Unique Perspectives August/September 2007



Technology That Takes Out the Trash

Building the ultimate luxury home means accommodating the latest in technology. "One of the homes had 10 miles of wiring," says Patrick Kelly, spokesman for the private Bella Collina community in Montverde, Fla. "You just couldn't do it after the house was built." What's being done here with all those wires is revolutionary:
  • The Trash Robot carries trash bins to and from the curb.
  • A biometrics fingerprint reader provides keyless entry with the ultimate security.
  • A multi-purpose, high-tech classroom provides space for home-schooling or private tutoring.
  • The Kaleidescape system allows users to store all their DVDs onto a networked hard drive, where viewers can then browse and watch their movies.
  • Touch-screen house control lets homeowners control the lighting, whole-house audio, theater, windows, doors, security cameras, climate, pool and spa, and even the oven from anywhere. You can check in for security and energy efficiency or get a jump-start on cooking dinner.

-Lisa Berry


 

 

Editor's Pick

Rustic game rooms seem to be finding their way into many homes-even replacing living rooms as the center of activity. As a result, Drawknife Billiards of Idaho has expanded its game room product lines. Drawknife locally harvests dead-standing or fallen lodgepole pines for its heirloom-quality products, including billiards, poker, foosball and shuffleboard tables, and dartboard cabinets. -Mark Moffa


 

 

 

DETAILS

As once-exotic features such as Brazilian cherry wood floors become more universal in high-end homes, homeowners have a new option to set their residences apart-Terra Acqua hand-crafted stone and copper sinks. From queen onyx to boulders found only in rural China, owner Susan Hugo searches world-wide for the most exquisite materials to use in her original designs.

A Rivenrock vessel is not a feature you're likely to find in your neighbor's hallway bathroom. Offered in sea green and amber interiors, each basin is cut from a unique boulder extracted from the riverbeds of Yunnan, a Chinese province. Retail value ranges from $695 to $795.

 

For a more feminine bathroom, the translucent, lavender Miramar effortlessly fulfills the role of centerpiece. Cut from a single rock of natural queen onyx, each uniquely sized vessel costs $1,195.

 

 

 

If hard angles are more your style, consider the Monarch, a rectangular, above-counter vessel. Available in oil-rubbed copper with a hammered exterior and smooth interior, or a rubbed nickel interior and exterior, the Monarch has double-walled seamless construction and costs $845-$1,395.

 

-Sarah Binder

 

A home with wings, one of the largest private aircrafts in existence is being custom-designed by Versace. An anonymous European client's jet will have 16 seats in a four-compartment arrangement: a salon, galley, office, and a stateroom with an en suite bathroom. Executive armchairs will be embossed with Versace's signature Greek fret motif. TAG Aircraft Interiors of Switzerland is managing the project.

-Mark Moffa