architecture

Reach the Beach: Luxury Resort Style in the Turks & Caicos Islands {Exclusive Feature}

Filed under: Apparel, Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

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The Turks and Caicos islands in the British West Indies is well known for having the world's most beautiful beaches. It also has some of the world's most stylish and luxurious beach resorts, which are remarkable for their amazingly private settings and lush natural landscapes, far removed from the over-development that plagues some other Caribbean hotspots. The perfect setting for our latest style feature, we're sure you'll agree.

Parrot Cay, located on a pristine 1,000-acre private island, including a mile-long powdered beach, is an elegant combination of glorious nature, understated luxury and unparalleled privacy complete with an award-winning holistic spa, healthy gourmet cuisine and beach villas with private pools (above).

The villas are a favorite with celebrities including Donna Karan, Bruce Willis, Keith Richards and Sir Paul McCartney. Some like Willis and Karan were so entranced they decided to build their own beach houses on the island. Want to own one? So do we. Parrot Cay is currently offering a small selection of villas for private ownership, starting at $10 million.

Tags: Aman resorts, Amanyara, architecture, Bagatelle, beach, beach resorts, books, Caribbean, celebrity vacations, Donna Karan, Gansevoort, Girard-Perregaux, Helly-Hansen, islands, JetBlue, Land Rover, luxury resorts, Parrot Cay, private island, R A E N Optics, resorts, Rizzoli, Royal Elastics, shoes, spa, Tods, Turks and Caicos, Vineyard Vines, watches

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Neo-Classical Estate Featured in Tod's New Ad Campaign for Sale at $33 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Italian Palazzo in Tod's New Ad Campaign

[via JustLuxe]

Villa Volpi, a neo-classical palazzo overlooking the Mediterranean that's featured in Italian luxury label Tod's new ad campaign, has been listed for sale at $33 million.

The amazing property, luxe lifestyle setting of attractive people and classic Ferraris in the alluring ads, sits on 26 acres including a private beach. The estate is the creation of Countess Nathalie Volpi di Misurata, an aristocrat with a reputation for impeccable taste and refined elegance who enlisted celebrated Milanese architect Tomaso Buzzi to build the palazzo in 1960.

Villa Volpi's seven lavish bedrooms and entertaining spaces have played host to many notable guests over the years, from celebrities to royalty, society and international dignitaries. Additional buildings on the estate include a three-bedroom guest house, a two-bedroom cottage and stables.

"This home fosters an incredibly peaceful and glamorous way of life," notes Clarice Pecori Giraldi of Christie's International Real Estate, "bringing together a unique location in Italy - where waterfront properties of this scale are extremely rare - with the incredible sophistication of classical architecture."

Gallery: Villa Volpi

Tags: ad campaigns, architecture, estates, Ferrari, Italy, mansion, Mediterranean, palazzo, Rome, Tods, Villa Volpi

The Best of Architecture Meets Interior Design in 'America's Finest Rooms'

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Books, Architecture & Design

Refinement is not about expense, notes Thomas Jayne in his new book "The Finest Rooms in America," a definitive, luxuriously illustrated record of the country's best interior design from the 18th century to the present day. Jayne, a top-drawer interior designer and scholar of American decor, includes a complete cross section of rooms covering a broad range of American periods and styles, beginning with the Tea Room at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Tags: American design, American interiors, architecture, best design books, best interior design, best+interior+design+books, bestinteriordesignbooks, books, coffee table books, decor, deign books, Frank Lloyd Wright, George Washington, interior designer, Los Angeles, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Oscar de la Renta, The Finest Rooms in America, Thomas Jayne, Thomas Jefferson, Vizcaya

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Art, Style & Culture: Paris Between the Wars

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

Paris Between the Wars: A Cultural Crucible

A brilliant new book, Paris Between the Wars, 1919-1939: Art, Life & Culture by Vincent Bouvet and Gérard Durozoi from The Vendome Press explores the myriad cultural forces which collided in the City of Light during the two decades between World Wars I and II. Over those 20 years artists and intellectuals flocked to Paris from around the world, resulting in a crucible of creativity that wrought great achievements in fashion, graphic design, architecture, literature, fine arts, theater and more. Illustrated with hundreds of paintings, drawings, archival photographs, advertising posters, film stills, and plans, the book travels between the bohemian charms of Montparnasse, which attracted artists such as Picasso, Chagall, and Giacometti, and the vibrant café culture which provided a forum and hunting ground for Dadaists, Surrealists and expatriate writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

Gallery: Paris Between the Wars

Tags: architecture, art, books, coffee table books, culture, fashion, France, Hemingway, literature, Paris, paris+between+the+wars, parisbetweenthewars, photographs, Picasso

Four Seasons Marrakech Set to Open This Summer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Four Seasons Marrakech Set to Open This Summer
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is set to open its newest property this summer, the Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech. The luxe hotel situated in a 40-acre walled oasis will feature 140 rooms and suites, five restaurants, two pools, an extensive spa, and acres of sunlit gardens. Offering a modern take on traditional Moorish architecture, rose-hued pavilions with hand-carved details are surrounded by a lush landscape of swimming and reflecting pools, gardens, pathways and fountains. Buildings are low-rise so as not to obstruct stunning views of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and Menara Gardens beyond the Hotel's towering palms.

Two Spa pavilions sit among gardens filled with birds and exotic flora. The main pavilion offers 15 treatment rooms for massages, facials and body treatments, plus a salon and whirlpool. Surrounding the Hotel's posh public spaces, pavilions of guest rooms and suites form a village connected by arcades, walkways and courtyards evoking a contemporary medina filled with riads. Each of the 140 guest rooms and suites, which are among the largest in the city, has its own spacious balcony or terrace with mountain and garden views.

Gallery: Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech

Tags: architecture, Four Seasons, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, hotels, luxury hotels, Marrakech, marrakesh, Morocco, resorts, spa

The Dramatic Plans For Greenland's New Museum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Architecture & Design

Greenland will soon get a new museum. Arch Daily reports that the team of BIG + TNT Nuuk + Ramboll Nuuk + Arkitekti won the competition to design the new National Gallery of Greenland in the country's capital Nuuk. The circular design will be perched on a steep slope overlooking one of Greenland's beautiful fjords. This design was chosen out of six proposals from Nordic architects.

The new museum will combine historical and contemporary art. The gallery surrounds an interior sculpture garden. The external façade of white concrete is expected to acquire a patina over time, a weathered surface meant to contrast with the sleek glass interior. The circular shape of the gallery also allows for different divisions of the exhibits. Visitors will enter through a covered opening created by a slight lift in the façade into a lobby with a view towards the sculpture garden and the fjord.

Tags: architecture, greenland, museum, nuuk

Italian Luxury Label Tod's to Restore Rome's Colosseum

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Diego Della Valle, President of Italian luxury label Tod's, and Italy's Ministry of Culture have announced that the Tod's Group will finance a complete restoration of Rome's historic Colosseum with a monetary commitment of 25 million euros, or about $34 million. Mr. Della Valle (above left), Rome's Mayor Gianni Alemanno (right), Culture Undersecretary Francesco Giro and the Government Commissioner for central Rome's archaeological area held a press conference at the Colosseum's arena to announce the project.

Completed in 80 AD under the emperor Titus, the Colosseum is capable of seating 50,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts and executions. The project will proceed in eight phases dedicated to the cleanup and restoration of the architectural icon. "We believe that because the Tod's Group is a strong global representative of 'Made in Italy', it is both an honour and our duty to contribute to the support of our country's image and credibility, as well as its cultural heritage," Della Valle declares.

Tags: architecture, Colosseum, Diego Della Valle, history, Italy, Rome, Tods

The Classicist: The Year's Best Luxe Books

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, The Classicist

Followers of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance, are familiar with the fact that we take pains to search out every season's most luxurious books and bring you exclusive glimpses. 2010 was a particularly good year for top-drawer tomes; if you've any space left in your library we suggest you stock up on the following titles which we declare to be the best of the best from those that made our grade in 2010. Featuring our favorite subjects ranging from Savile Row to classic Louis Vuitton luggage, high equestrian style to high society, and classic architecture to the perfection that is is Porsche, this is a chance to catch up on the must-have volumes you might have missed.

Topping the list are our two favorites, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks (Abrams) and Bespoke: The Men's Style of Savile Row (Rizzoli), both dealing with icons of luxe style, the first a legendary French luggage firm, the second a street synonymous with the world's best men's tailoring. Can you imagine anything better than a suite of Vuitton trunks full of Savile Row suits? Didn't think so. While you're busy assembling a collection these books are the next best thing. Men's style also comes into play in two other titles on our can't-miss list, the bible of Ivy League style Take Ivy (powerHouse) and We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz (Skira Rizzoli). They're more closely related than you might think; the jazz legend had a not-so-hidden passion for preppy finery in his early years, while Take Ivy's title is a reference to jazz.

Gallery: The Best Luxe Books of 2010

Tags: Abrams, architecture, books, coffee table books, equestrian, Flammarion, jazz, Louis Vuitton, luggage, mens style, Miles Davis, Paris, Porsche, Rizzoli, Savile Row, Scotland, Take Ivy, teNeues, The Classicist

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The Classicist: Inside the Embassies & Historic Mansions of Paris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books, The Classicist, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Very rarely do any of Paris' remaining private palaces come on the market; when they do the properties invariably rank among the world's most expensive, such as the 1912 mansion built for the Duchesse de Montmorency recently listed at $140 million that we told you about back in November. The reason there is so little movement among these magnificent monuments to wealth lining the famed city's storied avenues is that most are occupied as embassies and ambassadorial residences. An equally magnificent new book, Historic Houses of Paris: Residences of the Ambassadors from Flammarion by Alain Stella with photography by Francis Hammond offers a guided tour of 22 of these amazing edifices, some seen for the first time, most originally built for members of the aristocracy and now the setting for lavish diplomatic entertainments and intrigues.

Gilded halls, formal sitting rooms, stately dining rooms, paneled libraries, perfectly landscaped gardens, chambers filled with rare antiques, luxurious wallcoverings and private living quarters are all examined in delectable detail, in mansions ranging from a 17th-century hôtel particulier to a Belle Epoque palace and even a couple more contemporary examples, now occupied by the ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, China, India and more. The cover (above) depicts the Sicilian theater of the incredible Italian Ambassador 's residence, aka the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, built in 1732. Some, like the Indian Ambassador's residence, aka the Hotel de Marlborough built in 1910 by architect René Sergent, who also designed Claridge's in London and Rome's Grand Hotel, are named for famous former owners; in this case the Duchess of Marlborough, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt, one of the world's richest and most beautiful women at the time.

Gallery: Historic Houses of Paris

Hotel d'Avaray (Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Tags: antiques, architecture, aristocrats, Belle Epoque, books, coffee table books, decor, embassy, estates, France, historic houses, mansion, Paris, politics, real estate, wealth

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Top US Architect, Daniel Libeskind, Working On Italian Bridge Project

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Architecture & Design

In a recent interview with the New York Observer, top architect Daniel Libeskind said that his "only New Year's resolution is to continue having as much fun and seeing the world change in positive ways." He seems to be off to a good start. Officials for what would be the largest suspension bridge in the world say that the architect, whose projects include One World Trade Center and CityCenter in Las Vegas, is working on plans for a complex to be built on one side of the Straits of Messina Bridge.

The bridge will link the Italian mainland to the Island of Sicily. Libeskind's compound would be built on the Calabrian side of the span and would include shops and hotels. Work is expected to begin by the end of the year on the massive highway and rail bridge that will connect Calabrian "toe" of the Italian peninsula to the port of Messina, Sicily. This is an idea thousands of years in the making with everyone from the ancient Romans to Charlemagne eager to bring these land masses together. In the last 20 years the project has been through a series of stops and starts but Silvio Berlusconi vowed to restart the project. It is expected to cost over six billion euros and could take at least five years to build. Even though it will save hours in transit time not everyone is a fan of the project. Some see it more as an expression of Berlusconi's ego rather than something that will be of maximum benefit to the area.

Tags: architecture, calabria, daniel libeskind, sicily, straits of messina

Architect Oscar Niemeyer Celebrates 103rd Birthday With New Museum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Architecture & Design

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer celebrated his 103rd birthday this week with a special honor, the opening of a museum dedicated to his career in Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro. The museum showcases exhibits that reference the architect's 70 years of work. His building can be seen all around the world from the swooping modernist concrete buildings in the futuristic capital of Brasilia to U.N. headquarters in New York.

Niemeyer isn't done yet, he continues to work and showed up at the museum launch. The Oscar Niemeyer cultural center in Aviles, Spain also opened on Wednesday. Niemeyer designed the Niteroi museum himself and the area is also home to several other of his buildings. He has said that the curves of the women of Brazil have inspired his designs.

Tags: architecture, Brasilien, Oscar Niemeyer

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Eight Cornwall Terrace Mansions Offered for $625 Million in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Real Estate Developments, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Last month we broke the news that the first estates in one of London's most impressive landmark properties, Cornwall Terrace (above), were being offered for sale starting at $65 million via Christie's Great Estates. Now the London Daily Mail has followed up with a report that the total value of the eight double-fronted mansions contained in the newly-renovated Terrace is about $625 million, making it the world's most expensive row of houses. The largest of the residences at 14,000-sq.-ft. is expected to fetch around $100 million alone; however some enterprising Russian oligarch could step in and snap up the whole lot and transform it into the ultimate private palace. Sited within a peerless location overlooking Regent's Park, Cornwall Terrace is described as a "rare convergence of provenance, history, and grandeur."

The Grade I listed Regency terrace was designed in the early 19th Century by royal architect John Nash and was home to members of the nobility for nearly 150 years. Incredible architectural details such as paneling, moldings, marble floors and fireplaces are enhanced by state-of-the-art amenities such as a silent hydraulic lift, multiroom iPad-controllable audio-visual and lighting systems, and comprehensive security systems. Each of the eight estates is being offered completely furnished including unique works of art and bespoke furniture, each designed by a famous decorator. Each property also comes with its own staff accommodation, and residents will enjoy a range of recreational options including on-site spas and gymnasiums, Bentley-sized garages, and a personal sommelier service.

Gallery: Cornwall Terrace

Tags: architecture, Christies, Cornwall Terrace, estates, London, mansion, real estate, UK

San Franciso MoMA Explores "How Wine Became Modern"

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine's journey in the US, from its validation at the Judgment of Paris to its current celebration in film, design, and travel, is charted in a new exhibition, "How Wine Became Modern," at San Francisco's MoMA.

Running through April 17, 2011, the show examines the attendant culture that sprung up around wine, during the past 30 years, as its popularity skyrocketed. This includes everything from wine's influence on art and design, its effect on architecture, and the mainstream acceptance of concepts like provenance and terroir. Viewers are lead through a series of rooms, beginning with a photo-mural of the 1976 Judgment tasting, by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and on through exhibits of soil samples (to explain terroir), wine bottle labels, and glassware. There's also a survey of significant wine-related architecture around with the world, with projects from marquee names like Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava and Herzog & de Meuron.

The culmination of "How Wine Became Modern" is a "smell wall," where seven flasks of actual liquid provide an education in nosing and the shifting culture of wine terminology.

Tags: architecture, design, exhibitions, How Wine Became Modern, Judgment of Paris, media, museums, san francisco, SFMOMA, wine

The Classicist: Los Angeles' Finest Classic Estates

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Books, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

With asking prices running to the tens of millions on the rare occasions when such treasures hit the market, owning one of the classic estates of Los Angeles remains but a dream for many. Meanwhile Douglas Woods offers the next best thing in his new stunning new book Classic Homes of Los Angeles from Rizzoli, an exclusive look into some of the finest period revival residences and gardens to be found in and around the area's legendary neighborhoods. The volume's 240 full-color photographs by Melba Levick depict a panorama of richly detailed architectural styles popular in Southern California during its "Golden Age of Expansion" from 1899 to 1938, from Craftsman, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian to Spanish Colonial and Tuscan Revival. Famous landmarks are included as well as many never-before-seen gems.

The cover of the book (above) shows the Prindle House in Pasadena built by architect George Washington Smith in 1926, a pristine example of Spanish Colonial Revival style. Also included are the 1899 Doheny Mansion with its incredible glass-domed Pompeian Room, now part of Mount Saint Mary's College; the stately Huntington Mansion with its palatial great hall, now the Huntington Library museum; the estate of the great Hollywood producer and director Cecil B. DeMille which was recently listed for sale at $18 million; the elegant 1932 Fudger House in Beverly Hills where Danny Kaye lived and entertained for many years; and Frank Lloyd Wright's famed Millard House, aka La Miniatura, from 1923 in Pasadena which was our Estate of the Day in February 2009.

In his introduction to the book, author and architecture expert D.J. Waldie poses the question, "What makes a classic home of Los Angeles?" The answer, he writes, is one that "sympathetically embraces the fundamentals of life here: light, air, landscape and romance." To achieve these qualities, "architects and their clients in the first half of the twentieth century turned to various pasts that were not their own," he notes, "but without turning away from the future they thought Los Angeles represented." For the most part, Waldie writes, "they declined to engage in the culture wars of Modernism (although many great Modernist homes are part of the city's architectural heritage). Some Angeleños thought houses had other, more consoling work to do. A house that can dream for and with its owners, that can dream of both escape and shelter, makes it a classic of Los Angeles." Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Classic Homes of Los Angeles

Petitfils-Boos House, Hancock Park, 1921

Tags: architecture, Beverly Hills, books, California, Cecil B. DeMille, celebrity real estate, coffee table books, Doheny Mansion, estates, Frank Lloyd Wright, gardens, historic houses, Huntington Library, Los Angeles, movies, Pasadena, real estate, Rizzoli, Southern California, The Classicist

Mansions at London's Cornwall Terrace for Sale from $65 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Architecture & Design

The first estates in one of London's most impressive landmark properties, Cornwall Terrace (above), are being offered for sale starting at $65 million via Christie's Great Estates. Sited within a peerless location overlooking Regent's Park - London's finest Royal Park, which contains the London Zoo - Cornwall Terrace is described as a "rare convergence of provenance, history, and grandeur." Part of the Crown Estate, the Grade I listed Regency terrace was designed in the early 19th Century by royal architect John Nash. Previously home to members of the nobility for nearly 150 years, and later occupied by commercial concerns, the incredible edifice has now been converted into eight ultra-luxurious mansions ranging in size from 8,000 to 14,000 sq. ft. with five to seven bedrooms apiece, the largest expected to fetch over $100 million.

Incredible architectural details such as paneling, moldings, marble floors and fireplaces are enhanced by state-of-the-art amenities such as a silent hydraulic lift, multiroom iPad-controllable audio-visual and lighting systems, and discreetly implemented comprehensive security systems. Designed to appeal to ultra-rich buyers from the UAE, Russia and China, each of the eight estates is being offered completely furnished including unique works of art and bespoke furniture, each designed in a unique style by a famous decorator. Each property also comes with its own mews house in the rear, providing ideal staff accommodation. Residents will enjoy a range of recreational options including on-site spas and gymnasiums, Bentley-sized garages, and a personal sommelier service.

Gallery: Cornwall Terrace

Tags: architecture, Christies, Cornwall Terrace, John Nash, London, Queen of England, Regents Park, royalty

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