
In honor of Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, I offer the following for your consideration: a mega-size makeover for your yacht and private plane.
Don’t have a plane yet? Don’t worry. The designer offering the deal will help you acquire the jet, in addition to providing consultation on a new-build yacht. If you go for the gift, you’ll get your money’s worth: It’s $500 million.
It’s real. It’s from Patrick Knowles Designs, created specifically for the Robb Report’s annual gift guide issue, on newsstands now. The cost covers the custom-designed interiors for a megayacht whose LOA will be determined with Knowles and an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet. Thematic elements will tie the designs of the two together.
While Knowles’ handiwork on megayachts like the 161-foot Blind Date, seen above, is well known in the marine industry, you may not realize that over the past 20 years, he has also specialized in private aircraft design. In fact, the most recent of his nearly 40 projects to date involved a four-year restoration of a four-engine McDonald Douglas plane based in Europe. The process was additionally filmed for a documentary.
But why a package deal for this gift – why not one or the other? As Knowles told the magazine, ultimately owners want “a brand identity,” where everything from their homes to their toys reflects a look that is “so exclusive to them that it actually becomes their custom personal brand.” From the wood paneling to the marble soles and even the bathrobes hanging in the master bath, he taps his clients’ aesthetic and even sensory preferences.
Of course, given the time it takes to plan a yacht design and get an Airbus A380 delivered, it may take as long as six years to see the gift come to fruition. Then again, more than a few owners will agree that some things are worth waiting for.
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