knightsbridge

Inside Abramovich's New $230 Million London Mega-Mansion

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has purchased all nine luxury apartments in two adjoining buildings in London's posh Knightsbridge neighborhood and plans to transform them into a mega-mansion at a total cost of about $230 million. He aims to turn the 30,000-sq.-ft. eight-bedroom buildings, a historic property located next to famed department store Harrods and designed by renowned master builder Thomas Cubitt, who also designed parts of Buckingham Palace, into a high-tech luxury fortress with five above-ground stories and three underground levels, the London Daily Mail reports. The paper has obtained a schematic of the plans, above; most of the cost of the project will go towards the renovations.

"He wants a very plush interior in the style of high neoclassical Victorian to match the exterior," an insider tells the paper. "He's going to be very hands-on and there will be nothing minimalist about his taste. Inside will be all cornices, thick pile carpeting and heavy drapery." The plans call for six bedrooms two guest rooms all with en suite baths; a multicar garage with staff accommodation in a mews behind the main building; a cinema / entertainment room; an indoor swimming pool; a steam room and sauna; and a children's study and entertainment room. Abramovich has been patiently acquiring the flats in the buildings since the late '90s, the paper reveals, and just recently closed on the last one.

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Tags: abramovich, abramovich+london, abramovich+mansion, abramovichlondon, abramovichmansion, billionaire, estates, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, mansion, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, UK, wealth

New Six Star Hotel Planned For London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

London will be the home of a hotel that hopes to be the city's first six-star hotel. The Wellesley will be located at 11 Knightsbridge and will have just 36 luxury suites. The hotel will be managed by Arab Investments' City and Country Hotels. It was formerly commercial offices and is being developed by Rhimesong at a cost of £36 million refurbishment costs.

The hotel will have glamorous Art Deco styling with rooms spread out over six floors. The largest suite will be a four-bedroom spread on the sixth floor with views over Hyde park. This hotel will be a smoker's delight with private heated cigar terraces and the UK's largest bespoke humidor. The Crystal Bar will house a whisky and cognac wall. The Oval restaurant will serve Italian cuisine next to a dedicated jazz bar. The Wellesley in is set to open in November 2012.

Tags: knightsbridge, london, london hotels, six-star hotel, the wellesley

Koffmann's Opens at London's Luxe Berkeley Hotel

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Berkeley (above), London's luxurious and beloved five-star Knightsbridge hotel, has just opened Koffmann's, a new restaurant from legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann. Overlooking Hyde Park, the historic hotel has long been the destination of choice for stylish travelers including Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Campbell. Chef Koffmann, whose name has been synonymous with some of the UK's finest French cuisine for over 35 years, counts Gordon Ramsay among his protegés. The opening of Koffmann's marks the chef's return to The Berkeley, where he was at the helm of the celebrated La Tante Claire until its closing in 2003. The Koffmann's menu features several of the chef's signature items, such as a braised pig's trotter with morels, which guests may recognize from La Tante Claire, but on the whole Koffmann has moved into a more relaxed, informal style while still embracing his classic, provincial, French culinary roots. The menu offers hearty, robust, seasonal dishes, many influenced by his Gascon heritage, which can be enjoyed seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.

Gallery: Koffman's and The Berkeley

Tags: Berkeley Hotel, chef, French cuisine, Gordon Ramsay, Gwyneth Paltrow, hotels, Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, London, luxury hotels, Madonna, Naomi Campbell, The Berkeley, UK

Arab Playboys Arrested After Supercar Smash in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Yesterday we reported that a cabal of mega-rich Arab playboys have made London the world's supercar capital this summer, shipping an estimated $80 million worth of eye-popping vehicles to the city while waiting out the heat in their homeland. With all the ultra-luxe vehicles racing around the crowded city, something was bound to go wrong, and it has; two of the fast-living fellows were arrested in Knightsbridge the other day after plowing their $280,000 Lamborghini into four other vehicles, the London Daily Mail reports. Abdulla Saeed Khalfan Al-Dhaheri, 28, and Sultan Khalifa Al-Muhairbi, 35, both from the United Arab Emirates, were taken into custody after their Lamborghini Murcielago smashed into the parked cars, flipping a BMW over completely.

Luckily no one was injured, but Al-Muhairbi was charged with dangerous driving and driving with no insurance and Al-Dhaheri was charged with perverting the course of justice. The men, who are due to appear in court on October 12, are said to have walked away from the pile-up, telling a passerby, "It's all right, we'll pay for the damage." The incident took place in posh Lowndes Square, home to some of the city's wealthiest residents, including Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Check out an image gallery of some of the Arab-owned supercars, including Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Bugatti models, which have been flown to London for the summer from the UAE after the jump.

Tags: Arab, car crash, Ferrari, Knightsbridge, Lamborghini, London, Rolls-Royce, Roman Abramovich, supercar, UAE, UK, United Arab Emirates, wealth

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McLaren to Open Showroom in London's Luxe One Hyde Park

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Real Estate Developments, Architecture & Design

Famed British race-bred auto marque McLaren has announced plans for a luxurious new London showroom at the base of the posh One Hyde Park development, currently under construction between Harrods and Harvey Nichols in the swanky Knightsbridge neighborhood. The premises (rendering above) will serve as the flagship for the company to flog its wicked new $250,000 MP4-12C supercar, a carbon fiber rocket with a 600 hp twin-turbo V8 engine. One Hyde Park, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, is due to open in late October with the McLaren showroom slated to follow early next year. As well as its supercar, the showroom will display a selection of McLaren's Formula 1 race cars.

[via Auto Express]

Tags: British car, Formula 1, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, McLaren, One Hyde Park, retail, showroom, supercar, UK

The Berkeley's Roof-Top Midnight Movies, Martinis and Manicures

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

One of the chicest boutique hotels in London has just added a little more glamor by transforming the spectacular roof-top terrace of its spa into a midnight movie theater, complete with home-made popcorn, mini ice cream cones, martinis from its famous Blue Bar and even manicures.

The Berkeley, which is located in fashionable Knightsbridge, is offering the latest fashion documentaries on a big screen under the stars. On Friday nights until the end of August, hotel guests and Londoners alike are invited to The Berkeley to enjoy mini ice cream cones and home-made popcorn as they sit underneath beautifully lit palm trees watching documentaries that offer a behind-the-scenes look at some of the world's leading fashion houses. Featured documentaries will include: Le Jour D'Avant, featuring Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel, Proenza Schouler and Jean Paul Gaultier, Signe Chanel, Valentino: The Last Emperor, The September Issue, Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, and Lagerfeld Confidential.

As guests enjoy the featured presentation, therapists from The Berkeley Health Club & Spa will give manicures that feature a choice of Chanel's latest Les Pop-Up nail varnish. If you feel a chill in the air, mulberry blankets are on hand.

The Berkeley's Midnight Movies, Martinis & Manicures packages start at £485 ($725) plus VAT based on double occupancy and include an overnight stay with access to the roof-top cinema. A special Midnight Movies, Martinis & Manicures package is also available for Londoners for £85 ($127) per person which includes full access to the movie theater between 10 pm and midnight, two signature Blue Bar cocktails per person, snacks and a mini-manicure with Chanel's latest summer colors.

The package is subject to availability and is available on Fridays in June, July and August, weather permitting. Reservations can be made online or by calling the following toll-free numbers: (866) 599 6991 in the United States and 0808 238 0245 in the United Kingdom.

Tags: awards-main, Chanel, hotel, hotel deals, jean paul gaultier, karl lagerfeld, Knightsbridge, London, Louis Vuitton, luxist-awards, Marc Jacobs, The Berkeley, Valentino

Pierre Koffmann to Open New Restaurant at London's Berkeley Hotel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Award-winning chef Pierre Koffmann to open new namesake restaurant at The Berkeley hotel in London in June 2010

In June, legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann, whose name has been synonymous with some of the finest French food in the world for the past 35 years, will open Koffmann's in The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

Encouraged by his rave reviews and enthusiastic welcome back into the London culinary scene with his Selfridges pop-up restaurant in October 2009, Koffmann, a Michelin star-winning chef, is excited to embark on this next stage in his distinguished career.

"I have been searching for the perfect new restaurant site for several years," says Koffmann. "I am thrilled to be returning to a place I know and love."

This new venture will see Koffmann move away from his much applauded haute cuisine menu, and into a more relaxed, informal style while still embracing his classic, provincial, French culinary roots. His greatest passion is to be behind the stove, cooking the dishes he loves, many inspired by his maternal grandmother Camille, and this new restaurant will give him the freedom to express this vision.

Tags: haute cuisine, Knightsbridge, London, Marcus Wareing, michelin guide, michelin stars, Pierre Koffmann, restaurant, The Berkeley, The Berkeley Hotel

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Bankers Buying in London: Luxury Home Prices on the Rise

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

After 17 months of misery, luxury home prices in London are finally up on an annual basis. Banking and hedge fund industry professionals are spending money again, largely because they're being paid again. Homes with values of above $1.6 million appreciated 1.6 percent in November compared to the same month last year. This was the first annual increase since June 2008. Nonetheless, prices remain 15 percent lower than the March 2008 peak. From October to November, prices grew 1.2 percent.

Liam Baily, head of residential research at Knight Frank, told Bloomberg News, "Anecdotal evidence from across our offices suggests that City money is becoming more apparent as we get closer to the end-of-year bonus season," continuing, "Demand from senior management is driving the market." Bonuses could wind up growing by 50 percent this year to 6 billion pounds in London's largest financial districts, and professionals in this industry are responsible for half the city's demand for luxury homes.

For homes at prices of more than $16 million, the price increases are even better: 1.9 percent from October to November this year. Residences in Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge got the biggest boosts.

This has led to a bit of optimism. Luxury real estate could reach May 2008 levels by 2012, up to two years earlier than expected.

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Tags: bank, banker, bankers, banking, banking sector, BankingSector, Chelsea, hedge fund, Hedge Fund Managers, Hedge funds, HedgeFund, HedgeFundManagers, HedgeFunds, kensington, knightsbridge, london, London England, LondonEngland, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, real estate, RealEstate, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

Harrod's Dom Perignon Oenoth�que Bar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

The trend of Champagne bars seems to be booming lately, Europe's longest Champagne bar opened last November and the Liberty Hotel in Boston just got their own Veuve Clicqot Champagne bar. Harrod's, the posh department store in London already has a Champagne and Oyster bar but they are now opening the Dom Perignon Oenotheque bar on February 11. The bar will will offer two vintages by the glass: the 1995 at 65 pounds (around $127) and the 1975 at 250 pounds (around $490) per glass. The Dom Perignon Oenothèque is aged in cellars before the wine is disgorged so that the yeast can mature further. Champagne that is disgorged 15 years after release will taste different from the same wine disgorged five years earlier. The bar is only open for a limited time. Model Claudia Schiffer, who stars in a video by the designer Karl Lagerfeld for Dom Perignon Oenotheque, is scheduled to visit on February 26 and the bar will close on March 3.

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Tags: champagne, champagne bar, dom perignon, DomPerignon, harrods, knightsbridge, london