Polished, blue lacquered aluminium 6mm thick ‘Shell’ chair by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby

Barely a decade out of the Royal College of Art, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have effortlessly risen to become two of the most sought after and collectible characters in UK design. ‘Effortless’ being the word as that is what their now internationally-heralded pieces appear to be. Informed by a priority for function, their work has a simple grace, elegance and integrity that belies its invariable complexity. This special edition of their 2005 shell chair has been created exclusively for 20ltd.com and is limited to only 8 editions

Dubai Opera House by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid has unveiled her design plans for the Dubai Opera House. The design called for an exciting new cultural centre in the new Seven Pearls district of Dubai. This landmark development will accommodate an opera house, playhouse, arts gallery, performing arts school and themed hotel on an island in Dubai Creek just off the mainland part of the district. All of these facilities will be state of the art to host world class performances and exhibitions. The opera house will have a seating capacity of 2,500 while the playhouse will have a seating capacity of 800.

THE LIGHT OF PARIS

As king François I once said: “Paris is not a city, it’s a world.” Long after the swarming crowd has deserted it, at dusk or dawn, after the hum and buzz of traffic has subsided, Paris still resonates with a life of its own: muted, subdued, and mysterious. That’s precisely the moment photographer Jean-Michel Berts has elected to capture it, in black and white. From Opera to Montmartre, along the banks of the Seine or its Grands Boulevards, stepping in the footprints of Baudelaire, Brassai, Huysmans, framed by Berts’s camera obscura, the buildings, completely deserted streets, and even its trees and empty flights of stairs take on a poetic, ethereal, almost dream-like quality. Much more than a hymn to the City of Lights and featuring a beautiful text by the French novelist Pierre Assouline, this book is a moving homage to Paris, seen as a virtuoso sculptor’s masterpiece. Each of the prints are given ample breathing space in this volume, whose opulent trim size befits the spectacular quality of the shots.

Brad Pitt spends $500,000 at a design exhibition in Switzerland.

Brad Pitt spent more than $500,000 at a design exhibition in Switzerland. Brad made the trip from France for Design Miami/Basel. Among Brad's purchases were a $293,000 marble table by designer Jeroen Verhoeven, a rug made of aluminum thread that sells at $175 per square foot
and two $25,000 Ron Arad chairs. He is also said to be considering buying a gold lacquer-coated fibreglass sofa by Zaha Hadid for $300,000. In addition to his furniture spree, Brad has recently been allowed to further explore his interest in architecture.

Star System

Star System is a collection of sofas designed by Enrico Buscemi and Piergiorgio Leone for Giovannetti collezioni. Intended as an adaptation of traditional chesterfield sofas, the collection has removable steel buttons.

aeron

bill stumpf and don chadwick designed the aeron to be like no other chair–replacing foam and fabric with pellicle®, a breathable, form-fitting material that provides truly customized comfort and support. extensive research shaped the original design, while continuing research ensures that aeron remains the benchmark for performance in ergonomic seating.

Christina Onassis’s Jewels Auction at Christie’s

Athina Onassis, will auction off jewelry that she inherited from her mother Christina. The jewelry collection is anticipated to generate £8 million on 11 June at Christie’s. The collection includes a pear-shaped 38-carat diamond estimated at up to £2.2 million, a ruby and diamond necklace by Van Cleef and Arpels expected to fetch £40,000, a rare Buddha by Carl Fabergé likely to generate £250,000 to £350,000 plus a 14.79 carat diamond ring £500,000-£700,000.

Bentley Continental Flying Spur

The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur is set to deliver even greater levels of refinement, comfort and opportunities for customer personalization. The class-leading 12-cylinder luxury saloon will also be joined by the 600 bhp (610PS) Continental Flying Spur Speed. The most powerful 4-door car ever produced by the British manufacturer, the Flying Spur Speed offers the pure driving experience and uncompromising performance synonymous with all Bentleys bearing the Speed legend.

The Continental Flying Spur has been an extraordinary success story for Bentley since its launch in 2005. Its unrivalled combination of exciting performance, luxury, craftsmanship, style and four-door practicality has broadened the appeal of the Continental range. The Flying Spur has become the most successful 12-cylinder luxury saloon in the world and has played a pivotal role in the revitalisation of Bentley.

The instantly recognisable style of the Flying Spur undergoes a subtle evolution with changes to the front and rear design. The new, more upright grille and bolder lower air intake accentuate the distinctive Bentley profile, while the new rear bumper delivers a more aggressive and sleek appearance.

A comprehensive range of noise-absorbent measures including acoustic glazing, tri-laminate body undertrays and wheelarch liners ensure that cabin refinement, already a hallmark of the Continental Flying Spur, is best in class.

The new Flying Spur may now be specified with a sophisticated follow-to-stop, radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control system, which monitors traffic ahead and manages the throttle and brakes to maintain a pre-set time gap, up to a driver selected set speed.

As a further option, the new Naim for Bentley audio system provides the world’s best in-car sound stage. Designed exclusively for Bentley by Naim, the renowned British hi-fi manufacturer, the system features an 1100 Watt amplifier, the most powerful unit offered in a production car, and 15 custom-built Naim speakers, including dual Naim sub-woofers. The next-generation Digital Signal Processor further enhances the listening experience.

The aluminium-intensive suspension of the Flying Spur features revised spring and dampers and a new bespoke 19-inch Pirelli UHP tyre for outstanding levels of ride quality, comfort and refinement.

Bentley’s commitment to the highest quality of craftsmanship and customer personalisation is highlighted with an enhanced choice of beautifully crafted wood marquetry and chrome inlays. In addition, seat piping, a traditional Bentley feature, is introduced on Flying Spur together with two new hide colours. Three new colours and four duo-tone paint combinations are added to the exterior paint palette.

The 600bhp Continental Flying Spur Speed unleashes the same potent performance and intense levels of driver engagement as its highly acclaimed stablemate, the Continental GT Speed.

Inspired by Bentley’s legendary ‘Speed’ models that first appeared in 1923, the Flying Spur Speed offers a range of headline performance figures including a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200mph.

A lowered ride height, uprated and redesigned suspension as well as retuned steering deliver outstanding agility and body control. Exceptional grip comes from the unique 9.5Jx20 multi-spoke alloy wheels with bespoke Pirelli P-Zero UHP performance tyres.

The Flying Spur Speed is distinguished by subtle design cues which emphasis its performance credentials, including dark-tinted radiator and air intake grilles, wider rifled exhaust tail pipes and unique 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels.