Desert House

The Desert House, 2005. Art, architecture and environmental awareness have been forged together in Marmol-Radziner's custom prototype for their burgeoning prefab division. Recycled steel framing, highly energy-efficient glass, and solar-assisted power add an all-important, eco-friendly element to this milestone achievement. From the two-parcel, nearly 7.5 acre site on which the main house, guest house, studio and nearly 2,400 square feet of outdoor decks reside, broad panoramic vistas across the pool capture the all encompassing desert floor sweeping out to towering Mount San Jacinto and San Gorgonio. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, future versions of this design may, in fact, be the sincerest form of social responsibility.

Alessi Cocktail Shaker

This cocktail shaker from Alessi is the epitomy of 1920's style. The design is a contrast of forms - it has a large spherical body and slender handle. It's made from polished stainless steel and forms part of the 'Alessi Officina' collection which includes their most sophisticated, experimental and innovative products, as well as small-scale and limited productions."

The Cocktail Shaker is available from Utility Design.

The Eazo Luxury PC

Eazo has launched the Eazo Luxury PC. It features an Intel liquid-cooled 3GHz Core 2 Quad processor, 2 duplexed 8800 GTX video cards, 4GB of RAM, and both a 10,000 RPM 150GB hard drive and a standard one with 500GB.

Price $9,000.

Piaget Love Letter Watches

Piaget has launched the Piaget Love Letter Limelight watch. The new watch series are compact envelopes that open to reveal a black or mother-of-pearl dial set with diamond markers reports Luxist. The envelopes come wraped in stingray leather or paved with diamonds that are set with either a ruby or a yellow diamond at the opening.

Vero Chocolates, Hong Kong

Vero is an artisan chocolatier driven by an exclusive passion for the highest-quality premium chocolate. The company was founded with the aim to raise awareness and appreciation for premium chocolate, from the most superior cocoa plantations around the world. Without exception, Vero handcrafts pure unadulterated chocolate using only the highest-quality all-natural ingredients, without the use of any preservatives (e.g. real vanilla as opposed to vanillin). It is for this reason that Vero chocolates are made freshly everyday, using unique regional and seasonal ingredients that are catered for each of the four seasons.


Available either online or from Lane Crawford, Shop 126, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

Website
http://www.verochocolates.com

Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered

TASCHEN's Modernism Rediscovered (2000) brought to light for the first time forgotten architectural masterpieces, drawn from photographer Julius Shulman's personal archives. Paying tribute to residential and commercial buildings that had slipped from public view, Shulman`s stunning photographs uncovered a rarely seen side of California Modernism. This extensive, three-volume follow-up to that remarkable volume brings over 400 more architectural gems into the spotlight. Not just restricted to the West Coast this time, the images were taken all across the United States as well as in Mexico, Israel, and Hong Kong.

Chloé iPhone case

Chloé have released an iPhone case made from a specially treated python with a metallic look . The case comes with a wrist strap and a clip. Chloé has also released an iPhone compatible website, the case is available in Chloé stores.

Valentine skull scarf

This pure silk Alexander McQueen scarf has a beautiful print of hearts & roses, which contrast with the central skeletal image. The scarf also has the Alexander McQueen logo printed in one corner.