For The Giant Chess Fan. Or The Fan Of Giant Chess.

Some people put a tennis court in their backyard. Others, a pool. But for those who like to engage in a game of Chess, there's another option; Nomi Klein's oversized fiberglass chess pieces and boards.



For use indoors or outdoors, the large pieces are crafted of fiberglass and then hand painted by Nomi in various finishes. High gloss, matte or custom colors to work with special designs or environments are available.



Some of the finishes:


The pieces range in size from 43" tall for the King to 33" tall for the Pawn and each weighs approximately 12 lbs. The board guidelines for the chess sets measure 16' by 16'.

Gallery:







The Chess sets have even been highlighted in the Robb Report...



...and several exist in commercial spaces like hotels, spas, shopping malls and even MTV Real Life houses.

These do not come cheap. A full set of 32 chess pieces (not including the board) will cost you $11,250.00 USD. You also have the option to buy individual pieces for $500.00 each. Prices do not include shipping and handling.

Ah, the games rich people play. Literally.


Visit NomiKlein Design for more information

Think You're Too Old For The Coachella Music Festival? Not If You Stay In These.

Too old to spend three days outdoors in the desert listening to loud music amongst rolling teens? Not if you bunk in one of these babies.

Luxury Safari Tents are now offered as onsite lodging at the annual Coachella music festival for those who don't wish to sleep in crammed nylon tent, a sleeping bag, the back of a car, or use their jacket as a pillow, flick bugs off their bodies or pee in a hole in the ground.

Safari Tent Rentals For On-Site Lodging At The Coachella Music Festival

This is the only way to obtain an all access pass to Coachella (unless you know one of the bands). This exclusive area will include, your own separate check-in location, fully furnished shakir style tents with air conditioning, restrooms & showers, golf cart shuttles to and from stages, free private parking lot, drop off area, breakfast and late night snacks, added security, outdoor chairs, shade tents + outdoor lighting, games and more

They don't come cheap, but they are certainly a memorable, romantic and comfortable way to experience the festival. Oh, and did I mention they don't come cheap?
Pricing:
$5000 (+ applicable charges) for the first 2 people.
$1000 for each additional person to stay in your tent.

Fully furnished awaiting your arrival. (2 person, includes festival access)



There are only a limited amount of these (2 person) Shikar style tents being made available. Access to this area will be solely limited to Safari tent wristband holders. These are the highest end of elegance and sophistication with luxury interiors, fully furnished for your choice of either sleeping or lounging.

Sleeping tents come with choice of two twin or 1 queen size bed, linens, tables, flooring, pillows, chairs, AIR conditioning, electrical outlets and more. (you can bring that laptop!)




•Purchasing these special luxury accommodations includes 2 ALL ACCESS "Main Stage" wristbands with special shuttles taking you inside the venue.

Festival wristbands and tent assignment (1st come first serve) will be distributed onsite at the Onsite Lodging area.

Safari Tent Rules & Info:

* All lodging attendees MUST be 18 years of age or older & have a valid I.D.. or accompanied by parent or legal guardian.
* Safari Tents open at noon on Thursday 4/15/10.
* There will be on-site security at all times as well as first aid stations open 24/7.
* All Safari Tent attendees are subject to search upon entry.
* Safari Tent attendees may visit the other onsite camping areas however onsite campers will not be allowed into the Safari Tent area.
* Feel free to bring your own food and beverages into onsite lodging. Please visit the bottom of the Car/Tent camping page to review the rules for onsite camping.
* No glass containers, weapons, drug paraphernalia or drugs allowed.
* No animals will be allowed in onsite lodging.
* Safari Tent attendees are expected to behave in a manner that is courteous to other lodgers. Noise curfew at 2:00am.
* Venue/Promoter are not responsible for any materials misplaced, lost or stolen. It is recommended you don't bring valuable items or if you do, please lock them in your car for safety.
* Damages to Safari Tents will be billed directly to your credit card.

Call 888.833.1031 TO BOOK THIS PACKAGE ($1000 for each additional person staying in your tent.)

Coachella Music Festival, 2010- April 16, 17 and 18


images and info courtesy of Valley Music Travel

This year's Coachella 2010 line up:

•more information about reserving the tents here
•Coachella 2010

Note: this post was inspired by my friend, Rich Siegel, and his fondness for yurts. He probably is too old for Coachella, but he writes a brilliant and hilarious blog. Check it out:

Round Seventeen

Dré Wapenaar's Unusual Tents: Artful Environments Cloaked In Canvas

Dré Wapenaar is a Rotterdam-based artist whose primary medium is tents - environments designed to shape encounters, whether between individuals or for large groups. Dre's portfolio includes a tent for reading newspapers, a birthing tent, "Deathbivouac," the "Pavilion of Loneliness," "Tree Tents" and "4GPP" - a pavilion for the performance of Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt's "Concerto for Four Grand Pianos."


Above: Artist Dre Wapenaar

Most of his tents are art pieces or sculptures and are not sold for commercial use. In the blogosphere, he's best known for his unusual looking tree tents, first created in 1998:



Here's a little background. The first 3 Treetents were produced for Campsite De Hertshoorn in Garderen in 1998. They were built by brothers Gertjan and Dré Wapenaar, as well as the steel frame as the manufacturing of the canvas.




In 2005 they built a new edition of the Treetent or Boomtent (this one can be loaned out and used for shows directly from Studio Dré Wapenaar).

TREETENT 2005 EDITION/ BOOMTENT EDITIE 2005




Only ten were produced of the 2005 edition in the following colors:
- forest-green
- dark-grey
- dark-beige
- bright-white

Engineer: Technisch Buro Cor de Heer


Steel Frame: Constructor Dick van Campenhout, Waalhaven Rotterdam.
Canvas: Ten Cate Technical Fabrics

And I bet you didn't know that he actually has little ones for birds as well! Birdtent orders can be made directly via the studio.



As mentioned at the beginning of this post, he's created a lot more than just the Treetents or BoomTents (as they are called in the Netherlands). Below are a few from his portfolio.

Tent Village, begun in 2001 and revisted in 2007:






A Shower Tent, 1997:



A BBQ Tent, 1997:



A Birthing Tent, 2003:



The Four Grand Piano Pavilion, 2004:




Camp Tent, 2008:




The Recital Pavilion, 2008:




More tents to see at his site.

Studio Dré Wapenaar
Vaandrigstraat 10,
3034 PX Rotterdam
The Netherlands