Emerging from the exclusive realm of off-market listings, the recently listed The Mountain site is turning the heads of buyers, sellers and Realtors with its record-setting list price of $1 billion. Minutes from the Beverly Hills Hotel and Rodeo Drive, this 157-acre hilltop location has been transformed into the world’s most exclusive and private residential real estate compound.

Vintage pieces add character and depth that cannot be imitated by modern mass-produced furniture. Embracing vintage trends in your home does not mean that you must abandon contemporary designs, however.

Many antiques fit well with today’s straight lines, bold colors and attention to detail. Whether you’re looking to make a statement with an ornate, attention-grabbing item or desire a subtle quaint aesthetic, vintage pieces can give a room personality and complexity unmatched by what can be found in the average furniture store.

If you are unsure how to go about incorporating timeless vintage pieces to your home’s decor, here are five tables with vintage charm that will give your home an extra dose of elegance:

Victorian Marble Top Turtle Top Carved Table
$628

This sleek rococo-style table dates back to the 1890s. The simple white and gray grained marble top contrasts the carefully carved solid black mahogany base, perfect for the minimalist homeowner seeking to diversify their decor.

Round Oak Table
$995

Approximately 118 years old, this table features opposing scroll carvings that come together to form a floral design reminiscent of acanthus leaves. An ideal coffee table, this piece is stylishly supported by eight turned legs with ball feet.

Photos courtesy of www.rubylane.com.

The Ombré Vibrant finish makes use of Kohler’s proprietary physical vapor deposition process, which bonds the finish and faucet together at the molecular level, to create an incredibly strong surface that is both scratch- and tarnish-resistant. The finish comes in two fabrications: Vibrant Rose Gold to Vibrant Polished Nickel, and Vibrant Titanium to Vibrant Rose Gold.

The Ombré Vibrant finish is available on a curated selection of Kohler plumbing products: Components and Sensate. Homeowners can express their personal taste by using faucets with this finish as an integral design component for their home décor.

The word ombré, French for shadow or shade, has been seen on everything from haute couture gowns to celebrity hairstyles, and its ingenious use on what could be seen as an everyday product further establishes Kohler as the industry leader in finish innovation.

Photos courtesy of Jillian Rosone.

SMEG and Dolce & Gabbana — two prominent brands in the world of luxury — have come together and taken kitchen appliances to a whole new level.

Fun, vibrant, unique and sure to start a conversation are just a few ways to describe the new special collection, titled “Sicily is my love.” The line includes coffee makers, hand blenders, toasters, citrus juicers, electric kettles and mixers, and more.

Dolce & Gabbana and SMEG continue the journey that joins their artistic sensibilities to discover the colors and beauty of Sicily to celebrate the authentically ‘Made in Italy’ project under the shared standard of creativity, art, and design. A revolutionary collaboration that has created a new perception of home appliance, no longer mere products, but true works of art.

Photos courtesy of SMEG and Dolce & Gabbana

Beer may be the everyman’s drink, but there are some ultra-premium brews priced like fine Bordeaux.

By Roger Grody

Budweiser is the “King of Beers” and rival Miller Brewing Company dubs its flagship product “High Life,” so the concept of elitism has long pervaded the mass-production market. But a new breed of brewmasters is transforming the beer drinking experience through exotic ingredients, elaborate packaging and price tags that would make a sommelier blush.

Craft brewing, a dominant trend in the industry, has fostered diversity, innovation and a focus on high quality artisanal ingredients. Also emerging are small-batch, ultra-premium beers with price points more akin to fine wines than budget-friendly, old-school labels like Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Leading beer authority Stephen Beaumont — his 13 books include The World Atlas of Beer and Premium Beer Drinker’s Guide — reports plenty of media interest in super-expensive beers but does not believe their hype represents a major shift in the industry. “It’s not so much a trend but an attention-grabber,” he says, conceding that whenever a beer sells for $800, people naturally take notice. He suggests that standing in line for the chance to buy a limited-release beer is part of an experience that transcends the palate, and points to 3 Floyds Brewing Co.’s Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout as a prime example. On Dark Lord Day (most recently on May 19, 2018), fans make the pilgrimage to Munster, Indiana to score some of the scarce bottles.

Many high-priced beers are one-off events rather than regularly available products, and their stratospheric price tags are often attributed to extremely limited production. Sapporo, the massive Japanese brewery, introduced Space Barley in 2009, made with barley from seeds that were kept alive in the International Space Station by Japanese and Russian scientists. The grain’s exotic provenance made this one of the most unique beers ever produced — facetiously referred to as “out of this world” — and a six-pack retailed for $110.

From 2008 through 2014, Australia’s Crown Beverages produced a vintage beer called Crown Ambassador Ale, a limited-production beverage designed to cellar for a decade. The handsome 750ml wine-like bottles were originally priced at about $90 but now command in excess of $1,000 on auction sites. The brewer suggests serving it in a red wine glass and reports it pairs well with pungent cheeses, wild game and desserts.

Samuel Adams, the brand that introduced craft brewing techniques to a mass market, has offered 10 vintages of a limited-edition beer called Utopias, a blend of batches aged up to 24 years. At 28 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) — as opposed to the typical 4 to 6 percent — this beer is more akin to a Port or Cognac. Aging in a variety of wine and spirit barrels (the 2017 vintage included a stint in Scandinavian aquavit barrels) further invites such comparisons.

“My original idea for Utopias was to push the boundaries of craft beer by brewing an extreme beer that was unlike anything any brewer had conceived,” reports Samuel Adams Founder Jim Koch. “We’ve continued to stretch the boundaries in brewing with the release of our 10th vintage and I’m proud to present to drinkers this lunatic fringe of extreme beer worthy of the Utopias name,” says Koch of the 2017 vintage. Only 13,000 ceramic bottles resembling copper brewing kettles were released, with a suggested retail price of $199 per bottle. Commentators like Beaumont praise Utopias, suggesting its character and complexity warrants the high price.

BrewDog is a funky Scottish craft brewery (Beaumont calls the company, not necessarily disparagingly, “an unapologetic attention-seeker”) that produces highly rated beers with product names like Elvis Juice, Clockwork Tangerine and Tactical Nuclear Penguin. One of its most celebrated products was Sink the Bismark!, a 41 percent ABV ale that retailed at approximately $75 when released in 2011. If you can find the high-octane brew today, you’ll pay north of $200 for a 330ml bottle.

End of History is a BrewDog beer with a staggering 55 percent ABV. Only a dozen bottles were produced for its first release in 2010, so prices skyrocketed to $750 or more. The beer is now brewed at BrewDog’s Columbus, Ohio facility, legal in the Buckeye State only after a 12 percent ABV cap was lifted in 2016. Despite its American Heartland production, the beer is fermented with juniper berries and nettles from the Scottish Highlands. To raise money for the company’s American expansion, $20,000 bottles were offered to investors. And for packaging that could be viewed as either cool or creepy, each End of History bottle is inserted into a taxidermied squirrel, with the neck of the bottle extending through the mouth of the sacrificial critter.

Denmark-based Carlsberg Group is best known for its eminently affordable Carlsberg label, but offers more than 500 different brands from Uzbekistan to Laos and periodically experiments with high-end beers. Released from 2008 to 2010 is its Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage, which was originally priced near $400. It can still be cellared until 2059 and remaining bottles are considered precious. “It’s quite a flavorful beer with lots of character and complexity,” notes Beaumont. This year, the company introduced new cask-conditioned beers in conjunction with Nordic Food Lab at the University of Copenhagen.

“The starting point was a curiosity about whether we could brew beers of sufficiently high quality to match Denmark’s elite gastronomy,” says Jacobsen Brewmaster Morten Ibsen, who notes, “We succeeded.” A limited allocation of Jacobsen’s Chanterelle Lager was provided to Michelin-starred Restaurant Tri Trin Ned in Fredericia, Denmark, where dishes on the multi-course tasting menu were carefully crafted to complement the beer’s unique character. The launch reinforces the concept of fine beer assuming the stature of wine in the highest echelons of the culinary world.

Perhaps no craft brewery in America is as dedicated to the art of “culinary brewing” as Chicago-based Moody Tongue Brewing Company, whose mission is to develop flavor profiles that pair well with fine cuisine. Founding Brewmaster Jared Rouben, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an alum of Michelin three-star Per Se in New York, approaches brewing beer as he would a savory dish in the kitchen. “It’s about sourcing the best ingredients, handling them with care and knowing where, when and why to incorporate them,” he says, adding, “The finished product just hits a glass instead of a plate.” 

Moody Tongue’s Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner (about $120 for a 22-ounce bottle) is a beer designed to complement rack of lamb as effectively as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Several acclaimed restaurants have placed it on their lists, including New York heavyweights Per Se and Blue Hill. Part of Rouben’s inspiration for founding Moody Tongue in 2014 was his frustration with seeing the beer selection relegated to the last page of restaurants’ beverage lists, with few choices that could elevate the dining experience. “My inspiration comes from the ingredients,” says the chef/brewmaster, insisting he is not motivated by price. “As soon as truffles go down in price, so will the beer,” he quips.

Shelton Brothers, Inc. is a prominent Massachusetts-based importer currently offering more than 800 labels, including those of Cantillon, a Belgian brewery whose traditionally fermented Lambic beers command high prices. Commenting on the current crop of headline-grabbing beers, Co-Founder Dan Shelton, states, “American craft brewers have figured out a lot of ways of getting people to spend more money:  higher alcohol levels, novel ingredients, creating the impression of scarcity by limiting access, and using what are purported to be innovative techniques.”

“Most of this is just gimmickry,” insists Shelton, who believes the trend toward exotic food additives is cresting. Unimpressed by truffle-infused beer, he says, “I sincerely hope that what comes next is a renewed interest in what I think of as just ‘good beer’ — beer made in the traditional, painstaking way that actually tastes like beer.”

Haute Brews

BrewDog • Scotland/Ohio • www.brewdog.com

Cantillon Brewery • Belgium • www.cantillon.be

Crown Ambassador Reserve • Australia • www.crownlager.com.au

Carlsberg Group • Denmark • www.carlsberggroup.com

Moody Tongue Brewing Company • Chicago • www.moodytongue.com

Samuel Adams • Boston • www.samueladams.com

Sapporo • Japan • www.sapporobeer.com

3 Floyds Brewing Co. • Indiana • www.3floyds.com

Resources

Shelton Brothers, Inc. • www.sheltonbrothers.com

Stephen Beaumont • www.beaumontdrinks.com

Ekster, the world’s largest smart wallet brand, recently launched its third-generation product line with over $1 million gained from its crowd-funding campaign.

Photos courtesy Ekster.

They’re going fast! Mountain Shadows’ new resort condominiums and suites are flying quickly off the market, with only 13 of the 42 units remaining. These brand-new condos in the luxury wing of Mountain Shadows in Paradise Valley, Arizona mark the completion of the $100 million new-build resort in March 2018.

Sitting at the foot of Camelback Mountain, Mountain Shadows Resort Condominiums is the first three-story resort residential building in Paradise Valley, designed for those seeking “lock and leave” resort-style living. Direct access to the entire Mountain Shadows resort encourages owners to take advantage of incredible amenities and resort perks, such as housekeeping, valet and concierge services, access to the wellness-centric Citizens Club and juice bar, and access the only 18-hole, par-3 golf course in Arizona. The Mountain Shadows Resort Condominiums offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, ranging from 1,000 to 3,410 square feet and priced from $840,000 to $4.1 million.

Designed by Scottsdale-based Allen + Philp Architects, each condo and suite at Mountain Shadows Resort Condominiums is a personal retreat for residents to rest among the best of mid-century modernism and contemporary design.

An icon of the desert, Mountain Shadows is an upscale boutique resort, with its roots in 1950’s modernism. The original property closed in 2004, replaced by a $100 million new-build resort by acclaimed developers of Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa and Hotel Valley in April 2017. A brand new fitness center and outdoor pool unveiled during the opening, called The Citizens Club, a high-tech fitness center offering an array of 60-minute classes, and two 75-foot pools, connected by a modern waterfall feature and dramatic views of Camelback Mountain and the surrounding desert beauty.

Photos courtesy of Mountain Shadows

Wynwood, recently named one of America’s hippest neighborhoods by TripAdvisor, will get its first micro-style units with the addition Wynwood 25, where, “The Sky is the Limit.” The micro-style living is a growing trend in Miami, as it is aiding the transition from just a vacation hotspot to an authentic, urban center for young professionals.  

Brooklyn-based interior designer, Meshberg Group, who are lauded for giving Brooklyn much of its design identity, was pegged to design Wynwood 25’s amenities and units with a Brooklyn touch. The project will feature a garden rooftop terrace with a pool, spa, grill, indoor/outdoor co-working spaces and green areas. Other building amenities will include a fitness and yoga center, coffee lounge and outdoor courtyard, and is slated for completion in summer of 2019.

Micro-style units are becoming more and more popular in the Miami real estate market. Though  Miami is currently pushing their luxury development, so much that it is now the sixth least-affordable major market in the U.S., according to a recent Demographia International Study, these micro-style units are providing another option for potential buyers. The majority of micro-unit dwellers are young professionals and first-time renters under 30, considering location the most important priority.  

“The design for the micro-style units is for efficiency and a modern minimalist style, like smaller New York-style spaces, which are uncommon in the heart of Miami,” said Adam Meshberg from Meshberg Group, “For contextual visual elements, we used brick, exposed concrete and natural wood materials throughout the interior. This decision is shaped by our adaptive re-use experience in NYC where land is expensive and converting old buildings is the norm.

He continued, “Directly influenced by the latest in NYC, the programming of amenity spaces caters to the new way people live in urban areas. For instance, we created co-working indoor and outdoor spaces to encourage collaboration and comfort to work from home spaces, as well as a larger state of the art gym with on demand fitness studio,”

Wynwood 25 will be affordable and convenient, offering units ranging from 400–1,200 square feet for $1,600 to $1,750 per month. Rooms will be equipped with state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms, including access to the spectacular rooftop lounge, merging culture and recreation.

Renderings courtesy of Kobi Karp

One of two remaining top floor penthouses, the “Steinway Suite” was designed by award-winning designer Michael Friedes and is punctuated with a Steinway Model M Spirio high-resolution player piano valued at $100,000. The sophisticated, 1940s-glam-meets-Mid-century-modern residence is being offered fully-furnished for $3.7 million.

The highly coveted corner, top floor penthouse gives a buyer the rare chance to purchase a fully furnished, nostalgic yet contemporary space with unmatched views of San Francisco. Highlights of the Steinway Suite penthouse include:

Sitting Alcove — The intimate alcove adjacent to the piano features a mohair-like sofa, and a wool and silk rug that has custom-cut corners on it to echo the angles of the room. The original artwork above the sofa was custom created by Friedes and features bold colors and movement that represents his interpretation of music playing. On the room’s other wall, Friedes selected original album covers that underscore the penthouse’s musical sensibility. Meanwhile, the room’s statuesque lamps add extra dimension to the space and show off the height of the ceilings. The coffee and end tables are composed of rich golds and polished wood that embrace the glamour of city penthouse living.

Guest Bedroom —The guest bedroom is designed to enjoy the dramatic views from the corner windows. It was inspired by a 1960s lucite and turquoise chair Friedes found in Palm Springs with the idea of making the space fun and light. The 1970s acrylic lamps are also a Palm Springs find. The artwork above the bed is titled “The Last Conductor” by Eastern European artist Eugene Soloiev, and is one of Friedes’ clever references to the Steinway Suite.

The “Steinway Suite” owner has access to The Harrison’s robust amenities, including: Uncle Harry’s, the building’s penthouse lounge, private dining room, grand entry salon, pantry, valet, fitness center, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and, Luxury Attaché, a dedicated concierge who coordinates everything from dinner reservations to private functions to monthly events. Penthouse residents are also within walking distance to AT&T Park and many of the city’s best restaurants, bars, shops and businesses.

The Harrison is located at 401 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 and can be reached at 415.721.7788. For more information, visit https://theharrisonsf.com/.  

Photos courtesy of The Harrison.

A glimpse at some of the finest Presidential Suites in the world reveals that some of the amenities in just one of them include: Cantilevered glass balconies, a breathtaking library with a 26-foot cathedral ceiling, a Bösendorfer baby grand piano, lacquered walls with inlaid mother-of-pearl detailing, world-class art and a master bath clad in rare Chinese onyx.

Photos courtesy of The Greenbriar

The Presidential Suite is located in a wing called The Windsor Club at The Greenbrier, and currently commands $25,000 per night. A sweeping staircase leads from the entertainment areas on the ground floor to seven bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms) above. An additional 18 bedrooms for guests or staff are available upon request. Originally decorated by legendary interior designer Dorothy Draper, the Presidential Suite still features her signature style of American Baroque furniture and vibrant hand-painted wallpaper.

According to Dr. Robert S. Conte, the resort’s official historian and author of The History of The Greenbrier—America’s Resort, the suite was created in 1947 when the property was converted back to a hotel after serving as a U.S. Army hospital during World War II. “It’s at the end of a long corridor, which provides a sense of privacy and has a dedicated concierge,” reports Conte.

Of the 27 presidents who have stayed at The Greenbrier, only Eisenhower actually slept in the Presidential Suite, as other suites offer more manageable spaces. But its occupants have included Indian Prime Minister Nehru, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The 5,500-squre-foot suite is ideal for corporate entertaining, and one family has made a tradition of booking it every Christmas for 25 years.

On the 51st floor of the I.M. Pei-designed Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Manhattan are a pair of beautifully appointed 1,350-square-foot “Presidential Suites” with stunning views of the New York skyline and neighboring Central Park. But heads of state, royalty or big-name celebrities may prefer to ascend to the Ty Warner Penthouse, a 4,300-square-foot suite with 360-degree views and extraordinary appointments. The Four Seasons reports the showcase suite, a collaboration of Pei, hotel owner Ty Warner and iconoclastic architect/interior designer Peter Marino, is the product of a $50 million investment.

The Ty Warner Penthouse features the four highest cantilevered glass balconies in the world, perched over one of New York’s most prestigious and strategic addresses. A breathtaking library offers a 26-foot cathedral ceiling, floor-to-ceiling bronze bookcases from French sculptor Claude Lalanne and a Bösendorfer baby grand piano. Lacquered walls with inlaid mother-of-pearl detailing, world-class art and a master bath clad in rare Chinese onyx contribute to the architectural drama, while service perks include a 24-hour dedicated guest manager and Rolls Royce with driver at the ready. The nightly rate for this opulence is about $60,000, arguably a bit pricy for a public servant.

Photos courtesy of Caesar’s Hotel and Bel Air Hotel

Photos courtesy of Caesar’s Palace

When President Obama and family stayed at Caesar’s, they occupied the Cleopatra Villa and the adjoining Mark Antony Villa, totaling 20,000 square feet of lavish, marble-clad space with a glass-covered atrium, six bedrooms and an oversized outdoor spa. “Now that I’m president, they upgraded me,” Obama reportedly joked during his 2009 stay, acknowledging the over-the-top accommodations. The two combined suites, priced from $33,000 per night and favored by platinum record pop stars, royal families and tech tycoons — are accessed by secure private elevator and served by a dedicated butler 24 hours a day.

The Venetian, Las Vegas’ luxury Italianate hotel, offers not one but four Presidential Suites that combine understated elegance with a little glitz, consistent with a property that values artistic expression. Each suite’s 5,200 square feet of living space includes grand marble foyers, lavish dining rooms and a pair of bedrooms with elegant amenities. Naturally, the occupants have access to any of the hotel’s acclaimed chefs and can relax over a game of billiards in a stately game room. Hotel representatives report the Chairman Suites at The Venetian’s adjoining sister property, The Palazzo, are larger, flashier and even more befitting the highest of rollers.

Clearly, Washington, D.C. knows how to accommodate diplomats, prime ministers and sultans, with suites pre-approved by the Secret Service. The Presidential Suite at the Mandarin Oriental, which has nightly rates starting at $15,000, offers spectacular views of the nation’s capital and traditional yet exquisite décor. A hexagonal living room with vaulted ceiling and crystal chandelier adds to the ease of entertaining in this 3,500-square-foot suite, where stunning spa-like contemporary bathrooms — the master features a two-person glass shower — adjoin spacious sleeping quarters.

Hotel manager Marie-Elise Lallemand insists the Mandarin Oriental’s Presidential Suite is the only one in the District with genuinely monumental views, noting its 180-degree panorama encompasses many of the capital city’s most recognizable landmarks. In fact, a circular window in the 10-seat dining room perfectly frames a postcard-worthy vista of the Washington Monument. “With two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, dining room with chef’s prep area, living room, office, sitting room, and grand foyer, our Presidential Suite is truly unique,” says Lallemand, who maintains the level of service is commensurate with the presidential premises.

Sweet Suites

Hotel Bel-Air • Los Angeles • www.dorchestercollection.com

Caesar’s Palace • Las Vegas • www.caesars.com

Four Seasons • New York • www.fourseasons.com

The Greenbrier • Sulphur Springs • West Virginia • www.greenbrier.com

Mandarin Oriental • Washington, D.C. • www.mandarinoriental.com

The Palazzo • Las Vegas • www.palazzo.com

The Venetian • Las Vegas • www.venetian.com