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Ultra-luxury manor does not even begin to describe the extreme lavishness of the latest real estate listing coming out of Cannes, France. Listed at $262 million, the 16 bedroom incomparable Florentine-style villa, dubbed La Croix-des-Gardes, is situated on a 27 acre hillside and needs a new family to tend to its exquisite nooks and crannies.

The seller is notorious Turkish-Saudi Arabian billionaire and arms dealer, Adnan Khashoggi. He is known for his more controversial headlines, such as being implicated, and later acquitted, in the Iran-Contra arms deal. On the other hand, luxury commodities are a way of life for Mr. Khashoggi as he previously has owned an 18,000 square-foot condo at the Olympic Tower in New York City, at least two jets, and at one time he was the proud owner of a 281-foot boat which later was owned by the Sultan of Brunei, Donald Trump, and Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

This week, Mr. Khashoggi is turning some high-net-worth heads yet again, but this time the headlines involve immaculate winter garden sculptures, waterfalls, water–jets, and a swimming pool that peers seductively over the hillside providing an unbeatable view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Inside the main house of this deluxe mansion you will find a reception hall, lounge, dining room, winter garden, walk-in closets, library, kitchens, and a study. On the first floor there are 6 bedrooms, but taking the elevator up to the second floor you will find 2 large suites before hitting the third floor which consists of an additional 4 bedrooms and accompanying bathrooms.

Take an elevator ride south of the main floors and you will encounter a basement comprised of cellars, a 6 car garage, a staff apartment and kitchen, and 2 additional bedrooms and a bathroom. If you’re still concerned about having enough room for all of your visitors, there is also a 4 bedroom guest pavilion, a 2 bedroom gardener’s accommodation and an extra studio apartment. Perhaps not surprisingly, after looking at the magnitude of this estate, the listing also reportedly states that there is an extra maid’s room underneath the swimming pool.

Vive la France!

Via: The Real Estalker

Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, sex sells.  Andre Balazs, uses taboo advertising for the Standard in NY, Britney Spears just released a new hit that tiptoes, or marches, around the topic of threesomes, and Jenna Jameson, well, that’s obvious.  So, if sex sells, can nudity auction? Sotheby’s will find out next month.

On October 9, Sotheby’s in New York will auction off nude portraits of supermodels—the work of Chuck Close, Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton and others.  One of the main attractions is a set of six full frontal shots of Kate Moss.  Taken by Chuck Close in 2003, the lot is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Another top lot is a portfolio of 12 semi-nude images of Marilyn Monroe.  Taken in 1962 by Lawrence Schiller, the shots are estimated at $50,000-$70,000.  Included in the nudity is Rolling Stone front man, Mick Jagger.  Shot in 1995, the two Peter Lindbergh portraits are estimated at $30,000-$50,000.  Priced a bit under Mick Jagger, Stephanie Seymour’s nude photo taken by Richard Avedon in 1992, is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.  A relatively tame photo of barely clad Nadja Auermann grasping her breast was taken in 1994 by Irving Penn and is estimated at a mere $6,000-$9,000.

Via: Luxist

Whoopi Goldberg’s SoHo loft is back on the market for a cool $3.99 million. SoHo’s premium turf, playfully named after London’s famous shopping district and noted for its elaborate cast-iron architecture, was once inhabited by artists in the late 60’s but is now home to trendy young couples, wealthy singles, and ex-suburbanite empty-nesters. As a result of its transition, SoHo is now home to many of the same high-end boutiques found on Madison Avenue.

The expansive full-floor co-op unit, located in the heart of SoHo at 101 Wooster Street, features 3,600 square feet of space with a ValCucine kitchen, separate guest quarters, two and a half baths, a bar area and private master suite, in addition to exposed brick, sky-high ceilings, polished wood floors, massive mahogany windows, and a home entertainment system that includes a 58-inch, flat-screen plasma TV. The shabby chic décor also boasts a myriad of historical elements, vintage ceiling fans, custom doors, light fixtures and wall coverings. The property has been on the market since the end of June.

Goldberg, a long-time actress and current co-host of ABC’s The View, is also owner of a 7,039-square-foot house on Amalfi Drive in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades area, a 1,452-square-foot house in Berkeley, California, a 27.8-acre vacant parcel on Cream Hill Road in Cornwall, Connecticut, and a massive spread in Windham County, Vermont. Past winner of a Grammy, Academy Award, Emmy, and a Tony, she is also recognized for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and AIDS. Among her many charitable activities, Goldberg is a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations.

Via: Propgoluxury, Bergproperties, NYMAG, The View

In a typical year of any haute living life, endless hours of air travel occupy schedules and therefore, maintaining a certain level of luxury during trips is essential. Certain first class lounges appear to be willing to take on this responsibility by making sure your lifestyle expectations doesn’t get left outside the airport doors.

While private jets surely are the most efficient and deluxe way for Haute Living readers to travel the skies, it has been estimated that in regards to commercial flights, first class travelers make up approximately 3% of the 460 million people taking international flights each year, with 11.3%  business class individuals and  85.5% in coach. While skipping security lines and having the privacy of your own plane is nice, not to mention the narrowing gap in price difference between private and commercial trips, it is also being reported that since many commercial airlines are merging their business and first classes together, the overall demand for first and business class travel is increasingly significantly, specifically in China, India, and the Middle East.

With that in mind, it’s crucial to be aware of what exactly is being offered for these first and business class travelers in terms of airport lounging, surely a key component to keeping high-net worth individuals flying commercial.

If you happen to be at the Bangkok International Airport and you are flying first or business class on Thai Airways, prepare for some special treatment. Not only will you be picked up by electric cart and taken to the Royal First Lounge, but you’ll also be attended to by two hostesses, have access to a private room with large HD televisions, and be among the last to board after being returned to the gate by electric car before being escorted to your seat on the plane.
Down under in Sydney International Airport, flying first or business class on Qantas Airways will also ensure an extremely comfortable wait prior to boarding. Attentive and anticipatory staff members go out of their way to ensure any need is met with speed and accuracy. Also in this lounge, a top-tier restaurant, a day spa and Wi-Fi capabilities to make sure you’re always connected to the rest of the world, no matter where you are.

Perhaps one of the sleekest lounges around is the Cathay Pacific’s lounge in the Hong Kong International Airport. With showers located in your private space and even a larger “rainforest” shower, this extremely well maintained lounge is more like a stylish spa than a place to wait for your flight.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Lufthansa lounge located at the Frankfurt Airport. Having been to this lounge personally, I can vouch for the fact that it is quite the arrangement. With exclusive access granted only to premium passengers from intercontinental flights and elite members of Lufthansa’s Frequent Flyer program, the lounge is fitted with luxurious showers, heated floors, multiple computer stations, numerous televisions, grooming supplies available upon request and because we all need to look our best during our travels, the Lufthansa lounge will even press your clothes for you, should you inquire.

Via: HalogenLife

This unique and sensational estate on forty two acres in heart of horse country is a newly custom-built traditional with unparalleled construction and meticulous handcrafted details found in European estates. Wide limestone terraces overlook unlimited rolling vistas that are protected forever! Also convenient to Atlantic Golf Course and Golf at the Bridge. The 25×50 heated gunite pool is in but you decide where the tennis court and the stables go. An additional adjacent 20-acre lot is available separately.

Offered @ $39,500,000

Contact Matthew Breitenbach @ 631.899.0335 or mbreitenbach@corcoran.com. Or visit www.corcoran.com.

Improving the fuel economy of vehicles promotes energy independence, cleaner air and U.S. job security, so it’s a no-brainer that with all the money our government has been dishing out as of late, some of it should go to creating green vehicles, which it is. Just ask electric car company Tesla Motors, Inc. CEO Elon Musk and Fisker Automotive founder Henrik Fisker, when they’re not busy duking it out in court, of course. The feds recently split a billion dollars between the two companies for them to work on building affordable, electric-powered cars, with Tesla securing a $465 million government loan back in June and Fisker receiving $529 million last week to help build a hybrid sports car in Finland that will sell for about $89,000.

Fisker was once contracted by Tesla to design the Model S. Musk (who is no stranger to lawsuits) later sued Fisker, accusing him of doing sloppy work and stealing company secrets. Fisker won an arbitration ruling exonerating him from all blame but, needless to say, they most likely won’t be partnering up and playing nice again anytime soon.

This year more than 75,000 foreign-made hybrid cars will be sold in the U.S., a number which has almost tripled in the past few years. U.S. automakers need to get in on this growing market, and fast, so the question remains as to why we are sending millions of taxpayer dollars to a small foreign car company (backed by Al Gore, you read between the political lines) when local automotive companies have had their bids for loans rejected without any reasonable explanation?

The answer? A little thing called Karma, a hybrid for the elite car buyer which will target an exclusive audience (Gore was one of the first 1,500 people to get in line for one). The four-door eco-chic plug-in car, powered by a lithium-ion battery, will run solely on electric power for 50 miles, and will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg over the span of a year. The balance of electric and gas range promises “a cleaner conscience” for the luxury hybrid owner. Unfortunately, with many Americans still struggling to find jobs and make ends meet, the Karma is not likely to appeal to the masses.

“This is not for average Americans,” said Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, an anti-tax group in Washington. “This is for people to put something in their driveway that is a conversation piece. It’s status symbol thing.”

Production is scheduled to start in December, with about 15,000 vehicles a year expected to hit the U.S. market starting next June.

Via: Gawker, Allvoices, The Wall Street Journal, Karma

Financial trouble has led to one more New York company closing its doors, or in this case, landing for good.  The popular New York shuttle service, U.S. Helicopter, offered scheduled helicopter service between helipads.  Operating to and from Manhattan and Kennedy International or Newark Liberty International Airports, the business made its final landing last week.

After only 3 years running, reports have surfaced that the financial turbulence was too much for U.S. Helicopter to recover from.  However, the company website, www.flyush.com, states otherwise.  “We are temporary halting all service as we regroup to add aircraft to our fleet and introduce new routes. This ’standown’ of service applies to our scheduled flights as well as our charter service. We plan to return to the skies of New York – a bigger and better airline – by late November.” However, instead of rescheduling or offering complimentary travel for missed flight the company continues to write, “For information on refunds for tickets you hold for future travel, please contact your credit card company for a credit or refund.”  Blue skies are in their personal forecast, but the storm cloud seems to be lingering.

More about the Helicopter Shuttle Service’s future

On October 19th, there is really only one place to be for true diamond lovers. The Sotheby’s New York headquarters will be home to the auction of a wide range of some of the most alluring jewels of all time, including the auction’s centerpiece: a 29.53 carat pear-shaped diamond.

The Gemological Institute of America has recently given auction power house Sotheby’s centerpiece a running start in terms of accreditation. They just determined the 29.53 carat, D color diamond to be both potentially flawless and type IIa. Flawless it may be, but it certainly isn’t priceless as the Institute has also estimated its value to be between $1.8 million and $2.2 million (which, in case you’re wondering, tallies out to you paying $61,000 per carat).

If that particular diamond doesn’t tickle your sparkling-fancy, Sotheby’s will also be auctioning out exquisite pieces designed by some of the best in the business, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Webb, and, naturally, New York’s own Tiffany & Co. Jewels from private American collections, high quality white diamonds, and signed and period pieces will also be featured.
Bulgari is featured in the auction with items such as a 24 carat diamond butterfly brooch, worth between $50,000 and $70,000. At this same price range, Van Cleef & Arpels are featuring a diamond and amethyst “Botticelli” necklace in 18 Karat gold.

If you’re looking for something slightly higher up in the price spectrum, a beautiful yellow diamond ring set with a potentially flawless emerald-cut stone of 9.55 carats in a diamond crossover mounting by Tiffany & Co. will also be featured. This piece’s estimate is $250,000 to $350,000.

If you would like to pass by and observe the beautiful jewels prior to the auction, there will be an exhibition set up at Sotheby’s New York show room beginning on October 14th, or you can visit Sotheby’s website for an online catalogue.

Via: Luxist

The inspirational quote, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” has an entirely new meaning to Lord Norman Foster.  He is shooting for moon; he is going to build there; and that will make him a star.

The London-based architect has out of this world plans with a secret lunar project.  In cohorts with the Aurora program of the European Space Agency, he is joining a European consortium to pitch a development on the moon.

Foster’s firm is most famous for projects that include the British Museum’s Great Court and the rebuilt Reichstag in Germany.  Now, an investigation involving data from the original Apollo moon landing and new information gathered from robot vehicles on Mars is analyzing the adaptation of materials found in space for building purposes.

Although there are no details or elaborations of the plans, a spokesperson at the London headquarters of Foster and Partners confirmed, “there is a tender”—which possibly might be a celestial glass dome.

In addition to the moon project, Foster is also designing a private spaceship.  Scheduled to start launching from the New Mexico desert in 2011, the world’s first private spaceport is for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

More about the extraterrestrial developments