Situated on the north lawn of the United Nation’s campus in New York, a Porte Cochere serves as a temporary entrance for general assembly delegates.

Built by FTL Design, the futuristic design of the Porte Cochere pavilion contrasts dramatically with the old and historical UN buildings which surround this exceptional construction.

Being the first point of contact for UN delegates arriving at general assemblies, this temporary pavilion has a vital role to play in providing great first impressions about the UN to some of the most important political and humanitarian figures from around the world.

Although Porte Cochere is only a temporary construction whilst the original historical building is being renovated, architects working on the pavilion have excelled in designing an economical, ecological and grandly aesthetical structure.

This elegant entrance has been made from the minimalist of materials, which, not only ensured costs remained low, but also means that Porte Cochere can be easily moved.

The design offers a modern entrance to the historical buildings of the UN’s New York campus, the porte cochere design dates back to the late 18^th century.

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Carry round a credit card you can be really proud of with the JP Morgan Palladium credit card.

The most affluent of society can enjoy the benefits of this exquisitely designed credit card made out of solid palladium and 23k gold and laser engraved with the cardholder’s information.

Designed like no other credit card in circulation, Palladium card customers have to be a private banker of JP Morgan Private Bank, Commercial Bank, Investment Bank or Treasury Services in order to apply. Well that’s easy isn’t it? Not quite!

The average Private Bank client has a $30 million balance. As a consequence of their multi-million bank balances, the J.P Morgan Palladium Card’s annual fee is a comparatively modest $595, which, compared to the physical value of the card and that the credit card bears no limit, is a snippet.

Prices of gold today are soaring, with palladium hovering at around $800 or more, an ounce. Given the escalating worth of gold and palladium, the card itself is worth more than $1,000.

Apart from possessing such a high-value and tastefully designed credit card, ultra high worth individuals can enjoy a whole host of benefits was they are approved for the Palladium Credit Card.

Unlike ‘conventional’ credit cards, in which the benefit guide leaflet is just a few pages thick, the benefits ‘book’ accompanying the Palladium Credit Card is a whopping 57 pages long, listing all the wondrous benefits holders will be entitled to.

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Ralf Lauren may be world renowned for designing high quality and exquisite clothes, but the designer is less well known as a sports and classic car collector.

On the contrary, some of the rarest and most expensive cars in the world are owned by the American fashion designer and to mark his passion for such collecting and restoring rare and valuable motors, Ralph Lauren’s private collection is on show in Paris.

From exceptional Mercedes, including the world’s only 1930 Mercedes SSK, to outstanding Jaguars such as the 1955 Jaguar D-type, the 17-car exhibition, known as “The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces of the Ralph Lauren Collection”, which opened on 28 April 2011, promised to – like his fashion creations – ‘knock the socks’ off onlookers.

“Cars to me are works of art” and “You can’t drive a painting”, were the fashion designer’s words at the opening of the exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

The show is playfully accompanied by the soundtrack of the roaring sound of car engines – obviously music to the ears of Ralph Lauren and many of the exhibitions visitors.

Guests can enjoy feasting their eyes on the world’s most valuable cars, including a Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti, all which have been lovingly restored to their original condition by the American designer.

Describing what ignited his passion for car, Ralph Lauren said:

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Since the bicycle – like we know it today – was first produced in England in the mid-1800s and became so popular that by 1900 more than 10,000,000 Americans owned one, the invaluable invention has undergone some truly remarkable innovations.

Here’s five of the most inventive and innovative accessories for the humble bike.

Pit-in

This table was designed by Store MUU Design Studio and is intended to be placed outside cafes of coffee stands for cyclists to literally “pit into”. The wooden laminated tables conveniently means cyclists no longer have to dismount their bikes to have a coffee as they can stay in their seat and be served breakfast!

The Bike Shelf

Tired of stumbling over bikes and noticing the inelegant nature of bike management when he visited his friends small apartments in New York, designer Chris Brigham decided to fix the problem, and in doing so created the Bike Shelf. Made from solid wood and suspended by a steel square rod mount, the shelf can hold both a bike and anything else, enabling people ‘lacking space’ to utilise the space for items such as flowers, books or even bike accessories.

Handles that function as a lock

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