Robb Report May 2016

The elder Alexandre Dumas once remarked that to create a drama, he “needed only four walls, four boards, two actors, and one passion.” While this arithmetic may have changed over the course of time, the mise-en-scène nevertheless remains as much a part of any performance as the players—a fact which Hollywood emphasized in its golden […]

As the city’s art scene sizzles, major galleries are heading west.  Los Angeles’s emergence as a world capital of contemporary art has hinged largely on the city’s ever-expanding roster of museums, a group that added another marquee member last fall with the debut of the Broad in downtown L.A. Less impressive has been the City […]

Greubel Forsey and Philippe Dufour are reviving manual watchmaking techniques.  Dubbed Le Garde Temps—Naissance d’Une Montre (The Guardian of Time—Birth of a Watch), Greubel Forsey’s latest horological collection is a collaboration with independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour and watchmaking instructor Michel Boulanger. At the Diderot Vocational Training School in Paris, Boulanger and his students will perform most […]

WhistlePig takes a page from the single-malt playbook with its latest release.  When WhistlePig unveiled its 10-year-old, 100-proof rye whiskey in 2010, the distillery and its team—which includes former Maker’s Mark master distiller Dave Pickerell—took the first step in reestablishing rye as the king of American spirits. As Raj Peter Bhakta, the distillery’s founder and CEO, […]

Vin de Tahiti breeds balance from nature’s extremes.  In a world overrun with imitations and spin-offs, uniqueness remains a rare commodity. That phrase, however, aptly describes Vin de Tahiti, which claims to be the world’s only vineyard and winery located on a coral atoll. A few minutes by motorboat from Rangiroa’s main town, Avatoru, the […]

In the Caribbean, new meditative programs bring mindfulness to the fore. The Bermuda grass is cool under my bare feet as I sit cross-legged on a leafy embankment near the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort’s golf course. The warm sun shines through a canopy of trees, from which the high-pitched squawks of Greater Antillean grackles interrupt […]

Steamboat Bay Fishing Club hooks guests on the wilds of Alaska. I am braced and furiously cranking my fishing line when the humpback whale bursts from the Pacific Ocean. Just a few hundred yards from the boat, the massive mammal arrows upward, throat pleats flared, and swallows the better part of a school of herring, […]

Actor Jeremy Renner leads a dual life as a bow-wielding superhero and a forward-thinking real estate developer. Here he shares with David Hochman his secrets to designing a home with character. Jeremy Renner likes to break down walls. This is not a metaphor, although as an actor he certainly smashes expectations in almost every role he plays. […]

The world’s most exclusive brands—many of which cling to tradition—are reshaping their long-standing practices to provide smarter, more immediate, more sustainable, and healthier products and services. Yet technological advances and innovative new business models are not the only forces driving the rapid evolution of the luxury marketplace. At the heart of these changes are dramatic shifts in […]

In a drive through the Austrian Alps, the Mercedes-Benz GLS550 4Matic provides high levels of comfort and performance. A light freezing rain throughout the night had left slippery conditions in the morning. Nevertheless, we were going to resume the drive that had brought us here to the Austrian ski resort of Hochgurgl in a 2017 Mercedes-Benz […]

A conversation with the music mogul and hotelier.  Island Records founder Chris Blackwell helped propel U2 and many other acts to stardom, but he is best known for introducing reggae—and Bob Marley—to the world. Though born in England, the record producer was raised in Jamaica and is an islander at heart. He operates a collection […]

Crawl into Dedon’s comfy new outdoor cocoon. The new Tigmi alfresco lounger from the German furniture maker Dedon (dedon.us) is equal parts sofa and shelter, with comfort and style to spare. Conceived by the Paris-based designer Jean-Marie Massaud and named for the Berber word for “house,” the Tigmi (priced from $18,870) features a deep seating […]

Best known for its hand-hammered copper sinks and tubs, this 20-year-old company based in San Luis Obispo, Calif., uses artisanal techniques to create its range of kitchen and bath products, including the new Avalon bathtub. Scheduled for release in June, the sleek design is crafted from NativeStone, the company’s proprietary blend of jute fiber and […]

The Italian manufacturer’s new matte-black steel Spin D faucet ($2,295) is named for its pull-out spout’s ability to rotate 360 degrees. Spin D has a slim, minimalist design that is suited for installation in kitchens with tight configurations; the thin water lever goes back just 17 degrees, eliminating worry that it might scrape against a […]

Together with the English magician Dynamo (also known as Steven Frayne), the South Africa–born interior designer has conjured up the Illusionist Wallpaper collection, a series of innovative wall coverings that will insert a bit of magnetism into any space. The lineup offers two eye-catching designs with a 3-D effect: Paradox depicts an angled, protruding wall […]

The quartz-surfaces manufacturer and the British designer Tom Dixon have succeeded in crafting a cool-looking kitchen that truly evokes the cold. Called Ice, it debuted at the Interior Design Show in Toronto in January, and it is the first of four kitchens inspired by the elements—water, earth, air, and fire—that the company plans to unveil. […]

In response to the popularity of its 2013 Mad chair, the Italian company has expanded its Mad furniture offerings. Once again, it tapped the Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, acclaimed for his Knotted chair from 1996, to envision the pieces. The new additions include dining chairs and two armchairs, the King (shown) and the Queen. All […]

With its Marsiglia tub, the Italian brand has again succeeded in creating something that is at once contemporary and evocative of the past. Designed for Agape by the studio LucidiPevere, the freestanding bathtub (price upon request), which is offered in all white or with a light or dark gray exterior, is based on the rectangular […]

B&B Italia sets up shop in a stylish Tokyo neighborhood.    The contemporary furnishings brand B&B Italia (bebitalia.com) has rolled out the welcome mat in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, an area known for high-end shopping and restaurants. Opened in February, the Italian company’s roughly 9,700-square-foot showroom occupies a structure’s first and third floors, both of which […]