In the last decade, luxury auto firms have pivoted sharply into real estate, opening up everything from skyscrapers to private homes. Now, you may never get to own a slice of real estate from your fave luxury auto brand, but, who says you have to? If auto-tuning businesses are a thing, custom-built homes based on luxury auto concepts can surely exist.

Wondering how to pull it off? Here are some things to consider

Consider the brand’s DNA

It goes without saying that every luxury auto brand has its unique DNA, philosophy and identity that defines it, and, if you’re absolutely in love with a marque, you most likely resonate with its beliefs and core values.

Let’s say you love Ferraris. You most likely love bold colours and designs that reflect power. Or, if Porsches are more your thing, you might be an adherent of quiet luxury with the occasional bold accents.

Should you choose to design your home or space after your favourite luxury auto, the first rule is to consider what the brand stands for and see how you can incorporate that into your home design.

Choose a specific model. Or not

Just considering the brand’s DNA might not be enough to give you the complete look you desire, so your next step is to list the specific model (s) you love from your chosen brand.

So say you adore Rolls Royce, but not all its models truly fascinate you. The design idea for your living room can come from elements in the Black Badge Wraith, and you can narrow things further in your bedroom by incorporating details from one of its unique models, like the Arcadia.

Tying design elements and choice of materials to specific models of your favourite luxury auto brand can help to give you a more interesting, creative and cohesive outcome.

Materials, materials

Here’s one truth about true luxury brands: quality materials are everything. From the richest leathers to the softest fabrics, luxury auto brands always ensure that every material put together to make their vehicles is not just premium but offers the best comfort and evokes the best positive emotions that money can buy.

Which is exactly what you have to do when designing your luxury auto-themed home. From soft leather sofas to chrome door handles, luxurious wood accents and flooring, every material used and piece added has to have the same level of premium quality as your dream auto.

Craftsmanship

Experienced and meticulous craftsmanship is another factor that sets true luxury autos apart, so get ready to invest in the services of the best in the field if you want your home to look anything like your luxury car.

Custom-built furniture is a must, as are handcrafted items like rugs and accents. Experienced artisans who are extremely detailed are also necessary to help bring your dream to life.

Include the fireworks

What’s a luxury car without the wow factor?

To get the perfect finish on your luxury auto-themed home, make sure to include standout features that tie the entire vision together, like dramatic lighting for example, or a feature wall, or even contrasting accessories and accents that would elevate the entire design and start conversations every time someone steps into your space.

Spending time with what you truly love is important, but, so also is spending time with who you love. Your beloved luxury auto should take you home and not away from it. If you find yourself spending more time in your car than in your home, then maybe it is time to bring it in with these outlined steps which is a good starter guide to designing your home interior after your favourite luxury auto.

The post Drive Home Luxury: How to Model Your Home Decor After Your Fave Luxury Car first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

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So far, the Group’s footprint in Africa has grown to nearly 100 hotels in operation and development, placing it well on track to reach its goal of 150 hotels within the next five years and further establishing it as the hotel company with the largest market presence in Africa.

In Nigeria, Radisson Hotel Group continues to hold a leading position with a portfolio of 13 hotels in operation and under development, including five new hotels signed in 2023. The new signing of the Radisson RED Hotel Abuja has further bolstered the Group’s presence in the city, bringing the total number of hotels under development in Abuja to four.

Over in Morocco, the Group has pursued the same efforts with a clear transformation plan, growing its presence from one hotel in 2020 to over nine hotels in operation and four hotels in development currently. Casablanca represents a strategic hub among multiple continents, and the new signing of Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments Casablanca Finance City and Radisson RED Hotel Casablanca Finance City solidifies the Group’s ambitions to reach over 25 hotels by 2030 across the country.

Ramsay Rankoussi, Vice President, Development, Africa and Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group, said, “The seven new hotels align with our expansion strategy, demonstrating significant growth in key African markets such as Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia and Ethiopia as well as our highly anticipated debut in Tanzania. These hotels also highlight our conversion strategy and our commitment to diversifying our portfolio by introducing new brands and cementing our presence in these important markets.”

Here’s everything we know about all seven hotel signings

Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

Marking the Group’s debut in Tanzania, this 138-room hotel, featuring 94 guestrooms and 44 three-bedroom apartments, is set to open in 2025 as part of a mixed-use development in Dar es Salaam’s CBD. The hotel will occupy the top 14 floors of a 33-floor tower, one of the tallest buildings in the area, and is within walking distance of the ferry terminal to Zanzibar Island.

The hotel will offer a diverse array of dining facilities, including a lobby café, business class lounge, all-day dining restaurant, speciality restaurant, outdoor pool, and pool restaurant. Additional amenities include retail stores, a ladies’ salon, indoor parking, a gym, a steam room and sauna, a kids’ playroom, and eight meeting rooms.

Radisson Hotel Mwanza (Tanzania)

Supporting a strong market entry, this 196-room hotel currently under construction will launch the Radisson brand in Tanzania in 2025. Mwanza, Tanzania’s second-largest city, is renowned for corporate meetings and events and is the ideal starting point for tours to the Serengeti National Park. As the only branded hotel in Mwanza, it will feature a lobby café and bar, an all-day dining restaurant, sports bar, outdoor pool bar, executive lounge, and two speciality restaurants: Balaustine, a ‘casual-fine dining’ experience inspired by the Barbary coast, and, the Levant and Filini, offering a delectable dining experience of fresh, simple, and delicious Italian-style cuisine.

The meetings and events space includes a triple-height ballroom, a business centre, boardrooms, and a conference room. The extensive wellness facilities will comprise a gym, spa, outdoor pool, and kids’ playground.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments, Casablanca Finance City, and, Radisson RED Casablanca Finance City (Morocco)

Enhancing the Group’s Moroccan portfolio – which currently includes eleven hotels in operation and under development – is the addition of two new branded hotels and a serviced apartment. These new builds, including the first Radisson RED hotel in North Africa, will feature a total of 381 rooms and are set to open in late 2027. They will be located in Casa Anfa, at the heart of Casablanca Finance City, the city’s new financial hub, recognized as Africa’s leading financial centre, on par with London and La Défense in Paris.

Providing guests with an array of dining and wellness facilities for an ideal stay, the Radisson Blu will offer guests an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality rooftop restaurant, and a rooftop bar. Meanwhile, the Radisson RED hotel will include a restaurant and a pool bar. At the Radisson Blu’s wellness facilities, expect a spa, a fitness centre, and an outdoor rooftop swimming pool. The Radisson RED will have nearly the same features with a fitness centre, an outdoor pool and a rooftop swimming pool.

For meetings and events, in addition to the five meeting rooms at the Radisson Blu, there will be a 1,100-square-meter conference centre comprising an auditorium, a large ballroom and three meeting rooms, making the complex the future meeting destination.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Tunis (Tunisia)

This 305-room hotel, a conversion of an existing property, will soon premiere the Radisson Blu brand in Tunis, complementing the Group’s footprint in Tunisia as its seventh hotel in the country and fourth in Tunis. Located just ten minutes from the airport, the hotel will come equipped with dining outlets such as a lobby bar, shisha bar, all-day dining restaurant, and three speciality restaurants.

The expansive convention centre will include multiple meeting rooms, boardrooms, a VIP room, an executive lounge, a business centre, and a 1,400 sqm ballroom, making it the largest conference centre in the city.

Radisson RED Abuja (Nigeria)

The 105-room hotel, set to open in 2028, will be Radisson Hotel Group’s 13th property in Nigeria and the second Radisson RED in the country, introducing the upper upscale brand to Abuja. Located in Wuse, Abuja’s main commercial and social district, the hotel will be surrounded by corporate offices, popular estates, shopping malls, and nightlife venues. The hotel will feature a bar and terrace, an all-day dining restaurant, and a pool bar and grill. It will also offer 238 square meters of meeting space, including three meeting rooms, a pre-function area, and a fitness facility.

Park Inn by Radisson Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

Scheduled to open in 2025, this 120-room hotel will be the Group’s third hotel in Ethiopia, all located in Addis Ababa and will introduce the Park Inn by Radisson brand to the country. Dining options will include a breakfast hall, restaurant hall, coffee shop, and four soft drink bars. The meeting and events space will consist of a large and medium conference room and four meeting rooms. Guests can also enjoy two gyms, a spa, a business centre, sports facilities, a kids’ entertainment area, a retail space, and a co-working space.

Since 2022, the Group has opened a total of 14 hotels, including the debut of the Radisson brand in Morocco (Radisson Hotel Casablanca Gauthier La Citadelle) and Tunis (Radisson Hotel Tunis City Center). These openings have diversified the Group’s portfolio with the first safari hotel in Africa, Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit; the first resort in Livingstone, Radisson Blu Resort Mosi-oa-Tunya, and, the debut in Reunion Island with Radisson Hotel Saint-Denis. This achievement has set a record for the Group in terms of realizing its pipeline into openings, translating into a commendable 15 per cent annual net operating growth in its African portfolio.

“With a strong first half of the year, we plan to continue the momentum in the second half by focusing on expanding our presence in key markets such as Morocco and South Africa, where we’ve recently announced our ambition to reach 25 hotels by 2030, doubling the portfolio in both countries. We thank each of our partners for their valued trust in us and our brands,” concluded Rankoussi.

The post From Tunisia To Tanzania, Radisson is Growing Its Footprint in Africa first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post From Tunisia To Tanzania, Radisson is Growing Its Footprint in Africa appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

In recent years, they have become a sort of side project for major luxury brands, including auto brands like Aston Martin, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and more recently, Mercedes Benz, all of whom have completed or are constructing luxury skyscrapers and complexes in different parts of the world.

Porsche too has taken this path, but its recent project with Austrian timber construction specialist, GRIFFNER, has seen it veer off into exciting territory that may signal the start of a new era for luxury auto-branded residential projects.

The Floating House: A Studio F. A. Porsche x GRIFFNER Exclusive Project

Over the years, prefabricated homes have been praised for their ability to be energy efficient, cheaper (due to reduced labour costs) and faster to construct, among other benefits. However, for different reasons, most tend to be rather compact, making them unattractive to homeowners seeking a much larger space.

Porsche and GRIFFNER seem to have managed to overcome this challenge.

The Floating House — the name of the Porsche-designed Prefab for GRIFFNER – is a two-storey modular residential home that gets its name from the hand-applied black glass tiles that encompass the entire exterior of the ground floor, making it almost invisible and giving the impression that the first floor is floating on air. Because it is modular, endless possibilities for customisation and extension exist, thus allowing the house to break free from the space constraints that typically keep prefabs small.

Outside, glass and wood are the major materials used in the construction of the Floating House, and these continue their domination inside, from the floor-to-ceiling windows to the glass and wooden floating stairs, wooden floors and glass and wooden fixtures everywhere. The rooms measure up to 5.58 metres in height and are open-plan, making them appear even larger than they originally are.

On the ground floor are the living room, a formal dining room, an open kitchen with a breakfast bar, and a games room that comes equipped with the 247 billiard table. Upstairs are the bedrooms with large terraces for even more space.

Per Porsche, “Only authentic and sustainable materials of the highest quality, such as wood and glass, are used. The Floating House features other design highlights created by Studio F. A. Porsche from brands such as Duravit (Qatego bathroom series), LIGHT-POINT (INLAY and BLADE lighting collection), [and] HAFI (Premium Design door handles).”

How much does the Floating House cost?

Because of its modular design, you can get the Floating House in whatever size you want, including two such modules attached. The smallest version is 180 square meters (1,937 square feet) and costs €1.17 million. Any expansion to this size or further customisation would drive prices upwards, although it is not immediately clear how much this would be. Porsche says that the shell is completed in about two weeks, but the home is ready to be occupied within five to seven months, depending on the level of customisation involved.

An apartment in a branded skyscraper might not be everyone’s cup of tea, even if the brands insist that they offer the utmost luxury and privacy anyone can ever wish for. But a prefabricated home? Now, that’s entirely different, and considering that Porsche and GRIFFNER are promising endless customisation options for the Floating House that do not sacrifice luxury, branded prefabricated luxury homes might be the next hot real estate project for other luxury auto brands soon.

The post The Floating House by Porsche and GRIFFNER Might Just be the Home for You first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Floating House by Porsche and GRIFFNER Might Just be the Home for You appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

[No, you’re not wrong: it is the same Binghatti working with Jacob&Co, as well as Bugatti on their own branded skyscrapers, all in Dubai.]

The world of architecture is a-buzz. Experts are debating its accessibility, aesthetics, and sustainability. First are the sceptics pointing at the real estate crisis in certain countries and wondering how easily the opulent apartments will sell out. These are followed by the purists questioning how seamlessly this gargantuan tower will blend with the existing urban landscape. Then there are the environmentalists whose questions about the environmental impact of yet another resource-consuming structure appear to be the most valid.

Finally, there’s the rest of us, the non-technical ‘inquisitors’ whose only question is why? Why are luxury auto behemoths like Mercedes-Benz suddenly raising skyscrapers and funding other real estate projects?

A little travel back in time

2020 will be the year to remember for a long time for different reasons, chief among them being the changes it forced global and local businesses to make. Almost all faced two choices – adapt or perish, and even the most traditional brands saw themselves embracing unplanned transformations.

This meant, among other things, exploring new channels of communication and commerce, adopting innovative work methods, and venturing into untapped niches destined to withstand the test of time.

It is perhaps why brands like Ferrari have been relentless in their pursuit to become full-fledged lifestyle brands or others like Aston Martin are steadily diversifying into the ever-profitable world of real estate.

Newer models offer an important lesson

2022 was a fantastic year for luxury brands, including those in the automobile business.

For example, Rolls Royce announced that it had sold its highest amount of cars ever – 6021 to be exact over 12 months. But its figures were nothing compared to Bentley which sold over 15,000 vehicles in the same period. At Porsche, it was even more impressive: 95,604 customers received their Cayennes, while 86,724 Macans were safely delivered to their owners.

One salient factor underscoring this unprecedented success was the rise of the true luxury SUV: for Rolls Royce, it was the Cullinan that brought in the most sales, while at Lamborghini, the Urus was its sales booster. As stated above, Prosche’s Cayenne probably sold the most units and although Ferrari’s Purosangue debuted later in 2022, the reception it got is a pointer to how it would have fared if it had dropped earlier.

Against this backdrop, it quickly became clear that giving customers precisely what they need, in a way that fulfils their desires and cravings is what brands must do to secure the coveted unforgettable spot in their minds.

Pivoting for success?

So it comes as no surprise that Mercedes Benz and other luxury auto brands have chosen to slap their names and logos on skyscrapers and other real estate projects in select locations. If consumers want properties that reflect the elements they love in their cars, then it only makes sense for the brands to give them what they want, right?

However, it appears it is not as simple as that.

Skyscrapers might reflect a country’s wealth and its architectural prowess, but they are expensive to build and maintain. Add to this an increasing demand to be mindful of their carbon footprint, and it is getting harder for construction companies to justify building one today. For continents like Asia with the highest number of such buildings, the government could provide financing or support, making it cheaper to take on such a project. But even that has now become scarce, and the companies who want to add skyscrapers to their portfolio today may have to self-fund or source for funds privately.

And who else again would have the huge funds required for these high-rises but luxury auto firms with fat accounts from record sales in the last 3 years?

They may be in decline now, but that does not make skyscrapers any less cheap. It also does not mean they are no longer in demand from the very demographic that luxury auto brands are also trying to target. Which is why they are a fantastic investment option: working with established real estate companies allows car maisons to take a cautious dip into the market with as little risk to themselves as possible.

Today, Mercedes Benz has joined Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini and Aston Martin in the skyscraper standoff. More may join tomorrow. Or not. Whatever the future brings, however, it looks like luxury auto brands are hedging their bets, and for now, in real estate.

The post Accelerating Success: Why Mercedes Benz and Other Luxury Auto Brands Are Building Skyscrapers first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Accelerating Success: Why Mercedes Benz and Other Luxury Auto Brands Are Building Skyscrapers appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Unlike fashion, following trends in interior design is not very practical. However, these predicted luxury home decor trends for 2024 reflect our current reality, and, if you’re looking to declutter or switch up your space, including one or even all of these might be exactly what your home needs for the incoming year and beyond.

Understated luxury

AKA quiet luxury but not quite.

This is one trend that has held everything in its grip from fashion to beauty, and while it has become quite an overused and over-flogged term at this point, it is rather handy in luxury home decor and would be spilling over to important trends for 2024.

How to incorporate

Soft, subtle and soothing are the underlying tenets of this style. Think soft colour palettes, lush and luxurious textures (cashmere, mohair), high-quality materials, and, casual yet chic designs.

The last thing you want when you are spending most of your days indoors is to have room after room feel like an office or a factory. Introducing understated luxury into certain rooms like the bedroom or the living room is a great way to keep your home looking like one when it also multifunctions as a workspace, an entertainment venue, or a school.

Brutalism

Brutalism is back, and would most likely be in full force in the new year, according to experts.

How to incorporate

Adding stark, brutally pared-down pieces will not only help to break any softness that may begin to border on over-cosiness, but it also adds more character to your space by introducing a pleasant ‘shock factor.’

You can integrate this style by using pieces, fittings and furniture made from materials like steel and concrete, or, you can even have an entire room in brutalist style, like your home office for example or even your kitchen.

Biophilic designs

AKA bringing the outdoors in, will definitely have its moment in luxury home decor in 2024 per current indications.

How to incorporate

Spending long hours indoors can be quite tedious, regardless of how beautiful your home is. A useful way to animate and invigorate your space is to bring in items that would normally be found outside the home, especially when you do not have the luxury of a yard.

Adding potted plants to your decor is the most obvious choice, but also, using natural materials for accent pieces like wood and clay works just as well. Floor-to-ceiling or extra-large windows bring in the light and the views in a fantastic way and are beneficial if you live close to landmarks like the sea or a monument. You can consider converting your balcony into a mini-conservatory for potted plants and herbs and add sliding doors to lead into it.

Bold colours and patterns

This is one trend that has never really gone away and is especially handy considering the others in this list.

How to incorporate

If you’re not feeling overly bold, think of accessories and accents that would fit nicely in this category — a centre rug perhaps, or a large image covering a greater part of the wall.

If you’re more adventurous, however, consider covering an entire wall with vibrant patterns or colours, or include furniture with rich hues.

Smarter homes

This is more the future than a trend for a time and season. As technology improves, our desire to bog ourselves down with house chores and other tasks that we can easily delegate diminishes. Employing humans to handle some of these chores has been the go-to solution for years, but, considering the challenges around getting reliable and trustworthy help, smart homes are looking more and more alluring.

How to incorporate

Having lights come on automatically; window blinds roll up on their own at sunrise, a robot vacuum sweep and clean when everyone is out of the house, and your door lock or open when it senses you sounds truly fantastic (and a tad scary). However, it comes with its own drawbacks and challenges that must be understood before converting your home.

Consider starting with one or two items you really need, and then scaling up from there once you get a better hang of the tech. You may also want to speak with an expert first before making a final decision.

Ultimately, setting up a home is never easy, but, judging from these predictions of luxury home decor trends for 2024, it is definitely a more exciting task than it was 50 years ago.

The post Luxury Home Decor Trends for 2024 — According to The Experts first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Luxury Home Decor Trends for 2024 — According to The Experts appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Even better, modern-day audio appliances are not just committed to giving you studio-quality sounds in the comfort of your personal space: the once-humble speaker has evolved into a stylish device designed to blend beautifully into any space. The Louis Vuitton Horizon is a good example but does not even come close to the chic, accent-like audio systems on the market today.

While the jury is still out on which are the best speakers that meld themselves seamlessly into your decor while grabbing everyone’s attention as soon as they’re put to work, here are five we think fit this description perfectly, and should be on your list ASAP.

The Bose Smart Speaker 500

This speaker may not be the hottest-looking kid on the block, but its simple clean design means it can blend easily with other furniture wherever it is placed. With just one speaker and two drivers, it is not the most powerful audio device you can get. However, what it lacks in sound it more than makes up for in voice recognition with its eight microphones that can pick up your voice above any noise. The Bose app and integrated Bluetooth connectivity also allow you to choose music from wherever including streaming platforms.

For a more powerful, sophisticated device, you may want to take a look at the

Loewe Radio.Frequency

It is interesting that the humble radio would make it to the list of accent audio systems to consider for your home, but the Loewe Radio.Frequency isn’t just any radio.

This grey and brown petite device that immediately reminds you of cassette players from back in the day actually packs a punch with its 28watts sound, double speakers and double drivers. The fact that it is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 means that you can stream your chosen audio from as far as 800ft without any issues.

If these do not impress you, its DAB+ reception, 2.6-inch display that shows the time, radio station and entered settings, in-built alarm clock, Canadian oak wood inlay and soft acoustic fabric just might do it for you. Oh, and did we also mention that its 2200mAh battery means 14 hours of uninterrupted playtime when it is not plugged in?

But, since its lack of online streaming capability might be a dealbreaker, then there’s the

Ruark Audio R810

A radiogram, which begs the question, “Does anything ever really go away?”

Judging by the reception the Ruark Audio R810 has received, that will be a hard no. This audio system from British-based Ruark Audio takes ‘something olde, Something new’ quite literally by bringing a beloved staple from the 20^th century and reimagining it for our modern world.

From streaming music online to playing your favourite tunes from your old discs while looking like a chic side table or standalone console, the R810 does it all.

But, maybe not as well as

Bang and Olufsen

If there is one brand that consistently delivers on premium, aesthetically pleasing audio and electronic devices, it would be Bang and Olufsen. They’re so good, it is near-impossible to choose.

But, choose we must, and, in keeping with the theme of this list, perhaps, one speaker that makes the cut is the Beosound A9. From design to colours to performance, connectivity and sound, The Beosound A9 ticks all the boxes.

For a less pricey, equally audaciously-designed speaker, you should definitely be looking at

iXoost Pirelli P-Zero Sound

If your love transcends tastefully designed accent pieces and audio systems to include autos, then this is the speaker you have been waiting for all your life.

Although it does not boast of all the robust features the other speakers on this list have, it is unique enough to deserve a spot here. Really, how many speakers give you the opportunity to put your love for cars on such beautiful display while simultaneously showing off your audiophilic side?

The post These Audio Systems Deliver Premium Sounds While Disguising As Accent Furniture first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post These Audio Systems Deliver Premium Sounds While Disguising As Accent Furniture appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Don’t believe us? Just ask Silver Hill Atelier, a custom art and design studio that only recently completed an indoor and outdoor children’s play space for 2200 Brickell, a luxury property in Miami that includes a tree house and a pirate ship structure.

Silver Hill Atelier is rather experienced in creating unique structures since it was founded in 1979. Over the years, the New York-based firm has worked with restaurants and resorts like Planet Hollywood and Disney to create themed, distinctive spaces. To understand why more and more families are choosing to include custom-designed and built structures for children on their properties and in their homes, we turned to Michael Whiston and Norvel Hermanovski of the Atelier for some insight.

When did you start to notice this shift to custom-designed play areas for kids in luxury apartment buildings?

Though developers have previously been interested in the concept … we have seen it become more popular over the past few years as luxury real estate has skyrocketed, especially in South Florida. 

What do you think brought about this trend?

Luxury real estate developers are constantly vying for their buildings to stand out to prospective residents. They want to show residents (that not only will they) feel cared for and at home at their properties, but that they will also have access to a range of amenities and services no other development can provide. Curated amenity spaces like our children’s play areas add an extra personal touch that gives buyers confidence their needs will be met and they will experience a high-quality lifestyle, no matter their age. That is a very attractive prospect, and as more luxury buyers witness the difference between organic and manufactured designs, more developers are hopping on the trend to meet their growing demand.

Are the requests for indoor or outdoor spaces?

Yes, we have received requests for both indoor and outdoor children’s spaces. At 2200 Brickell for example, we were tasked to build both types within the condominium so that everyone, rain or shine, can have a space to safely explore and play. 

Can you take us through a brief description of your journey to designing custom play areas?

Since 1979, we have strived to build artwork and environments that tell a story through visuals and build connections. We began as a traditional mural-making company creating murals for Limited Express stores and later expanded to doing artwork, theming, and 3D work for restaurants and larger hospitality projects such as Hard Rock Café and Canyon Ranch. From there, the door was opened to working with residential developers, and we quickly progressed from mural work to designing entire interiors as the demand for custom spaces grew.

What’s your design process like?

We begin by sitting down with the interested developers and architects of a project to get an understanding of their building and vision. This includes learning the artistic background and inspiration for the project as a whole, their goals for the space we will create, and so on. Once we have a solid feel for the building and its needs, we focus that information into developing the creative designs for our play structures.

Why did you choose to design the play items/furniture yourself instead of going with already existing furniture?

As artists, we are passionate about bringing unique ideas to life. We see and honour the value within personalized craftsmanship and organic spaces, and we want all those who see, touch, and explore our designs to understand our work was crafted for them and their homes. Making play items and installations from scratch gives us the ability to convey this far more than we could with items we could purchase from a store. It also allows us to seamlessly mesh our installations with the existing aesthetic of their space, be it the room, building, or greater neighbourhood.

Let’s talk about your design for 2200 Brickell, Miami. What informed the final design?

At 2200 Brickell, we wanted to create two spaces that would remain true to Miami’s natural aesthetic while giving children room to have fun safely. With our indoor play space, we wanted to bring the outside inside by referencing the beautiful trees seen throughout Brickell. As such, we designed nature-inspired wooden play structures and artwork throughout the space and covered the walls with painted and sculptural trees. For the exterior space, we wanted to draw from Miami’s seafaring history and give children a chance to be their own captains of the sea with a nautical-themed playground, equipped with an interactive pirate ship.

What are some of the other designs you’ve done? Which is your favourite creation to date?

We have worked on various restaurant, corporate, and hospitality projects across the globe, including designs for Planet Hollywood, Disney Hong Kong, and Disney Tokyo. Though we had a wonderful time designing for these projects, we are proud of our work at The Alyn in New York. This property required us to fill 2,400 square feet of space with a safe, highly interactive area for children of all ages on the Upper East Side. The resulting area held everything from climbing walls and jungle decor to ships and castles, as well as slides and sprinklers. Not to mention that we also designed and built the parking garage space for the Alyn (the best-looking parking garage in NYC!) It was full of colour and activity and turned out wonderfully. We are equally excited about 2200 Brickell and look forward to crafting its nautical and nature-based elements.

What, in your opinion, makes this trend important? What are the advantages?

Children of all ages love to play. They love making friends, running and climbing, and letting their imaginations run wild. It is important, as more apartments and condominiums rise in larger cities, that children continue to have access to safe, welcoming, and engaging spaces where they can do all of this and more. Custom designs like ours add an extra touch of whimsy, creativity, and warmth that makes these play areas really shine compared to colder, manufactured displays.

What are the possible downsides to having private play areas, and how do you think developers can navigate them?

We see no possible downsides to having these custom play areas for children so long as they are well maintained and managed.

What do you think is next for this trend? What’s a natural progression in your opinion?

The tangible next step for this trend is for more buildings to join the trend and for future children’s spaces to become even more magical and engaging. Luxury buildings today are constantly trying to outdo each other with dynamic designs and opportunities for their residents. Custom play areas are great places for developers to expand, and I can see them becoming more elaborate, vibrant, and personalized as the trend takes off. Perhaps instead of seeing one or two custom play areas in a building, we may see multiple or even entire custom amenity levels dedicated to children. These spaces could extend even into private residences that would have custom pre-built structures as an added amenity. Play areas will transform into places where play and learning are merged seamlessly. The possibilities are endless. 

The post Trend Alert! Luxury Property Owners Turn to Custom-Designed Play Areas for Their Younger Residents first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Trend Alert! Luxury Property Owners Turn to Custom-Designed Play Areas for Their Younger Residents appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Tierra Viva — a luxury auto-inspired real-estate concept like no other

In the last five years, luxury automakers from Bentley to Aston Martin, Porsche and even Bugatti have debuted several residential properties in America, the Middle East and Asia. All of these projects have either been high-rise buildings, as in the Bentley Residences in Miami, or, single private properties like the Aston Martin № 001 Minami Aoyama in Japan.

Lamborghini however chose to take a different path in its latest foray into this niche: the Tierra Viva is a collection of 53 two-storey villas on a hillside, making it more like a luxury community concept than simply a large building with different luxury apartments. Each of the houses will be “carefully constructed at different levels on the hills to ensure every villa enjoys endless panoramas of the Mediterranean Sea,” explains Dar Global.

Unlike other auto-branded real estate properties featuring shared amenities like plunge pools, each of the 53 villas will come with its own rooftop swimming pool and sprawling garden. It is not immediately clear if there would be shared facilities such as a communal gym and spa, but, it may be safe to say that based on the overall concept, it would not be unlikely.

One luxury village, different living options

According to both brands, the Tierra Viva villas are divided into three distinct types: Diamante, Zafiro, and Esmeralda. The smallest is the Esmeralda which offers four bedrooms in addition to other features and amenities. Zafiro would have five bedrooms while Diamante is the largest with six bedrooms in total.

Whatever your choice, expect the best of the best of the best luxury accents and touches – Lamborghini would be in charge of the design – from marble floors to fine leather detailing and floor-to-ceiling glazing. Each of the villas will be perched atop a basement and garage so that you can have ample space to park all your autos away from the beautiful, natural views.

A new location with endless possibilities

Although this is not Lamborghini’s first residential project – it unveiled a 40-unit housing project in Dubai in 2021 – this is its first real estate project in Europe. So far, Europe has not been the most popular location for luxury brands to try out their residential projects and it remains to be seen how well Lamborghini’s first attempt will be received.

The Tierra Viva is located in the tranquil town of Behanavís near Marbella, on the south coast of Spain, and overlooks the Mediterranean. Residents of the villas will have easy access to an array of nearby attractions, including the pristine beaches, the vibrant Puerto Banús, the illustrious Marbella Club Golden Mile, and the captivating Marbella Marina.

There is no fixed date for its completion, but, if Lamborghini’s Dubai real estate project is anything to go by, we will know soon enough, by which time all the units may have been snapped up.

The post Lamborghini Unveils Tierra Viva, Its First Luxury Real Estate Project in Europe first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Lamborghini Unveils Tierra Viva, Its First Luxury Real Estate Project in Europe appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The Bentley Residences Miami is certainly making a hard case for this. Since the building project was revealed back in 2021, Bentley, together with partner, luxury property specialist Dezer Development, has announced exciting new features that make the apartments in the residential complex the ultimate luxury maison to retire to every day or relax in during vacations.

First, Bentley said that each of the 216 apartments would include a generous view of the Atlantic Ocean via floor-to-ceiling windows that have the added advantage of bringing in as much light as possible. But since constantly viewing the outdoors from inside is never enough, “expansive balconies, each with its own private, heated swimming pool” were added so that residents get a chance to actually enjoy the open air when they get tired of staying indoors without leaving their condos.

However, high-rise luxury beachfront apartments are probably a dime a dozen in Miami, so Bentley decided to sweeten the deal. While you may not find this added feature altogether necessary, the fact that it even exists is a very good indicator of the kind of innovation that would be present everywhere in the apartment complex. The feature? The ‘Dezervator’, a patented elevator that takes you and your car directly from the lobby to your floor.

If you’re still reeling from this last information, Bentley is here to keep you grounded with other more commonplace, shared amenities such as a wellness centre and a spa; a games room complete with VR headsets, simulators for golf and driving (of course!), and, a cigar lounge and restaurant for relaxing and entertainment.

But as you may have noticed, luxury and ordinary do not generally mix well, which is why the auto brand has now decided to throw in yet another bespoke offering: residents at the Bentley Residences Miami will be able to exclusively enjoy dishes from chef Todd English. The celebrity chef has joined the concept as a partner to deliver “seasonal menus that will make dining at Bentley Residences a joy for residents and their guests.” Although the restaurant will be for residents only, it will also be available for private catering and poolside dining.

If you’re not already sold on the idea of getting an apartment at the Bentley Residences Miami, don’t worry: with everything on offer so far, it is safe to say that the British automaker still has more exclusive features coming up to help you make up your mind. Thankfully, the building is set to open in 2026, so there is still plenty of time to explore its many amenities while you come to a decision.

The post Fancy an Apartment at Bentley Residences in Miami? first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Fancy an Apartment at Bentley Residences in Miami? appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

How did Aston Martin, a luxury auto brand domiciled in Britain, manage to design and now build a structure fit for Japan’s architectural and luxury landscape?

First, it started with the

Location

It is common knowledge that in real estate, location is everything. In keeping with the theme of exclusive luxury, Aston Martin teamed up with Japanese real estate company, Vibora, to choose the Omotesando area of the Minami Aoyama district, one of the affluent areas of Tokyo well-known for its architectural and style centres.

Once they had secured a worthy location, they moved on to designing the structure, starting with the

Exterior

Aston Martin realized that, in order to build a house that blended well with its surroundings while still maintaining its unique flair, it needed another set of hands and eyes that understood the area and its culture. And so the British brand collaborated with yet another local business; this time, Tokyo-based design studio Intentionallies.

Together, they came up with a four-storey concept that includes a garage on the ground floor, which also doubles as a gallery. The inclusion of a glass wall on the inside grants residents and visitors alike a full view of the parked cars as though they were in an auto showroom.

№ 001 Minami Aoyama also comes with a rooftop terrace that can be accessed with the help of a folding staircase. Its front façade features fluted ribbons of steel in an abstract geometric pattern that doubles as a privacy screen.

Next on the list was the

Interior

Neutral colours, clutter-free spaces and top-quality materials are the running themes here. Although it was also designed together with Intentionallies, the Aston Martin design team specified the fixtures and finishes throughout.

The addition of a wine cellar, a private spa and gym, a home cinema and an ample home office space makes No 1 Minami Aoyama a truly luxurious abode and one that has managed to marry functionality, technology, and luxury quite beautifully.

Unlike all the Aston Martin residences designed in the past, № 001 Minami Aoyama appears to be a one-of-one structure. It is a genuinely befitting structure for the anonymous and established Aston Martin collector who purchased it before its planned completion in November 2023.

The post How Aston Martin built № 001 Minami Aoyama, its First Private Property in Japan first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post How Aston Martin built № 001 Minami Aoyama, its First Private Property in Japan appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.