Garden

A Secret Garden (and Luxury Residences) in Chelsea

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) — Oct 16th 2008 at 12:02PM

The homes at Chelsea Enclave are finally for sale.

Chelsea Enclave is a spectacular haven in the heart of historic Chelsea, NYC, hidden between 20th and 21st Streets. The brand new new building's garden, The Close, expands to the west of 9th Avenue. The Close features wrought iron benches, stone footpaths, crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and wisteria, and as you can see above, the effect is a serene escape from the surrounding bustle of the city that never sleeps.

Chelsea Enclave, developed by The Brodsky Organization, has 1-4 bedroom residences (including 9 penthouses) from $1.4 to $12 million. The still-available $6.2 million penthouse has 4 bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom, a powder room, a breakfast room, and a dining alcove totaling 3,176 square feet with views of the North, South, and West.

See our gallery below for a look inside these most-wanted living spaces.

Gallery: Chelsea Enclave

Tags: chelsea, new york, new york city, NewYork, ny, nyc

Baller Toys: "Nothing is Too Extravagant"

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) — Sep 20th 2008 at 11:02AM

Climatech 1001 Climate Controlled Cabinet Humidor, $4,695.00

Baller Toys is a new website designed to bring you the very best in glamorous home entertainment--and we're not talking TVs and stereos!

Above is the Climatech 1001 Climate Controlled Cabinet Humidor. At $4,695.00, it is the least expensive of the four humidors available from Baller Toys.

Some exclusive items from the luxury website include:

Mars Made and MartinBauer custom billiards tables ($35,000-$100,000)

Teckell crystal foosball tables ($7,500-$10,000, other designer foosball tables up to $27,000)

The International Dance Party, one-of-a-kind party machine ($67,000)

VirtualGT Racing Simulators ($18,995+)

Keep an eye on Baller Toys for great things now and in the future. We love their motto: "Nothing is too extravagant."

Tags: baller, baller toys, billiards, cigars, foosball, humidor, online shopping, OnlineShopping, pool, pool table, toys, virtual racing

Baumraum, Luxury Living in the Treetops

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — Aug 28th 2008 at 4:02PM

I never had a tree house as a kid and although I can't say I ever really felt deprived I wouldn't mind using that fact as an excuse to indulge myself in adulthood! These tree houses by Baumraum out of Germany are absolutely gorgeous, not to mention much larger and more luxurious than what the average 10 year old gets. They build custom tree houses all over the world, although mostly in Europe, and the designs vary from houses built up just a few feet off the ground to designs like this one way up in the tree tops (wonderful to look at but is it really secure balancing up there like that???).

Via Wists

Gallery: Baumraum Treehouses

Tags: baumraum, house, houses, tree, tree house, tree houses, TreeHouse, TreeHouses, trees

Urban Nature's Limited Edition Precious Metal Planters

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) — Aug 12th 2008 at 12:02PM

Urban Nature, a Los Angeles-based design firm that specializes in sleek-yet-simple modern planters, now introduces a line of limited edition vessels crafted by local artisans from titanium and platinum. Planters include an avant-garde exotic plant arrangement that is personally couriered to its destination. The company also offers custom designs in addition to on-site consults and maintenance. Reminiscent of Architectural Pottery's vintage Cal-modern pieces, Urban Nature's collection seems to do exactly what its name implies: create a corner of life in an otherwise sterile urban landscape.

Titanium planters start at $50,000, while the platinum version will cost $250,000 and up, making these precious metals indeed. Shown above is Urban Nature's Minimalist Bowl, which retails at a more reasonable $1,395. Though I think you'll want a pair.

Tags: custom arrangements, CustomArrangements, modern planters, ModernPlanters, planters, platinum, precious metals, PreciousMetals, titanium, urban nature, UrbanNature

The World's Most Luxurious Private Landscapes

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — May 18th 2008 at 8:02AM

The lush oases pictured in Luxury Private Gardens, the newest title in teNeues' brilliant Luxury Books series, veer between the pleasantly inspirational and oppressively beautiful. In other words, while looking at it made us want to rush outside and start planting things, it also made us despair of ever creating anything one tenth as attractive as the private paradises portrayed between its covers. Much better, we feel, to simply sit back, mix a drink, read the damned book and let someone else do the digging, pruning, weeding and whatnot. But we digress.

Even the most lavish gardens in these pages displaying "the highest standards of horticultural excellence" are founded on simplicity, the book assures us: "Stripped down to their bare essentials, they are like a well-cut couturier's gown - nothing but an utterly simple response to the unadorned landscape or the naked human body they are designed to fit." The incredible Villa d'Este in Lake Como, Italy (where part of Casino Royale was filmed) pictured on the cover, with its elegant, elaborate parterres doesn't exactly scream simplicity to us, but we could stare at it all day. See the gallery for a luxe garden tour.

Gallery: Luxury Private Gardens

Villa Libellule, Terres Basses, St. Martin.

Villa d'Este, Gernobbio, Lake Como, Italy.

Tags: Casino Royale, CasinoRoyale, Gardening, Gardens, Horticulture, Italy, Lake Como, LakeComo, Landscaping, teNeues, Villa dEste, VillaDeste

The Perfect Gift for the Grilling Guy

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) — Apr 30th 2008 at 3:04PM

Knowing that I'm on the lookout for luxury items, my friend Cliff told me that I just had to look at Frontgate. So I did! Now that al fresco dining season is here, I decided to peruse Frontgate's grill offerings and came upon this 405-lb. beauty: the Barbeque Grill Island, made with O.W. Lee craftmanship. The wrought iron body has a black suede finish, the feet are cast iron and ceramic briquettes are included. The cooking-related facts:

50,000 BTU and a "Sure Start" electronic ignition
540-inch square grilling area, 200-inch square warming rack
Rojo honed marble countertop with 1,300+ square inches of space
Stainless steel cooking grid and rock grate
Stainless steel barbeque grill w/a 14,000 BTU rotisserie w/motor
Storage cabinet for ingredients or tools
Available in natural gas or propane

Start saving now ($6,667) for the winter gift-giving season, and order early -- shipping takes 8-9 weeks, and the grill is only available online. You might be a little late for Father's Day, but if your grilling guy has a late summer birthday, you might get one in time.

Tags: barbecue, barbeque, bbq, deck, frontgate, grill, grilling, natural gas, NaturalGas, propane, yard

"Moment of Luxury" on PBS, with Bill Stubbs

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) — Apr 28th 2008 at 11:00AM

William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?

Tags: Bill Stubbs, BillStubbs, interior design, InteriorDesign, pbs, television, travel, tv

Free Shipping on Smith & Hawken Premium Teak Chaises

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) — Apr 27th 2008 at 3:02PM

Garden and outdoor company Smith & Hawken is offering, for a limited time, free shipping on its premium teak chaise collection when you order online. That's a savings of 11% of the final price of the item plus an additional savings of $50 per item for the chaises in this collection. This means you can buy an additional piece so the family's not fighting over who gets the teak chaise by the pool. The more you spend, the more you save!

I like the Saranac Chaise. Designed by Frederic Spector, it's fitted with a four-position backrest and three-way under-knee support. Wheels make it easy to move from lawn to poolside, and a pull-out tray holds snacks, beverages or reading material. Ecologically farmed teak will withstand rain, snow and sun. Assembly required; $1,499.

Check out the gallery below for the other Smith & Hawken teak chaises that qualify for the free shipping offer.

Thanks, GP, for this tip.

Gallery: Free Shipping on Smith & Hawken Premium Teak Chaises

Tags: chaises, deck furniture, DeckFurniture, pool, Pool furniture, PoolFurniture, Smith Hawken, SmithHawken, teak

Indoor Living Wall Planter

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) — Apr 11th 2008 at 11:02AM

Apparently these stylish indoor wall planters are all the rage in penthouse apartments and cafes in Italy and Paris. We all know the benefits of having indoor plants: cleaner air, increased humidity, aesthetic appeal...so why stop at a few when you could do a whole green wall! These innovative planters feature a hinged panel that cleverly hides the water reserves, and neatly designed planting grids that allow you to easily plan your indoor garden. I love these but I'm not sure hanging them directly behind the couch is the best idea, guests don't usually like leaves in their hair! Available online

for $169 each.

Tags: decor, decorating, house plants, HousePlants, Indoor plants, IndoorPlants, living wall planters, LivingWallPlanters

Rotating Sphere Lounger

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — Mar 12th 2008 at 10:02AM

I can't wait until the weather gets warm enough here to start sitting outside with my morning coffee, and maybe if I had one of these Rotating Sphere Loungers that day would come just a little bit sooner. It's kind of a "tent meets gazebo" contraption, plus a healthy dose of contemporary styling. Designed as a large sphere made up of 10 individual half circles, it's advertised as not only a lounging area but also a dining and a sleeping area -- and besides offering a comfortable outdoor living space it's sure to catch the eye of your neighbors. £6850

Tags: garden, gazebo, outdoors, outside, rotating, rotating lounger, RotatingLounger, sphere, yard

Tipi takes true luxury back 300 years

by Sarah Gilbert (RSS feed) — Dec 17th 2007 at 7:55PM

Isn't it a universal truth that the craftsmanship of the 1700s was vastly superior to today? If that's so, then spending nearly $3,000 for what is essentially a tent is a bargain. If not, your neighbors will just be astonished to discover that you just bought a $2,892 tipi. (It's not "teepee" anymore, by the way.)

This lovely outdoor abode is 24' in diameter and, according to lovelifegoods, it will withstand tough weather conditions. The product info is sparse, so I can't say weather or not the cool bed and rocking chair are included. It does come with a rain liner though. Maybe it's just a really cheap house, in which case this post doesn't belong on Luxist at all ...

Tags: lovelifegoods, teepee, tipi

Porter Garden Telescope

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 17th 2007 at 2:02PM

Last month we picked up on an article in the NY Times on how observatories are a new trend in many luxury homes. An outdoor alternative is the beautiful Porter Garden Telescope from Telescopes of Vermont. The cast bronze reflecting telescope is a bit of astronomical history, it was designed in the 1920s by astronomer and scientist Russell W. Porter. The telescope has a working sundial and the mirror and eyepieces of the telescope can be removed and stored in a custom mahogany box so the telescope can stay outside all year long. Each one is individually cast, hand-finished bronze and stand 70" overall including the marble pedestal. It sells for $59,000.

Tags: garden, garden telescope, GardenTelescope, outdoor telescope, sculpture, sundial

Pennoyer Newman Parthenon Pot

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Aug 22nd 2007 at 12:02PM

If your garden needs a posh makeover the pricey pots of Pennoyer Newman are an excellent place to start. The small company specializes in garden pots, birdbaths, statues and pedestals cast in resin stone and based on antique designs. The designs are all weather resistant. One of my favorites is this Parthenon plaque container. The designs are copies of a frieze on the west side of the Parthenon and were made before the practice of taking impressions of the building was banned. This pot measures 20"H X 26"W X 26"D and sells for $750.

Tags: garden, pennoyer newman, PennoyerNewman, plants, pots

Sling by Ting

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) — Aug 7th 2007 at 4:03PM

Do you want to relax and enjoy a lazy summer day, but you can't sit still for worrying about the environment? In the Sling by Ting, you can satisfy your need for relaxation and feel confident that at least at that very moment, you are part of the solution, not the problem. Made from end-of-the-line seat belt webbing that would otherwise end up in a landfill, the sling is as eye-catching as it is environmentally friendly. Designed by Inghua Ting, this durable and weather-resistant hammock is available in six colors, including my favorite - orange. $578.

Tags: eco friendly, eco friendly design, EcoFriendly, EcoFriendlyDesign, environmentally, garden, green, hammock, inghua ting, InghuaTing, landfill, luxe hammock, LuxeHammock, luxury hammock, LuxuryHammock, relax, seat belt, SeatBelt, sling

Botanist Cocktail Table

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) — Jul 4th 2007 at 10:02AM

If you are looking to create a funky outdoor living space, you probably aren't in the market for traditional wood and wicker. Enter the Botanist Cocktail Table, a funky and feminine alternative to your standard outdoor table. Made from industrial grade aluminum, the piece is powder-coated and outdoor ready. The botanical graphics are cut from the metal using a water jet process which leaves the edges smooth. Available in five finishes, including a beautiful blue, the tables are lightweight, yet tough enough to withstand the elements. If you like the look and want to bring it inside, the table is also available in a wood veneer. $1920 as shown.

Tags: aluminum table, AluminumTable, botanist cocktail table, BotanistCocktailTable, Brandon Lynne, BrandonLynne, cocktail, Dario Antonioni, DarioAntonioni, funky furniture, FunkyFurniture, garden furniture, GardenFurniture, modern decor, ModernDecor, outdoor furniture, outdoor table, OutdoorFurniture, OutdoorTable, table