Do CEOs really need large offices? Uli Gwinner, the Asia Pacific president of office furnishing experts Steelcase, thinks not.

“Today’s CEO does not need a dedicated office. It might be a provocative idea, but many of them travel extensively and spend most of their time in conferencing areas. He doesn’t need to have as much office space as before. I see many buildings with 4,000 sq ft suites reserved for the CEO, which are left empty most of the year.

It is a tradition to have a big desk, and the CEO seated across the table. Not many people feel comfortable in such a setting. Sometimes you get invited to use the huge sofa and coffee table, but it’s hard to do any productive work there.

CEOs should dedicate their offices to “we-space”. This creates a more comfortable feeling for people who spend time in their office.

We are moving from an individual “I-space” world to a collective “we-space” one. The cubicle is disappearing and there’s a trend towards more open office spaces.  Research has shown that most great ideas are generated in small group settings. If you look at our layouts for modern offices, the space for casual interactions is increasing significantly.

Such areas help promote short and spontaneous meetings. We put benches to lean on and tables that you stand at, allowing you to have five- to 10-minute “water cooler talks”. We have strategically developed these products that facilitate such informal communication in companies.”  

Unless you’ve retired to your beach home in some exotic island in the Caribbean, how often can we enjoy the sunny beach life every day? Well, luxurious resort residences have sprung up all around the world. And they are not just offering expansive ocean views or sea breezes. They come with private beach access — complete with a beach clubhouse.

Take Wyndham’s hotel-like Jade Condo Resort Residences & Beach Club in Costa Rica for example. It’s set against a stunning backdrop of a national park and residents can enjoy the refined beach as well as the exclusive beach club. Over in Honduras, the Pristine Bay Resort on the tropical island of Roatan is another prime example.

And now, you can enjoy similar luxurious and exclusive living right here. Why wait for that annual pilgrimage to your exclusive beachfront retreat or exhaust yourself travelling thousands of miles when you can own and live in one — every day? Built by high-end property developer SC Global, Seven Palms offers a truly different experience for those looking for an oceanfront property.

Unlike most other condos, this tropical resort residence doesn’t just deliver its promise of living by the beach. It actually is connected to one. You’ll also be one of only 41 owners on Sentosa — and Singapore, for that matter — to have your very own private beach access. Exclusivity doesn’t get any better than this.

The ancients had an almost mystical regard for the beneficial properties of gold, the most precious of metals. Today, science has occasional uses for gold as an anti-inflammatory, and bon vivants accentuate celebratory occasions with gold-flecked food and drink (Goldschlager, anyone?). Gold — it seems — really is good for you.

The evocative weight behind the story of gold is what lies at the foundations of TWG Tea Company’s Yellow Gold Tea Buds. Dipped in 24K gold, the tea is first infused in hot water, where the gold rises to the surface, giving the drink an ethereal shimmer. The softened tea buds can then be eaten, leaving the palate refreshed with a floral aftertaste tinged with mineral overtones.

The tea, in itself, embodies luxury and exclusivity, traditionally only available in China to Emperors or those who can afford the privilege. The rarity of yellow tea stems from its limited production — it is grown on a single mountain range in China and cut by hand with golden scissors on one day each year, yielding a precious harvest of mere kilograms. The Yellow Gold Tea Buds are sold at $181 for 50g, or up to double the price of the so-called “most expensive coffee in the world”, kopi luwak.

Fine teas and the drinking thereof are as a general rule already imbued with ritual and prestige. Combining the rarest tea in the world with edible gold is a bit like giving Superman mind-reading powers — you could probably come up with something better if you tried hard enough, but what would be the point?