With the exquisite Hyperion – an ode to the sumptuous pre-war limousines – Pininfarina have truly outdone themselves. For once not designed to the brief of a large car manufacturer, but made to measure for a private client, this Rolls Royce-based car is the epitome of elegance and hand-built quality in our era.

Take a Rolls Royce Drophead Coupé, a private motoring enthusiast with financial means and a team of Pininfarina’s finest designers. What you get is the Pininfarina Hyperion – a dream car whose bespoke design and handmade quality hark back to an age when Ettore Bugatti would build the finest chassis and engines in the world, and Jacques Saoutchik or H.J. Mulliner would fit the most exquisite bodywork onto it. (more…)

Having earned this nickname because of its famous connection with Roman Abramovitch, Chelsea FC lies in one of the most desirable parts of London – an area that is also home to a small but prominent Russian community.

Before June 2003, Chelsea was known above all for three things: Chelsea Football Club, a privileged address within the British capital and the Chelsea Pensioners. Since then, it has become associated with glamorous football, glamorous lifestyles and glamorous Russians.

Situated on the edge between the boroughs (districts) of Chelsea and Fulham, this is a club that uncharacteristically finds itself not in the middle of a sea of red brick workers’ houses but surrounded by spacious parks and the leafy streets of one of London’s most genteel suburbs. Fine cars parked in front of grand old city homes would not normally go hand in hand with bi-weekly crowds of over 40,000 that pack into Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s historic ground, but here it has become something of a tradition. (more…)

Pearl Restaurant & Bar, in High Holborn, represents high London style and sophistication. A gem in the heart of the city.

Situated at the extension of Oxford Street, Pearl is a perfect oasis of refinement after a day’s intensive shopping. In fact, just the place to sink back into stylishly comfortable seats with your shopping trophies sprawled around you. Designed by renowned London stylists United Designers, the décor is chic and up to date, yet with a hint of 50s retro.

The warm, linear lines of this fine establishment put one in mind of Manhattan and exude a slightly masculine aura that is offset by exquisite curtains of pearls that separate the different seating areas. One million pearls have been used in all, though any sense of decadence is offset by the business-like building itself. You see, this was formerly the banking hall within the famous Pearl Assurance Building. (more…)

A chance meeting at the Copenhagen Furniture Fair gave birth to a dynasty of sumptuously styled and crafted furniture nurtured by French flair and Russian enterprising spirit.

Roche Bobois is a name that resounds within the world of fine furniture. Through its exquisitely styled ‘Les Contemporains’, ‘Les Provinciales’ and ‘Les Voyages’ ranges, the firm has built a name for taste and quality as it leads us through a lifetime’s evolution in classical, country, colonial and modern décor styles. Leading industrial designers have made their impact with the creation of Roche Bobois ranges over the years, not infrequently joined by celebrity names from the world of fashion, such as Ungaro and Kenzo, who add their particular touch to new fabrics and patterns, thus creating a brand whose evolving look focuses more on offering a way of life than just a style. (more…)