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… (more…)

Obsessed with your iPod?  Musically inclined fashionistas are tuning in with these Horchow ear buds studded with genuine Swarovski crystals.  Available in six different colors, you could have a new look almost every day of the week.  Rock on!

Since its re-discovery in 1911, Machu Picchu has increasingly become a popular destination for travelers.  If you’re one of the thousands of people considering a trip to Machu Picchu this year, consider also staying at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in the heart of the Andean cloud forest in the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary.  After the long trek to the ancient village, you’ll want to come back to the luxurious accommodations of this award-winning hotel.  Relax in the spa, enjoy a gourmet dinner, or just soak in the lush surroundings.

When I picture my dream house, this is pretty much what I see.  First, it’s in San Francisco - a fantastic city with one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.  Second, it is settled on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean with views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Not to mention it’s an absolutely gorgeous home, inside and out.  This renovated Spanish-style home is listed with Alain Pinel Realtors on the luxury market for $23.5 million.  I guess I’ll have to keep dreaming.  But if a luxury San Francisco home is your realty, I have a few more suggestions…

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Since their invention in 1670 by William Clement, grandfather clocks have been a symbol of elegance and reliability. Until Henry Clay Work’s song “My Grandfather Clock” became popular in 1875, however, the clocks were known as “longcase” or “tall-case” clocks. Howard Miller Co. offers a contemporary look on this old classic with their Furniture Trend Designs line. The Coastal Point model has platinum finishes, an automatic night-time chime shut-off option and a clock-illuminating interior light, and comes with a free engraved brass heirloom plate. Learn more about the Coastal Point and many other compelling new grandfather clocks at howardmiller.com

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.

Marc Jacobs became famous for his “mice” shoes, so named for their pointed nose (the toe), eyes (cutouts on the top of the shoe) and whiskers (a bow).  This style has been taken a step further for the Fall 2006 collection, and the shoes look even more undeniably like mice.  The bow has been replace by two separate ears, the eyes are now metal studs, the nose is stiched on the toe, and there’s even a curly tail stiched on the heel.  By next fall they’ll be made of mouse fur.

Thermador 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.

This year, Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, was purchased by makeup mogul Ronald Lauder for $135 million.  Seems he paid too much, considering he could have lived inside a work of art for a mere $3,999,000.  This Frank Lloyd Wright classic prairie-style home in Oak Park, IL (a western suburb of Chicago) is now on the market.  Built in 1903, this home has been fully restored with Wright’s artistic vision in mind.  The price tag includes accurately reproduced furniture.  For more information and pictures, click here.

Ride 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