productivity-enhancing furniture to corporate America. The fun, ergonomic, and even brain-stimulating office environment pioneered by tech giants such as Google and Microsoft inspired them to a high degree. StrongProject is bringing far-ranging thought and futuristic furnishings such as acoustic furniture, personality-based design, and other cutting-edge concepts to a broad market, with affordable options for firms of all sizes (including leasing). They realize that since workers spend so much time in their workspaces, companies need to equip themselves with furniture, meeting spaces, and office designs that promote communication, idea-sharing, and brainstorming, as well as quiet time for analysis and creativity.
Belle Epoch. Thought to be The Most Beautiful Café in the World, this icon of cultural history resides within the Boscolo Budapest Hotel, in itself a legendary institution boasting the finest architecture and exemplary creativity of The Gilded Age. Past, present, and future magically coalesce in the palatial presence of baroque ornamentation, multi-colored inlays, and sinuous columns as you partake in the Café Culture of Budapest and enjoy an unforgettable culinary experience, be it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
rt villages: Courchevel 1300, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650, and the amazing Courchevel 1850. The villages’ specific names refer to their metric altitudes. Collectively, Courchevel is part of Les Trois Vallees, the world's largest linked ski area. All of the villages are connected by bus, and all have a unique charm. However, Courchevel 1850 is particularly special, as it was the first community to be constructed entirely from scratch. Of the four villages, Courchevel 1850 is also the largest, the main lift hub, and the most luxurious, as it houses many stunning chalets and hotels, including the magnificent Hamlet of K2.
to escape the surly bonds of earth and view our world from the edge of the cosmos. The private Arizonian company World View Enterprises, Inc., has drawn on the use of state of the art balloons to expand the industry of near-space tourism. Founded in 2013, Voyager human spaceflight systems, managed by retired NASA astronauts and experts in near-space ballooning, has brought 21st century tourism to the precipice of the universe. This skilled team uses innovative and revolutionary technology to help reveal the wonders of our amazing planet.
also a beautiful tropical garden designed to feature indigenous plants species that are lush and exotic. You can heighten your senses with a peaceful day at the spa or an inviting swim in any one of the villa pools. For the avid golfer, the glorious Double Pool Villas are close to the prestigious Laguna Phuket Golf Club, while serious divers and beach lovers can submerge themselves in the clear waters around this incredible resort.
the Globe, Roasted to Perfection in One-of-a-Kind, Immersive Combination of Café, Roastery, and Restaurant. The interactive Roastery and Tasting Room is dedicated to roasting, coffee education, and increasing the availability of the company’s small-lot Reserve® coffees. The consolidation of small-batch roasting will be a means for the company to expand its Reserve® coffee line to 1,500 locations globally. In 2016, Roasteries opened in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Starbucks is always exploring new and innovated ways to reach out to their consumers. In 2016, Starbucks in Asia launched a sophisticated tea line called Teavana. The new line includes drinks like the espresso fusion, black tea with ruby grapefruit, matcha, green tea and honey, aloe, and prickly pear.
A newspaper mogul and son of a self-made mining industry millionaire, William Randolph Hearst commissioned one of the nation's most astounding pieces of architecture. Retreating to solitude from the backlash of his "Yellow Journalism" techniques that fueled the Spanish-American war, Hearst hired Julia Morgan in 1919 to build a two-story home on top of a magical hill in San Simeon, California. Hearst called his conceptualized creation La Cuesta Encantada -- The Enchanted Hill. After 28 years of construction, Hearst's quaint home turned into a lavish estate including 165 rooms, 41 fireplaces, three guest houses, two pools, a library housing more than 4,000 books, a theater, and a private zoo.
her journey at age three when the violin caught her interest. Trained by talented musicians such as Leo Viola, Christine Walevska, and Ljerko Spiller, Gabetta played the violin for five years alongside her brother – who is today a baroque violinist himself. However, she found her real passion in the cello and, at age eight, chose to focus exclusively on this enchanting instrument. Gabetta's breathtaking talent was immediately recognized when she won her first competition a ten. Ever since then, she has hypnotized audiences worldwide with her phenomenal performances.
era and is one of the driving forces behind his popularity. This panache combined with his catchy, foot-tapping, swing/jazz/big band music is becoming all the rage in not only Europe but here in the United States and around the world. Influenced heavily by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Raabe has brought back melodies that were popular in 1920s Berlin and giving birth to his rising star. Max Raabe has melded his love of comedy, opera, and fascination into the quintessential incarnation of Weimar Cabaret with a new twist.
d her passion for the violin early in life. As a student, she was exempted from school to fully pursue her dream of becoming a professional violinist while aided in this noble endeavor by Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan. Karajan, the primary conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, inaugurated Mutter into the profession by inviting her to play with the Symphony at the age of thirteen. Mutter officially publicized her talent that same year with a debut performance at the Lucerne Festival. Little did she know, this was only the beginning of her burgeoning career.
tisans create stunning scenery and sumptuous costumes unrivaled anywhere in the world. The hundreds of internationally acclaimed composers, choreographers, singers, directors, conductors, musicians who are featured there make attending any one of the four to seven performances each week an experience to remember. The history of the Metropolitan Opera began in 1883 at 1411 Broadway in the Garment District. However, in the late 50s, the Opera House outgrew this location, and the new Performing Arts Center opened to much acclaim in 1966. Today, its stately majesty and year-round performances attract over 800,000 visitors to New York's cultural icon at Lincoln Square every year.
cting his orchestra with an intensity and flair that is simply a delight to watch. This is beautifully evident as he conducts the Marco L’Aquila Baroque Orchestra, performing Palladio, a composition for string orchestra by Karl Jenkins. The prodigious young man founded and Chaired both Orchestra and Symphony, which to this day still tours and performs. Renowned as a teacher, great humanist, composer active in film, artistic director, he has become one of the world’s most acclaimed and innovative composers, receiving numerous invitations to be Director of many important symphonies.
restigious awards, including Trip Advisor’s top ranking of excellence, along with other awards as Indonesia’s leading resort and spa. Conrad’s philosophy is to make all their guests feel welcomed and provide unparalleled service, which has come to define their company. These thoughts, coupled with the tranquility of Bali, blend to make the resort and its pre-eminent Jiwa Spa a highly sought-after haven for re-energizing, restoring wellness and inner peace while at the same time pampering their visitors in every way imaginable. The high standards maintained and impeccable service inspires guests to return time after time.
uilt on the world’s first designated purity reserve and consists of three spacious properties: The Mulia, Mulia Resort, and Mulia Villas. Each grand estate rests on the sandy coast of the immaculate Nusa Dua beach, covering thirty acres of land, and affords a uniquely stunning view of the Indian Ocean. The Mulia includes 111 grand suites, while the Resort features 526 elegant rooms, and both provide flawless butler services and spectacular swimming pools. The Villas, consisting of 108 luxury homes, are themselves a vital charm of the hotel, presenting a lush sanctuary of extravagant bliss.
in Munich’s sprawling Theresienwiese for more than 180 years. Straddling September and October, the beer blast lures millions of revelers annually from countries worldwide. Donning Lederhosen and Dirndl Skirts, they’re swept up in a swirl of color and friendliness as they savor sauerkraut, sausages, and sudsy steins of beer. And what beer it is. To be served at Oktoberfest, all brews must adhere to Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law, and be brewed within Munich city limits. The eagerly-attended opening ceremonies in 2019 featured Munich’s mayor tapping the first keg of Oktoberfest beer, then inviting all the other fest-goers to savor the free-flowing liquid assets.
Andrea Bocelli concert. In 2017 the group continued to dazzle audiences worldwide, and their name has become synonymous with grandeur and majesty. Cowell, who famously owns record label Syco Music, astutely predicted that these four multinationals, accomplished beyond belief, would usher in a new generation to classical music listeners, and right he was. Of course, these virtuosos already had significant vocal experience before encountering Cowell. The Swiss Urs Buhler, American David Miller, and Spaniard Carlos Marin pursued opera and classical training for years, while Frenchman Sebastien Izambard was a self-taught pop singer. Together, IL Divo has introduced and attained unparalleled success in the genre of “popera,” or operatic pop, attracting millions of listeners of all ages and nationalities with their pure incandescent passion on stage.
is a creative gathering of some of the most extraordinary individuals in the world, an experiment in social living reminiscent of a Mad Max movie, less the violence. For a moment in time, thousands of talented visionaries from every tribe and creed come together as brothers and sisters in a Utopian Mecca for the ages. From this higher plane, post-modern humanity in all its splendid glory begins to appear on the Black Rock while sacred objects begin to materialize from the desert floor. You’ve arrived through a portal in time to another world. You’ve entered the world of Burning Man.
year was 1735, and Garrard's founder George Wickes had just gone into business on his own. He could scarcely have guessed that within a few years, he would be appointed goldsmith to the Prince of Wales or, indeed, that he was laying the foundations of the most enduring story in the history of British jewelry. Almost three hundred years on, it is a tale that is still being written, a story rich with elegance, Royal patronage, and imbued with the spirit of British craftsmanship at its very best.
ething to be made. In this case, it specifically denotes the creation of custom-made suits, jackets, and other clothing handcrafted by British tailors to exacting specifications. Perfected on London's Saville Row centuries ago, its ethos has since been carried worldwide. As distinguished from off-the-rack or made-to-measure clothing, bespoke tailored apparel is based on patterns explicitly crafted for each customer, with each reflecting more than 20 measurements. These patterns serve as the blueprint for the bespoke suit and are kept on file to be accessed should wearers require additional suitings. The tradition of world-class bespoke tailoring is among the hallmarks of Dunhill, the globally-renowned London-based luxury goods brand synonymous with peerless menswear, butter-soft leather goods, and fine accessories ranging from eyewear and writing instruments to men's jewelry, timepieces, lighters, golf wear, gifts, and games.
istorical roots dating back to the disintegration of Communism in 1989. When the Soviet regime fell in Budapest, the city’s musical scene followed suit due to lack of government funds for organized concert venues. To assuage this dilemma, poet Peter Sziami and entrepreneur Karoly Gerendai conceived an idea for a week-long cultural celebration where performers, other creative minds, and fans could amass, sharing their passion for the arts as a unified and society. The first Freedom Festival, named as a testament to its newfound sovereign, was thus born in 1993 and has since evolved into the largest annual music festival in Europe.