Luxury Lifestyle, Design & Architecture blog

For the past few years, wrapping supercars or ordering them straight from the factory in matte finishes has really gained in popularity. The latest emerging trend appears to be wrapping supercars in dark shades of velvet, and the following velvet wrapped Ferrari 599 GTB was recently spotted cruising the streets of London by supercarsoflondon. It almost feels like yesterday when matte finished paint jobs were the talk of the automotive town as their popularity eventually led to all sorts of car manufacturers offering the unique paint job, such as Lamborghini, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even the likes of lower-end manufacturers like Hyundai. However, a selection of sports cars and supercars have recently surfaced wrapped in the high-end material better known for its use in furniture and clothing. As you probably already know, the Ferrari 599 GTB was recently replaced by the even more impressive Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, but the 599 still remains an extremely impressive super...

You don’t think of Slovenia when you think of a supercar. But the tiny country has surprised the automotive world with Tushek Renovatio T500, the first supercar developed in Slovenia. It is being readied for its maiden appearance at the U.K.’s 2012 Salon Privé. It is the most prestigious platform the high end cars where the Slovenian creation is expected to take on better known models like the McLaren MP4-12C and Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Tushek Renovatio T500 is not being defensive at all and is full of confidence as it enters the world stage as it has been priced at $370,000 which is approximately $128,200 more than the McLaren MP4-12C and $125,848 more than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Both the cars are priced just under $250,000 including the destination charge. The Supercar is Based on Slovakian K1-Attack Kit Car The makers are obviously very confident about the Slovenian supercar which is based on the earlier Slovakian K1-Attack kit car. It is a road legal track car that i...

Perfectly positioned just moments from Trafalgar Square, Westminster and Covent Garden, yet close to Mayfair and The City’s Square Mile, our new flagship provides state-of-the-art facilities in an eminent building dating back to 1885 and the Empire days of Queen Victoria. This grand Victorian building, dating from 1885, has been given new life with fine rooms, stylish suites and imaginative penthouses offering state-of-the-art 21st Century luxury - See more at: http://www.corinthia.com/hotels/london/#sthash.ragiHvXK.dpuf This grand Victorian building, dating from 1885, has been given new life with fine rooms, stylish suites and imaginative penthouses offering state-of-the-art 21st Century luxury. This grand Victorian building, dating from 1885, has been given new life with fine rooms, stylish suites and imaginative penthouses offering state-of-the-art 21st Century luxury - See more at: http://www.corinthia.com/hotels/london/#sthash.ragiHvXK.dpuf Astoni...

Bulgari Hotel is scheduled to open in London in April in the exclusive district of Knightsbridge, just in time for the Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee events. Bulgari Hotel is managed by Bvlgari Hotels and Resorts, a joint venture between Italian jeweller Bvlgari (owned since last year by LVMH) and Marriott International. Bulgari Hotels and Resorts already operates properties in Milan and Bali. The opening will signify the first luxury new-build hotel in 40 years to open in the city. It will offer 85 rooms and suites, including seven Bulgari suits which measure over 200 sq. meters, and will be designed with silver as the dominant theme by Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel & Partners, the company behind Bulgari’s other two hotels. Guests will be able to enjoy a dip in an indoor pool, part of a 2,000 square meter spa and fitness center, as well as relaxing in the hotel’s private cinema or dancing the night away in a ballroom. There will also be res...

Luxury hotels give a lot of importance to its location but can you ever beat the Admiralty Arch that forms a majestic gatehouse from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace?  It has been one of the top landmarks of London for exactly a century now and the government has now decided to give it away to be developed as a five star luxury hotel. The building was commissioned by King Edward VII and was completed in 1912. It was built to house the offices and residences of British Sea Lords but had become dilapidated over the years due to lack of proper maintenance. The building is large enough to house a 100 room luxury hotel complete with royal and presidential suites, a ballroom, spa and fine dining restaurant. The Developer Will Preserve the Period Features of the Building The Admiralty Arch was put up for sale last year and has been acquired on a 99 year lease by London based firm Prime Investor Capital for a consideration of £60million. The man behind the firm is none oth...

You don’t think of Slovenia when you think of a supercar. But the tiny country has surprised the automotive world with Tushek Renovatio T500, the first supercar developed in Slovenia. It is being readied for its maiden appearance at the U.K.’s 2012 Salon Privé .  It is the most prestigious platform the high end cars where the Slovenian creation is expected to take on better known models like the McLaren MP4-12C and Porsche 911 GT2 RS .  Tushek Renovatio T500 is not being defensive at all and is full of confidence as it enters the world stage as it has been priced at $370,000 which is approximately $128,200 more than the McLaren MP4-12C and $125,848 more than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Both the cars are priced just under $250,000 including the destination charge. The Supercar is Based on Slovakian K1-Attack Kit Car The makers are obviously very confident about the Slovenian supercar which is based on the earlier Slovakian K1-Attack kit car. It is a road...

Audi has launched Audi City – a new digital showroom based in London that allows customers to browse the company’s range electronically. Potential customers are greeted by three huge screens, each consisting of nine 72-inch panels that have been dubbed as ‘power walls’ by Audi. Any Audi model can be selected and once loaded up on screen at its true-to-life scale, the customer can choose their desired colour and trim and then watch it drive, in its virtual form, on the big screen. The specific engine noise for that car is even piped into the room via overhead speakers to round off the experience. The acoustic system in the shop ensures that sound is individual to the selected car and that it is audible only to that particular customer showing interest in the car. The company has digitized all engine sounds including opening and shutting of each Audi car door to give customers an authentic experience. Downstairs in the customisation room, customers sit at futuristic wh...

To celebrate the London 2012 Olympics, Pursuitist is featuring our favorite London destinations, restaurants, hotels and shops. If you’re visiting England to attend the Olympics, make sure to visit these amazing luxury hot spots with real British flair. Here’s the best-of-the-best of London (and if you have a favorite London location, person or experience, please share in comments below):     The St. Ermin’s Hotel Reopens: Luxe London Digs With A Sexy, Spy-Centric Past     Rent Queen Elizabeth’s St. James’s Palace     Daily Dream Home – Gayton Road, London     Bulgari Hotel Knightsbridge, London     Legendary Mayfair Hotel, Dukes gets an Overdue Makeover     Daily Dream Home – Gayton Road House     Belstaff Bond Street Store, London     London Live at the Hive     Smack, Officialy The Best Bar Design in UK     Luna & Curiou...

London’s Shard tower was unveiled on Thursday to great fanfare — but Europe’s tallest skyscraper has won as many critics as it has admirers. The inauguration of the jagged-tipped tower, which at 310 metres (1,017 feet) dwarfs nearby landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, has been carefully timed. Branded “an icon for London” by its developers, the Shard will be completed just ahead of the Olympic Games, which open on July 27. With its striking silhouette, 95 floors and a viewing deck offering 360-degree panoramas, developer Sellar Property hopes the Shard can become a major tourist attraction. “It will become as essential a part of a visit to London as going to the top of the Empire State Building is for visitors to New York,” said Irvine Sellar, the company’s chairman. The inauguration will be as bold as the skyscraper’s shape, with a spectacular night-time laser show lighting up the city’s major landmarks to live music fr...

The meltdown seems to have melted away and the super rich are back to the luxury property market with a vengeance. In the recent past, Hong Kong and London has witnessed some record prices being paid for exclusive properties. Now we may be witness to the biggest property sale of all time. The sale of the lavish 17,500 sq ft Monaco penthouse La Belle Epoque by British property developer brothers Christian and Nick Candy and the price tag is not ordinary either – €240 million (£199 million), paid by an unnamed Middle Eastern investor. Monaco, Saint Tropez and Cap Ferrat have all seen witnessed an increase in the prices of luxury homes this summer. There was no official word from the developers of this property as their spokesman refused to comment. The building is perhaps the best known in the principality and dates back to the pre war glorious days of Monaco. The penthouse that occupies the top two floors of a block of flats has been redone completely. Each suite in the p...

This is a big week for auctions. What else can you say when you have a Picasso and a Gauguin going under the hammer in the same city in the same week? Art collectors have certainly been following the auction scene in London over the past few days. Many have had eyes only for the Picasso that sold for £25.2 million at Sotheby’s on 8 February. The masterpiece in question is ‘ La Lecture ‘, a portrait of Picasso’s mistress Marie-Therese Walter. There is a romantic story about how the pair met. Picasso apparently fell for Walter outside a Metro station in Paris in 1927. Walter was just 17 when the artist took her arm and promised, “You and I are going to do great things together!” The middle-aged Picasso was very much married at the time. Yet, Walter went along with it, becoming not just his mistress, but also his muse. In 1932, Pablo Picasso painted ‘La Lecture’. But it was hardly the only portrait of his muse. Also in 1932, he painted ‘Nude, Green Leaves and Bust’ – a paint...