The Dream Dinner - Christmas, the way it should be

The Master Himself

Unfortunately I couldn't find any interesting photos of his Perfect Christmas Dinner to go around. I was aiming for the mouthwatering pics from his 529 page book The Fat Duck Cookbook. But who needs photos when we have 59 minutes of eyecandy kindly provided by BBC One? Beware, some images can be shockingly beautiful: Heston's Blumenthal's Perfect Christmas Dinner. Feast all your senses on this one-off perfect tribute.

The Dream Ring - The Tiffany Setting

The famous Tiffany Setting

"The Tiffany [Setting] engagement ring is the ring by which all other rings are measured."

Yes, I am a big Tiffany's fan. I proposed to my wife some five years ago. To mask my intentions we went to Paris as a Valentine treat and stayed at the overly romantic Relais Christine. I had reserved a ring at Tiffany's flagship store on Rue de la Paix. Because my wife-to-be at the time wasn't supposed to know the real reason for our visit to the store I arranged to meet the store manager that day to 'pick up a pair of silver collar stays'. After a hilarious half hour (my almost fiancee kept following me until another sales representative gave her a guided tour) I walked out of the shop with a big lump in my jacket's ticket pocket. She didn't notice a thing.
After dinner I proposed on the banks near Pont Neuf. Very cliché, as the two other men (both in front of their better halves and on their knees some fifty meters upstream) will echo.

The Dream Gift - Small Gesture

Flickbook by Bobbooks.co.uk

Personal to give, special to receive, easy to make and fun to use.

I've actually just purchased my first flickbook via Bobbooks.co.uk (the picture featured here is an example from their site). Really great product. Make sure you upload a high quality movie (with a minimum length of 5 and maximum of 12 seconds). And, as I experienced, try to make a slightly brighter film because my flickbook turned out a little darker than expected.

I uploaded a movie where my two brats jump out of the bathtub and start waiving (at their imaginary grandfather or whoever we're going to give a copy) like mad men.

My father actually started examining the pages one by one at first, having the faintest clue what the fun in that was.

The Dream Gym - Technogym's Kinesis Personal

Technogym's Kinesis Personal

Kinesis Personal is the ultimate in designer furnishing for home fitness or wellness spaces. That's the description Technogym likes to use to define a range of fitness furnishings for professional use or for your personal home gym. "200 exercises in 1 square meter": The most all-round piece of equipment for home fitness or for use in dedicated personal wellbeing areas. I think its simply stunning.
Club West just down the road also uses Technogym equipment which I find easy and fun to use. I won't lie that besides their perfect location I also chose Club West because they mainly use Technogym equipment.

The Dream Sofa - Roche Bobois meets Missoni

Mah Jong modular sofa by Roche Bobois.

This collaboration with Missoni Home results in what I think is a perfect combination of powers.
You can combine the different elements to meet the demands of the space they're placed in.
Furthermore, the 'low' seating is ideal for families with small children. Every now and then my youngest of almost 2 years old likes to throw himself off the sofa that now occupies our living room - head first in case you were wondering. There are no sharp edges and the covers come off quite easily.

At the moment we're renting a three bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Amsterdam and plan to move back the our old neighbourhood (Old West) and buy a property there. We're still deciding on what goes best in our new home: a new modular sofa combination or a vintage Chesterfield with two armchairs like above right.

The Dream Dress - Missoni Maxi Dress

                            Missoni Lurex-knit maxi dress

I have a thing with women's clothing. This does not so much include wearing pieces myself as it is to have my wife move in a certain style-direction. Apart from the fact that I think I have a much more refined taste when it comes to picking the most stunning pieces for my better half, I think it also shows a great deal of interest in what I like to call Her Biggest Hobby. In the end, if you ask me, she still needs direction (haha).

The next on my list to buy her is the Missoni Camargue lurex-knit maxi dress. Like featured above, the Missoni version of the 'sun dress' is just one example of Margherita's ravishing vision. A perfect piece to wear on hot summer evenings.

Shown here with Jimmy Choo shoes, Oscar de la Renta bracelet, Shay Todd bikini and Balenciaga sunglasses.

The Dream Daybed - Gandia Blasco

Reclinable daybed by Spanish based Gandia Blasco.

I have a reason for posting this picture. It reminds me to put together an evening to remember at the beach with two good friends of mine and their better halves.
When in Holland, my parents spend a small part of each summer at their three bedroom home in coastal town Zandvoort. Leaving the rest of the year to us when we need it. Its close proximity to Amsterdam makes it an ideal getaway on hot and humid evenings in the city.

One of the two guys and his girlfriend have been inviting us to their home every now and then for an evening well spent with good food, drinks and most important: good company. We need to do something back. The other is an excellent cook, having worked at renowned restaurants throughout the country, which comes in handy on the planned evening. After helping him move between apartments a few times I told him he could reciprocate by showing some magic this summer. He gladly accepted.
Because he's partly responsible for my interest in the food section when entertaining people, I convinced him to work with me on a mindblowing menu and execution.
The house itself is as awful as it gets, so I moved the dinner setting to the beach which is just down the road. For the cabana or daybed if you may, I took inspiration from Gandia Blasco's reclinable daybed albeit with a slightly less clinical feel to it. I'm also thinking of getting the 40 cm high version of Bloompot's illuminated flower pot to function as a centerpiece wine cooler. Because the pot also doubles as a dimmed lamp there's no need for extra lighting.

The Dream Dinner Table - Very Joli

Luna, illuminated dinner table from Belgian design firm Joli.

Luna dinner table by Belgian outdoor furniture design firm Joli. It doesn't matter so much if you're living in the city or somewhere more tranquil. I guess this setting would complement any venue or ocassion. As seen on theoutdoorstylist.com.

The Dream Chandelier - Giogali Composition

The Giogali Composition, by Italian design firm Vistosi (1967).

Angelo Mangiarotti's Giogali 'chandelier of all chandeliers'. Composed of handmade crystal elements which can be combined as desired on standard steel structures or on structures specifically designed for the client. Above example priced close to a whopping USD 60k I imagine that when, not if, I'll be able to afford this dream chandelier I know I've reached a certain milestone.

The Dream Picture - David LaChapelle's Last Supper

From David LaChapelle's Jesus Is My Homeboy: Last Supper (2003).

  
Apart from actually wanting to own this masterpiece I plan to eternalize my fraternity 'posse' by shooting the perfect above-inspired picture of us. Word goes Brasil could be the destination for our next luster trip so I've made some arrangements for a stunning location. As a last second surprise to all gentle men in the room I'll swap the Man About for a stunning Carioca. Only after the men strike their preplanned pose.

Where Shall I Begin Please Your Majesty?

I started 'collecting' on Evernote but found a blog a slightly more pleasant way to read back. For I am a junkie for all things beautiful.