Royalty in ancient India played a form of Chess called Shatranj. Sadly, all they had was silk cloth board and usual dice. If they knew about the latest artistic investment in the game of Chess, they would have been amazed. For instance, The Art Of War board and dice, designed by Victor F. Scharstein. Imagine rhodium and gold chess pieces dancing at your command on a decked up ebony board.

Every piece is tastefully decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones. Even the legs of the board are all gold- having eight all gold balls. It will be priced at nearly $50,000. It is said that all other parts of the game such as the lock and the key, the hinges and the handle are made of gold. I can imagine how much motivation a thief will have to break open the lock and get away with it.
My other concern is that of functionality itself. Would not so much of glitter distract the attention away from the game? But may be that is also a positive point if you twist the argument a little.

Now you can call your friends for a game of Chess and win every game as they would be too busy admiring the glitter and gold to play the game seriously, at least the first few times! If, after all my convictions, this game piece does not appeal to you, check out the subtle yet classy transparent chess set here.

Via ArtOfWarChess

If Titanic was here, it would have loved to meet its competitor ‘Celebrity Solstice’.

Titanic had a capacity of 3,547 passengers and crew, this one has a lesser capacity- 3000 passengers, but claims to have extra ordinary features.  It is 315m-long as against Titanic’s 269.1 m. But if you ask me honestly, I would say that Titanic is still a better innovator. Imagine, Titanic was launched in 1912 and, the facilities it had!! Amazing! Having said that, let us give the due credit to ‘Celebrity Solstice’. It is the first to have real grass on its lawn. That would be a great support to people who fall sea sick looking at miles and miles of water. What,s more, you can even go for your bare feet morning walk on the grass!

This U.S. cruise ship will be officially launched some time in November this year, giving a huge challenge to other liners that have suddenly become so puny in comparison to this giant. Honey mooners! Keep track of this one to make your date life time memorable.

Via DailyMail

Not all of us may have it in us to drive a super fast Catamaran but for those who have it there is R8, and for others who do not have it, there’s this blog post giving you a hassle free window shopping experience. R8 is the 8 Biocat Catamaran in posh red colour that can make a far away onlooker wonder if they are seeing a mirage of a Ferrari in water! Such is its resemblance for Ferrari that even I got taken in when I saw the photograph for the first time.

And these people are not compensating on the environment factor as their entire engine is biodiesel. This magnificent machine is as long as 29-foot and boasts of a V10 power plant.  Right now this Catmaran is custom made for a rich client but if you are rich enough, who knows they might make one for you too, if you place your order.

Via GermanCarScene / CarScoop

Nothing refreshes you more than a warm shower after a tiring day, or just a lazy dip in that tub on a lazy day to pamper yourself. One can consider bathing a luxury in itself and no wonder, with all those lavish and designer bath rooms that keep coming up, it certainly is.

And with bathroom getting techno makeovers there is more on the offing. With ‘The Bathomatic’ you can add another score on the board for “wired” bathrooms being the newest home trend. It is a fully automated digital bath filler that allows you to fill up your bathtub remotely, even going so far as to let you control the depth, temperature and what fragrances or bubbles you want floating in it when you get home.

The Bathomatic’s filling process is controlled by a microprocessor. It can be installed in any tub, new or retro-fitted, by any plumber. The ability to operate its system from an iPhone is a feature added recently by Bathomatic.The entire Bathomatic system’s price starts from £5,500 (9,900 USD) for the basic package. If you can have these automatic fragrant bubble baths, you must be a Princess or a Prince. Only if I were one! How I love to bathe. Sigh!
 

Via Unplggd

Just how glad you feel when you reach home back from work and there your faithful and compassionate canine friend waiting for you wags its tail. The emotion is pure warmth. But when it comes to our prized furniture, how we wish they didn’t have claws or shed so much hair. Giving our furry friends their own special set of furniture, WOWBOW has come to the rescue.
WOWBOW’s contemporary furniture for our dogs is a luxurious feature as the beds come with faux suede cushions. And the sleek dining table completes the set.  The pet furniture is hand made in the UK from 10mm thick Perspex. You can now lift the ban off your pooch against plopping on your expensive furniture and live like a true family that lives together and dines together. With a variety of colors your dog can have its own favorite pick. Doesn’t that pooch look stylish curled up and cozy on its bed!
 
 
Via Luxury Launches , Contemporist

Being a novice in Golf it does not deter me to write about this new Limited Edition Designer Tech Set released by Adams Golf, especially when it had a novel and benevolent idea attached to it. It sure is a game of patience and concentration, and ladies have it all! Not that I deny men from it but this is some thing that might not interest the rough gender. Coming to the point, this new limited edition is all about feeling chick even while having a swing.
 The new lineup of ultra-premium and easy-to-hit Tech a4OS clubs combined with an exceptionally stylish and beautifully functional signature cart bag and head covers from the Keri golf collection is especially meant for the fairer sex. Each Designer Tech Set will include a gold-plated charm numbered 1 through 1000 to signify the limited edition series. 
Along with the latest lightweight and high–launching Insight Tech a4OS Driver and Hybrid-Fairway Woods, comes the Idea Tech a4OS Hybrid Irons too. The modish chocolate brown bag trimmed with white polka dots also stuffs pitch, sand and gap wedges, a mallet-style putter, ultra-light Graphite Design Pershing shafts and Winn G8 grips. This prestigious set with a total of 13 clubs is for $1,999.  A portion of the proceeds from sales of the Designer Tech Set go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Flaunt your style make a difference with the buy!

 
Via World Golf

Our lives have become increasingly private with the result that we have to deliberately plan and interact with our friends, neighbours and relatives. And if space is the problem, we can simply arrange a weekend gala on a terrace/garden. Having a  portable video projector with built-in DVD player and a screen or a white sheet of cloth will complete what ever was missing from the gathering.

This is exactly what a couple of people near Harlem did to celebrate. They all got together on the common terrace of the building along with an Epson MovieMate 72 projector. This reminds me of my University days when students would sit on strike and play inspirational movies on the projector in the lawns. It was such a thrill, huddled together to have a glance amidst noise of sloganeering.

But in case you are planning to organise your won white sheet theatre, be prepared for the vagaries of nature! It will be advisable to have a back up plan in case of rains. One must also protect the screen from high winds or it will be blown away!

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Not all of us have the courage to go under knife for the sake if beauty and neither we may have the bucks get the botox shot. That does not mean that we have no way we can seal our beauty. Platinum comes to our rescue, on time! In case you are wondering, let me assure you that real metal- platinum has been proven to have healing and restorative properties on skin. Taking a cue from here, La prairie has manufactured and launched the Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which is considered to be the hottest topic of conversation among celebrities and socialites.

One can get a box of Cellular Cream Platinum Rare for $1,000. At this price for a small bottle, it is indeed a luxury brand and I am hoping that it must do some wonders to the skin. And let’s not forget how many times more a shot of Botox would be!

Via StylePhile

What is the most you can do to watch your favourite sport? What did we all do during the last Cricket World Cup? At most, we were faithfully glued to our television sets. It’s amazing how much passion people have to utilize their hobby into something more than that. Ever thought of making a custom-built home theatre for your kin and kith?

Our featured hero got this idea and fixed a deal with First Impressions Themed Theatres Inc. to make custom-designed home theaters. It took more than $300,000 and a hard work of four months for this dream to materialise. The designer of the project and company owner Jeffrey Smith created a never before wonder by having a floor that vibrates. In his words “the floor doesn’t stroke the walls or the concrete beneath… It enlarges and contracts with air pressure, so that when the subwoofers jolt in, you can feel the whole lot coming up from base of seats.”

All this looks wonderful with light blue LED lightings, the concealed bass absorbers, omni diffusers and strategic deflectors, enhancing the sound and the visual of the set up. The theater chairs are fully motorized having Granite drink holders and condiment trays. And when ever you may wish to hit the bar, its right behind you in its green marble-topped glory, and christened as “buddy bar”. Mr. Smith has been sensible enough to the other people in the household and made noise from leaking into the rest of the house, next to impossible. So, your husband and your children can be having a happy brawl over the score while you may be peacefully enjoying your book in the other room.

Via HeMagazine

There are people who would simply buy what is in vogue. The result is that every person walking across Hyde Park would have the same thing with them. Then there would be others who like exclusivity. For the latter ones, Nokia has launched its latest craft-piece called the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte.  It has interesting materials in the making such as carbon fibre, titanium, polished glass and stainless steel to give it an arty look. But the USP of the product is that it is in 24k yellow gold makes it a sheer pleasure to see and hold.

At £2099, it is not a high price to pay considering the brand value of Nokia, the original design of the product and the fact that it is hand tailored in England. I particularly like the looks of gold on Black which reminds me of a beautiful speckled snake. It is so classy and unisex that it will appeal to both men and women!

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