For a cool $35 million you can get the ultimate car collector's crash pad in Montecito, California, a modernist masterpiece designed to house a world-class collection of 35 cars – that's $1 million per car – in a stunning automotive art gallery. Walls and pillars lined in walnut give way to massive plate glass windows fronting on a sweeping terrace so that the car collection is integrated into life of the house. Of course you also get 15,000-square-feet of living space into the bargain. Designed by architect Steve Hermann and dubbed the Glass Pavilion in homage to the late Philip Johnson, it's set within a 3.5 acre estate of oak groves near to where Al Gore recently spent nearly $9 million on a Mediterranean-style mansion. Other famous neighbors include Oprah WInfrey, Steve Martin, Jeff Bridges and John Cleese. Massive structural steel beams allow for acres of glass that appear to be floating above the rolling lawns. The kitchens and baths are fitted out by famous names such as Varena, Poliform and Antonio Lupi. In each category the "best and most exciting products from around the world" were sourced to make the entire house, which took six years to compete, utterly flawless.



[via JamesList]

The unfortunate reality that colors the supercar market is that wealth doesn't come with driving skills. In other words, just because you've got the money to buy, say, a Ferrari or Lamborghini or what-have-you, doesn't mean you've got the competence to drive it. That much has been evidenced time and time again by the regular onslaught of such exotic machinery wrapped around trees and sign posts. But that's what institutions like Skip Barber are for.

One of the best-known high-performance driving schools in North America, Skip Barber is there to help bridge that gap. And if one course doesn't do the trick, the school offers a wide variety of others at tracks across the country. Want to sample them all? Skip Barber has a graduated series of memberships starting at $75,000. The latest, however, is the $295,000 Lifetime Fast Pass, which allows the holder to sign up for any standing course with open spots, get track time at any of 10 circuits or compete in any of the school's racing series. Head over the SkipBarber.com to check it out.

There are just three years left in order to have a wedding date in which the day, month and year are all the same number. Ever since 2001, many couples have been opting to get married on these memorable days and October 10 this year (10/10/10) should be no exception. The Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas is offering an all-inclusive 10/10/10 Wedding Package. Before exchanging vows, the couple will spend the afternoon at the Spa & Salon Bellagio with a $500 gift certificate. On the big day, couples can marry at one of Bellagio's chapels and then spend the wedding night in deluxe lakeview accommodations overlooking The Fountains of Bellagio. The newly-wedded couple can also enjoy dinner at Sensi or Circo, toast their love with a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and attend a performance of "O" by Cirque du Soleil. The package is priced at $10,000 and includes an album filled with memories to take home. Spaces are still available but will likely sell out before the day itself. Las Vegas chapels in general tend to be packed on these days. Those who need a little more planning time can also opt for 1/1/11 or even 11/11/11 wedding packages. Contact the Bellagio for more details.

Need a little fitness inspiration this fall? The Elysian Hotel in Chicago is bringing in celebrity yoga instructor Mandy Ingber to host a three-day/two-night Yoga Retreat Weekend, September 10 – 12, 2010. Ingber will teach the same wellness principles and yoga poses that have made her Hollywood classes popular with celebrity yoga bodies like Jennifer Aniston, Brooke Shields and Helen Hunt.

Ingber will share her motivational approach with aspiring and accomplished yoga practitioners over a weekend that includes three yoga sessions, smoothie breaks and an afternoon spa treatment. Rates starting at $1,445 and include accommodations for two nights, an in-room welcome amenity, keepsake Lululemon yoga mat, and lunch and question and answer session with Ingber. "Having the body you want begins with loving the body you have," says Ingber of her overall attitude of acceptance.

The hotel has a 14,000-square-foot spa and health club that also has a Pilates and Gyrotonic studio (one of only two in the city) and a full range of cardiovascular and weight training equipment. The spa also features a saline lap pool, 12 treatment rooms, an outdoor terrace and men's and women's relaxation areas with warm water baths, saunas and steam rooms.

Shabby Chic, the lifestyle brand founded 20 years ago by Rachel Ashwell is back with a new line of furniture. The Guildmaster Shabby Chic Collection continues the casual soft vintage style of the original pieces that become popular with stars like Pamela Anderson and had millions looking for charmingly aged antiques to create a similar look.

The new designs are based on actual antique and vintage designs that Ashwell found while doing her own antiques digging at places like the famous Brimfield antique shows and other flea markets. The pieces are being made by Guildmaster and come in four basic finishes-- light gray, white, darker gray and simple white with several finishes that offer the look of a delicately aged patina. Home Accents Today has a couple images of the new pieces, tables, chairs and cupboards in classic designs that seem very in tune with the Shabby Chic aesthetic.

Brooklyn New York is getting its own custom crush wine-making facility. Brooklyn Winery has been under construction for the past few months. The plant will import grapes from both California and the New York State wine regions and will have customers working on custom barrels or shared community barrels. Wine Business reports that the facility should open next month. It will also offer classes and professional events. Currently the entire New York area only has one similar facility, City Winery.

Resident winemaker Conor McCormack was formerly with the company that started it all, San Francisco's Crushpad and he will supervise production and instruct amateur winemakers in hands-on sessions. McCormack will also make house wines which will be sold at the wine bar and tasting room. A full barrel costs $5,700 and delivers 300 bottles. The price includes a barrel planning session with McCormack to help you select your varietal and region, and discuss wine style options. After that the potential winemakers learn more by taking part in five private winemaking sessions covering topics like fermentation, pressing, racking, barrel tasting and finally bottling. The bottles are finished with your own custom-designed wine label including the name of your choice. Custom Barrel may be shared by a group of up to 12 people and 1/2 barrels are also available.

The BP Deepwater Horizon spill has been turned into art in the hands of artist Brian Borrello. The Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans has announced a limited edition print by Borrello that will support the St. Bernard Project in collaboration with LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry to provide services for families impacted by the oil spill. Borrello's "New Orleans Skyline" is a high-resolution digital print on archival paper with oil collected from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. Borrello began drawing the skylines of US cities in 2003, often adding toxic components to the image that relate to the city. Because of New Orleans' connection to the oil industry the painting received an application of motor oil. The new prints contain some of BP's spilled oil that he collected from the beaches of Florida and the marshes of Louisiana. He is donating 20 percent of the proceeds to the St. Bernard Project. The print will be sold directly from the gallery (online and in gallery) and is an edition of 100. It sells for $290.

[via ArtDaily]

Just in time for the end of summer Trump SoHo New York has opened Bar d'Eau. The bar was created by KNR, the team behind South Beach's hottest nightspots and is located on the seventh-floor of the luxury SoHo hotel condominium, at 246 Spring Street. Bar d'Eau has an outdoor landscaped 6,000-square-foot Pool Deck with a blue Italian mosaic-lined lounge pool with a cascading waterfall as well as three private cabanas and a bocce court.

Designed by DiGuiseppe Architect, Bar d'Eau opens into the hotel's pool area seasonally with large, clear doors. Two layers of sparkling sheer fabric cover the west facing windows and doors to soften the light by day and provide a warm glow at night. The walls are sheathed in a metallic wallcovering with fractured mirror tile and antique framed textiles from Anatolia. The bar area has chairs of handmade stitched leather and dark bronze frames.

The bar dishes out intriguing cocktails including a Mehkong Sling with Mehkong, Pineapple Cherry Heering and lime juice; Bourbon Tea with Woodford Reserve infused with a house-made tea blend, fresh lemon and honey and the Canton rhubarb float made with Domaine de Canton, muddled limes and rhubarb bitters. The bar also serves small plates like a lobster roll curry with mache and celery, Black Angus sliders with smoked ketchup and butter pickles, the herb fries with rosemary and sage and the butter and parmigiano popcorn. Cold dishes include the summer berry salad with Moscato vanilla jelly and lemon granite, coconut pannacotta and homemade ice cream and sorbet cones. Bar d'Eau is open 11 am to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and 11 am to 1 am Thursday and Friday.

Taking an evident lead from its arch-rival (and former corporate cousin) Rolls-Royce, Bentley has announced a special edition exclusive to the Middle East.

Based on either the Continental Flying Spur or Flying Spur Speed, the Arabia edition features special badging and wheels, but that's about the extent of it. Only 50 examples will be produced, available exclusively through Bentley's nine dealers in the region that accounts for 10% of its sales annually.

If you've got your eye on the new Porsche Panamera, chances are it's the performance you're after, because it certainly isn't the looks. And if you want an extra boost, there's no shortage of aftermarket tuning firms that will be glad to dial it up to 11.

The latest is Sportec, a Swiss tuner intimately familiar with customizing Porsches. Its new kit for the Panamera comes in two stages: For $4,600, Sportec will squeeze output up from 493 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque stock to an impressive 560 hp and 576 lb-ft, dropping 0.3 seconds off the 0-60 time to run it in a lightning fast 3.9.

Not enough? The stage 2 kit upgrades with a variable exhaust system that raises output even further to 575 hp and 598 lb-ft for a 3.8-second sprint to sixty... and a $12k premium.