by Roberta Murphy We’ve written about luxury closets in the past, but these days some are spending up to $500,000 for a luxe master closet that might include a champagne refrigerator, sound system, glass-enclosed display cabinets, wet bar or even a breakfast area. Gone are the simpler days of a luxurious dressing room. The master closet area has become a destination room. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday on four…
by Roberta Murphy Amazing Underwater Hotel Experiences to Become a Reality? It seems underwater hotels are the new rage in bizarre hotel experiences. Finland blew us away with the ice hotel, China with its underground hotel, and now Fiji, Africa and Dubai –and other countries which now have competing underwater hotel experiences for the adventurous and well-heeled. Sites of some current underwater hotels: The Manta Resort in Zanzibar, Africa (Pemba…
by Roberta Murphy When showing homes to buyers in San Diego, one of the first doors that is opened following the front door is…the pantry door. Sometimes the “pantry” is nothing more than a large cabinet that may (or may not) have revolving and pull-out shelves. Hopefully, and regardless of size, the boxes of cereal, canned goods and other kitchen staples are stacked in an orderly fashion. But the ultimate…
Today, I saw two different posts on Facebook from and about two different and unrelated people. Both stopped me in my tracks and had me wondering how much I had missed in life as both an observer–and performer. They are magically and somehow connected, The first is a classic tale, the other a contemporary dance at busy LAX Airport. It doesn’t matter, the free performances are largely ignored by all.
While I thought I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die. ~Leonardo Da Vinci I’ve been haunted, disturbed and perturbed by an article I read a couple of days ago about sick babies being starved and dehydrated to death in Britain–per physicians’s orders and government encouragement. You can read the article there as I don’t have the stomach to share all the painful details here. We’ll…
by Roberta Murphy Ah… the luxury of being able to comfortably live in one of the most expensive cities in the world (so why not divide one’s time between them–just for bragging rights?:-) CNBC just released their 10 most expensive cities in the world to live where they included 200 factors such as costs for a 2-bedroom luxury apartment, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment and so on. It might come…
by Roberta Murphy Years ago, when we put our first home on the market, I insisted that the Realtor put NO SIGN in our yard. I did not want neighbors to know that we were selling or cause any disruption in our neighborhood. Our agent tried to explain the importance of a sign, but I was the incalcitrant client–and we ended up selling the home with NO SIGN. This of…
by Roberta Murphy The luxury real estate market in Paris is beginning to bulge with inventory, as wealthy business tycoons prepare to leave France and its looming tax rate of 75 percent of annual income above 1 million euros. According to France 24 , around 400-500 residences worth more than one million euros ($1.3 million) have recently hit the Paris market–and other French cities are being affected as well. But…
Years ago, Chef Madelyn in Big Bear Lake offered a $99 peanut butter and jelly sandwich picnic–paired with a bottle of Dom Perignon. It was a relative bargain, considering cost of the wine. It also caused more than a few chuckles among pilots who flew in and out of the little Big Bear Airport, where her restaurant was located. In London, though, BBC TV chef Martin Blunos has crafted a…
by Roberta Murphy Most of us appreciate the earthy luxury of a true wine cellar and also see the value of repurposed materials emerging as elements in our homes. But how about a slice from the best of both worlds and have rich wood flooring crafted from old California wine barrels? I’ve seen serving trays and other novelties emerge from wine barrel tops, but hardwood flooring from the actual wine…
