by Liz Childers
“Ever wish you could cross your arms, bat your eyes, and escape to a serene place all your own?” the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book asks innocently. The answer is probably, “sure, why not?”
Neiman Marcus, a retailor known for its extravagant annual “fantasy book,” is prepared to grant you this wish. However, you should know that the serene place is an I Dream of Genie inspired yurt that sells for the high price of $75,000.
Obviously this is not the kind of yurt you could rent at many State Park campgrounds. And unlike Genie’s bottle, which the yurt is made to look like, it certainly cannot be packed up to go on your next family camping trip.
This yurt is decorated with one-of-a-kind details. The pillows, on their own, are works of art. Rebecca Vizard, a designer from Louisiana, worked with her team of artisans to remove the trim and embroidery from “antique garments, tapestries, and scrollwork, dating as far back as the eighteenth century.” They then sewed these details onto velvet cases to create new, down-filled pillows for your yurt-relaxation.
The details don’t end there. The walls are covered in beautiful linen fabric, and a custom chandelier lights the space.
Vizard told the Associated Press, “I think it would be great as just a little escape, a place to go …. Or to have a dinner party in there would be fun,” she said.”
The actual 18-foot-diameter “Dream Folly” yurt is made by Rainier Yurts, a company founded in 1896 to provide tents to prospectors in the Alaskan Gold Rush.
Unless you happen to own a vast estate and can install the yurt miles away from your house, we’re not sure this particular yurt purchase would count as a camping expense. If you are interested in actual yurt camping, 30 states offer yurt rentals in state or private parks.
