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Have a Cigar

When famed psychoanalyst and cigar lover Sigmund Freud was questioned about a cigar's phallic shape, he replied, "Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar." And sometimes a cigar represents something much greater, such as a celebration of good fortune or a new birth. An object that means this much deserves to be stored in a special place, and Golden Humidor offers elegant hand-crafted, masterfully gilded desktop humidors worthy of preserving the most exceptional cigar. Their humidors are constructed using only the finest materials, including Brazilian mahogany and gold-plated hinges that will never tarnish. They can even carve a monogram, crest, symbol or logo into any humidor, to give the cigar aficionado a personalized luxury treasure.

Mightier than the Sword

When leading a luxury lifestyle, you can't pull out a 30-cent drugstore pen to sign multi-million dollar contracts or write checks in huge amounts. Mont Blanc, an international company with operations in 70 countries, emphatically solves that dilemma by way of their Royal Boheme fountain pen.  With a price tag of $150,000, this extravagant instrument is made up of platinum-plated 18-karat gold and 1,430 brilliant-cut diamonds.  Even the Mont Blanc star logo is comprised of 19 diamonds.  Now, if only there were diamond-encrusted Post-its...

Elevated Status

elevatorSweeping marble staircases are beautiful, but require just as much effort to climb as my creaky wooden basement steps. Lucky for luxury homeowners, they can keep their fancy flights as aesthetic centerpieces and cruise effortlessly between their multiple floors in a custom elevator. ThyssenKrupp Access has been in the people-moving business for over 50 years and offers a variety of residential elevator options, including the Signet – "the premier custom-built elevator in the world." Choose from a variety of metal, laminate, wood, stone and glass to create a distinct luxury lift. Design your own here.

Luxury in a Land Down Under

The Great Barrier Reef. Sydney Harbour. The Outback. Australia is known for its wide ranging beauty, and the luxury home market is no exception. From century-old historical masterpieces to ultra-modern contemporaries, Australia has a home for all splendor-seekers.  Here are a few of my favorites...

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SAFE House

You have a beautiful luxury home with beautiful luxury amenities and heirlooms – now you need to protect it and your family. There are many options in home security, but none can offer quite as much as SAFE (Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments). Sound alarmed doors and off-site monitoring are nothing compared to the bulletproof walls, hidden security cameras and incapacitating gas canisters that SAFE offers in their more elaborate systems. You don't have to turn your home into a chemical war zone - SAFE offers a variety of systems that are fully integrated, state-of-the-art and work from the outside in, with layer upon layer of security protecting a central core. They have been protecting politicians and celebrities for years and are the ultimate defense. Click here to read more.

Freedom in Kitchen Design

FridgeThermador has taken the custom kitchen to a new level with their Freedom Collection. It consists of a system of refrigerator, freezer and wine columns in various sizes that can be arranged anywhere in the kitchen for a true custom look. You no longer have to design the kitchen around space-eating refrigerator/freezers. Put your fresh food column right next to the freezer column, or separate them to leave pantry/cabinet space in-between - there are numerous possibilities. Choose component sizes, handle style, and built-in column finish. You can even try your hand at custom kitchen design with their "Design with Freedom" interactive software. Click here to view all the features of this innovative system.

Drive in Styles

CarRide in elegance in a classic Rolls Royce. Blow people off the line with the incredible muscle of a 1969 Camaro. Be the envy of the nightclub scene as you roll up in a shimmering Ferrari. The Classic Car Club Manhattan allows its members to change cars as they change moods. Members pay a flat fee to join the club and accrue points that afford them access to a variety of classic automobiles for up to five days. There are no mileage restrictions and members' only other expense is the fuel they use.  For more details and a list of classic cars, visit www.manhattan.classiccarclub.com

Big Homes for Little Tykes

PlayhouseI used to build forts in my parents' basement with blankets and card tables.  Now, lucky little angels can cavort around in their very own luxury playhouse.  Lilliput Play Homes offers a variety of swank styles, from the "Tattletale Tudor" to the "Grand Victorian."  Amenities in the homes can include simulated wood floors, wraparound porches and bay windows.  They can even create a custom home, or an entire village, for the most discerning toddler.  Kids can outfit their digs with a wide selection of furniture, appliances and accessories. Don't forget about Spot and Rover...Lilliput also designs luxury doghouses for the coddled canine.  www.lilliputplayhomes.com

Drink the High Life

Tequila…much higher than the one brewed by Miller. If you're in the mood for ultra-high class hooch, Ley.925 offers up a $225,000 bottle of premium tequila for your enjoyment. Bottles are finished with platinum and gold and contain one liter of premium 100% Agave tequila that has been aged six years. A bottle of Proyect MX 33 will definitely give you a conversation piece as you entertain on margarita night.  Check it out at www.ley925.com.

Home Movies

Home TheaterWant to see a film on the huge screen? For many luxury homeowners, this is something that doesn't require leaving the house. The deluxe home theater room is steadily becoming a staple of the modern luxury home. Sixty-inch HDTVs are nothing compared to the screens in the luxury home theater that are measured in double-digit feet, not inches.  In the luxury theater, more is spent on a single reclining leather theater chair with built-in cup holder than I spent for an entire surround sound system at the nearest chain electronics store. The luxury home owner can skip the lines, ringing cell phones and in-movie commentary, and have the theater all to themselves.

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