SINGAPORE (Jan 28): Makers of yachts, ear phones and furniture are working with design partners to come up with unique products for consumers.
Maiden voyage
Grace Jones. Mega yachts. Rock ’n’ roll. Those are some of the inspirations behind the suites aboard Sir Richard Branson’s adults-only cruise brand Virgin Voyages, which will lift anchor in 2020.
Virgin Voyages unveiled new details on its new ocean liner that will set sail under the Virgin flag, rounding out the brand’s travel portfolio that already includes planes, trains, hotels and commercial space aircraft.
British designer Tom Dixon was tapped to reinvent the traditional cruise suite and bring an edge of “Rebellious Luxe” to the cruising aesthetic. The result is a palette of deep blues and iridescent elements meant to echo the colours of the sky and sky.
For the ship’s RockStar suites (main image), Dixon borrows style elements from luxury yachts with leather finishes, marble bathrooms and terrazzo flooring, along with bespoke Tom Dixon furniture pieces.
Music lovers will also appreciate the vinyl turntable, featured in every suite.
Services include dedicated wardrobe teams tasked with unpacking and repacking guest baggage and even a nightly “express swimsuit drying service”.
The biggest rock star divas can also opt for one of two Massive Suites, which span 2,147 sq ft, that come with guitars and an amplifier, oversized couch, hot tub, two full-sized wardrobes, terrace, outdoor shower and hammocks.
The ship, named The Scarlet Lady, sails from Miami to the Caribbean in 2020.
Raising the bar
The creative force and mixologist mastermind behind London’s Dandelyan, regularly declared the world’s best bar, has announced plans to open a trio of new watering holes in London, Amsterdam and Washington, DC.
In an Instagram post, Ryan Chetiyawardana, better known as Mr Lyan, disclosed details about three new projects that will take his brand international.
Amsterdam will become home to Super Lyan, Washington, DC, home to Silver Lyan; and Dandelyan, current titleholder of best bar on the planet on the World’s 50 Best Bars ranking, will undergo a complete overhaul to be resurrected as Lyaness and reopen in March.
In an interview with Drinks International, Chetiyawardana says Super Lyan in Amsterdam will embrace local, sustainable ingredients and be staffed with local bartenders. The bar is slated to open in April.
An existing Super Lyan bar in London (pictured) will be repurposed into a fermentation lab and office space.
Silver Lyan in DC is scheduled to launch in November and, like Super Lyan in Amsterdam, will reflect the local culture in a classic but playful way, with a “nod to grandeur”. Meanwhile, Lyaness will replace Dandelyan at Sea Containers London hotel (formerly known as the Mondrian London), with a new concept and décor.
The bar will be operated by the existing team.
Collaboration and customisation
A year after unveiling their collaboration on the customisable, modular furniture collection Delaktig, IKEA and Tom Dixon have announced that they are set to add to the line a queen-size bed, along with a choice of headboards and a cover update for the existing pieces.
The furniture giant and the industrial designer’s ultra-modular “platform for living” was launched almost a year ago. A concept rather than a collection, DELAKTIG used a base unit in the form of a seat, similar to a traditional living-room couch, that can be combined with armrests and backrests, lamps and tables, all of which can be attached to the system.
Now, the team has created a bed frame also designed to be personalised. It is available in a queen size and, just like the rest of the DELAKTIG collection, owners can add, remove and swap around its accompanying accessories to suit their lives and living spaces.
Designed to be lightweight yet durable, the frame is made from 50% recycled aluminium, and a headboard — also new, and available in sleek black or earthy rattan — can be attached to it to give it a different look. Side tables and lighting can be added in a variety of ways.
Along with the bed concept, IKEA has unveiled new covers for the existing DELAKTIG seating concept; said to offer a higher resistance against abrasion and colour-fading, they come in dusty pink, soft beige and stone grey.
Sound investment
Louis Vuitton is diving into the audio world, with the LV logo now featuring on a set of Master & Dynamic earbuds.
New-York-based audio company Master & Dynamic recently announced its new partnership with the luxury French fashion house to release a set of LV-branded wireless earbuds, the Louis Vuitton Horizon earphones.
The companies’ first collaborative product is not that novel, though. In fact, the headphones appear to be essentially a pair of Master & Dynamics MW07 wireless earbuds, which came out last year for an already steep US$299 ($407).
Apart from the new colour options, which feature the iconic LV logo and monogram, there is nothing new about the buds, which are expected to cost US$700 more.
The quality of the sound is reportedly impressive, but not necessarily more than that of its competitors such as Apple, Sony or Jabra, whose options each cost less than US$200.
Setting the cosmetics aside, the earbuds come with Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity and will run 3½ hours on a full charge. The set comes with a charging case that provides an additional 10½ hours of listening.
The LV version, which is available in four colour options, comes with a matching polished stainless steel case in either black or white.
