The Art of Creative Giving
Preparations for the festive season seem to start earlier every year. From choosing a restaurant to enjoying a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve feast with family and friends to shopping for gifts that will provide the wow factor, deadlines loom and time becomes precious. For those who prefer to leave these pressing issues until closer to the date – rather than fretting too much in autumn (or even earlier) – we are delighted to offer some help with a look at gifts (for Christmas and Los Reyes) that are guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of their recipients.
[caption id="attachment_2431" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Philips NX5[/caption]
Smart Santa: A modern-day Father Christmas was caught motoring into Berlin store Galeries Lafayette in his Smart Brabus electric drive, presumably for some late night shopping but we suspect there might have been another motive! For those contemplating an environmentally friendly gift this year, the Brabus accelerates from zero to 60 km/h in 4.4 seconds and has a maximum speed of 130 km/h, while the 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery enables the urban two-seater to travel approximately 145 kilometres in city traffic without producing any local emissions.
[caption id="attachment_2435" align="alignright" width="92"]
Vertu for Bentley[/caption]
Philips Sound: Initially released to coincide with Halloween, the awesome Philips NX5 sound tower (the second edition of the Nitro range) is guaranteed to generate an explosive sound for parties this holiday season. Its main components include a powerful sub-woofer incorporating the NX Bass button, and LED lights to create a dazzling festive atmosphere.
[caption id="attachment_2439" align="alignleft" width="150"]
MBoards[/caption]
Vertu for Bentley: Bentley’s first handset created in collaboration with luxury phone manufacturer Vertu provides audio performance and curated services, delivering “a unique sensory experience”. The ‘Vertu for Bentley’ smartphone is swathed in quilted calf leather, in the classic Bentley shade of Newmarket Tan, and is stitched with a diamond pattern.
[caption id="attachment_2441" align="alignright" width="150"]
Renaud Marion Photography[/caption]
Mercedes-Benz Surfboards: Two innovative new surfboards (MBoard 2.0 and MBoard 3.0) have been built in a special collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara. The first was made entirely from Portuguese cork; while the second is being produced from a foam material used in the manufacture of aircraft wings. McNamara currently holds the record for the highest wave ever surfed, reaching 62.4 km/h on the high waves in Nazaré (Portugal) using the "MBoards" developed by Mercedes-Benz in 2013.
[caption id="attachment_2445" align="alignright" width="150"]
Doughnut Beanbag[/caption]
Flying Cars: Photographer Renaud Marion imagined how flying cars might look through his surreal photographic series Air Drive, which captures iconic vehicles from the golden days of automobile production and transforms them into airborne transport through a touch of photographic magic. They are available in limited numbers, part of an eccentric collection of gifts from the kinetic art M.A.D. Gallery in Genève.
Doughnut Beanbag: And finally, for a bit of vibrant fun from the Firebox online boutique, the Doughnut Beanbag takes comfort food to a new level. Instead of jam filling and a sugar glaze, it is crammed with soft polystyrene balls smothered in water-repellent canvas for outside use.
[caption id="attachment_2425" align="alignright" width="300"]
Cutting-edge luxury in Marbella[/caption]
With the gifts taken care of, the next priority is having a home base on the Costa del Sol to enjoy them. This fully renovated family home in a highly sought after area in Nueva Andalucía (Marbella) is full of such “home gadgets” as domotic automation, under-floor heating and cooling, solar panels, automatic awnings and home cinema – as well as a golf buggy garage with direct access to the nearby course.
Click
here to see more.
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Preparations for the festive season seem to start earlier every year. From choosing a restaurant to enjoying a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve feast with family and friends to shopping for gifts that will provide the wow factor, deadlines loom and time becomes precious. For those who prefer to leave these pressing issues until closer to the date – rather than fretting too much in autumn (or even earlier) – we are delighted to offer some help with a look at gifts (for Christmas and Los Reyes) that are guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of their recipients.
[caption id="attachment_2431" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Philips NX5[/caption]
Smart Santa: A modern-day Father Christmas was caught motoring into Berlin store Galeries Lafayette in his Smart Brabus electric drive, presumably for some late night shopping but we suspect there might have been another motive! For those contemplating an environmentally friendly gift this year, the Brabus accelerates from zero to 60 km/h in 4.4 seconds and has a maximum speed of 130 km/h, while the 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery enables the urban two-seater to travel approximately 145 kilometres in city traffic without producing any local emissions.
[caption id="attachment_2435" align="alignright" width="92"]
Vertu for Bentley[/caption]
Philips Sound: Initially released to coincide with Halloween, the awesome Philips NX5 sound tower (the second edition of the Nitro range) is guaranteed to generate an explosive sound for parties this holiday season. Its main components include a powerful sub-woofer incorporating the NX Bass button, and LED lights to create a dazzling festive atmosphere.
[caption id="attachment_2439" align="alignleft" width="150"]
MBoards[/caption]
Vertu for Bentley: Bentley’s first handset created in collaboration with luxury phone manufacturer Vertu provides audio performance and curated services, delivering “a unique sensory experience”. The ‘Vertu for Bentley’ smartphone is swathed in quilted calf leather, in the classic Bentley shade of Newmarket Tan, and is stitched with a diamond pattern.
[caption id="attachment_2441" align="alignright" width="150"]
Renaud Marion Photography[/caption]
Mercedes-Benz Surfboards: Two innovative new surfboards (MBoard 2.0 and MBoard 3.0) have been built in a special collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara. The first was made entirely from Portuguese cork; while the second is being produced from a foam material used in the manufacture of aircraft wings. McNamara currently holds the record for the highest wave ever surfed, reaching 62.4 km/h on the high waves in Nazaré (Portugal) using the "MBoards" developed by Mercedes-Benz in 2013.
[caption id="attachment_2445" align="alignright" width="150"]
Doughnut Beanbag[/caption]
Flying Cars: Photographer Renaud Marion imagined how flying cars might look through his surreal photographic series Air Drive, which captures iconic vehicles from the golden days of automobile production and transforms them into airborne transport through a touch of photographic magic. They are available in limited numbers, part of an eccentric collection of gifts from the kinetic art M.A.D. Gallery in Genève.
Doughnut Beanbag: And finally, for a bit of vibrant fun from the Firebox online boutique, the Doughnut Beanbag takes comfort food to a new level. Instead of jam filling and a sugar glaze, it is crammed with soft polystyrene balls smothered in water-repellent canvas for outside use.
[caption id="attachment_2425" align="alignright" width="300"]
Cutting-edge luxury in Marbella[/caption]
With the gifts taken care of, the next priority is having a home base on the Costa del Sol to enjoy them. This fully renovated family home in a highly sought after area in Nueva Andalucía (Marbella) is full of such “home gadgets” as domotic automation, under-floor heating and cooling, solar panels, automatic awnings and home cinema – as well as a golf buggy garage with direct access to the nearby course.
Click here to see more.