scandinavia

The Classicist: Early Spring Style Starring the Volvo S60

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

The new Volvo S60 R-Design, the marque's sportiest model ever, serves as the inspiration for The Classicist's latest installment of seasonal style (see the late winter edition here).

As previewed by our brethren at Autoblog at the Paris Auto Show, the S60 R-Design amps up what Volvo had already declared to be its first "naughty" model; ask anyone who knows us – we've always had a soft spot for naughty models. The car's snappy 300-horsepower 3.0-liter inline turbo six remains unchanged, but the R-Design designation adds some styling upgrades that give it an aptly more aggressive stance.

Tags: bags, cars and style, clothing, luggage, mens style, R A E N Optics, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Cooper bag, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Red Wing, Red Wing Shoes, Red Wing Wabasha Boots, Rolex, Rolex Explorer, Rolex Explorer II, Scandinavia, Steve McQueen, Sweden, The Classicist, VO Vapen, Volvo, Volvo S60, Volvo S60 R-Design

Continue reading “The Classicist: Early Spring Style Starring the Volvo S60”

The Ultimate Guide to Scandinavian Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Celebrity Shopping, Books, Architecture & Design

The work of Lars Bolander, one of Sweden's foremost interior designers whose shops in New York and Palm Beach are oases of good taste, is given its due in a beautiful new book from the Vendome Press. Longtime admirer Martha Stewart calls Lars Bolander's Scandinavian Design "A sophisticated volume" and "an in-depth, intelligent, and informative look at the design sensibilities found in Scandinavian domestic furniture and decoration." She notes that "Bolander surveys all of this with his keen eye and finely honed historical knowledge, and the results are breathtaking." The book serves as a practical, idea-filled room-by-room guide to both classic and new looks in Scandinavian design.

Drawn from Bolander's work on estates and houses all over the world for the past few decades and working from the outside in, the book begins with a study of exterior features such as the use of wood in construction, elaborate doorways, and building in harmony with nature. Successive chapters explore entryways, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Both traditional and modern design influences are featured, and sidebars throughout highlight specific design elements such as wood stoves, Danish Modern chairs, lighting, textiles, and more.

Gallery: Lars Bolander's Scandinavian Design

Tags: books, coffee table books, Danish Modern, decor, furniture, interior design, interior designer, Lars Bolander, Martha Stewart, scandinavia, Scandinavian design, Sweden

EXCLUSIVE: JamesList Founder & CEO Noam Perski's Ten Essential Luxuries

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Noam Perski's 10 Essential Luxuries

Noam Perski is the visionary founder and CEO of JamesList, now the world's largest online luxury marketplace, launched in 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden. After leading pioneering Internet startups in Scandinavia, Perski spent five years working full time on HIV and other global health issues in Geneva, Switzerland, before launching JamesList, which has since expanded to open offices in Marbella, Spain with representation in London, Frankfurt, Singapore and Miami. "Given the recent roller-coaster of currency and market fluctuations, we saw an opportunity to give serious buyers the tools they need to find premium goods at the best possible price, regardless of where they are in the world," Perski says.

The brilliantly-designed site works with a network of more than 400 professional dealers around the world, from Dallas to Dubai, to list more than 35,000 jets, yachts, luxury cars, motorcycles, helicopters and timepieces - including five prized watches priced at $1 million or more - for sale. Where else can you find a dozen $30 million-plus superyachts, 30 Bugatti Veyrons, 80 Ducatis, 700 Ferraris and 900 Patek Philippes all in one place? There's even a special section listing over 600 customized models, like the $2 million Spanish "supercar art", from across the luxury spectrum. In the gallery, Perski reveals his 10 essential luxuries, from classic cars to custom Rolexes and his pick for the best hotel in Europe, and explains what makes them a must.

Gallery: JamesList Founder & CEO Noam Perski's 10 Luxuries

Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG with Brabus Optics

Tags: Internet, JamesList, Scandinavia, Stockholm, Sweden

Feng Shui and Floating Hotels in West Sweden

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

For most Americans, a visit to Sweden = a visit to Stockholm. It may be time to add another city to that equation: Gothenburg (or Göteborg in Swedish). Ever since Ryan Air started flying to Gothenburg just about eight years ago, this smallish city has developed an alternative-indie vibe, fueled by a large student population, emerging creative chefs and a lively music scene.

Gothenburg was also the port city that many Swedes departed from when they left for the United States, but if you're reversing this mission, you needn't worry that breaking new ground as a U.S. traveler will mean you'll need to rough it at night, whether you're choosing to stay in town or head out a bit to explore the coast line.

In the city center, stay at Avalon. Look up when you arrive so you catch the flash of blue that is the rooftop swimming pool. (Hopefully no one's in it, as this isn't the most flattering view of most bodies.) This design-conscious hotel is built around the principles of feng shui, which means that you'll find fountains, wind chimes, and rounded edges inside -- the right angles between the carpet and the wall in the hallway, for instance, are lined with what looks like koosh-ball pelt. I'm not sure if my chi was improved by spending the night there, but I certainly had a good night's sleep.

Outside the city, it's worth making the 90 minute excursion to Salt & Sill on the island of Klädesholmen. This town has seen its fortunes rise and fall with the herring trade (sill is herring in Swedish) and the hotel's 23 rooms are literally built on the tides. You cross a small bridge to reach the rooms, which are built on pontoons. When it's calm outside, the structure feels no different from one that's built on solid ground, but on the day I visited, it was a bit stormy. I'd actually forgotten that the hotel was floating on the water, and when the room started gently rocking, I almost called for a doctor.

The rooms here are cleverly and economically designed -- in fact, rather like you're staying on a very nice boat. The rooms are a seaworthy palette of grays and whites, with typically Scandinavian shots of color in the bedding and the artwork, and creative uses of sea-weathered wood and bright tile. I particularly liked the pre-programmed custom lighting schemes, which at the press of a button gives you bright light for packing, task lights for reading, or soft, ambience which highlight the art and leaves the rest of the room in soft shadows. There's also a seriously cool floating sauna on the property.

Gallery: Feng Shui and Floating Hotels in West Sweden

Salt & Sill's Restaurant Serves Local Seafood

Tags: hotel, scandinavia, sweden

Visit Kosterhavet, Sweden's First Marine National Park

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

If you're in the been-there, done-that traveler club, here's something to add to your next itinerary: Kosterhavet, Sweden's first national marine park, has just opened. It's about 175 square miles, most of it open ocean, home to some 600 marine species. The park's northern water boundary is shared with Norway, and in fact Kosterhavet National Park runs right into Norway's new marine national park, Ytre Hvaler, which opened at the same time. Together, both parks encompass about 300 square miles.

Kosterhavet gets its name for the land that it surrounds, the Koster Islands, which are themselves a nature reserve. North Koster and South Koster are so close together that they really feel like one island, and together they're the westernmost settled area in Sweden. They're also ridiculously charming -- near the water, they're just what you'd picture a small Scandinavian fishing village to look like, and towards the center, it's all rolling countryside ripe for hiking and cycling, dotted with red-roofed houses.

But of course, the main event is what's below the surface. The water separating Koster Islands from Sweden's main land is actually a fjord, which achieves such a depth that it's home to deep sea species. Kosterhavet also includes Sweden's only cold-water coral reef, which makes for excellent cold-water scuba diving -- the rocky coast also means that there are also a number of shipwrecks to check out beneath the waves. Above the water, a sea kayak is the way to go --- take a look at Sweden's largest population of seals, and from a respectful distance, admire nesting areas for Arctic terns.

Gallery: Sweden's Kosterhavet Park and the Koster Islands

View of Koster Island from ValfjÃ¤ll, a scenic view point on South Koster

Small scale and managed fishing are still permitted in Kosterhavets

Distance view of two restored lighthouses

View from North Koster to South Koster Island

Tags: animals, norway, parks, scandinavia, scuba, scubadiving, snorkeling, sweden

Finlandia Celebrates the Summer Solstice

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

In the far north of Finland the sun does not set for 73 straight days during summer. This "midnight sun" helps give Finlandia vodka its crisp, clean taste as the endless summer allows its key ingredients, six-row barley and pure glacial spring water, to flourish.

Traditionally, Finns have celebrated this phenomenon on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The cities empty as they commune with nature in the countryside, taking advantage of the incredible bounty of their unique locale. To mark the occasion, Finlandia has come up with some refreshing new summer solstice cocktails. Here's how to make the Mango Midnight Run pictured here:

2 oz Finlandia Mango Fusion
2 oz cranberry juice
Splash of lime juice

Mix and serve in a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

See the gallery for other recipes and more.

Gallery: Finlandia Summer Solstice