GCulture | Men's Luxury Magazine | Issue 8 December 2008

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8 December 2008

© GCulture 2008 CoverMen’s Luxury Magazine

Lunch at the Landau

Bespoke: The Real Meaning HauteJoaillerie for Men Sleepingdog - Polar Bear Pollock in DetailLuxury Mobile Phones Russia -Beneath the Skin InteriorInspiration: Reception RoomLunch at the Landau

This Issue

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© GCulture 2008 Page 1Men’s Luxury Magazine

Editors’ LetterIn this issue, GCulture takes a trip down Savile Row to investigate the true meaning of bespoke whilst look-ing at the best in 'haute joaillerie' for men. Marie-Beatrice Billault reveals all about the latest Pollock exhibition in Paris whilst Elizabeth Dodd looks at the latest album from Sleeping-dog.

Thomas Newton from mobile-phones.co.uk has joined us for this issue to discuss and give his opinion on the latest in luxury mobile phones. GCulture also got the oppor-tunity to gorge on the traditional sunday lunch at The Landau.

Russia is our country of interest for this issue, as we provide all of the information to enjoy the riches of Moscow, St. Petersburg and more. GCulture also examines the latest trends appearing across the globe's hotels and villas, as we look at the next possible influences for your interior design.

Enjoy the issue,

A. Hales Benoit Durand

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Body

When one mentions Savile Row, men's bespoke tailoring instantly comes to mind. The street is occu-pied by many tailors including the likes of Stowers Bespoke, Gieves & Hawkes and Ozwald Boateng. The question is, what makes any of these tailors better than the other?

GCulture ventured into Huntsman, a Savile Row tailor established in 1849, to discover the true meaning behind bespoke...

H. Huntsman and Sons Ltd. have been creating quite a stir recently in the world of cloth after they pur-chased a bale of 11.9 micron, 1PP graded wool at auction in Mel-bourne, Australia in February 2007. This wool was judged to be the finest wool ever produced and has now been made into a one of a kind cloth, ready to produce the 'ultimate suit'.

The bale has produced only 122m of fabric, enough for a total of 34 suits.

On entering the shop, the visitor is greeted with a warm open fire, two rather imposing deer heads and the opportunity to browse through an extensive collection of swatches. The recent surge of interest in bespoke tailoring gave Huntsman the idea to open up the rear of the shop, giving the customer sight of the 'behind the scenes' work. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, with the major-ity having spent their whole working lives on 'the row' or exclusively with Huntsman.

The Huntsman suit is itself a unique style. The shoulder is sharper, the cut of the coat a little longer and the one button fastening gives a surpris-ingly natural, clean cut appearance. All of the garments are made by hand on the premises and can be

Bespoke: The Real Meaning

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Bodymade to each customer's require-ments, with an extensive choice of fabric, design, colour and weight. Ties and jumpers are also available.

A tour around the workshop really brings to life the effort and attention to detail that goes into the creation of a bespoke garment at Huntsman. Customers return for several fittings as the material works its way around the workshop, eventually finished after several weeks worth of atten-tion. It comes as quite a surprise, but technological advances at Huntsman are few and far between, with cutting done by eye and sewing done by hand, the whole process really relies on the experience and knowledge of the professional. Brown paper cut-tings of every customer are kept, tied together with string, to allow the recreation of any past purchase.

This however does not mean that Huntsman are behind the times. The current Winter 08/09 collection is reminiscent of a classic look - elegant suiting, country tweeds and luxury smoking jackets that have a beautiful modern twist. Traditional techniques with a modern outlook have placed Huntsman among the few Savile Row tailors who really know the meaning of bespoke.

Bespoke suits from £3,840

Made to measure suits from £1,849

Bespoke suits in Opus 11.9 - £15,000 per suit

For more information, please visit www.h-huntsman.com

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Body

Haute Joaillerie for Men

Considered as one of the oldest forms of body adornment, jewellery was often made to show off ones wealth and status. GCulture opens the door of a world where measure does not exist but where beauty and desire seem to be the only intention.

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Body1. Pink gold Ballon Bleu watch set with diamonds and crown decorated with blue cabochon sapphire by Cartier, £28,000 - 2. Mambam bracelet in gold and leather with black diamond by Manuel Bozzi, £203 - 3. Pisa ring in silver with white gold cross and black diamonds by Manuel Bozzi, £1,125 - 4. Androchon watch with yellow and black gold case by Buccellati, £6,500.

1. Signature phone in white gold and leather by Vertu, £24,000 - 2. 1.50 carat round brilliant cut diamonds G colour and VS1 clarity by Seventy Seven Dia-monds at www.77diamonds.com, £11,524.65 - 3. Frog cufflinks with diamonds, in white, yellow gold and enamel by Aaron Basha, £4,195 - 4. Lady Bug cufflinks with diamonds, in white, yellow gold and enamel by Aaron Basha, £3,160 - 5. Fish cufflinks with diamonds, in white, yellow gold and enamel by Aaron Basha, £6,175 - 6. I03 Chiffre Rouge watch in yellow gold with diamonds by Dior Homme, £31,850 - 7. Bullet pendant in silver with 3 rubies by Manuel Bozzi, £188.

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Body

Praesent posuere nunc at neque blandit pretium

1. 1.50 carat round brilliant cut diamond G colour and VS1 clarity by Seventy Seven Diamonds at www.77diamonds.com, £11,524.65 - 2. 0.71 carat emerald cut diamonds F colour and VS2 clarity by Seventy Seven Diamonds at www.77diamonds.com, £1,809.02 - 3. Meisterstück Solitaire Royal LeGrand Black Diamond pen in white gold set with 3,081 black diamonds by Montblanc, £79,60o - 4. Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 watch in platinum by Jeager-LeCoultre, price on demand - 5. Cufflinks in white gold with 72 black brilliant cut diamonds by Zilli, £3,450 - 6. Cufflinks in white gold with square rubies by Zilli, £6,200 - 7. Cufflinks in white gold with sapphires and diamonds by Zilli, £10,500.

For suppliers’ details, please visit the Directory at www.gculture.co.uk.

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Mind

There's something in snow. As we descend toward freezing - accompa-nied, more often than not, with little more than some grey, crunchy sleet - the gentle promise of drifts and blan-kets of snow edges ever more tanta-lizingly. In the world of music our grey clouds and unobtrusive, unex-citing weather has spurred on every-thing from early Brit-Pop, through Radiohead, to Glasvegas, the Courte-eners and their ilk. The snow, mean-while: Sigur Ros, Bjork all pay testa-ment to the inherent creative energy implied by blanketed Scandinavia. Sleepingdog are a band with a simi-lar soul; their latest album, Polar Bear, gathering handfuls of Northern Hemisphere atmospherics, delivered just in time for Christmas.

Central to Sleepingdog are the idio-syncratic stylings of lead singer Chantal Acda. Originally from the Netherlands her vocals - dragged

and snapped over syllables - bring to mind the abstract delivery of Bjork and, occasionally, Imogeon Heap. The album is replete with gentle strings that inhale-exhale beneath Chantal's fragile melody; opener Prophets plotting course on an archaic piano, the spectrum ends crackling with an effort that seems at odds with the crystal clear produc-tion on the vocals. The chords are weary, tumbling with a random force that only eventually emerges into a painfully deliberate litany.

Moving without haste through these arctic meditations brings the album to highlight Polar Life, a track dubbed with a fuzzy, snow drenched production eventually melted by the precious scattering xylophone and warmer strings.

Sleepingdog - Polar Bear

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MindThe Sun Sinks In The Sea, based on and inspired by ‘Nu hverfur sol I haf', a poem by Icelandic author and poet Sigurbjorn Einarsson, is a bolder, Bjork-esque piece; all eccen-tric embrace of vowels and conso-nants, draped and sliding from the dependable if somewhat static chords, each of which is mournfully bridged by lonely half-notes. Grounded by an organ underneath the track, the song flowers into an expansive, glorious sound.

Polar Bear does not have the same pulse as Sigur Ros, nor the honed insanity of Bjork; crucially, it doesn't need to - we don't discard the mag-nificent US-based band TV On The Radio for not sounding more like Chuck Berry. Sleepingdog succeeds where it catches the free-association noises the mind grafts into sense if you fall asleep with the window open. It's understated and delicate, drifting from juxtaposed vocals to tick along with rhythmic pick-strumming on the Joan Baez-esque When It Lies, with the occasional cranky- melancholy surf note echo-ing out.

Packing the emotional weight of acoustic folk beneath layers of fragile production is challenging. It can - and the album does - accumulate a static gravitas that only the truly zen could appreciate in one go; taken piece by piece, Polar Bear is a gener-ous, meditative work. It's ghost-folk, and a great album to soundtrack your first snowstorm.

Elizabeth Dodd

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Mind

Immediately, from the beginning, the visitor stops: the text is long. The director of the gallery, Marc Rest-ellini, attempts to explain his ambi-tions: to offer a new vision on one of the greatest American artists of the twentieth century. Which impression will be the right one? That drowned by text or shown through the exhibi-tion?

It does not take long before the following rooms give their response. Alas, we will be drowned.

One has to say that the exhibition has some extenuating circumstances. It simply reflects the gallery's loca-tion in Paris, elitist.

Indeed the creators of the exhibition did not think of the visitor, who risk themselves in coming, as an idiot. They take for granted the visitor's knowledge of Pollock (1912-1956).

Pollock in Detail

Jackson Pollock, Birth, 1938-41

© Adagp, Paris 2008

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MindOne has to admit that the exhibition has been created with serious inten-tion, without mocking the visitor, as well as making sure that the title keeps to its promise. Solidly, analysis is driven, paintings are supported by bushy comments and backed up with many references to art and psycho-analysis - the shaman has no secret for us anymore. One must remember that it is also one of the goals of an exhibition: to extend and deepen a subject. From this point of view, the exhibition is successful. It is short and in-depth.

But some 'step-back' is undoubtedly lacking in the exhibition as we risk losing ourselves in the exhaustive-ness of the comments, missing the essential.

Everything is indeed there. The abstract expressionism, the surreal-ism, the turning of the 1940's, and even some drippings (canvases that were placed on the ground in order to project or drip paint onto them, a technique that made Pollock famous). The exhibition is also an occasion to see artwork that often comes from the United States. Pol-lock's paintings, mostly dating from 1935-1945, interact with Amerindian art and religious objects. Under the charm, we also discover the surreal Masson, one of Pollock's greatest influences.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled, 1949

© Adagp, Paris 2008

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MindThrough paintings like Birth or Man, Bull, Bird, the exhibition shows how Pollock differs in his exploration of primitivism, favoured by painters in the first half of the twentieth cen-tury. It highlights the significant impact that this period of symbols had on all of his work.

Yes, this exhibition has something that is indigestible. One needs to decide to look, to appreciate the colours, the sharpened lines as well as the charming and primitive influ-ences.

We need to say to ourselves, "Pol-lock's brush is worth it, do not be afraid". And we would be right.

Marie-Béatrice Billault

"Jackson Pollock et le chamanisme": until the 19th February 2009.

Pinacothèque de Paris

28 place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France

Open every day from 10.30am to 6.00pm, late night opening first Wednesday of every month.

Full price: 9 euros

Reduced price: 7 euros

Contact: +44 (0)1 42 68 02 01 or [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information, please visit www.pinacotheque.com

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Indulgence

Motorola Aura

A phone that is truly worthy of top-ping this luxurious list, the Aura oozes style and reeks of pure crafts-manship: the camera lens is sculpted from sapphire crystal, and the chemically etched stainless steel chassis is buffed to a mirrored finish (the same process that would be applied to an Omega or a Rolex).

The slide mechanism used to open the phone is in itself a work of genius - over 100 micro ball bearings ensure that after 100,000 or so test open-ings, it still "glides with the same fluidity and grace that it did on its first", according to Motorola. To give you an idea of how robust the inter-nal mechanics are, it is worth know-ing that the gears and cogs inside the phone are reinforced with tungsten carbide - the same chemical used to coat industrial cutting tools and strengthen the gears of F1 cars.

Luxury Mobile Phones

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IndulgenceOn top of its physical robustness, the Aura is a thing of beauty to behold. The display is a circular screen - the first of its kind in the mobile world - around which the opening mecha-nism hinges in what is quite literally a revolutionary design.

The Motorola Aura goes on sale in the UK on December 8th - the price could be expected at around £1,300 (based on the US price of $1,999 and the exchange rates at time of writing)

Thomas' Verdict"They say you get what you pay for, and with the Aura that really is true - just holding it you can feel that your money has not been wasted on frivolity, but has gone to create a piece of true communication crafts-manship."

Vertu Signature

Vertu is the little-known luxury arm of Finnish mobile giants Nokia, and the Signature represents its flagship handset - a phone that truly champi-ons the Vertu ideals of luxury.

The Signature is quite literally a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Each phone is made of over 400 meticu-lously examined parts, which are assembled into the finished article by hand, after which 96 painstaking inspections are carried out.

The design comes in three basic ranges (although they are anything but basic): the standard exterior jacket is fashioned of stainless steel, but this can be upgraded to 18 carat yellow gold for a hefty price rise, or to white gold for an even more exor-bitant fee. On top of this, the chosen exterior can then be customized with a range of diamonds or other pre-cious gems (a customization that, as you might expect, does not come cheap).

The quality of the phone is not just for aesthetic extravagance - the inte-rior components are just as impres-sive. The phone comes with a Yamaha synthesizer and a high-quality AKG speaker that nestles in its own acoustic cavity. The outcome of this high tech features list is a sound of impeccable quality, which is just as well, as the phone incorpo-rates a ringtone composed specifi-cally for the Signature and per-formed by the London Symphony Orchestra - a ‘signature tune', if you will...

The really affluent touch is found in the Signature's built-in Concierge Service - personal assistants are on hand twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, ready to book accom-modation, flights, transport, restau-rant reservations or theatre tickets, as well as dispensing expert advice on anything imaginable, all at the touch of a button.

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IndulgenceThomas' Verdict"Not just a signature phone for Vertu, but for the entire luxury mobile market - the benchmark by which all other mobiles of this genre can be measured. You may think the price is ridiculous, but I can honestly say that for what you are getting for your money, it might actually be worth it."

Porsche P'9521

The P'9521 from Porsche Design is perhaps the most feature-heavy phone on the luxury market, with plenty of neat little tricks humming underneath the hood.

The ultra-bright OLED display (organic light emitting diode) boasts a truly fantastic colour fidelity and contrast, protected by a coating of ultra-reflective dark mineral glass.

Now onto features, and boy are they plentiful. Like the smartphones cur-rently dominating the market, the P'9521 has a built-in accelerometer, meaning that the phone will know which way it is being held and rotate the picture orientation accordingly.

Perhaps the coolest and most Bond-like feature is the fingerprint reader - while iPhone users are drooling over their ‘slide to unlock' touchscreen, a Porsche phone will only respond when its owner's thumbprint is rec-ognized by the screen, meaning thieves or text-spying friends will be unable to use it.

You may be expecting that service and style of this luxurious magnitude would come at a high price, and you would not be wrong. You can expect to pay £7,540 for the steel jacketed version, but opt for yellow gold and that jumps to £18,000 - but if you go that far and you have another six thousand handy, you may as well get the white gold version for a whopping £24,000.

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IndulgenceThe P'9521 retailed at around £800, but was pulled from the shelves of Carphone Warehouse after poor sales, presumably due to the price tag. They are still available online if you have a good look around, and have become a bit of a collector's item in the UK due to their rarity following the discontinuation.

Thomas' Verdict"The fact that this phone did poorly in the shops is not a reflection of its quality as a mobile - if you have the money and can get your hands on one, I would highly recommend it, both for its looks and its features list. Word on the grapevine, however, is that Porsche Design is releasing the P'9522, with an even greater features list. Watch this space..."

Obsession ‘Aphrodite Collec-tion' from Continental Mobiles

Continental Mobiles is a British-based mobile phone customization workship offering ‘Bespoke British Tailoring for Luxury Mobile Phones' - a bit like ‘Pimp my Ride' for your mobile.

Your boring old mobile, for a hefty fee, can be refinished in a variety of luxury metals including 18 carat rose gold, 24 carat yellow gold and white platinum, and/or adorned with a huge range of jewels such as dia-monds, rubies and emeralds.

The print-scanning screen also doubles as a touch-sensitive inter-face for the menu and picture gal-leries, which can be filled with a capable 3.2 megapixel camera bol-stered by autofocus and duel LED flash. Although the memory is fairly restricted at 32MB, this can easily be expanded to 4GB with an addi-tional microSD card.

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Indulgence

A popular enhancement, for example, is having the tiny Apple logo on the iPhone furnished with a cluster of tiny, flawless diamonds.

The Obsession Aphrodite Collection, described on the Continental website as ‘inspired by the Greek goddess of love...sculpted and touched by the beauty of her name', are the two phones designed from scratch by Continental - as you might expect, they are designed with a penchant for the aesthetic.

Available as either a 18 carat white gold or 24 carat yellow gold version, the ‘Aphrodite is studded with strings of hand-set 2.1 carat cultured diamonds that weave their way around the handset, and the rear is adorned by elegant, hand-stitched leather.

By way of features, the phones do not offer much more than the practi-cal - it has a camera and a music player, but neither stand out as any-thing other than ordinary. The only notably high-end features are the Enhanced Acoustics Technology, which makes phone calls ultra-clear and audible, and the dual SIM capa-bility (so business and personal numbers can be kept on different cards).

As you can imagine, however, this phone's selling point is not its fea-tures, but its unrivalled style and beauty. Visually, they are a wonder to behold, and grab the attention perhaps more than any other phone on the planet - truly a design master-piece.

Expect to pay for such beauty. The white gold, 18 carat version retails at £1,199, while its 24 carat yellow gold sibling costs two hundred more at £1,399.

Thomas' Verdict"With any other phone the blurb about the Greek goddess of love smiling down on the handset etc etc would be unbearably, sickeningly arrogant. Yet on these phones, it actually seems like they have a point - you will probably never see another piece of technology more perfectly crafted to be a thing of astonishing beauty."

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Indulgence

As the largest country in the world, spanning over eleven times zones, containing an estimated 142 million people and boasting one of the rich-est reserves of mineral and energy resources, Russia is certainly a coun-try to be paying a lot of attention to. Albeit a turbulent history, Russia has provided some of the greatest minds throughout a diverse range of areas including music, literature, sports and science.

A large degree of hysteria has built up over the years concerning travel to Russia. Images of corrupt govern-ment officials tied to gun-wielding mafia barons have featured aplenty on screen and in literature. In this guide, GCulture hopes to dispel the myths and outline the details of planning a trip to Russia, as well as highlighting a few of the biggest attractions along the way.

As the largest country in the world, spanning over eleven times zones, containing an estimated 142 million people and boasting one of the rich-est reserves of mineral and energy resources, Russia is certainly a coun-try to be paying a lot of attention to. Albeit a turbulent history, Russia has provided some of the greatest minds throughout a diverse range of areas including music, literature, sports and science.

A large degree of hysteria has built up over the years concerning travel to Russia. Images of corrupt govern-ment officials tied to gun-wielding mafia barons have featured aplenty on screen and in literature. In this guide, GCulture hopes to dispel the myths and outline the details of planning a trip to Russia, as well as highlighting a few of the biggest attractions along the way.

Russia - Beneath the Skin

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IndulgenceThe best time of year to visit Russia is in the summer, with July and August being the warmest months, although if you do want to travel in Winter time, do expect temperatures of as low as -25/-30°C (Moscow 2005/2006).

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and also its largest city (as well as the largest city in Europe). It is home to the largest number of billionaires and is also one of the world's most expensive cities. Moscow is usually the first stop for any traveller to Russia and has a lot to offer in terms of culture and shopping. The main sights include the Red Square, Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin Mausoleum, Tretyakov Gallery and the Bolshoi Theatre. The palaces and cathedrals of the Kremlin, as well as the Lenin Mausoleum and St. Basil's cathedral are all positioned around the Red Square, arguably one of the most famous squares in the world.

Extending 242 metres along the eastern side of the square is the GUM department store, a fine example of architecture and a testa-ment to Moscow's thirst for luxury shopping and high-end fashion.

Moscow offers many forms of enter-tainment and is never short of per-formances, however the Bolshoi Theatre has to be one of the greatest symbols of Russian culture, hosting the Bolshoi opera and orchestra as well as the famous Bolshoi Ballet. Many of the great ballet repertoire was premiered at the Bolshoi The-atre including Tchaikovsky's Sleep-ing Beauty, The Nutcrakcer and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Tick-ets can be purchased online via www.bolshoi.ru/en

Central Moscow is the best place to go when looking for restaurants and bars. A healthy selection of restau-rants are available offering interna-tional cuisine with prices starting at around $30 (£20). For traditional Russian dishes, head to Grillage on Pyatnitskaya St. or to Sudar on Kutu-zovsky Pr.. Tipping is expected and highly appreciated, and usually covers 5-10%.

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IndulgenceSome of the most important collec-tions of art are kept in the museums of Moscow, including The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the Tretya-kov Gallery. Visit the Tsereteli Museum for a glimpse of the garish, larger than life sculputres of Zurab Tsereteli or the Cosmonaut Museum for an experience of all things astro-nautics.

Moscow has nine railway stations and five airports. The most reliable way of sightseeing in Moscow is via Metro, although buses, trams, trolley buses and taxis are widely available.

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and is often described as Russia's most western city. For-mally known as Petrograd and Len-ingrad, St. Petersburg is a major European cultural centre, playing home to The Mariisnky Theatre and The Hermitage Museum.

Places of interest in St. Petersburg include St. Issac's Cathedral, The Church on Spilled Blood, Nevsky Prospekt, The Hermitage, The Mari-isnky Theatre, Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Peter and Paul Cathe-dral, Cathedral of Our lady of Kazan, The Russian Museum and The Stieg-litz Museum.

The Church on Spilled Blood is one of St. Petersburg's most famous sights. The name refers to the blood of the assassinated Alexander II of Russia after he was mortally wounded on the site in 1881. The exterior is famous for its medieval Russian architecture with the onion domes resembling 17th century churches and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The church contains over 7,500 square metres of mosaics and had input from some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day.

From 1732 to 1917, The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was the official residence of the Russian Tsars. The palace itself has been restored and presents opulent and wonderful Baroque architecture. With a troubled history, The Winter Palace offers a glimpse into bygone Imperial Russia.

Opened in 1860, the Mariinsky Theatre (or the Kirov Theatre, as it was known from 1935 to 1992) is a historic venue for opera and ballet in Russia.

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IndulgenceThe ballet careers of Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Barysh-nikov began at the ballet school of the Mariinsky Theatre. Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glinka and Tchai-kovsky premiered works at the the-atre where Valery Gergiev, current principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra is general director. For tickets, please visit www.mariinsky.ru/en

Some hotels can be located in central St. Petersburg, although the majority of hotels can be found scattered around the city centre. The largest concentration of restaurants and bars can be found along the Nevsky Prospekt. St. Petersburg has five railway stations, three airports, two bus stations, a seaport and a river station. Public transport is cheap and efficient with the Metro being the best way to visit all of the major city sights.

Further Exploration

After experiencing Moscow and St. Petersburg, one may wish to travel further into Russia, discovering some of the hidden delights of the rest of the country. The Golden Ring is a popular destination that includes several smaller towns northeast of Moscow. The towns feature some of the most unique buildings in Russian architecture and provide an interest-ing visit for those interested in the development of the Russian Ortho-dox Church.

Believed to be the Russian Florence, Novgorod is one of the most historic cities in Russia, connected to Moscow and St. Petersburg via the federal highway. It holds some of the most ancient architectural monu-ments including the Cathedral of St. Sophia, the oldest surviving Russian stone monument. Adorned with mural paintings, icons, Byzantine relics and the famous 'The Millenium of Russia', Novgorod is sure to pro-vide ultimate cultural satisfaction.

For those looking for a more cross-country adventure, the Trans Sibe-rian Railway is the perfect choice. Starting in Moscow, the train travels across the country finishing up 6 days later in Vladivostok, with the possibility of traveling further on to Beijing.

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Refinement

Interior Inspiration: Reception Room

In this issue, GCulture looks to the hotels and villas of the world that act as inspi-ration for all of our interior design wishes, in particular for the 'Reception Room'.

If you have the space, then this glass roof resembling an eye is extremely effective. The room is open and bright with subtle lighting around the sides and on the bottom of the columns. The mosaic on the floor reflects the design in the glass, whilst the furniture is plain and simple, giving complete atten-tion to the ceiling.

Bayerischer Hof, Germany www.lhw.com

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Refinement


Packed to the brim with antiques and rarities, this hallway is effective because of its length and flooring. The red and blue carpet contrasts with the tiling, provid-ing a foundation onto which everything else in the hallway is built around. The low hanging chandelier just in front of the decorated doorway gives this hallway its regal touch, whilst the museum like positioning echoes a rich history.

Schlosshotel Kronberg, Germany www.lhw.com

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Refinement


Here, the large square tiling contrasts with the spiralling of the staircase, giving over a mesmerising and almost hypnotic look. Touches of gold highlight the hanging lights, giving the impression of a free floating object that seems to come from and carry on to nowhere. The fountain at the bottom is essential as it rein-forces the idea of reflection and provides hints of colour alongside the rich carpet.

Excelsior Hotel, Germany www.lhw.com

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Refinement


This interior has an obvious Italian inspiration with the ceiling and walls as the main focal point of the room. The furniture is again plain and simple as to not distract from the eccentricities of the fresco.

Villa Machiavelli, Italy www.wimco.com Villa code: BRV MAC

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Refinement


Nature plays an important part here, as the mixture of polished stone and wild plants sets the scene for a somewhat calm, meditative atmosphere. A central lit area is surrounded by walkways on different levels, and glass is used sparingly to separate and structure.

Leela Kempinski, India www.preferredhotels.com

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Refinement


This interior obviously holds a strong arabic connection, with symmetrical lines and geometric patterns. Again, the fountain plays a central part in representing nature in the design and reflecting a strong sense of harmony and relaxation.

Palmeraie Golf Palace & Resort, Morroco www.preferredhotels.com

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Refinement


Although appearing kitsch and heavy, this interior is actually quite minimalist in its use of furniture and decoration. The stairs are obviously the main focal point of the room, offering a modern take on a traditional design. The use of glass helps to keep the space looking open and clean, with the bright lights reflecting off of surfaces to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Colombi Hotel, Germany www.lhw.com

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The playful and warm atmosphere created in this interior is certainly one for the more eccentric.The mix of elephant statue and resin parrots with dark woods, leopard print and deep sofas create an atmosphere that is certainly prepared for a more alcohol induced evening. Cosy and secluded with a strange twist, this interior is sure to be the talking point for many of your guests.

La Réserve, Switzerland www.lareserve.ch

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Refinement

As the Christmas season approaches, the traditional Sunday lunch becomes even more celebrated. A step up from the home made Sunday roast, The Landau at the Langham Hotel, under the guidance of head chef Andrew Tuner has created a Sunday lunch that attempts to show-case the best of British, including roasts, stews, casseroles and pud-dings, with an aim to celebrating the end of the week and the reinvention of an age-old tradition.

The Landau is a very intriguing space indeed. The tables are very cleverly positioned, with enough to feel private and intimate as well as a strong sense of belonging to that Sunday buzz. The ceilings are vast and the room very well lit, with one side of the room containing wooden panels highlighted with mesmerising paintings. The staff are attentive and are able to offer good advice on wine

and dishes. The starters may seem a little daunting at first, as curried cauliflower soup and corn fed chicken liver parfait may not seem to fit with the Sunday roast image, but are delicious all the same. A somme-lier is on hand to offer a selection of wines that should be trusted, how-ever odd the fit may seem. Pork and chicken roasts are available as an alternative to the Angus beef, although it is advised that the tradi-tional roast is not to be missed. The dish keeps to its roots and yet is improved through the use of good quality meat and vegetables as well as a fine attention to balance.

'The Pudding' menu offers a very fine selection of hearty cakes and pud-dings that include enough fruit and seasonal spice to entice the dessert sceptic. The baked chocolate cake with orange and vanilla as well as the bread and butter pudding represent

Lunch at The Landau

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The Landau offers an experience that accompanied with great service and a diverse menu, is one of the most exciting Sunday lunch offers of the year.

THE SUNDAY ROAST at The Landau debuts on Sunday 7 Septem-ber 2008 and will continue thereaf-ter with a changing seasonal menu. THE ROASTS are priced from £36 for two, £70 for four and £100 for six, including accompaniments. THE STARTERS and THE PUD-DINGS are all £15 for both.

For more information, visit www.thelandau.com. For reserva-tions please call 020 7965 0165 or email [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Aaron Hales

GCulturewww.gculture.co.uk

Documents

GCulture | Men's Luxury Magazine | Issue 8 December 2008