The Sony PSP phone is one rumor that just won’t die, but people among the bright ideas are desperate to make us believe that a PSP phone is not far-fetched. This is the reason why the PSP Bugatti Veyron Edition was an assignment from a product…

Look up “mastiff” in the dictionary and “large” and “powerful” will be among the first words you read. The different mastiff breeds have been bred for guarding and for fighting. The two most expensive dog breeds in the world are the Tibetan Mastiff and French Mastiff.A Tibetan Mastiff The largest Tibetan Mastiffs can stand over 31 […]

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Art

Looking for a unique item to add a regal flourish to your interior decor? An extremely rare, important and well-preserved neo-Gothic terracotta chimney piece commissioned for Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia and King of Hungary, in the late 19th century, is being offered for sale during Sotheby’s‘ Origines, Architecture & Heritage, Decoration and Garden Statuary auction in Paris on March 31. The incredible 8.5-ft. tall piece, built to surround a kingly fireplace at one of the imperial Hapsburg family palaces and bearing the emperor’s coat of arms, is expected to fetch up to $700,000. Two knights standing on Corinthian columns flank the mantelpiece, which also bears the Emperor’s motto Viribus Unitis, “With united forces.”

$700,000 Austrian Emperor’s Chimney Piece Heads Sotheby’s Sale originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just looking at this timepiece makes my pulse race. Without a doubt, this masterpiece is for the man who truly does have everything out there. Crafted by the brand called 4N, the watchmaker has weirdly named the masterpiece the 4N-MVT01/D01/42. So,…

Filed under: Estates

Oh decor! Today’s home belongs to designer Christopher Hyland and his partner Constantino Castellano. The NY Times Big Deal column reports that the pair spent most of the last 10 years outfitting their apartment in the Chelsea Mercantile building in fine fashion. The 12th floor loft has 10- to 12-foot ceilings and has been well appointed with details like wood-and-plaster crown moldings, custom-built solid mahogany and mahogany-veneer doors with classical entablatures, Monticello-inspired pediments and custom-finished brass hardware. The vestibule leads to a central picture gallery and the residence has a Gothic kitchen outfitted in hand-carved oak with a Renaissance-style arch. The double drawing rooms are framed by Sicilian-Doric columns and the pleasingly stuffed library has custom-built crenellated bookcases. The furniture, rugs and window treatments were all custom-designed by Hyland using fabrics from his high-end fabric house. The wall coverings and window treatments come with the apartment and Hyland is willing to negotiate on some of the home’s fine antiques if the new owner wants to preserve some of the home’s current decor. This home is listed at $22.5 million.

Continue reading Christopher Hyland in Chelsea, Estate of the Day

Christopher Hyland in Chelsea, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apparel

Ostentatious designer Karl Lagerfeld has has just been tapped to receive the Légion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France, on the eve of the latest Chanel fashion show in Paris. The honor, the full title of which is the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (”National Order of the Legion of Honour”) was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Lagerfeld was notified of the honor prior to the fashion show by by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Vogue UK reports. A date for the official ceremony has yet to be set. Meanwhile, Lagerfeld has been chosen to photograph the next Pirelli calendar, the annual naked supermodel fest. “I’ll do it in my studio in Paris,” the designer declared. “It’s too obvious to have a beach setting.”

Lagerfeld Receives The Légion D’honneur originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If traveling first class is a distinction of executives from the masses, what sets the elite traveler apart from the aspiring others is the luggage one carries. T.T. Trunks is another name that joins the list after luxury brands like Louis Vuitton,…

The luxury fashion house Brioni, best known for menswear and better known for dressing James Bond(s), has offered gentlemen’s leather goods with an incredibly stylish new watch box. Brioni has crafted the watch box in the world’s finest genuine…

The phone market is brimming with bespoke phone designers, and though most of them never fail to amaze us like Amosu, there is Givori too, whose mobile art always leaves us confused where the high-end tastes are concerned. Though they did get their act.

Filed under: Art, Wealth

There’s an update in the Annie Leibovitz debt saga. For the last year Leibovitz has been struggling with a heavy debt load. She borrowed $24 million from Art Capital Group and as collateral the company took not only her two homes and all her negatives and the copyright to her photographs but also an agreement to sell her archives to repay the loan and the rights to arrange the sale. Now Businessweek reports that Colony Capital LLC has agreed to take over her debt after she bought back control of her works and real estate from Art Capital Group.

The situation got ugly last year when Art Capital sued for breach of contract claiming she wasn’t letting real estate agents into her homes and was blocking attempts to sell her photos. In the new agreement, Colony, will help market her photos. Art Capital has confirmed that its debt has been satisfied. Like so many people, Leibovitz ran into trouble with real estate. She bought several properties and spent a small fortune renovating them, using the properties themselves as collateral. She was also late in paying $1.8 million in federal taxes in 2007 and 2008.

Art Capital is in the business of making money off art and sometimes, artists. The company issues loans of $500,000 or more at interest rates from six percent to 16 percent to those who have artwork worthy of making such a loan. Another artist, Julian Schnabel also ran afoul of Art Capital. He took out an $8 million loan in 2006, when he was building his pink folly known as Palazzo Chupi and later sued Art Capital.

Colony might be more interested in the real estate than the art. Colony Capital still owns Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch (and may be able to sell it eventually for $50-$100 million). Leibovitz’s property holdings include three contiguous brownstones in Manhattan as well as 220 acres in Hudson Valley, New York that was once part of the Astor family’s estate Ferncliff.

Annie Leibovitz Gets New Debt Deal originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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