The Austonian, a luxury condo project in downtown Austin, TX, recently hosted a Halfway Party to celebrate the completion of the 28th floor (full height is to be 56 floors). The guest list included buyers, prospective buyers, the Austonian team and the media, as well as various people with the city, including Mayor Will Wynn and former University of Texas quarterback, Peter Gardere.

Fuego was featured at one of the food stations for the evening, where Chef Scotty prepared Shrimp Diablo and Smoked Eel on Duck Pate on the electric grill. Members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra performed Christmas music throughout the evening.

A recent USA Today article discusses how important color is this holiday season when choosing a gift. Viking major appliance’s array of color offerings is included in the article. Excerpts follow.

In the most economically depressing holiday season in decades, there's one
buzzword — besides cheap — that's still got game at retail: color.
"Color is the one area where consumers are saying, 'I'm going to indulge,'
" says Marshal Cohen, retail guru at NPD Group. When Cohen advised retail
clients about the 2008 holiday, his No. 1 suggestion for most was to expand
color selection. Some are adding color and nothing else. Cohen says that's OK:
"When you add color to a product, you stimulate the consumer's awareness that
the version they already have is obsolete."
• Large appliances. Upscale Viking Range is always rolling out new colors.
The palette jumped from 14 to 24 for 2008.
Picking new ones is hard. "Every
single color is a huge debate," says Brent Bailey, design director at Viking
Range. But new colors can make an old product "look like a fresh product." Among
this year's new hues: Pumpkin and Cotton White. Racing Red and Apple Red also
were introduced in 2008.
"Color can make all the difference," he says. "I've
had consumers come into trade shows who had to have cobalt blue — and nothing
else — for their kitchen."

The full article can be found here.

A recent USA Today article discusses how important color is this holiday season when choosing a gift. Viking major appliance’s array of color offerings is included in the article. Excerpts follow.

In the most economically depressing holiday season in decades, there's one
buzzword — besides cheap — that's still got game at retail: color.
"Color is the one area where consumers are saying, 'I'm going to indulge,'
" says Marshal Cohen, retail guru at NPD Group. When Cohen advised retail
clients about the 2008 holiday, his No. 1 suggestion for most was to expand
color selection. Some are adding color and nothing else. Cohen says that's OK:
"When you add color to a product, you stimulate the consumer's awareness that
the version they already have is obsolete."
• Large appliances. Upscale Viking Range is always rolling out new colors.
The palette jumped from 14 to 24 for 2008.
Picking new ones is hard. "Every
single color is a huge debate," says Brent Bailey, design director at Viking
Range. But new colors can make an old product "look like a fresh product." Among
this year's new hues: Pumpkin and Cotton White. Racing Red and Apple Red also
were introduced in 2008.
"Color can make all the difference," he says. "I've
had consumers come into trade shows who had to have cobalt blue — and nothing
else — for their kitchen."

The full article can be found here.

The Golf Channel’s “Golf With Style” will feature Greenwood, The Viking Cooking School and The Alluvian in the upcoming episode listed below. Be sure to tune in!
Monday, December 15th – 2:30 p.m. – CST
About “Golf With Style”
Golf is more than a sport, it's a lifestyle! Travel to the world's most captivating golf destinations. From the best courses and most luxurious resorts to the surrounding town and activities, get your VIP Tour of some of the most beautiful golf destination in the world, experience “Golf with Style.”

The Golf Channel’s “Golf With Style” will feature Greenwood, The Viking Cooking School and The Alluvian in the upcoming episode listed below. Be sure to tune in!
Monday, December 15th – 2:30 p.m. – CST
About “Golf With Style”
Golf is more than a sport, it's a lifestyle! Travel to the world's most captivating golf destinations. From the best courses and most luxurious resorts to the surrounding town and activities, get your VIP Tour of some of the most beautiful golf destination in the world, experience “Golf with Style.”

Time Magazine has included Viking in its Luxury Index for the year 2008. Here is what Time had to say about Viking:

There are stoves, and then there are Vikings. With the introduction of Viking's
newly developed gas ranges, including the 30-in.-wide Custom Series range
($4,250), professional chefs and cooking enthusiasts have new reasons to praise
the consummate kitchen-appliance brand. Viking's latest offerings have
everything consumers have come to expect from the brand — its patented burner
system, a surefire ignition and a thermostat-controlled griddle — as well as a
scope of design options. Unafraid to make a statement in the kitchen, these
ranges have an updated grate and chrome bezels and are available in racing red,
mint julep, golden mist and 21 other colors.

The Luxury Index is a complete guide to the people, places and products that are changing our perception of luxury while influencing and inspiring savvy consumers around the world.