Russia: a land where politicians might ride bears, billionaires own laser-equipped yachts, and vodka is often cheaper than water. A place so inscrutable Winston Churchill famously called it “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” What could be more intriguing?

On your text trip to the delightfully baffling nation, rest your head in this magnificent Moscow loft. The handsome space contains everything a man could need in a bachelor pad.

For entertainment junkies, a massive projection screen is begging for a Netflix binge. For the clotheshorse, there’s an extensive closet. For creatives, there’s a piano and an artist’s easel. For the workaholic, there’s dedicated office space. For nature lovers, ample greenery enlivens the loft. And for anyone who appreciates style, the apartment offers it in spades.

Interior design firm 4 Furies equipped the space with a masculine palette of grey and black, complemented by occasional pops of robin egg blue. Furniture is slick and modern, with little in the way of busy details or patterns. Metal light fixtures, exposed brick, and a stripped-back staircase bring in industrial charm, set off by floor-to-ceiling curtains that add warmth and softness to the loft.

The post 4 Furies Design The Ultimate Moscow Man Cave appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There are purists who believe it’s not camping unless you’re sleeping on the ground and waging a nightly war for your blood against an army of mosquitos.

There are others who dream of sleeping under the stars without having to pitch a tent, unroll a sleeping bag, or bathe in insect repellant.

For the latter, there’s glamping. Luxury campsites are an increasingly popular option for travellers who want to experience Mother Nature without surrendering their creature comforts. These opulent wilderness adventures offer pimped-out tents, fine dining, spa services, guided activities, and – perhaps best of all – running water.

The Resort at Paws Up | Greenough, Montana, USA

Mix old-school Americana with modern luxury and you get The Resort at Paws Up, Montana’s premier destination for well-heeled nature lovers. Guests can explore their inner cowboys with horseback riding, fly fishing, clay shooting, and cattle herding, then relax after a hard day’s work with a massage and a gourmet dinner. There’s even a camping butler on hand to ensure no whim goes un-indulged.

EcoCamp Patagonia | Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

An action-packed adventure awaits in Chilean Patagonia. The notoriously wild Torres del Paine National Park is home to EcoCamp, the region’s first fully sustainable accommodation. Guests stay in cosy geodesic domes, some of which are duplexes, and devote their days to trekking, horseback riding, kayaking, and wildlife spotting. Nights are spent stretching in the yoga dome or dining and drinking in the three interconnected community domes.

&Beyond Chobe Under Canvas | Chobe National Park, Botswana

Get up close and personal with the relaxing solitude of the African landscape in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. The mobile safari tents of &Beyond Chobe Under Canvas are positioned as close as possible to the resident game, which includes some of the largest elephant herds on the continent. While the location of the camp varies regularly, the 5-star experience does not. A stay includes private butler service, delicious pan-African meals and traditional bush dinners, sunset boat cruises, and daily game drives.

Hotel Whitepod | Monthey, Switzerland

This innovative hotel, made up of geodesic domes and a central chalet, achieves the impossible: making cold-weather camping an appealing prospect. Whitepod invites guests to get away from it all in one of its eco-friendly, igloo-esque domes. Each pod is heated by a wood burning stove and can be dismantled at any time without leaving a trace. The resort offers skiing and snowboarding on private slopes, as well as dog-sledding and spa treatments.

Greystoke Mahale | Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania

The Greystoke Mahale camp in Western Tanzania has offered glamping to the masses since 1988. This is remote African adventuring at its best. There are no roads near the camp, which can only be reached by small planes and boats, and only 6 wood-and-thatch huts make up the entire resort. The main attractions are the view, which is perfectly displayed through the missing fourth wall of each hut, and the local chimp population, which can be observed on guided treks.

Longitude 131° | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

Longitude 131° may be in the famously rugged Australian Outback, but it’s worlds away from “roughing it”. The renowned luxury camp sits on the edge of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, offering unrivaled access to the red-hued landscape. The fifteen luxury tents include custom furniture, organic linens, floor-to-ceiling windows, a complimentary in-suite bar, and a host of modern essentials including an iPad and Bose sound system.

Hintok River Camp | Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Located on a cliff overlooking the River Kwai, Hintok River Camp at Hellfire Pass is the recipient of multiple travel awards. The 32 spacious canvas tents each feature a private bathroom and an outdoor shower with hot water, air-conditioning, a private veranda, and luxury furniture. Relaxation is a guarantee, but if you’re looking for more than quiet rural life and dips in the natural spring pool, the resort is near traditional temples, Saiyok National Park, and two historic World War II sites.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort | Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

A 60-minute floatplane ride from Vancouver brings you to this remote outpost in the wilderness of British Columbia. Clayoquot Wilderness Resort’s 20 canvas guest tents are awash with luxe touches, including wooden floors, thermostat-controlled propane wood stoves, oil lamps, opulent rugs, and even heirloom china. Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds chose this spectacular spot for their wedding in 2008. The marriage didn’t last, but the resort remains a firm favourite for glampers.

The post 8 Ultra-Luxe Glamping Destinations Around The World appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Yes, your fridge could be full of fake food. We’re not talking vegan sausages or plastic cheese, either. Apparently, edibles on menus and store shelves aren’t always what they seem.

Recently, Interpol announced that it seized 2,500 tons of adulterated food in 47 countries – things like cheese, eggs, strawberries and cooking oil – because of fraud. Even your morning caffeine hit could be counterfeit, with some ground beans shown to contain wheat, soybeans, brown sugar, barley, corn seeds and even stick and twigs. Talk about a stitch-up.

Food and travel writer Larry Olmsted recently spoke to TIME regarding his book ‘Real Food/Fake Food’ and the fake foods that could be in your fridge, and here’s where you should be careful.

#1 Fish

“The single most defrauded fish in the United States is red snapper, and the number-one substitute when you’re buying red snapper is tilefish,” Olmsted told TIME. It doesn’t stop at snapper, either. Apparently, 43% of ‘wild’ labelled salmon sold in Chicago restaurants and grocery stores are actually farmed and 100% of sushi restaurants in NYC tested served fake fish. “If there’s one restaurant niche that’s probably the worst, it’s sushi,” says Olmsted.

#2 Olive Oil

Many foodies have probably never tasted real olive oil because, according to Olmsted, it’s often diluted with other oils that don’t carry the same health benefits. “It’s usually whatever seed oil is the cheapest at the time, like soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil.” In fact, in 1981 20,000 Spanish people were poisoned when they consumed olive oil that was actually rapeseed oil with a toxin called aniline.

#3 Kobe Beef

Kobe Beef comes from a specific type of Japanese cattle and is highly regarded for being “the textbook definition of tender with absolutely no chew, graininess, or gristle and a rich, beefy flavour that is almost overwhelmed by its creaminess.” Shame, then, that after being banned between 2001 and 2002 in the States because of fears of mad cow disease, many have probably never tried the real deal despite thinking they have.

RELATED: Steak Out Sydney: 8 Places To Get Your Meat On

#4 Honey

According to Olmsted, when honey is imported it can be filtered or cut with things like corn or fructose syrup and the more expensive kinds of honey – like manuka honey, which can only be found in New Zealand and parts of Australia – is often mislabeled and substituted with the fake stuff. “The honey industry has been petitioning the FDA to create a standard of identity because it protects them if honey is defined as honey, but the FDA has said no,” Olmsted told TIME.

“The one general tip I give it buy things closer to their whole form…If you buy a whole lobster in Maine, you will get full lobster. You buy lobster ravioli, it might not have any lobster in it at all,” he says. Simple, really.

The post Your Fridge Could Be Full Of Fake Food appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

For the discerning gent who loves a good fishing expedition as much as a scenic drive in a luxury SUV, there is a reprieve.

Bentley‘s coach building division known as Mulliner have taken the new Bentayga SUV and custom built a fly fishing package inside to make it the ultimate outdoor companion.

The car features all the bells and whistles a fisherman would ever want, from a saddle leather trunk complete with white contrast stitching to Burr walnut finished surfaces all round.

There’s also four leather-wrapped tubes under the parcel shelf designed to securely hold fishing rods whilst the master tackle box, refreshment case and a compartment stores waders and boots on the cargo floor.

Fishing gear also comes pre-sorted by Mulliner with tools, hooks, feathers and four reel cases milled from billet aluminium. The refreshments box meanwhile comes with three metal flasks along with a set of fine tableware and a food storage compartment. The caviar you’ll need to supply yourself.

Mulliner don’t do things in halves though. The entire housing can fold out to double as seating and bench space and everything is waterproofed to ensure the Bentley stays dry and fresh throughout the greatest journeys. There’s even a dehumidifier which will stop your catch from permeating a smell through the cabin on the long haul home.

The post Mulliner Gives The Bentley Bentayga A Fishy Makeover appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

When you think about it, iPhones are a bit like the big blue. With 95% of the ocean still unmapped and more known about the moon’s surface than the ocean depths, it can often feel like staying up-to-date with every iOS update is similarly a bit of a leap into the unknown.

If you’re spending a lot of your time tapping, swiping and scrolling, read on for a few new gestures that will keep your finger on the iPhone pulse and make checking your emails, looking through photos and navigating that little bit easier.

#1 Save Drafts In Mail

If you need to quickly refer back to a message in your inbox while drafting a new one, you can simply swipe down and it will sit at the bottom edge of your screen until you’re ready to tap back into it to keep writing.

#2 Select Photos

Trying to make space on your phone by bulk-deleting old happy snaps? Don’t keep tap-tap-tapping away, make life a little easier for yourself by tapping the Select button in the upper-right corner and dragging your finger across rows of photos.

#3 Move To The Top Or Bottom Of An Album

Instead of wasting all of your time scrolling through your many photos, just tap the edge of the screen to take you back to the top or bottom of your gallery in seconds.

#4 Zoom In On Videos

Trying to zoom in on that hilarious video of your mate getting rejected at the bar? Well, you can actually pinch-to-zoom in on videos just like you would with photos.

#5 Choose Your Scrubbing Speed

Choose the speed you want to slow down or speed up your music or podcasts by dragging a small vertical line on the timeline to move to a new spot – called scrubbing. By tapping the vertical line and moving your finger up and down, you can scrub hi to half speed without lifting a finger.

#6 Backspace On Your Calculator

Have you ever accidentally tapped the ‘C’ button on your iPhone’s calculator to find that you’ve lost all the digits you’ve just entered? Well now you can edit your number entry by swiping left or right.

#7 See Recently Closed Tabs

The post 7 New iPhone Hacks You Need To Know About appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Russia isn’t the most common place to uncover a cool man cave but when it does serve one up, it comes with its own elevated library in a Moscow apartment.

The contemporary space was designed by Alexei Rosenberg and features a liberal application of hard wood and black iron finishings throughout to give the space a modern and masculine appeal with a slight nod to the medieval times.

RELATED: 10 Stockholm Apartments That Will Blow Your Mind

Raw concrete lines the ceilings to offset the organic feel of the dominating wood features which extends throughout the main living area to form a book shelf.

The sofa is a plush tan leather item strewn in multiple individual pieces throughout the home. Move beyond the wraparound bookshelf complete with wooden step ladder and guests will find a kitchen wrought with matte black bench-tops, drawers and a preparation area fit for an industrial loft.

The post This Wooden Apartment By Alexei Rosenberg Sports A Private Library appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If getting stuck into a bottle of red with the lady, or man, in your life is your idea of a perfect Saturday night, then you may be helping to keep flame alive.

According to a study published in The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Series, couples who drink alcohol together reported a less negative relationship quality over time, and the results were “significantly greater among wives.”

If you’re big on booze and your partner isn’t, though, that’s when it all starts to go downhill. The study found that couples over the age of 50 had better marriages if both couples drank, or totally abstained from drinking.

“Wives who reported drinking alcohol reported decreased negative marital quality over time when husbands also reported drinking and increased negative marital quality over time when husbands reported not drinking,” the summary of the results says. No one likes to be the odd one out.

The study, which surveyed 4,864 married people who have been together for an average of 33 years (two-thirds of which were on their first marriage), asked participants how many times per week they drank and if they found their spouse “irritating, critical or too demanding.”

“It could be that couples that do more leisure time activities together have better marital quality,” Dr. Kira Birditt of the University of Michigan told Reuters. “The study shows that it’s not about how much they’re drinking, it’s about whether they drink at all.”

The post Couples Who Get Drunk Together, Stay Together, According To A New Study appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is the bizarre. These extraordinary edifices are the result of architectural whimsy pushed to its limits. Whether you consider them awe-inspiring or eye sores, the craziest houses in Europe are guaranteed to capture your attention.

The Bubble Palace | Tourrettes Sur Loup, France

Though it looks like something from the future, the Palais Bulles (or Bubble Palace) has been going strong since 1975. The 1,200-square-metre terracotta-coloured complex includes 10 bedrooms, three swimming pools, and a 500-seat amphitheatre. The bizarre mansion once belonged to fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who hosted many a runway show and debauched after-party on the property.

The Rotating House | Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic

Bohumil Lhota began building this unique home in 1981. He wanted to be closer to nature, to take advantage of the organic movements of the sun, and to benefit from naturally cool ground temperatures. The house sits on a rotating mechanism that allows Lhota to both lift and turn the structure, ensuring that it always catches the daylight. The majority of the building is underground, which makes it easier to regulate the temperature.

The Auto Residence | Langwied, Austria

Though it looks like a house on wheels, Austria’s Auto Residence isn’t actually mobile. Designer Markus Voglreiter makes the most of the eco-friendly home’s compact space. The house was built using an energy-efficient heating and insulation system, which drastically reduces energy consumption. The facade is just for fun, intended to give new life to the 70s-style suburban home that was in its place.

The Upside Down House | Szymbark, Poland

No, this isn’t the work of a Photoshop prankster. The aptly-monikered Upside Down House in Poland really does stand on its roof, and the interiors are flipped to match. Inspired by the country’s former communist rule, Polish philanthropist and designer Daniel Czapiewski built the topsy-turvy home as a reminder of “wrong-doings against humanity” and the backwardness of the world. Many visitors leave the disorienting structure feeling seasick.

Castel Meur | Brittany, France

At first glance, Castel Meur is just a classically beautiful French house. But zoom out and you see that it’s the location that makes it strange: the home is inexplicably squeezed between two towering rocks on a tiny outcrop in the English Channel. It was the ultimate private escape, until it was featured on a postcard and tourists flocked to the remote location for photo ops.

The Wooden ‘Skyscraper’ | Arkhangelsk, Russia

Meanwhile, in Russia… local crime lord Nikolai Petrovich Sutyagin spent 15 years constructing what was reportedly the world’s – or at least Russia’s – tallest wooden house. He called it the ‘Eight Wonder of the World’, but authorities weren’t nearly so impressed. The building was condemned as a fire hazard and much of it was removed in 2009. The remaining fragments were fittingly destroyed by a fire in 2012.

The Hundertwasserhaus | Vienna, Austria

The Hundertwasserhaus seems out of place amongst the imperial grandeur and monumental architecture of Vienna, but it has become one of the city’s most famous sights. The quirky building is a residential block of flats designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a radical painter and architect who embraced uneven surfaces, curvy lines, vibrant colours, and mosaic detail. He called it, “A house of beauty barriers, a place of not regulated irregularities, in which you have a good conscience towards nature.”

Dunmore Pineapple | Airth, Scotland

A pineapple building would be a whimsical choice in Hawaii, but in Scotland it’s downright eccentric. The odd feature sits atop Dunmore House, the ancestral home of the Earls of Dunmore, and is an exceptional example of the stonemason’s craft. The pineapple presides over an immense walled garden and today is open to the public as a holiday rental home.

The Headington Shark | Headington, Oxford, England

Long before Sharknado, there was this. The Headington Shark is Oxfordshire’s most interesting resident, a 7.6m fibreglass sculpture erected on the 41st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The homeowner has said, “The shark was to express someone feeling totally impotent and ripping a hole in their roof out of a sense of impotence and anger and desperation… It is saying something about CND, nuclear power, Chernobyl and Nagasaki”.

The Heliodome | Cosswiller, France

The Heliodome, a bioclimatic solar house in the Alsatian countryside, takes the shape of an enormous sundial. The structure is set on a fixed angle in relationship to the sun’s movements to provide shade and cool temperatures during the summer months. In cooler seasons, the lower angle of the sun floods light through the large windows and naturally warms up the living space. Despite its eco-friendly benefits, many have complained about the Heliodome’s interstellar appearance.

The post The 10 Most Batsh*t Crazy Houses In Europe appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

What does the perfect hotel room look like? Extravagance? Five star room service? Priceless views? How about a room with no walls in the middle of nowhere.

Sitting almost 2,000 metres above sea level in the mountains of Graubünden in the Swiss Alps is a hotel room quite literally like no other. For starters it doesn’t have any walls, nor does it reside on a hotel property.

What there is is a comfy bed along with a few nightstands and lamps. And Mother Nature bunking with you. This odd concept comes from the brothers behind the Null Stern Hotels (meaning ‘zero stars’ in English) who have brought minimalist living to dizzying new heights before, but more on that later.

RELATED: 10 Bucket List Hotels That Are Worth The Splurge

Luxury bathrooms are non-existent here and if you’re shy, there is a public restroom ten minutes away from the bed. For the demanding clientele, a butler will deliver a salami sandwich and coffee directly to you in the morning.

Bookings for this room are available everyday between spring and fall but be aware that they can be cancelled at the last minute pending the weather.

If the prospect of headwind and getting eaten by a bear isn’t to your liking, Patrik Riklin and his brother Frank also have a hotel situated in a former nuclear bunker in Teufen, Switzerland.

The post This Swiss Hotel Room Ditches The Walls For Mother Nature appeared first on DMARGE Australia.