiring art.

Currently displayed in the White Cube gallery in East London, the breathtaking skull, as Hirst says, is ‘a celebration against death’ and is a platinum replica of a human skull he introduced a couple of years back.
Image Curtsey: Whitecube

Via: CNN

Tags: For the Love of God, $98M diamond skull, Damien Hirst