Posts Tagged ‘lifestyle’
Quintessentially Awards 2011
Monday, October 3rd, 2011In the Wake of the Bounty
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Sales of superyachts have soared in recent months as the super rich regain faith in the burgeoning economy. A good 300 million Euros’ worth of 70m long boat have been sending flutes of rainbow-coloured Riviera sparkle in its wake since 2010 began. And once those millions are spent, a few more are shelled out on swift little copters for the ride into Cannes, or, for those truly in vogue, the new retro-styled C boat – the most popular tender this side of Monaco’s autumn boat show.
Now this is the sort of motor yacht Errol Flynn would have swaggered onto, hair slicked back and a Mediterranean sparkle in his eye: high performance with silver-screen looks, it’s both way ahead and way before it’s time, evoking 60s Italian Riva boat flair whilst the mirror-black prow hides some complicated hydrodynamics and slick engineering – two 236hp diesel engines and two 230 Alamarin water jets finding 45 knots on a silky sea. Power and beauty seldom come together; the C boat insisted on the less-is-more dialectic, and found it. Yacht enthusiast and C-boat designer Jason Carrington drew inspiration from the much-loved aesthetic of a 20’s J-Class yacht (the teak deck and deeply cut bow are straight out of a Fitzgerald novella). The classic tapered lines are forged from light-weight carbon materials and there are some seriously rakish exhausts out back, shedding swirls of blue as it surges forward with just a tap on the throttle. But you want to entertain as well? The interior has enough of that considered elegance without cramping on the more important lagoon-lapping nonchalance.
Buy one and you’re instantly eligible to enter the famed Panerai Classic Yachts challenge – the C boat is afforded the status of a ‘Spirit of Tradition’ yacht. So go get your hair wet and have some fun – if you can be bothered to show off. But really, it’s all about getting to that Venetian lagoon at sunset, reciting Byron or Keats as you kill the motor, and just standing there, a martini in one hand, another appreciative aesthete in the other, and gazing at the stars like some surrealist work of art.
For more information, please see www.c-boat.co.uk or www.burgerboat.com
Vaudeville in Covent Garden
Friday, February 26th, 2010
The first and, to date, last circus I ever went to was a rather tedious affair. There were no swinging acrobats, the clowns were bored, the animals didn’t move, the unicyclist seemed to be learning as he went and the ringmaster seemed drunk. There were no hoops or swings or tumbling acrobats, no fire breathing girls or human cannonballs or circus strongmen. As I stood outside the secret entrance of London’s new supper, burlesque and cabaret venue in Covent Garden, my mind went back to that absurd place of childhood and stayed there as I stepped into a dark entrance hall of shimmering mirrors, stayed there as I stepped out into a surreal dining space with fur painted walls, round tables decorated with silver emu feet and a long table/stage with imposing royal blue chairs – all designed by Habitat’s very own Tom Dixon – and then strangely disappeared as I took my seat and ordered a glass of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut.
As I sat there, my mind relaxed, the lights dimmed, a Spanish guitar reverberated across the dining area and up into the lounge and bar as hundreds of disco balls blazed green and blue and pink. First course concluded at the long ‘Party’ table (the kitchen enclave disappears at this point), a girl with extraordinary talent in her limbs resuscitated the life-force of many work-weary folk nearby by contorting herself into a transparent shoe-box and blowing fire as she snaked across the stage. Main course almost through (Churassco steak coupled with pulled pork on potato latkes, beautifully arranged by chef Nik Biok, famous for his pan-American cuisine), two svelte beauties with luminous orange lips and burlesque-style ballet moves had the good ol’ boys spilling their Cosmopolitans and Hibiscus Margaritas (their house twist on this legendary cocktail is among my favourites), even as I choked on a delicious side-order of smoked stuffed chicken wings.
On my way back from the bathroom (industrial style that encourages a good gossip and high turnover of phone numbers), a DJ had leapt into the booth behind me and was cranking up a sexy mix of Riviera chic that would get louder as the early hours approached. Whimsical, brash and profoundly memorable, Circus is a rogue performer on the London stage, with a Nicholson-esque smirk on its face and all the confidence to win a standing ovation every time. Since then, if you say ‘circus’, those childhood clowns don’t leap so quickly to mind.
Circus is located at 27-29 Endell Street, Covent Garden,WC2
Buddha’s Halo
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
‘Knai Bang Chat’ is Cambodian for ‘rainbow encircling the sun’ and a Buddhist metaphor that denotes the halo around Buddha’s head. Such a moniker befits this modernist paradise, as much for its optical imagery as the artistic ‘enlightenment’ on display. Just to look at it you understand why so many other private residences have appeared close by. Kep – beach town and once summer playground of the French elite – is back in business.
On looking at it, you wonder who was responsible for such profound yet studied strangeness. The protégé, business partner and son of legendary antiques dealer Alex Vervoordt is partly to blame, along with the ingenuity of architect Francoise Lavielle. Boris Vervoordt grew up in his father’s antique-strewn castle, developing a ‘third eye’ for objects of value and a talent for synthesising old and new artistic forms with strident architectural set-pieces – a unique ‘something’ that the travel press are quick to cite as this lifestyle resort’s greatest asset.
The three houses that make up the Vervoordt compound is an amalgamation of everything Vervoordt loves most – his own definition of luxury if you like – with influences from Andrea Palladio and Luis Barragan among others. Inside you will find a playful orchestra of 12th-century artefacts and contemporary architecture, as beautiful a juxtaposition of classical mood and new-age panache as I have come across. Large villa terraces opening onto vanilla sunsets, fresh fish dining on an azure-swept private jetty and the most charming khmer service makes this the quintessential Bond hide-out. If luxury were a mixture, Vervoordt would call it the ‘perfect combination of happiness and freedom’. Knai Bang Chatt, similarly illustrated, mingles Vervoordt’s modernist conceptions of luxury with a good bit of sun and sea.
For more information, go to www.knaibangchatt.com
Brighton Rocks
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Brighton is one of the UK’s most happening seaside resorts, both in and out of season. Whether you’re into spending time down by the beach, wandering around the fantastically old-fashioned winding streets that make up the Lanes part of town or enjoying the stunning clubs and bars that make up some of the best nightlife in the south of England, there’s more than enough here to make a trip down here an absolute pleasure.
Something that’s been slightly lacking in the city before now is a really trendy, modern 21st century hotel. There are amazing guest houses (such as the wonderful Blanch House, where the cocktails have to be tasted to be believed) and old-fashioned grand hotels, such as the Grand, but what it needed was a fashionable dive for those in the know to spend the night. Enter MyHotel Brighton, the latest outpost in a small chain of boutique hotels (the others are located in Chelsea and Bloomsbury). It describes its style as ‘Freddie Mercury meets the Maharishi’, which might sound slightly grandiose, if not a little surprising, but perfectly sums up the cool, chic atmosphere that strikes you the second you walk in through the front door, which, true to form, looks like 2001: A Space Odyssey might have been if Stanley Kubrick had spent a bit more time hanging out with the counter-cultural hippies.
With all the trappings of a high-class boutique hotel – iPod docks in the rooms, a very funky cocktail bar, merkaba, and a great restaurant, Table – come some unexpected highlights as well. The most expensive room here, ‘Carousel’, features such delights as a fully tiled steam room, plasma TV with Sky TV HD and a vintage carousel horse, typical of the style and panache found all over the hotel. But even the ‘standard’ doubles offer luxurious comfort and all the amenities you’d expect from a far grander establishment. If you’re planning to head down to Brighton, make this your first port of call. If you’re going down this Christmas, there’s an especially tempting offer, where a number of participating boutiques in the North Laines and Lanes are giving special offers of between 5 – 20% off.
17 Jubilee Street, Brighton BN1. www.myhotels.com
Revamp your kitchen and your life in one simple step
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
The brainchild of lifestyle guru and interior designer, Louise Kou, the Kou concept store heralds a new type of shopping experience in Hong Kong where tailor-made luxury is key. The store is designed as a chic mansion and does not feel like walking into a conventional store at all: the area is divided up into various rooms where appropriate items are showcased, including a bedroom, lounge and even an outside patio complete with marquee.
Everything from the paintings on the walls to the handbags sitting on the tables is for sale and the products are sourced to the highest possible standards. A combination of Asian and European home ware and clothing, handpicked or designed by Kou herself, have all been selected to fit with her philosophy of achieving harmony through your lifestyle options.
A trip to the store can be complimented by a session at the lifestyle consultancy company which she also runs. So strong is her vision that a visit to the Kou Concept store is not only a shopping trip to buy some home furnishings but should also prove to be a lifestyle- enriching experience.
- Search Insider
-
more writers...
Harry Hughes Editor-in-Chief
Alex Larman Executive Editor
Lauren Clarke Deputy Editor
Laura Tonkinson Asia Pacific
Mia Harlock US Lifestyle
Tom Valeur Smith UK Lifestyle -
-
-
