When discussing the value of embellishments, Carlton Evans, a knife maker in Texas who was featured in our May issue, tells the story of a customer who was hunting with a friend in Africa. The customer’s rifle was engraved, and the friend’s was not. As they were testing their guns on a range, the friend said, “You know, your rifle doesn’t shoot any better than mine.” And Evans’ customer responded, “You’re right, but mine looks better.” Bringing his engraved rifle hunting, the owner explained, was like bringing a beautiful woman to a party.
 
The point is, the gun had a quality that made it distinctive and therefore, in the mind of the owner, better than his companion’s. On the following pages we showcase items that embody similarly exceptional qualities. Nondescript yet perfectly serviceable versions of each of these products also exist. So you could settle for the ordinary, or you can own the extraordinary. More specifically, you could have just a…

TV or a…
SmartWall AV
The British audiovisual home installation company the Pleasure Home has created the perfect entertainment center for any den or man cave, or for any multitasker. The centerpiece of this floor-to-ceiling piece of furniture is a 60-inch high-definition display that sits below two smaller screens. The large TV is concealed behind two electronically controlled sliding doors. Press a button, the doors open, and you can watch three games at once. Or you can watch a game or movie on the big screen while using the other screens to surf the web, check your e-mail, or see what your security cameras are recording. In addition to Internet and e-mail access, the SmartWall AV’s standard features include a Blu-ray player, speakers and amplifiers, and a refrigerator. The SmartWall AV is available in a variety of materials other than wood, including faux leather and faux crocodile skin. The starting price is 40,000 pounds or about $62,000.

set of pool sticks or…
Samsara Gallery Billiard Cues
At its shop in Rugby, N.D., Samsara makes collectible, museum-quality Gallery cues, which can cost as much as $25,000, and it makes $500 Bar cues, for players who want to take their sticks to the pub and shoot a few games. The Bar cues are made from bird’s-eye maple, curly maple, bocote, cocobolo, beetle bark maple, or Bulgarian elm burl. In addition to these woods, the Gallery cues have been made with ivory and inlaid with precious stones, gold, or silver. Samsara, which is headed by Dave Doucette—a master cabinetmaker, machinist, and design engineer—and Jim Stadum—a founding member of the Academy of American Cue Art and the former chairman of the board for the American Cuemakers Association—produces only about three or four sets of Gallery cues a year. One of them, named Illusions, is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

set of rec room furniture or a…
Pharaoh Manufacturing Luxor Game Room Collection
The billiard table shown here is one component of the set, which can be customized in terms of size and finishes. The billiard table (starting price of $8,000) is distinguished by its stainless steel pillars, a design element that also appears on the set’s roulette table ($4,800), craps table ($6,000), and Texas hold ’em table ($4,500). The Luxor collection also includes a bar ($11,000 with the matching mirror), a blackjack table ($3,500), a poker table ($3,000), bar stools ($590 each), a billiard cue rack ($800), and a lighting fixture ($900) to hang over the billiard table. All of the furnishings are made by hand at Pharaoh’s facility in Pacoima, Calif. In addition to stainless steel, the Luxor tables and other pieces incorporate either Formica or wood veneer finishes, which the company uses because of their durability.

guitar or a…
Santa Cruz Guitar Co. 1929
The 1929, which was released last year, is one of the few consumer products that celebrate the Great Depression. It does so with a refined design that lacks excessive adornment. It’s also made entirely of mahogany, as guitars of that era were, so that musicians could afford them and the guitar companies could stay in business. The mahogany lends the guitar a distinct look, and its sound is complex and rich with overtones. The 1929 is priced at about $3,500, an indication that times aren’t as bad as they once were.

fishing reel or an…
Exclusive Reels Trilogy
Exclusive Reels are designed in the Netherlands by Ari ’t Hart, who has been in the business for five decades and who has one of his reels on permanent display in the Architecture and Design collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The reels are sold in the United States through a network of dealers. The Trilogy, which is priced at about $3,000 and has a limited production run of only 200, is made of titanium and aluminum. The reel’s name refers to its three different-sized spools, which can be easily attached to and detached from the main drive component. The reel is suitable for freshwater or saltwater fly-fishing.

fishing pole or a…
Bellinger Presentation Grade Fly-Fishing Rod
The level of customization, in particular the amount of engraving on the nickel silver reel seat, the matching nickel silver ferrules, and the brass end cap, distinguishes Bellinger’s Presentation Grade class from the Oregon company’s other bamboo rods, its Classic Grade, which are priced at $1,750, and its Signature Grade, which also are custom-designed and have varying prices. The price for a Presentation Grade rod depends on the materials used to embellish it and the intricacy of the engraving that you request. All Bellinger rods offer a smooth and responsive medium-action taper that is characteristic of the best bamboo rods. The rods are flame-tempered to produce their brown tone, varnished by hand, and then wrapped and tipped in silk.

carry-on or a...
Saddeleback Leather Briefcase
Saddleback Leather’s president, Dave Munson, was knocking around in Mexico back in the 1990s when he walked into a shop, saw a guy working with leather, and asked him if he could make a bag if Munson drew a picture of it. Munson wanted a bag that his grandkids would fight over when he was dead. The result was a briefcase like the one shown here, which has a starting price of $519 and a 100-year warranty. It is constructed of thick boot leather and has no breakable parts, such as zippers or snaps. The bag can convert to a backpack and has numerous thoughtful touches, such as a false bottom, removable side straps that can double as a belt or a tiedown, and lots of pockets.

motorcycle or a…
Harley-Davidson CVO Softail Convertible
With the Softail Convertible, you essentially have two motorcycles in one: a tourer and a cruiser. And with the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) version, you also have exclusivity. Like all CVO models, this one is a limited edition. The bike derives its name from its touring-oriented removable parts: the front fairing and windshield, the two leather saddlebags (each of which can hold 10 pounds of gear), and the passenger seat. All of these parts come off easily and without the use of tools. Without those components, the bike is well suited to city commutes. The Convertible is powered by a Screamin’ Eagle twin cam 110, Harley’s largest-displacement engine, which produces 110 ft lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm. At 24.4 inches, the Convertible’s saddle is the lowest in the Harley-Davidson lineup. The bike is offered in an orange, a blue, or a red CVO color scheme. Each of those schemes includes black and silver details. The bike has a starting price of $28,000.

pair of earbuds or…
Rockford Fosgate Punch Plugs In-Ear Monitors
The Punch Plugs feature a 15 mm driver—which, Rockford Fosgate notes, is massive for earbuds—that produces the type of ground-shaking bass and crystal-clear sound that characterize the Tempe, Ariz., company’s car audio systems. Rockford Fosgate claims that the plugs are engineered so that the sound won’t distort even at the highest level, and that because the plugs come in a variety of sizes, they fit snugly into your ear and don’t allow any sound to escape and disturb those around you. The plugs, which have a tangle-free cord, are priced at $99 and are available through Rockford Fosgate dealers or directly from the company.

laptop or a…
Computer Choppers MacBook Pro
Computer Choppers, a Portland, Ore., company that has been customizing computers since 1996, offers a way to distinguish your Mac from everyone else’s, for prices that start at about the cost of a second laptop. Pictured here is a 24-karat-gold-plated 13-inch MacBook Pro. Computer Choppers also can plate MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs in chrome, black chrome, copper, white gold, rose gold, platinum, bronze, or pewter. For prices starting at about $1,000, Computer Choppers can anodize a MacBook in just about any color. The company also will bejewel the Apple logo with diamonds, sapphires, or cubic zirconia, and it can decorate the chassis with jewels or engravings. Computer Choppers can customize just about any brand’s laptops as well as iPods and iPhones and other smart phones.

pen or the…
Caran D’ache Shiva
Swiss pen maker Caran d’Ache can’t provide divine inspiration for your writing, but it is offering you a deity to write with: the Hindu god Shiva. The pen, which the company released last year, is the third in Caran d’Ache’s series honoring the gods, after the Buddha and Ganesh limited editions. (Ganesh was the son of Shiva.) The Shiva pen, made entirely by hand from solid silver, depicts several representations of the god’s destructive and regenerative powers. Production is limited to 55 roller pens ($14,000) and 108 fountain pens ($15,400). Presumably the former number is a reference to the five deities, including Shiva, that are worshipped in the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. The latter production quantity must be an allusion to the number of poses Shiva struck while performing a dance that destroyed the universe, so that he could rebuild it.

pair of cuff links or a set from the…
J.W. Cooper It’s About Time Collection
These cuff links quietly broadcast a message that the man wearing them likes precision, timeliness, and classic engineering. Or, they serve as eye-catchers, whether or not the wearer straps on a timepiece beneath the cuff. Accessories purveyor J.W. Cooper, often associated with handsomely crafted belts and Western-themed wardrobe accompaniments, evokes a completely different aesthetic with the It’s About Time collection. Each set is created from jeweled movements of vintage watches, circa 1930 through 1960. The workings are mounted on sterling silver stems, and are priced from $255. J.W. Cooper shops are located in New York; Bal Harbour, Fla.; and Tokyo.

desk or a…
Renaissance Design American Eagle Presidential Executive Desk
If you’re looking for a sleek, minimalist, modern desk for your office or home office, you won’t find it in the Renaissance Design portfolio. At this small design and manufacturing studio in the town of Solvang, Calif., just north of Santa Barbara, the craftsmen create executive desks and other furniture in grand styles associated with the 18th and 19th centuries. Their manufacturing methods—the decorative carving, the cutting and heat-shading of the inlays, the laying of the burl walnut veneers, the shaping of the turnings and moldings, and the applications of the finishes—also evoke those past eras. Renaissance makes only about a dozen pieces of furniture a year. The desk shown here is a variation on the company’s American Eagle Presidential design. It’s made of mahogany, and its top is decorated with inlay patterns from Renaissance’s Monarch series. This desk is priced at $67,000. The company’s original American Eagle Presidential desk is made of black and burl walnut and has 55 marquetry medallions, 135 feet of inlaid borders, leather-lined drawers, and two secret compartments. It’s priced at $63,000.

big-leaguer’s autograph or a…
Paul Fraser Collectibles signed Babe Ruth Photo
The glossy 8- by 8-by-10-inch, full-length photo shows a rather svelte Bambino wearing his Yankees road uniform and taking a practice swing during spring training. In blue fountain pen ink, the photo is signed: “To Buster Bates from Babe Ruth.” The picture, which is matted and framed, has some creases, but as Paul Fraser, a British company, notes, it’s a rare image of Ruth in a full-swing pose. The photo is priced at $12,375. Also in the Paul Fraser inventory are a couple of Tiger Woods–autographed items: a blue PGA Tour cap priced at $2,890 and a white Nike golf visor priced at $2,475. Paul Fraser suggests that the Woods sex scandal should only increase the value of his extremely rare autograph.

firearm or a…
John Rigby & Co. Engraved Shotgun
How, you might wonder, could a company in Paso Robles, Calif., be the official gun maker to a number of 19th- and 20th-century British monarchs? The business in question, John Rigby & Co., has been operating in California only since 1997, when an American investment group headed by gun enthusiast Geoff Miller acquired it and moved it there, from England. The company was originally founded in 1735, in Dublin, Ireland, where it built the type of guns that really had to be dependable: dueling pistols and military weapons such as the blunderbuss. The company’s namesake, John Rigby, ran the business in the 1880s, in England, and established it as a top-notch maker of hunting guns. Today, Rigby uses advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure that its guns are dependable and accurate, but it also relies on handcraftsmanship for the finished features, including the engravings. The engravings—whether they are scrolls or game scenes—are custom-ordered, and they can include inlays of gold or other precious metals. The prices for a Rigby shotgun start at about $40,000 without engravings. The cost of an engraving depends on how elaborate and extensive it is, and the amount and type of inlay included.

fish tank or a…
Spacearium
With the Spacearium, you see underwater by looking up. It’s an acrylic, elliptical tank that hangs from the ceiling, attached to the beams with stainless steel mounting rails. Concealed hoses carry fresh or salt water to and from the tank, and a filter—also concealed—can be installed as far as 15 feet from the aquarium. According to the manufacturer, the filter is sufficiently strong to keep maintenance to a minimum. The tank can be purely decorative, or it can serve as a captivating divider between two living areas. The Spacearium comes in widths of 5, 6, or 8 feet, and prices range from $4,900 to $8,400.

beach house or a…
Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman DeckHouse
Grand Cayman’s tax-haven status can be a tipping point if you’re thinking about purchasing a vacation property. If so, then the pot is sweetened further with the availability of the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman’s new DeckHouses at Dragon Bay, a gated cluster of 19 three-level, five-bedroom waterfront homes on the resort’s island-spanning property. Each residence has a pool, wraparound decking, a guesthouse, and a boathouse, with access to a private beach and cove. In addition, residents can enjoy the resort’s Greg Norman golf course, Jean-Michel Cousteau Ambassadors of the Environment nature programs, Nick Bollettieri tennis center, La Prairie Silver Rain spa, and dining at restaurants that include Eric Ripert’s Blue. The DeckHouses start at $4.5 million, and are built to owners’ customization.

backyard play set or a…
Daniels Wood Land Custom Tree House
Pictured here is a Daniels Wood Land custom design called Danger, Pirates! which, according to the company, has a Victorian-meets-the-jungle-via-shipwreck theme. The pirate side of the playhouse features a hollowed-out tree trunk that is 8 feet in diameter and contains a spiral staircase that leads to an 8-by-8-foot playhouse. A bouncy swing bridge connects the pirate playhouse to a two-story 8-by-8-foot Victorian playhouse. The company, which has been in business since 1997, is based in Paso Robles, Calif. Prices for Daniels’ standard tree houses start at $3,500 and rise to $49,000, for the deluxe Monstro, a playhouse (with a balcony) set atop a hollowed-out, 10-foot-diameter tree trunk.

barbecue or a…
Solaire Infrared Grilling System
Like all Solaire grills, the top-of-the-line 56-inch model uses infrared heat, allowing it to preheat in about three minutes and to cook food about twice as fast as traditional gas burners do. The company also claims that because infrared heat drives moisture from the surface and into the meat being grilled—as a natural flame would—it locks in the juices so that meat tastes more flavorful. The Solaire 56-inch grill has three main burners, a rotisserie burner, and two side burners. The stainless steel cart model is priced at about $8,500, and the built-in model is about $6,300. The grills, which are built by Rasmussen Iron Works in Whittier, Calif., are sold through a nationwide network of dealers.

mattress or a…
Vi-Spring mattress
Vi-Spring began selling its handmade, all-natural-fiber mattresses to North Americans in November, though Europeans have been sleeping on Vi-Springs since 1901. The historically green manufacturer decries foam of any sort—as well as chemicals or other synthetic materials—in favor of lamb’s wool, cotton, horsehair, alpaca, cashmere, and a host of additional components found in nature. The result is a mattress that Vi-Spring assures will not break down, and thus is guaranteed for life. The company claims that foam is to blame not only for disintegrating support, but also for harboring dust mites, mold, and mildew. Vi-Spring mattress/box spring sets start at about $3,000, a surprisingly reasonable price for a mattress meant to last a lifetime.

set of sheets and blankets or…
House of Frette Venice Collection Bed Linens
What’s the secret of those people who always wake up cheerful? They might be sleeping on those satiny soft, bright white bed linens that the House of Frette has been weaving for 150 years. The venerable brand continues to deliver with its spring/summer 2010 collection, and traditionalists will savor the Venice line’s sumptuous metallic silk Ludovico bedcovers ($3,100) and Teodato Pizzo sheets of Egyptian cotton ($2,495 per set).
 
Expanding beyond its roots, however, the company last year launched a more casual line of bedding, called Edmond Frette. With the new collection’s fresh patterns and more accessible price point (prices for printed top sheets start at $200), Frette has broadened its customer base to allow for a lot more shiny, happy people when the alarm clock goes off.

coffeemaker or the…
Olympia Express Maximatic Espresso Machine
Many American espresso drinkers are familiar with Olympia Express’ Cremina machine, the Swiss brand’s best-seller in the United States. But the three-to-one favorite in Europe is Olympia’s Maximatic model ($3,677), the smallest dual-circuit machine on the market. The Maximatic is weighty yet compact, quiet, and built to last for decades. It has two water tanks: one for the fresh water heated for espresso, and the other, a boiler, to generate the steam to produce the froth for cappuccino, latte, or hot chocolate. The machine is engineered so that the water is first heated to the boiling point, but as it makes its way through the pipe system it cools to exactly 198 degrees, the ideal brewing temperature for espresso.

set of knives and pots and pans or…
Henckels’ TWIN 1971 series and John Pawson for Demeyere
Italian architect/designer Matteo Thun has tackled projects both large (a power station) and small (coffee cups). His partnership with Zwilling J.A. Henckels belongs in the latter category. For the premium TWIN 1731 series (referring to the company’s date of origin), Thun says he sought to design a knife in its purest shape. A Makassar ebony handle complements the one-piece, full-tang blade that is forged from Cronidur 30, a hard, durable steel developed for the space industry. The five-knife set—Santoku, chef’s, bread, slicing, paring—comes with a sharpener and Makassar block and costs $2,400, or knives are available individually.

At Henckels-owned Demeyere, the Belgian cookware company, another notable European designer has entered the kitchen. John Pawson for Demeyere pots and pans appear utterly simple, yet are meant to address every cook’s needs. Layers of aluminum, silver, copper, and stainless steel conduct heat evenly; handles are designed to stay cool; edges pour cleanly; and the silvery finish resists discoloration and fingerprints. Prices start at $265.