Azimut Yachts, the Italian luxury motor yacht brand, has just unveiled Seadeck 9, the largest yacht ever to roll out of its Avigliana shipyard and the new, gleaming flagship of a series that is quietly rewriting what luxury at sea is supposed to look like. The size makes headlines. The credits are the real story.

For the interiors, Azimut skipped the yacht-design establishment entirely – no ateliers steeped in gold leaf and gangway glamour – and instead hired Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, the Milan-based architecture studio behind the beloved Vigilius Mountain Resort and two decades of hospitality and healthcare projects built on a devotion to material longevity and unshowy sustainability. Neither had designed so much as a dinghy's cabin before this commission. Bold move. It paid off.

The absence of yacht-design convention shows the second you step aboard. Seadeck 9's defining flourish is a 180-degree pool deck and a run of cascading terraces that pull the pool level with the waterline, dissolving the usual hierarchy of a superyacht, in which the upper decks perform for guests while the lower decks quietly, invisibly, serve them. Here, everything just flows downhill toward the water, like the boat forgot it was supposed to be showing off.

'When Alberto Mancini started designing Seadeck, he had a very simple idea,' says Giovanna Vitelli, Chair of Azimut|Benetti, of the yacht's naval architect. 'If you can't contain the sea, then you become part of it. The 180° Pool Deck, the cascading terraces and the pool flush with the deck – everything flows naturally, taking you from the water straight into the heart of the yacht.'

Vitelli has overseen Azimut's product development and R&D since 2004 and became Chair in 2023. It was her push toward external architects, a break from her father Paolo Vitelli's five-decade in-house model, that opened the door to briefs like this one.

Materials carry the same logic through the interior, and there's poetry in the specifics. Palettes run in sand and cream tones intended to blur the line between deck and horizon, so you're never quite sure where the boat ends and the Mediterranean begins.

The carpet underfoot – soft, unassuming, easy to miss – is woven from yarn recovered from discarded fishing nets. 'It's a small detail,' Vitelli says, 'but it says a lot about the thinking behind the whole project.' Quite. Thun and Rodriguez specified recycled or recyclable materials wherever the brief allowed, treating sustainability less as a checkbox than as a texture.

Seadeck 9 also marks Azimut's first hybrid production series, built on a carbon-fibre hull for weight savings that translates directly into fuel efficiency. Rather than let 'sustainable' stay a marketing word, Azimut is now benchmarking its boats against the SEA Index and YETI ratings, third-party tools that give owners, brokers and insurers a comparable efficiency figure instead of a claim.

'I often talk about gentle technology,' Vitelli says. 'Technology shouldn't dominate the experience. It should work quietly in the background, allowing people to enjoy the sea without distraction. Hull efficiency, hybrid propulsion and lightweight carbon-fibre construction – none of these innovations is there simply to impress. They're not about speed; they're about delivering more comfort, more silence, better efficiency and, ultimately, more freedom.'

That principle extends to Hotel Mode, which lets owners drop anchor for hours with the generators switched off entirely – no hum, no diesel smell, nothing but the boat, the stars and the water, doing its shimmering thing.

'For me, the ultimate luxury is silence,' Vitelli says. 'When everything becomes quiet, you feel completely at one with the sea.' It's the sort of line that could sound like brochure copy from anyone else. From her, standing in front of the boat, it doesn't.

She reaches, unexpectedly, for a lyric to explain where she thinks luxury is headed. 'There's an old Italian song called Sapore di sale. Every Italian knows it. It's about the feeling of salt on your skin after a swim, lying in the sun with someone you love. I think that's where luxury is going. It's no longer about showing off – it's about moments like that.'

Behind the launch, rather charmingly, is a €50 million investment in expanding the Avigliana shipyard, which sits in the foothills of the Alps, nowhere near the water the boats it produces are destined for.

'I always find it quite special that we design and build yachts in the mountains for a life at sea,' Vitelli says. 'Seadeck 9 is an investment not only in our facilities, but in the future direction of the company.'

Mountains to sea, hoteliers to hulls – Azimut seems to be making a habit of hiring for the job it wants, not the job it's always had.

AzimutYachts.com, @Azimut_Yachts

This year, The Aurora returned to Sweden’s west coast for its third edition, from 26–28 June 2026. Once again, the event transformed the picturesque Norrviken Gardens in Båstad into a celebration of automotive excellence. Welcoming more than 16,500 visitors, The Aurora further strengthened its reputation as one of Northern Europe’s most exciting car shows.

At the heart of the weekend was a unique double concours that featured both classic automobiles and modern hypercars. The carefully curated selection reflected The Aurora's distinctive ability to unite automotive heritage with contemporary design.

This year’s highlights included the world-first public appearance of the Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II, the unveiling of the Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster, and the showcase of the production Koenigsegg Gemera.

Beyond the concours, visitors could enjoy an extensive programme of talks, exhibitions, and activations. The expanding Aurora Yacht Show also added another dimension to the event, showcasing an impressive collection of luxury vessels in the nearby harbour.

By combining lifestyle with high-end vehicles, The Aurora continues to establish itself as an international platform that celebrates automotive heritage, innovation, and craft.

Our highlights from The Aurora 2026

Mercedes-Benz Classic

The Mercedes-Benz Classic stand at The Aurora marked 140 years of innovation by placing the brand’s past, present and future in direct conversation. At the centre of the display were two carefully paired moments in automotive history. The 1937 W 125 Silver Arrow sat alongside the 2018 Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept car, drawing a clear line between Mercedes-Benz’s racing heritage and its electric future.

Nearby, the iconic 1970 C 111-II was presented alongside the 2023 Vision One-Eleven, highlighting how experimental design continues to shape the brand’s approach to performance, technology and form.

The display also celebrated the C 111’s distinctive gold-orange ‘Weißherbst’ finish, a colour that has become closely associated with one of Mercedes-Benz’s most recognisable experimental vehicles.

Visitors were also able to see a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, two running authentic replicas of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, and the Roarington simulator challenge, bringing together heritage, storytelling and interactive engagement in one stand. ‘At The Aurora, we brought technological and design history to life,’ says CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, Marcus Breitschwerdt.

Mercedes-Benz.com

Brabus

Brabus made its debut at the event with a bold showcase of modern high-performance luxury. The centrepiece was the Brabus Bodo, a Gran Turismo Coupe created in tribute to the company’s founder Bodo Buschmann. Built as a statement of power, craftsmanship, and elegance, this vehicle will be limited to just 77 units worldwide – a tribute to 1977, the founding year of Brabus.

‘The Aurora was the perfect location to celebrate the official Scandinavia premiere of the new Brabus Bodo, and the response we received from everyone who stopped by our display was absolutely incredible’ says CEO and owner of Brabus, Constantin Buschmann.

The display also included the Brabus Rocket GTS, the Brabus 700 based on the Range Rover P 615 SV LWB, and the Braus 800 Cabrio based on the Mercedes-AMG G 63. Together, the line-up captured the brand’s ‘1 Second Wow’ philosophy, blending opulence with visual impact.

Brabus.com

Koenigsegg

One of the most anticipated moments of the weekend was the public debut of the Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear. The hypercar showcased the Swedish brand’s evolving design and engineering ambition. With sharpened aerodynamics, a track-focused character, and unmistakable road presence, it is a celebration of high-end automotive design.

Alongside the full-size car, a 1:1 Lego replica brought a playful element to the display. Built from 327,000 bricks without glue, the model recently set the world record for the fastest Lego car, reaching 69mph.

The stand also featured two Koenigsegg Gemeras, the world’s first four-seat Megacar, as well as the CCGT, the company’s only GT1 race car. Visitors could also see the CC Prototype and Koenigsegg’s first production car, the CC8S.

‘The Aurora has, in a very short time, established itself as a refreshing addition to the world’s leading concours events,’ says Christian von Koenigsegg, CEO and founder of Koenigsegg.

Koenigsegg.com

The Aurora Yacht Show

Now in its second year, the Aurora Yacht Show brought a strong maritime dimension to the weekend, expanding The Aurora beyond automotive excellence into a broader luxury lifestyle experience. Set in Båstad Harbour, the show featured an impressive collection of premium brands, including Delta Powerboats, J-Craft, Nimbus, Axopar, Riva and Fleming Yachts.

Highlights included the new Riva Dolceriva 48 and a Riva Iseo displayed in the gardens of Norrviken. Attendees also saw a fully equipped explorer yacht from the Tung Hwa Boatyard in Taiwan. New for 2026, the Yacht Hospitality Package allowed VIP guests to arrive by sea, with a Princess F60 welcoming guests throughout the event.

The Aurora.se

40 Years of the BMW M3

BMW’s third year as a partner at The Aurora brought together motorsport heritage, high-performance engineering and future-focused design. The display celebrated 40 years of the BMW M3, with the iconic 2002 Turbo and M3 GT E36 highlighting the brand’s sporting legacy. The showcase also featured the new i3, iX3, 7 Series, and the upcoming all-electric X5, showcasing performance, technology, and contemporary automotive design.

Looking to the future, BMW presented the all-electric M Concept Neue Klasse, following its world premiere at Le Mans. Finished in Monza Red metallic, the concept car combines expressive proportions with motorsport-inspired aerodynamics, offering a glimpse of the German brand’s next generation of high-performance vehicles.

‘The Aurora is proving that Scandinavia can host an automotive event on the same level as the very best in the world’ says president and CEO BMW Group Northern Europe, Stefan Teuchert.

BMW-M.com

The next edition of The Aurora will run from 2 to 4 July 2027
TheAurora.se, @TheAuroraConcours

For decades, luxury yacht interiors have followed their own peculiar visual language: glossy timber, formal salons and a succession of disconnected rooms that could just as easily belong to a five-star hotel as a vessel at sea. Architect Enrico Bonetti always found that strange. 'The interiors were inexplicable,' he says. 'You'd move from one room to another and everything would suddenly change for no apparent reason.'

That dissatisfaction became the starting point for one of the most influential yacht designs of recent years. It started nine years ago, when Italian shipbuilder Benetti approached Bonetti's New York-based architecture practice, Bonetti/Kozerski, to rethink the interiors of its new Oasis series. Rather than turning to another yacht specialist, the Italian builder deliberately sought architects from outside the industry, with no yacht experience, hoping a fresh perspective might challenge long-established boat-design assumptions.

Step inside the Benetti Oasis yacht by Bonetti/Kozerski and Kelly Behun

Working alongside British yacht designer RWD, Bonetti questioned almost every convention. Why should the main salon follow the same layout every other yacht had adopted? Why should stepping inside feel like entering an entirely different world from the deck outside?

Instead, the studio approached the yacht as it would a house, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior so that the space feels like a continuous narrative rather than a series of disjointed statements. The teak decking continues seamlessly through the living spaces, large expanses of glazing dissolve the distinction between inside and out, and glossy white lacquer (made by a piano factory) reflects changing skies and water back into the interior. Bonetti says a client once told him, ‘When you step out of bed and put your feet on the teak floor, you already feel close to the water.’

Many of the ideas now seem obvious, but they represented a significant departure for an industry set in its ways. The Oasis 40M, launched in 2020, became one of Benetti's best-selling models, spawning a smaller 34m version and, more recently, the Oasis 42M. More than 50 have now been built, with the studio continuing to customise many of them for individual owners.

One of the latest examples, with interiors designed by New York-based interior designer Kelly Behun – featured in the Wallpaper* US400 for 2026 – pushes the residential sensibility even further. For the owner, who was simultaneously commissioning Kelly Behun to design a holiday home in Comporta, Portugal, the interiors of the yacht became an extension of that domestic project.

‘The brief was surprisingly similar to what it would be for any home,’ Behun explains. ‘To create spaces that feel elegant, comfortable, welcoming and distinctly personal.’

Designing for the sea inevitably introduces constraints unfamiliar to residential designers. Every material must satisfy marine regulations, weight is carefully controlled and every millimetre is scrutinised. Rather than limiting creativity, Behun argues those restrictions sharpen it. Furniture proportions, layered natural materials and tactile textures – such as timber, stone, leather and linen – were all carefully considered to create spaces that feel lived-in rather than overtly luxurious.

‘Let’s face it. When you're on a boat, you're often moving, often in the sun, often barefoot,’ she says. ‘A space that feels too studied or formal works against all of that.’

The result is an interior that feels relaxed and residential: warm timber panelling, subtle lighting and softly curved furniture replace the glossy finishes and theatrical spotlights that once defined the category. ‘There's an ease built into the material choices that mirrors the ease we were seeking,’ she says.

For Behun, that reflects a wider shift across luxury design. Yacht owners are increasingly looking to residential interiors, hospitality and fashion for inspiration rather than following an established nautical formula. ‘People are moving away from environments that simply communicate status,’ she says, ‘towards spaces that feel personal, layered and emotionally resonant.’

Bonetti believes the same evolution is happening across yacht design more broadly. What was once considered radical has rapidly become the new norm. Looking across today's launches, he sees many of the same principles his studio first fought to introduce almost a decade ago. 'Back then there were two main options: the old, very opulent designs, or complete white boxes filled with showroom furniture. Now you see a lot of yachts that look very similar to what we’re doing.'

For Bonetti and Behun, it seems, the best way to redesign a yacht is to stop thinking like a yacht designer altogether.

This past December, the German fashion e-retailer Mytheresa inaugurated its Maison Mytheresa concept with a Wes Anderson-esque ‘concierge’ in the historic ski resort, St Moritz. The ephemeral space, which ran throughout the ski season, was less store than private members’ club – a space for Mytheresa’s clients to gather for various activities, from styling sessions, talks and trunk shows to cookie-making classes (or simply indulge in Laurent-Perrier and Oona Caviar, who provided the refreshments). ‘An intimate escape into the Mytheresa lifestyle,’ the brand called it at the time.

Maison Mytheresa docks in the French Riviera

This summer, Mytheresa’s travels continued with the second iteration of Maison Mytheresa, taking over a mega-yacht on the French Riviera this June (after all, its top-spending clients likely winter in the mountains before heading to the Med for the summer months). Continuing a collaboration with Studio Boum – a London-based agency responsible for some of the fashion industry’s most memorable scenography – the yacht was reimagined as a private club, featuring vivid Mytheresa yellow parasols and sun loungers, branded life rings, fans and pool toys, as well as an edit of the retailer’s fashion offering scattered about the various rooms.

Like the first Maison Mytheresa, the two-week residency – which saw the yacht anchor at Saint-Tropez harbour and the Yacht Club de Monaco – featured a series of talks, trunk shows and parties, with involvement from brands including Missoni, Saman Amel, Roberto Cavalli and Aquazurra, among others.

‘Maison Mytheresa reflects our ambition to redefine luxury retail through unforgettable experiences that bring together fashion, culture and community,’ Mytheresa CEO Francis Belin tells Wallpaper*. ‘With this second edition, we are building on the success of our St Moritz edition, creating a travelling destination where clients can discover exceptional brands, connect with inspiring people and engage with Mytheresa in a way that feels personal, emotional and uniquely memorable.’

Elsewhere this summer, Mytheresa returns to the Hamptons with ‘Mytheresa Out East’, promising an escape from New York City with a customised Airstream that will travel around the East Coast locale, from now until August 6. The vintage trailer’s interior has been designed by Lulu and George, while guests attending the private shopping appointments on board will each get a floral display to take away in a Ginori 1735 vase.

mytheresa.com

Project Cosmos was one of the most secretive projects in Lürssen’s portfolio. The German superyacht builder launched the 114.2m vessel last August from its Rendsburg shipyard, about 80km north of Hamburg.

Now the vessel has been delivered and the name revealed. Nausicaä is exceptionally sophisticated, not just technically, but in interior and exterior form. Designed completely by Marc Newson, Nausicaä has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in superyacht design.

Named for a character in an early Studio Ghibli film (Nausicaä from the Valley of the Wind), the yacht was commissioned by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Newson was given unprecedented creative freedom, allowing him to approach the shape of the hull and superstructure in innovative new ways to maximise the amount of deck space and accommodation.

The vessel instantly recognisable as a Newson design, not least because of the focus on simplifying complex technical components to their most graphically precise forms, such as the four radar spheres above the bridge. It also carries through the ethos of a conceptual design to a finished, fully functional object, something that characterises Newson’s work across every field, from watches to car design.

‘It is extremely challenging for a design project, of any description, to literally deliver on the vision conceived and presented at concept stage,’ Newson acknowledges. ‘Here, I am very proud to say that every detail, at every scale, has been realised at the most coherent level. Working with an immensely creative client has enabled rare opportunities to push the boundaries and test the limits of form, material and functionality.’

A superyacht is perhaps the largest bespoke design project outside of architecture, with the added demands of function and utility in every conceivable condition. The hull and superstructure of Nausicaä are fluid and dynamic, with scarcely a single flat surface used throughout the design. Lürssen’s manufacturing expertise in steel – honed over 150 years – was put to the test, with what the shipyard describes as geometrically precise ‘vast cylindrical steel forms’ used throughout the design.

Another singularly distinctive part of the design is the Skydome feature on the upper deck. This glass structure is formed from seven vast curved panes of glass, each 3m x 2.8m and 62mm, weighing in at 1,050kg. It’s part of the owner’s office suite and comes with bespoke internal bronze shutters to close off the outside world. It’s paired with a private sky terrace. Demonstrating Newson’s love of pushing materials to their limits – and the technical and manufacturing skills of Lürssen and its suppliers – each pane had to be hot-bent using gravity to achieve the form.

Another virtuoso piece of glazing wraps around the entire upper deck, interspersed with doors and technical spaces finished in the same gloss black to give the impression of a single unbroken form. At the bow, there’s a 19m wide observation lounge, with wall-to-wall glazing. The aft deck is open and spans the yacht’s entire 18m beam. Here there’s a pool and Jacuzzi as well as twin stairs down to the swim deck.

Lürssen CEO Peter Lürssen describes glazing technology as a core part of the company’s reputation for innovation. ‘From (2004’s) Rising Sun to (2024’s) Kismet, and now Nausicaä, we continue to push the boundaries of scale and structural complexity, creating spaces that are both aesthetically dramatic and functional for our clients. It is rare to find a modern Lürssen yacht that does not break new ground in glass engineering.’

Nausicaä has been designed to ensure that these views are worthwhile, with an Ice Class 1D hull providing enough strength for voyages through polar seas. On board, there are the facilities and equipment to tackle any kind of voyage, from the fixed helipad above the bow to the dry dock at the stern, where a 12.5m sportsfish tender can be launched via a sledge system. This retractable system extends over the swim platform to allow the tender into the water and disappears when not in use.

Inside, there are further innovations. Maezawa, the founder of Tokyo’s Contemporary Art Foundation, has given over part of the main deck to an internal gallery, with space for a revolving collection of art and sculpture in a two-level atrium, complete with circular viewing deck. In the aft atrium, there are elements like a bespoke sushi bar and table tennis area, all of which have been shaped by Newson’s studio.

Nausicaä was initially billed as the first yacht powered by a methanol fuel cell and the plan is still to install this pioneering powerplant in the hull at some point in the future. For now, there is a diesel-electric plant with five engines – two primary and three auxiliary – driving fully electric Azimuth thruster pods.

The onboard battery plant can deliver up to 2 MW of power, allowing for zero emission operation when moored for extended periods of time – sufficient to power all hotel systems simultaneously at peak load. This allows the yacht to operate silently, with zero local emissions, for extended periods.

Marc-Newson.com, @MarcNewsonOfficial

Lurseen.com, @LuerssenYachts

For over two decades, Maxime d’Angeac has quietly accumulated one of French architecture’s most covetable portfolios, not least the flagship boutiques for Hermès and Guerlain, bespoke interiors for Daum, and the full redesign of the Orient Express train carriages, the first such overhaul in nearly a century. What he had never done was anything remotely nautical, a fact that did not deter the Accor Group’s chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin, who tapped him in 2022 to design the world’s largest sailing yacht for the Orient Express marque.

There were loud doubters.

The Orient Express Corinthian sets sail

‘Everyone told me it would not be possible,’ d’Angeac now says, with the measured satisfaction of someone who has just proven a great many people wrong. Forty-four months after the idea of the yacht was first green-lit at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2022, the Orient Express Corinthian (which we previewed in 2024) is afloat, and the sceptics are conspicuously quieter.

That 44-month sprint – from a blank page to a completed vessel this April – produced what is, for now anyway, the world's largest sailing yacht. At 220m and carrying just 110 guests across 54 suites, the Orient Express Corinthian is, in the most literal sense, an exercise in deliberate restraint at impossible scale.

Three 100m carbon masts, each installed with millimetric precision using aerospace-grade guidance systems, carry 4,500 sq m of SolidSail rigid sails – a proprietary technology developed by ship-builder Chantiers de l’Atlantique that allows the yacht to run entirely on wind, reaching 17 knots in favourable conditions. An LNG engine stands ready for when the weather declines to cooperate.

The interiors – which include five restaurants, eight bars, a recording studio, cinema, and spa – operate on two distinct silhouettes. Decks four, five and six channel the mood of early 20th-century ocean liner glamour, with oak and afromosia panelling, Eramosa and Calacatta Viola marble, discreet mouldings and the warm tonal restraint of a grand salon. The reference point is deliberate: the SS Normandie, built at the very same Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard in the 1930s, remains d’Angeac’s north star – not as nostalgia, he insists, but as a benchmark for what total design conviction looks like.

The lobby, meanwhile, pays direct tribute to Jean Dunand, the great art deco lacquerer, with three monumental bas-relief panels depicting scenes of the sea in the tradition of 1930s decorative craft. Handmade by French maître d’art Etienne Rayssac and cast in plaster from original moulds, each panel took a year to complete.

Deck seven is an altogether different proposition. Here, d’Angeac dispensed with straight lines entirely. The six premium suites – each 220 sq m – are conceived in smoked eucalyptus, their curves unbroken by hard angles or visible doors, the latter folded seamlessly into the walls. ‘It is my idea of what Orient Express could be in 2050,’ he says. ‘A new chapter for the brand that is not only about the past.’ The custom carpets throughout, woven to bespoke drawings that had to be re-adjusted each time a corridor shifted during construction, are among the more quietly heroic achievements on board.

Outdoor spaces were engineered with equal rigour. A 14m pool sits on deck five, while a 17m lap pool occupies deck six – the former partially open to the sky through an oculus cut into the roof to draw natural light deep into the vessel. The teak-look pool decking, almost as good as the real thing, was developed with French specialist Boldt to withstand salt, heat and constant moisture, without, as d’Angeac pointedly notes, harvesting a single Burmese hardwood tree.

The Corinthian’s inaugural voyage departs the French Riviera in June, tracing the Italian coastline through the season’s early months. By October, she sets course for the Caribbean. Her sister vessel, the Orient Express Olympian, is due in April 2027, her construction proceeding at a considerably faster pace that reflects lessons learned from the prototype. Asia itineraries may well follow for the Olympian – a prospect that would bring the Orient Express full circle, back to the storied eastern routes that first made the brand a legend.

orient-express.com

The world of competitive sailing is a literal cutting edge, with new hull and hydrofoil designs scything through the water with the minimal possible drag, hauled at speeds of over 30 knots with high-tech mast configurations. Alongside aerospace, the yachting industry helped pioneer the use of carbon fibre at scale, as well as the disciplines of finding the ultimate path through aerodynamics, fluid dynamics with strength and lightness.

Last week, Ferrari Hypersail showcased the new livery for its 100ft flying ocean monohull. The design of this elite racing vessel has involved a collaboration between Flavio Manzoni’s Ferrari Design Studio, the company’s legendary engineering team and Guillaume Verdier Naval Architects, specialists in racing monohull and multihull competition prototypes.

For an engineer, the monohull class has an unmatched alignment between the purity of function and form. As Ferrari notes, ‘performance sets the rules, design transforms them into beauty’. In shaping the boat and its livery, Manzoni and his team have drawn on contemporary performance Ferraris, with a silhouette influenced by the Ferrari Monza SP1/SP2 and graphical architecture that evokes the Le Mans-winning Hypercar 499P.

This blend of bold graphical style, colour and technically efficient surfacing has been especially evident in modern era Ferraris, with contemporary cars like the Testarossa and F80 introducing a more technical approach to surfacing and body composition.

According to Manzoni, ‘Hypersail represented an unexpected opportunity for the Ferrari Design Studio; a challenging objective due to its complexity, which allowed us to extend our creative research into a context different from our usual one.’ With components like walkable solar panels integrated into the deck and hull, orientated according to the maximum solar exposure, every facet of the vessel is a fusion of engineering, design and function.

‘The Design Studio is not new to this kind of endeavour,’ says Manzoni. ‘In the past, the experience gained in racing car projects, one of the most technologically advanced sectors, has encouraged exploration into more complex fields, allowing us to test ourselves and expand our expertise.’

The livery is a key expression of the heart and soul of Hypersail. Resplendent in Giallo Fly yellow, the so-called ‘second soul’ colour in Ferrari’s palette after the iconic red, the colour dates back to the 275 GTB of 1964. Company lore holds that it was ‘inspired by an intuition from Fiamma Breschi’, the widow of yellow-helmeted Ferrari F1 driver Luigi Musso, who died in an accident at the 1958 French Grand Prix in Reims. Through her friendship with Enzo Ferrari, Breschi brought this bold yellow into the Ferrari mythos.

The addition of ‘Fly’ references the Hypersail’s foiling capability, with the hull lifting itself above the water at speed and resting on slender carbon fibre foil arms for minimal drag. Giallo Fly is paired with a new grey, Grigio Hypersail, which evokes the strength and solidity of the cabon fibre.

Naturally, there’s also a substantial Ferrari logo rendered vertically on the sail, above a dynamic racing stripe and the all-important sponsor names.

‘Hypersail is a vessel unique in scale and technology, engineered to deliver peak performance within an environment as singular and unpredictable as the ocean,’ says Matteo Lanzavecchia, head of vehicle engineering at Ferrari and chief technology officer of Hypersail. ‘Foiling is made possible by a sophisticated control system [which] leverages the expertise gained from our automotive developments, and is powered by energy recovered from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and motion.’

Ferrari Hypersail made its debut during Milan Design Week 2026 at the Ferrari Flagship Store in Milan, alongside an installation by the Ferrari Design Studio overlooking Piazza del Duomo.

Ferrari Flagship Store, Milan, Store.Ferrari.com, Ferrari.com, @FerrariHypersail

Maybe there’s some synergy in the latest yacht from Ares being named the Spitfire. After all, the Turkish, family-owned shipyard has been building both military and commercial vessels since 2006, including for the Turkish Navy, but also the navies of Germany and several countries across the Middle East.

More recently, its Ulaq offshoot has become a world leader in the development and building of remote, unmanned and self-guiding, so-called ‘kamikaze’ vessels. These are ‘the future’ of the military at sea, says Ares’ yacht projects director Piraye Orhun, ‘but I can’t talk too much about that’.

Nonetheless, this has helped make Ares one of Turkey’s fastest-growing companies, across any sector. But the Spitfire – with the first of its spec being built and due for completion next year – takes that association further: its agile, fast displacement composite hull form is based on that of the Ares’ 150 Bold military coastal patrol vessel, making it possibly the first crossover of its kind. ‘Certainly, building a superyacht on a military platform is a rare thing and an exciting idea,’ Orhun offers.

The Spitfire comes with a 22-knot top speed and extendable 2,200 nautical mile range. ‘The hull efficiency and other standards required of military vessels can be very tough, as well as the necessary speed and quality benchmarks [of government contracts],’ says Orhun (Ares must hold something of a record in having once delivered a military vessel from scratch in 42 days). ‘In fact, military standards typically far exceed those expected of superyachts. There’s a pedigree there, a proven performance that translates to a superyacht.’

But Ares has taken the idea further – if most superyachts lean into something like a contemporary luxe style, the 50.55m Spitfire, with naval architecture by the British firm Lateral, plays subtly on its association with the famed Second World War fighter, which was based on a record-setting seaplane and built by a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong, itself a shipbuilder, among other things.

The Spitfire yacht has a core industrial aesthetic, devised by the esteemed British yacht design agency Bannenberg & Rowell. The fighter’s employment of innovative sunken rivets to further streamline its aerodynamics, for example, is echoed, inside and out, in its waterborne namesake’s smooth surfaces, punched metal and metallic sheen; the yacht has a notably low profile; there's extensive use of military grey, together with bands of dark glass.

Eschewing yachting convention – and having some fun – the Spitfire’s rooms come pre-named in military style too: the bridge is ‘the Pilot House’, the main deck salon is ‘the Bunker’, while the dining salon is the ‘D-Fac’ (the military abbreviation for ‘Dining Facility’). The interiors are all built in-house by Ares.

‘The whole idea of [a Spitfire aircraft] is very British,’ laughs Orhun. ‘Is it strange to be inspired by that aircraft? I don't think so. [The aircraft symbolised] a victory in war that was important for all countries. Besides, much of a yacht's appeal now lies in the stories behind it, and the Spitfire [aircraft] has a fantastic story. The general feedback on the design and the story behind [the yacht] have been positive too’.

As well-appointed as most superyachts, the Spitfire even comes with an outdoor cinema: ideal, perhaps, for a screening of The First Of The Few or Reach For The Sky.

AresYachts.com, @AresYachts

A new monograph on Dutch superyacht specialist Feadship forms part of Assouline’s ‘Ultimate Collection’ series, measuring in at a hefty 40.5 x 48cm. Suitable for only the largest of libraries and the most structurally sound coffee tables, Feadship by Assouline takes on a pretty weighty subject with a scale to match.

The monograph tells the story of Feadship (First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders), a company born in 1949 from the union of two of the Netherlands’ most distinguished family-owned businesses, Royal Van Lent Shipyard and Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw. Thanks to a heritage that dates back over 175 years, Feadship has accrued an impressive reputation, and the company’s pivot to luxury yachts saw it pioneer many of the techniques, technologies and stylistic innovations of the genre.

With text by Wallpaper* contributor John Weich, Feadship explores the company’s commitment to one-off builds, with a low-key public image despite the undeniably high impact and massive scale of some of its most celebrated designs. The book is presented ready for a life onboard the most elaborate contemporary yacht, with leather bindings and case and a metal Feadship logo plate.

The publisher notes that Assouline’s sizeable picture books are popular tomes in the showy seaborn libraries of the superyacht set, but it’s unfair to lump Feadship in with books designed to be looked at not read. Weich’s text has lots to draw on, and although the pictures are undeniably first rate, every superyacht can tell a story or two.

Over the years, Feadship has launched many such craft, from the iconic Venus, originally commissioned by Steve Jobs and now used extensively by his widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, and a fleet of vessels overseen by the influential British studio Winch Design (also given the Assouline treatment), including Madame Gu and the arts and crafts-infused Sea Owl.

There’s a lot of archive imagery that showcases the shifting sands of superyacht taste – almost always more out there than anything confined to land – but you’ll look in vain for in-depth breakdowns of a particular boat; this is one of the most secretive luxury industries in the world.

‘This publication is not about celebrating individual yachts, but about documenting a way of working that has been shaped over generations,’ acknowledges the CEO of Royal Van Lent Shipyard and Feadship director Jan-Bart Verkuyl. ‘By opening our archives, we wanted to provide an honest and carefully curated view of what it takes to create a Feadship, from the first pencil line to delivery.’

Feadship by Assouline, text by John Weich, €1,400 / £1,150, available via Feadship-Oceancollection.com and Assouline.com, @Assouline, Feadship.nl, @Feadship

Stretching a languid 794 feet, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s third vessel, Luminara, features 226 suites sprawled across ten decks. Its design is inspired by Malta’s historic lighthouses and the legacy of the Knights of Valletta, though it’s fair to say this is an aesthetic connection most guests will miss entirely as they linger over cocktails by the infinity pool. What nobody will miss, however, is the small fortune spent on what is essentially a sleekly elegant, floating beach resort.

Tour the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's Luminara vessel

Nodding to the fluidity of the sea, Toronto studio Chapi Design has orchestrated the public spaces with curves everywhere, and there is plenty to admire here. For starters, nothing remotely resembles cruise-ship plastic, to the point that it’s easy to forget you’re at sea. The Living Room – an auditorium repurposed as a piano bar – is dressed with pieces by Calder and Matisse flanked by Poliform's Stanford Bridge chairs, because nothing says one-per-cent insouciance than hanging museum-grade art in a room where people spill Negronis.

Even the deck furniture skews fancy, not least Vondom's Tulum Collection, and Talenti's George sunbeds. The Humidor is dressed with buttery Time Lounge leather armchairs by Poltrona Frau, whilst the Art Bar positions Minotti's swivelling Torri Bold armchairs beneath Cycladic installations to create a sort of louche gallery lounge where you half-expect the bartender to hand you a price list with your cocktail.

Meanwhile, London studio AD Associates handled the suites, each opening onto private terraces. The Owner's suites offer light-flooded volumes with terraces large enough for jacuzzi tubs and dinner parties. That said, the Grand Suite is just as comfortable (and considerably less expensive) with dining table, discrete sitting area, extra-king bed, bathroom with double sinks, standalone tub and an unexpectedly capacious rain-shower.

The material palette favours tactile warmth – oak millwork in moody tones, marble from Emporada quarries, glass treated to a smoky finish. The furniture reads like a tour through Italy's premier manufacturers: low-slung pieces by Minotti alongside Giorgetti, Molteni sharing space with Talenti armchairs, Duc-Duc sofas by Cassina, and customised Ligne Roset sofas. It’s the kind of accumulation that suggests the spec sheet had no word limit.

In the end, whether the Luminara constitutes a yacht or an exceptionally well-appointed ship remains contested, though after your third Poltrona Frau armchair sighting, the semantic debate feels absurdly academic.

The Luminara sails Southeast Asian routes through May before repositioning to Alaska and Canada. Rates from $8,800 per person

Cult Italian shipbuilder Wally has two distinctive paths; a series of sleek, racing-inspired yachts that take the art, craft and technology of sailing to new levels, and a fleet of aggressively angular and stealthy motor yachts, ranging from the wallytender43 (often found tucked away in the tender garage of the most exclusive superyachts) to the stubby but spacious wallywhy200.

The latter line-up has now been bolstered by the launch of the new wallypower50x, revealed to the world at this year’s Miami International Boat Show. Whereas a Wally sailboat is the ultimate high-tech expression of mastering the wind, a Wally motor yacht produces power in a more traditional manner. At the rear of this wedge-shaped are mounted no less than four Mercury Verado V10 marine engines, each producing 425 hp. That should be good for a top speed of 50 knots and a 34 knot cruise.

Boat owners are as fond of oneupmanship as any other big spender, so there’s also the optional to upgrade to quad Mercury Racing V8s, each tuned to produce 500 hp. That’s the configuration shown here and while the velocity gains are minimal (54 knots max and 36 knots cruise), bragging rights can be comfortably asserted.

What also sets the wallypower50X apart from convention is the starkly functional nature of the hull and cabin design. The signature vertical bow and faceted dark glass accentuate the dart-like shape of the boat, with Wally’s ‘magic portholes’ cloaked by the lines of the hull to illuminate the cabin without interrupting the flow of the lines. There’s even a concealed anchoring system to maintain the minimalist Wally ethos.

The open deck has fold down transoms at the rear to increase the available space by over 5 square metres when at anchor, with twin sunpad loungers at the back and a larger one up front towards the bow.

The main deck also houses a covered dining area that can be reconfigured as a lounge, alongside a small kitchenette, while a kitchenette and seating area can be found below decks, alongside a spacious double cabin with bathroom and separate shower.

The wallypower50X is designed to be highly adaptable and can be used as a day cruiser or weekend boat or even configured as a superyacht tender if the space is available. The company, which was founded in Monaco in 1994, is part of the Ferretti Group, the Italy-based multi-brand, multinational shipbuilding company.

Wally.com, @WallyYachts_Official

The ability to completely get away from it all tends to be the preserve of the ultra-wealthy. But short of your own armoured compound in Hawaii or New Zealand and providing you don’t mind the close proximity of other 0.1 per cent-ers, one way to permanently elevate your lifestyle above the daily grind is to take to the waves.

Over the last few decades, several conceptual ideas for ship-based enclaves of the super-rich have been floated, with only The World of ResidenSea, launched as MS The World, actually making good the promise of a globe-roaming, tax-free bolthole on the high seas.

This is a shame, because apart from the societal benefits of corralling the world’s wealthy into a single hard-to-miss spot, there have been some genuinely outlandish ideas for floating utopias over the years. The almost farcically over-scaled Freedom Ship, a 1.8km-long barge for 80,000 refugees from restrictive taxation and legislation, has been drifting around the world’s drawing boards since the 1990s.

There’s also the faintly Logan’s Run-esque Serenity, a cruise colony for the over-eighties proposed by shipbuilder Meyer Werft, and the World City Phoenix project, an (unrealised) precursor from MS The World’s creator Knut Klosters. Originally conceptualised back in the 1980s by Danish ship designer Knud E.Hansen, the Phoenix was a floating resort for over 5,000 people.

Size isn’t everything (although tell that to the average superyacht owner). This is the Beyond Horizons, a proposed superyacht-scale private vessel housing an exclusive ocean-going members’ club. The concept is ‘Inspired by Maybach’, Mercedes-Benz’s luxury division, and translates the aggressively sybaritic design of its passenger cars across a series of staterooms, cabins and over 50,000 square feet of deck.

The Maybach Ocean Club is essentially a superyacht membership club, with scope and style that harks back to the final glory years of the grand ocean liners in the 1920s. Back then, the Maybach brand had a marine propulsion branch (it also made Zeppelin engines), so Mercedes-Benz Design has deemed fit to bring the Maybach emblem and ethos into this shiny new world at sea.

As these renders show, it’s an environment scrubbed clean by an army of invisible deckhands to achieve the eternal newness of a turnkey chalet, Miami beach house or Dubai penthouse. The carmaker’s property arm, Mercedes-Benz Places, is already building high-rise real estate in Miami and Dubai, so a superyacht seems like the next logical move.

If you can’t stomach the fortune-draining running costs of a regular superyacht (roughly 10 per cent of the purchase price, year on year), or simply wish to cosplay Agatha Christie or Rian Johnson, perhaps the Maybach Ocean Club could be your new home from home.

The proposal was launched in Fort Lauderdale in November 2025, with Gorden Wagener, chief design officer for the Mercedes-Benz Group AG, overseeing the reveal of a scale model and imagery of the Beyond Horizons. ‘Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach are credited with building one of the first motorboats powered by an internal combustion engine; this legacy of innovation at sea informed our design process and inspired us to go beyond expectations,' Wagener said.

The MD and co-founder of the Maybach Ocean Club, Michael Hehn, describes the service as a ‘new model that enhances the joys of yachting without the burden of management and maintenance. This club reflects Maybach’s spirit of innovation but also speaks to something timeless – sharing special places and experiences with people who matter most in our lives,’ Hehn continues.

The boat itself will be overseen by German naval architects and consultants Dölker + Voges and there’s no word of an official launch date just yet.

More information at Mercedes-Benz.com and Maybach-Ocean-Club.com

The Monaco yacht show is a bizarre event. Every year, around 120 of the world’s latest and greatest superyachts, and around 60 smaller craft, gather in Monaco’s Port Hercule to show what’s possible when it comes to super-exclusive personal transportation on the water.

This mass gathering of floating metal (and carbon, wood and GRP) is so tightly packed, you could cover the whole of the harbour by walking from deck to deck without even dipping a toe in the deep blue. The variety and volume of yachts on show is staggering but each year, we get a taste of what’s on trend in this high-end niche of the nautical world.

VistaJet makes a splash on its yacht show debut

For a show that attracts the world’s 0.1 percent looking for the latest and greatest in personal transportation on the water, it’s no surprise to find private jet company VistaJet making its debut as the show’s dedicated private aviation sponsor.

We touched down in Nice with its flagship Bombardier Global 7500 – the largest and longest-range business jet, capable of pulling off a 17-hour flight non-stop. Whisper-quiet on the inside, with two rear-mounted General Electric Passport engines powering it to just below supersonic speeds, the plane also has precision-engineered wings that reduce in-flight lumps and bumps.

The plane carries a crew of four – each trained to carry out facials (an aviation first) and also on hand to serve VistaJet’s three-course menu, conjured up by its own in-house nutritionist.

With an interior to rival some yachts, the Global 7500 has four separate living spaces, including a permanent en-suite stateroom with a double bed, a cinema lounge, a dining and seating area for 14 passengers or eight sleepers, and a bathroom complete with a full-height on-board shower.

But what of the yachts? Here’s what we saw.

Tender technology – from retro cruisers to the supercar of the seas

Darting between the bigger boats at the show were countless tenders and day craft – some more notable than others. Capturing plenty of attention was the latest from Swedish manufacturer J-Craft, with its elegant 42ft-long Torpedo – a nostalgic nod to the golden days of la dolce vita, only with a hefty dose of Swedish build quality and craftsmanship. Despite its retro styling, J-Craft’s roots date back to 2000, when the first model – then called the Cabrio Cruiser – was delivered to the King of Sweden.

Today, the Torpedo is one of the prettiest day boats on the market, powered Volvo Penta IPS engines and practical enough to sleep four and travel up to 280 nautical miles overseas – enough to go from Saint Tropez to Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda in eight hours.

To showcase the boatbuilder’s latest collaboration with Venetian textile house Fortuny fabrics, it had its latest build, Amazon Queen, running around Port Hercule, complete with an exquisite fabric interior designed by Studio Magnes.

At the other end of the spectrum was Say Carbon Yachts, with its 42 (named for its length in feet) day boat constructed entirely from carbon fibre. The German boat maker, founded by carbon fibre specialist and former F1 supplier Karl Wagner, is on a product offensive, having launched its flagship 52 earlier this year, ahead of a new 32 and 42 Sport, arriving in 2026.

Both boats are engineered for speed, with lean and lightweight designs, rakish lines and crisp carbon fibre everywhere you look, Say Carbon Yachts are the closest thing to a supercar on the seas.

Sustainability on the seas

Sustainability seems like an unlikely subject to discuss at a superyacht show but efforts are being made to decarbonise this niche subset of the marine market. Alongside the many floating motorised palaces were a host of sailing craft, identifiable by their masts towering above even the tallest powered boats.

For Finnish shipyard Nautor Swan, Port Hercule was the place to announce its forthcoming Alloy 44 – a 44m aluminium supermaxi, designed by Malcolm McKeon in tandem with Swan’s Technical Office. It represents a sizeable step forward in stiffness-to-weight efficiency and the ability to customise its layout without altering the elegant profile.

'Alloy gives us new freedom without losing the Swan silhouette, elegance in line, purpose in detail and a sailing experience that feels effortless,' said McKeon at the boat’s launch.

In stark contrast to the Swan was the behemoth Breakthrough, moored outside of the harbour. The 119m Feadship, launched last year, is the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell powered superyacht. Designed to cruise emission-free over short distances on green hydrogen, that yacht plays host to a 92 sq m storage space for hydrogen, as well as vent stacks for the escaping water vapour.

On board, accommodation is for a total of 30 guests, housed in 12 cabins, and a crew of 44, alongside a cinema, library, hospital facility, a semi-submerged viewing area, an 8.2m pool with contraflow and a light-enhancing atrium with a staircase wrapped around a lift.

VistaJet.com, @VistaJet

J-CraftBoats.com, @JCraftBoats, @StudioMagness

SAYCarbonYachts.com, @SAYCarbonYachts

NautorSwan.com, @NautorSwan_Official

Feadship.nl, @Feadship

Genoa’s Salone Nautico is not the boating industry’s largest showcase – that title is held by its rival to the west, the Monaco Yacht Show, which follows it by scarcely a week every September. But the more modestly-scaled, mainly domestic-market exhibition in the ancient Mediterranean port city has a few very important things going for it, especially for design enthusiasts: for one thing, it’s a distant cousin of Milan’s Salone del Mobile, and draws on some of the same organisational firepower (Salone president Maria Porro has been a regular attendee and design-prize judge).

More importantly, while Monte Carlo may have the bigger boats, Genoa gets a more diverse pool of exhibitors, who show up with a wider array of oddball and innovative gear for the maritime trade. As an added plus, the whole operation takes place on the Levante waterfront, part of Renzo Piano’s (still-ongoing) redevelopment scheme for his beloved hometown. Intriguing, occasionally glamorous, always authentic, the offerings at this year’s 65th Salone Nautico were a perfect match for Genoa itself.

SaloneNautico.com, @SaloneNauticoGenova

1. Azimut Grande 30M

Of course, there are some things at Salone Nautico meant to appeal to the ultra-luxe, yacht-world connoisseur. The Azimut Grande 30 is one such vessel: appearing for the first time in Genoa, the boat isn’t quite a ‘superyacht’ in formal term (at a shade under 29 metres, it’s slightly short of the customary threshold) but it is nothing if not spacious, featuring five passenger cabins with an additional three for crew. There’s plenty of sophisticated onboard gear to please the big-boat cognoscenti – in particular a bridge with an unusually sleek, nearly buttonless command interface.

What gives the Grande 30M special appeal is the subtle interior treatment from Milan design studio m2atelier, a studio known for its high-end commercial interiors that has lately seen increasing demand in the maritime sector. Following on from the studio’s recent Grande Trideck, the team created a soft, peaches-and-cream palette for the living spaces, much of it rendered in soft leather finishes that even peek out, semi-obscured, under the up-lit marble stairs down to the lower deck.

‘The yacht embodies the essence of 'barefoot luxury,'’ says m2atelier’s co-founder Marijana Radovic, referring to Azimut's signature lifestyle concept. ‘It's a design that transcends opulence.’

AzimutYachts.com, @Azimut_Yachts, AzimutBenetti.com

m2atelier.com, @m2atelier

2. EurekArt series doorknobs by F.lli Razeto & Cazareto

As the current head of his 105-year-old family firm, Giangi Razeto has brought his personal enthusiasm for art and sculpture to what might seem a rather niche field – the design and manufacture of door handles and other hardware specifically for the maritime market. The firm worked on the Andrea Doria, a celebrated showpiece of contemporary Italian design which included pieces by Molteni and Gio Ponti, and sank, tragically, in 1956.

Razeto & Cazareto has been making exquisite locks, hasps, and knobs; though suitable for landlubber use, their strength and soft contours make them ideal for the high seas, making them a fan favorite among in-the-know owners. ‘It’s totally different in the maritime industry,’ says Giangi Razeto. ‘All the locking parts have to be anti-corrosive, and the doors have to be shut absolutely closed when they closed.’

At Salone Nautico, Razeto carried forward the company’s decades-old tradition for functional as well as aesthetic quality with his brand-new EurekArt series: displayed alongside striking seascape images from photographer Claudio Columbo, the hand-crafted brass handles had a suitably hard-working look to them, gristled and grooved and with handsome weathered patinas.

@Razetocasareto

3. Apreamare Gozzo 48 Cabin

For those who want a little offbeat, echt Italian design, as well as a bit of luxury, you could hardly do better than the legacy builder Apremarea’s Gozzo 48 Cabin, which made its Italian debut in Genoa this September. Since 1849, Apreamare has specialized in gozzi, the rounded, almost cuddly-looking boats that have been a longtime favorite with yacht enthusiasts throughout the southern riviera. ‘It has a feeling of soul,’ says Apreamare’s Corrado Del Fanti, ‘it’s not like other boats you often see.’

The Gozzo 48 shows exactly what he means: at 14.7 meters, it’s nowhere near superyacht scale, yet it feels remarkably playful as well as surprisingly roomy, its lower deck is spacious enough to accommodate three cabins. The interiors from designer Marco Casali are light, white and breezy, and the captain’s chair doubles as a longue, allowing owners to turn into operators and back again in a flash. Long seen as an Italian boat lover’s Italian boat, the Gozzo may soon be popping up elsewhere—Apreamare recently took on a major new investment partner, increasing their reach worldwide.

Apreamare.it, @Apreamare

4. Polyform

There was nothing new in the Genoa display from Norwegian company Polyform - and that’s just the point. Represented at Salone Nautico by longtime local nautical distributors Pio F. Balbi, the Nordic makers of buoys and fenders have been producing their rubbery wares according to the same proprietary formula since 1955.

‘The recipe is a secret,’ said Balbi’s Carlotta Gianni. ‘But it makes it very strong and also lightweight.’ Just the thing from keeping your very expensive yacht from wrecking against the pier, the fenders also happen to be incredibly striking objets d’art: lined up in the Balbi booth, near a handsome new dinner set from Mag Marine (the plates connected by boat-friendly magnetic inserts), the Polyform collection looks like it wouldn’t be out of place in a high-end interior, or at least an incredibly chic seafood restaurant.

Polyform.no, @PolyformNorway

5. Ohoskin plant-based leather

Another only-in-Genoa highlight, the Salone Nautico’s innovation-focused startup wing features emerging Italian brands with an array of wares that may (they hope) have application in the maritime space. One example: six-year-old Ohoskin, who have patented an eco-friendly process to turn orange and cacti fibres—two plants in which their island home of Sicily happens to be rather abundant—into a synthetic leather durable enough for a life at sea.

‘It’s not only for the maritime industry,’ says brand co-founder Stefano Mazzetti. ‘But in this sector, there’s a lot of innovation being oriented towards sustainability.’ Grinding up the cast-off agricultural waste, the company mixes the resulting powder with an organic resin, then lets the syrupy blend dry out and uses a ridged mould to create a variety of different grain options.

The resulting material can take a beating from the wind and salt air yet has a richness of feel and colour that seems at least as good as any non-natural synthetic. For the vegan superyacht owner, it could be the last word in cruelty-free opulence.

Ohoskin.com, @Ohoskin_brand

Foster + Partners are no strangers to nautical design. At this year’s Monaco Yacht Week, the practice has once again delved into the realm of high-tech ocean-going architecture with the new Outlier I yacht concept. Norman Foster is a long-time aficionado of all things related to sailing. High Tech architecture also owes a great deal to technology transferred from the precisely machined and perfectly balanced components of naval engineering.

Ever since the earliest days of Foster + Partners there have been boats on the boards. From the faceted hull of the Izanami motor yacht (1995), to the elegant Dark Shadow (2002) and Panthalassa (2007) sailing yachts, to smaller scale projects like the Alen 68, Foster + Partners have always accommodated naval architecture into their portfolio.

The studio was also responsible for the impressive Yacht Club de Monaco structure, a nautical confection of decks, louvres, glass and teak that affords some of the best views of the marina. Monaco’s status as the place to celebrate the culture of outsized yachts is unrivalled, making it the perfect place to launch a megayacht concept.

Outlier I is an appropriate name for this gargantuan proposal. Working with Lateral Naval Architects, the design explores what the practice describes, perhaps a little archly, as a ‘sweet spot in the megayacht market.’ That is to say, it accommodates the features and space of a 100m+ gigayacht into a slightly more modest 88m hull.

According to Marilu Sicoli, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, ‘the Outlier I yacht … offers approximately 40 percent more deck space than standard yachts in its category, making it a standout in its class.’

Megayachts and gigayachts are all about the Superyacht Gross Tonnage (GT), a measurement of internal volume that shows how much space a boat actually takes up. Outlier 1 is around 2,000 GT. In layman’s terms that’s still pretty big, but for the more practically minded billionaire, it means you have a craft that’s not too big for certain key moorings yet also has space for what the architects call ‘key desirable components such as a swimming pool, helipad and a private top deck.’

The faceted, forward-looking hull architecture places the visual mass of the boat towards the bow. This is where Lateral have accommodated the engine room, a marked departure from tradition which frees up the internal volume, especially in the middle and aft sections.

Foster + Partners have seized on this spatial freedom to create a dramatic triple-height central volume, united by a helical stainless-steel staircase and featuring a cascade of glass that reaches right down to the water level. ‘We are pushing the boundaries of yacht design, reimagining guest spaces and adjacencies to offer a completely new way of living on the water,’ says Senior Partner Adam Newburn.

As can be seen from these renders, Outlier I is very much about the view – both internally between decks, and to the exterior. In addition to this radically reorganised circulation, the yacht incorporates a central service spine running the length of the vessel, as well as a large tender bay for. The two studios suggest the concept could prefigure a variety of use cases, from an explorer yacht to a luxury cruise vessel, as well as the ultimate in spacious private megayacht design.

FosterandPartners.com, @FosterandPartners, Lateral.Engineering

Tweed goes nautical in this new collaboration between Savile Row and the world of boatbuilding. Huntsman, one of London’s oldest tailoring concerns on Savile Row, has teamed up with American boatbuilder Fitzke Boatworks to create a contemporary update of the ‘Gentleman’s Racer’.

This self-consciously archaic category dates back over a century to the early days of powerboating, and a new breed of wealthy owners who would only race at weekends. Limited in power, with a stowaway passenger bench on board for more leisurely trips during the week, it was a water-borne version of the upper-class hijinks being played out on the period’s racetracks.

Fitzke Boatworks has partnered with Huntsman to create this vessel, Miss Moonshine, the first in a series of hand-built racing boats designed to evoke the form and craftsmanship of this bygone but brilliant era. Founded by Kevin Fitzke and based in Minnesota, the shipyard combines handcrafted components with modern methods.

The Moonshine series boat combines a mahogany hull, with Spanish Cedar decks and stainless steel and aluminium trim, with details going right down to the turned aluminium dashboard and bespoke dials. Working with Huntsman added another layer of heritage – the tailors have been around for 175 years and also work in shirtmaking as well as bespoke cloth design.

It’s the latter that graces the Moonshine Series. Fitzke specified a special marine-grade tweed for the interiors, and Huntsman has delivered. The seats and protective fenders are finished with this all-new material, developed by Huntsman as a hybrid of tweed’s rugged, hard-wearing nature with added water resistance and durability. In addition, there’s also set of luggage made from the same material. In order to upholster the seats with the new tweed, the manufacturer sourced vintage sewing machines to replicate the workmanship and style of 1920s design.

As the name suggests, Miss Moonshine also harks back to the custom rum-running boats created during prohibition. Power comes from a hand-built 5.7-litre V8, and the hull is 23 feet in length with a beam of just 6-foot. Compact and manoeuvrable, yet finished with meticulous attention to detail and quality, Fitzke expects to build just two hulls a year, each tailored to a precise customer specification.

HuntsmanSavileRow.com, @HuntsmanSavileRow, FitzkeBoatworks.com

At Milan Design Week 2025, Italian luxury kitchen brand Officine Gullo unveiled its Nautical Collection of yacht kitchens – designed to transform the traditionally cramped galley into a central, social hub. On land, kitchens are the heart of the home. Why shouldn't the same be true at sea? Think islands for panoramic breakfasts, bar counters for sunset aperitifs, and cooking stations that serve as gathering places.

At sea, versatility is key. The Nautical Collection includes full kitchen and bar configurations, as well as modular elements for custom layouts. Countertops, cabinetry and walls can be outfitted with wine cellars, refrigerators, ice makers, glass washers, dishwashers, coffee machines, cocktail stations and more. In short, every detail is tailor-made to suit space, preferences and requirements.

Material selection was equally considered by Officine Gullo, which is known for its metal-crafted kitchens. The core material is AISI 316 stainless steel, chosen for its resistance to corrosion, finished in bespoke colours and accented with polished chrome.

The collection includes three standout design concepts. Ocean Flow offers both indoor and outdoor iterations. Indoors, a ‘vanilla frost’ matte pairs with chrome accents. A central island bar with cantilevered seating is the heart of the space, incorporating an ice basin, bottle and tool storage, a coffee machine and refrigerated wine columns. Outdoors, the palette shifts to a ‘cappuccino’ tone, anchored by an Arabescato Corchia marble countertop. Features include a professional barbecue, integrated sink, drawers and wine storage.

The Timeless Tide concept is rendered in matte grey with chrome finishes and Nero Marquina marble, boasting a tasting island that separates the cooking zone from a marble panel framed by eco-leather stools and Officine Gullo lamps. The working area features a double barbecue, a refrigerator, a freezer, an oven, a glass washer and a sink, with fun extras like cocktail and cheese carts.

Sundeck Retreat is crafted for cooking and conviviality on the flybridge. Dressed in a breezy matte blue and topped with Cristallo Traslux marble, its U-shaped hospitality island offers generous seating, a double barbecue, a maxi burner, an integrated sink, large refrigerators, display cabinets and a dedicated cocktail space.

With the Nautical Collection, Officine Gullo extends its legacy of Italian excellence to the sea, merging aesthetics, technology and ergonomic design. The collection – debuted at a special installation at the brand’s Milan showroom back in April – proves that culinary artistry doesn’t have to stay anchored at port.

A double exhibition opening

Hannah Silver, Art, Culture, Watches and Jewellery Editor

This week I was thrilled to visit the Hepworth Wakefield, the David Chipperfield-designed gallery with impeccable programming. Opening today are two exhibitions, by Helen Chadwick and Caroline Walker. I loved discovering the work of both in the beautiful space, and speaking to Caroline about the influences behind her large-scale oil paintings depicting women’s spaces.

A food-filled week

Tianna Williams, Staff Writer

With chrome surfaces coupled with a stunning stained glass ceiling, The Dreamery in Islington has been on my radar for a while. Curious to see if it was just social media hype, I finally ventured over to the part ice cream parlour, part wine bar (a match made in heaven?), and it did not disappoint. Another evening involved dining in Gloria, a 70s-, Capri-style trattoria in Shoreditch. It is a colourful, playful spot to bring friends from out of London, which is exactly what I did when I caught up with my cousin over fresh pasta served on beautiful crockery. Delicious.

A wild book launch

Ellie Stathaki, Architecture and Environment Director

I attended the launch of Wild Sauna, the new book of our lovely contributor editor and my long-term colleague and friend, Emma O'Kelly, in North London. Bubbles and a talk between Emma and journalist Bee Rowlatt helped delve into the topic further. I am still fairly new to this wellness practice, but it's such a captivating one! Relaxing and intense at the same time. Emma's book is essentially a guide to UK saunas among nature, and here's hoping I get to explore some in person in the future.

An electrifying exhibition

Gabriel Annouka, Senior Designer

I went to Miłość Gallery on Thursday evening for artist Maite de Orbe’s first solo – grief, God, car crashes, and best friends knotted in light. Obsessive, cinematic, and achingly beautiful. Go immediately.

Cocktails at The Savoy

Melina Keays, Entertaining Director

I slipped into The Savoy one afternoon for a cheeky cocktail or two. The bar at The River Restaurant is a lovely place to do some people watching over the rim of a Martini glass; its setting at the back of the hotel, overlooking the Thames, provides a glorious retreat from the bustle of The Strand. There is an excellent selection of cocktails; my favourite is the Monarch Martini, created to mark the present king’s coronation. It has remained on the menu as it is so delicious, with delicate notes of Earl Grey tea, peach and elderflower.

A motor yacht medley

Anna Solomon, Digital Staff Writer

I was bound for the coast on Thursday, where the British Motor Yacht Show was kicking off in Southampton. Italian yacht builder Sanlorenzo told us all about the ‘green methanol’ revolution, which could pave the way for carbon-neutral yachts, before asking us to scrap our shoes and step aboard the vessels it had brought to the show. My favourite was the intriguingly asymmetric Sanlorenzo SL96A (and not just because it was the biggest boat in the marina).

The British Motor Yacht Show is underway (May 15-18 2025), and Wallpaper* is at the quayside to check out the offering. Italian shipbuilder Sanlorenzo has brought its largest ever lineup to Southampton, as well as the largest yacht at the show. We step aboard the three very different offerings: the Sanlorenzo SL96A and SX76 and the Bluegame BG54.

Sanlorenzo SX76

This 23.75-m vessel falls into that mid-range size category that feels at once zippy and expansive on board – neither the interior nor exterior spaces feel compromised. It accommodates eight guests in a full-beam owner’s cabin, a VIP suite and two twin guest cabins, each with en-suite bathrooms.

The design blends classic and explorer styles, equipping the yacht for both adventure and relaxation. Interiors brim with a level of craftsmanship befitting the best-of-Italian brand: a soothing haven of natural hues, light oak and walnut flooring, and a roster of designer furniture: the cockpit is kitted out with Talenti pieces, the semi-enclosed flybridge boasts a B&B Butterfly modular sofa, and the Emperador marble bathrooms are home to Fantini Rubinetti accessories. Elsewhere, find a Poltrona Frau Fiorile coffee table and a Cassina Utrecht armchair.

Sanlorenzo SL96A

This was our pick of the day, and not just because, at 29.06m, the SL96A is the largest yacht at the British Motor Yacht Show – stopping short of ‘floating hotel’ territory, but big enough that you can, occasionally, forget that you’re on the water. Although not for lack of views: the saloon features floor-to-ceiling windows which, on this occasion, frame a slightly grey day at Swanwick Marina, but would pay dividends in the Greek archipelago.

The thing that made the SL96A stand out, however, was the intriguing asymmetry: Sanlorenzo has elevated the port-side deck, increasing the interior volume of the saloon. However, look at the yacht from the front, and it will look perfectly symmetrical – a clever quirk of design.

This boat encapsulates Sanlorenzo’s customisation capabilities, which it says are ‘almost limitless’: by the time the owner of this SL96A signed the contract, they had itemised 411 custom modifications from the standard factory model; this number is now over 600.

Bluegame BG54

This sporty yacht is what one might describe as ‘entry level’; a 16.57-metre model from Bluegame, Sanlorenzo’s sister brand, known for its sustainability credentials (Sanlorenzo is exploring the green yachting space, currently developing the 50Steel, the world's first superyacht to house the green methanol fuel cell system). The BG54 focuses on ergonomics, functionality and performance, including a reverse windshield in the wheelhouse for maximum visibility in all weather conditions.

To the untrained eye, concept yachts are pure entertainment, adrift from reality or day to day practicality, existing purely to showcase formal adventure and material exploration. For the industry, they’re also elaborate calling cards, a way to lure potential customers into a world where anything is theoretically possible, should pockets be deep enough.

They also serve as showcases for unusual talent combinations – witness the partnership between Zaha Hadid Architects, Jason Bruges Studio and Vitruvius Yachts that gave us this conceptual Royal Yacht.

What we have here is the work of Vripack, a Dutch design studio with a weather eye on the emerging trends, markets and demands of a younger generation. Lily is a 101-metre concept design developed in collaboration with Dutch shipyard Oceanco inspired, unsurprisingly, by a water lily. The internal arrangement and hull all demonstrate an asymmetric approach, without compromising on space and amenity and improving views, light and the movement of air.

The lily analogy comes in at superstructure level, and the way the yacht’s overlapping decks and swooping hull evoke a lily closing its petals around its core. The accommodation stretches to a dedicated leisure deck, complete with children’s ‘play nest’, along with nine 50msq double guest cabins and an open-plan cinema.

The 101m length is uncommonly generous, even in a world of blossoming superyacht scales, so it comes as no surprise to discover that the designer’s have found space for a helicopter landing pad, along with tender docks and hangars for four vessels and the helicopter itself.

Vripack’s co-creative director, Marnix Hoekstra, explains that Oceanco wanted a yacht design ‘for the change makers who want to leave a mark,’ adding that ‘this new generation is quite experiential and appreciates multi directional design, [which] resulted in a radical and fresh layout within a unique outer shape.’

Should Lily ever be built, it would combine an elegant, unbroken sailing yacht-inspired steel hull and aluminium superstructure, complete with huge amounts of one-way glass to bring the sea into the interior without compromising privacy. Sun shading is high on the agenda for this generation, and the main leisure deck includes a waterside pool and gym.

The internal accommodation is arranged off a series of half decks, with a glass stairwell and mezzanine at the heart of the boat. The owner’s cabin – a typical place to showboat – is across two levels, with its own private sundeck and even an ‘interior lily pond’. As to where Lily is actually piloted, Vripack have proposed a ‘virtual bridge’ set amidships rather than at a high central point, freeing up space and views for the owner.

Vripack’s vision is part of Oceanco’s ongoing ‘Beyond Custom’ design series, a portfolio of formal, material and technological innovation that demonstrates the outer reaches of modern shipbuilding technology. A hybrid Dynafin propulsion and the latest fuel cell technology are proposed, vastly reducing the running costs and carbon footprint of the yacht should it ever be launched in the real world.

‘[Project Lily offers] a boundaryless onboard experience, like the ocean itself, providing pure freedom within the whole concept,’ Hoekstra concludes, ‘It reflects our belief that it’s in the uniqueness of an idea where the true value for the future owner lies. Lily neatly straddles the line between blue-sky thinking and buildability.’

Vripack.com, @VripackDesign, OceancoYacht.com, @OceancoYacht

Riva has followed up the recent reveal of the Riva El-Iseo electric boat with this, the Riva Iseo Super, a new 27-foot runabout that builds on the Iseo model line, first introduced back in 2011. Designed by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design, the Iseo Super continues a three-decade partnership with the studio.

Riva, part of the Ferretti Group, combines a rich tradition of boat building with the latest technology. This is a traditional diesel-powered boat, although there’s also the option of two different petrol engines, both from the Volvo Penta marine range.

The smaller of the two, a 305hp V8, complies with the regulations that govern watercraft on Lake Constance, the popular vacation spot that borders Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Here, new motorboats can’t exceed a certain noise level or exhaust output.

With the diesel model capable of cruising at 36 knots and the petrol versions around 33 knots, you’re never going to be lacking in performance. The Iseo Super also has onboard stabilisation systems for a smooth ride.

As with the El-Iseo, a new boat means a new hull colour. This time it’s Vulcan Grey, which is paired with the high-gloss mahogany finishes on the deck and stern platform, a classic and enduring visual signature of Riva style. No less than 24 coats of varnish are required to give the wood its deep lustre and durability.

The Iseo Super is 27-foot (8.24 metres) and has a maximum beam of 2.5 metres. The helm station nestles behind a low, curved windscreen, and behind this is a generous dinette and table. Instrumentation can be digital, along with a digital Volvo Penta chartplotter for navigation.

The U-shaped sofa has waterproof Sky fabric that can be coordinated with the hull colour, and it’s accompanied by an electrically operated table. A manually operated bimini top is stowed behind the sofa and there’s a sunpad on the stern above the engine room.

Riva has also introduced a new boat cover that uses the same material approach as a high-end automotive convertible for maximum breathability and weather protection when moored.

Riva-Yacht.com, @RivaYacht

2025 looks set to be the year of the electric boat. There’s now a small fleet of innovative new watercraft available, from speedboats to ferries and electric hydrofoils, scaled up in size and intent thanks to leaps and bounds in new battery technology and the growth in quayside charge infrastructure around the world. We’ve rounded up 11 of the latest offerings.

New electric boats – go make some waves

Navier N30

Described by its manufacturer, Bay Area startup Navier, as the ‘world's longest range electric boat’, the Navier N30 is a 30ft ‘flying hydrofoil’, following the established principle of raising itself out of the water on slender foils at speeds above 16 knots in order to minimise drag – and thus increase range. As a result, the company promises a range of over 75 nautical miles at speeds of 20 knots.

NavierBoat.com, @NavierBoat

Foilone Pegasus

The Pegasus is an electric hydrofoil with a more sporting slant. Manufactured by Finnish company Foilone Boats, the Pegasus is sporting in image and intent.

With a long slender fuselage made from carbon fibre and inspired by fighter planes and old Formula 1 cars, the 4.88m-long single-seater is less than a metre wide and weighs 200kg, including the battery pack. Top speed is an impressive 30 knots and the boat should cruise at 20 knots with a two-hour running time.

Foilone Pegasus, from €139,900, Foil.One, @Foilone

ENVGO NV1

Due to launch in 2025, the NV1 is the first product from ENVGO, a new startup that has enlisted tech specialists and superyacht designers to create a hydrofoiling electric boat with a proposed top speed of 43 knots. At 8.3m long, the NV1 is a substantial craft, with 80 kWh of batteries giving a range of up to 80 miles. The company is taking expressions of interest for the first-run Founders Edition model.

ENVGO.com, @ENVGOboats

SeaBubbles Smart Bubble

SeaBubbles is a French company looking to get into the burgeoning electric water taxi industry. The company’s two craft, the Bubble and the Smart Bubble, are fully enclosed vessels using a hydrofoil system. The original Bubble was first shown in 2021 and has now been joined by the six- to ten-passenger Smart Bubble. Intended primarily as a water taxi, the company will also supply a Smart Bubble configured for private use.

SeaBubbles.com, @SeaBubbles_Official

Candela P-12

Already known for the Polestar edition of the Candela C-8 – a model that recently completed the first ever electric-powered crossing of the Baltic Sea – Swedish manufacturer Candela is now delivering the first batch of the larger P-12 model, a hydrofoil ferry. Last autumn the 30-passenger P12 began operating Stockholm’s Ekerö-Stockholm City Hall route.

Thanks to the low wake generated by the foiling system, the boat received permission to travel much faster within the city than conventional craft. The 12m craft can travel 40 miles at its 25 knot service speed and is available as a hard-wearing Shuttle variant, a more upscale Business model or as the Voyager specification, which allows owners to customise the expansive cabin to their own requirements.

Candela.com, @CandelaBoats

Artemis EF-12 Escape

Another company looking to get into the water taxi market is Artemis. Based in Belfast and founded in 2017, Artemis recently launched the EF-12 Escape, using their proprietary Artemis eFoiler system for a smooth, quiet and efficient ride. The vessel has a top speed of 30 knots and a foiling range of 52 nautical miles, with space for 12 passengers. Fast charging comes as standard.

ArtemisTechnologies.co.uk, @ArtemisTechnologies

Vessev VS-9

On the other side of the world, you’ll find Vessev, an Auckland-based shipyard that makes the VS-9, a 9m ’premium tourism electric hydrofoil’ designed to take ten passengers at speeds of around 25 knots. The boat is set to enter service with New Zealand ferry operator Fullers360, and the twin-hull, fully enclosed design has been configured to maximise comfort and views.

The company says it’s taken inspiration from the likes of private jet design and new era EV manufacturers like Rivian. According to the company’s CEO, Eric Laakmann, ‘our goal was to make sure the passengers of the VS-9 are connecting with only two things – those on the journey with them as well as their surroundings. We’ve accomplished exactly that.’

Vessev.com, @Vessev.Marine

X Shore 1

The X Shore 1 eschews hydrofoil technology in favour of a 125kW electric motor to power its sleek form through the waves. At 6.5m long, the craft can be configured as a fully open Bowrider, or with a front cabin and an enclosed cockpit. The X Shore 1 will compete with the likes of the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air in the fast-expanding market for elegant, swift day boats that combine high-end design with low maintenance systems.

X Shore 1, from €129,000, XShore.com, @X_Shore

Edorado 8S

Edorado is a Dutch hydrofoil electric powerboat manufacturer hoping to break into the luxury, high-performance hydrofoil market with its forthcoming 8S. With a supremely elegant silhouette, this electric hydrofoil is pitched at high-end boat owners, who appreciate tech-heavy systems like an all-screen cockpit and automated anchor system. Clever details like the pop-up cleats keep the lines smooth.

Edorado.com, @EdoradoMarine

Axopar AX/E

Finnish manufacturer Axopar makes leisure boats for customers across the Nordic region. The company recently moved into electric models with the AX/E 22 and AX/E 25, both of which use propulsion systems developed by Norwegian manufacturer Evoy. Performance is a priority, with the Evoy Storm motor capable of taking the AX/E 25 to over 50 knots, with a range of around 25 miles at regular cruising speeds. The 8m model also has a forward ‘cuddy’ cabin for overnight stays.

AXE.Axpoar.com, @Axopar

Iguana Foiler

The Iguana’s party trick is that it’s amphibious, with integral retractable caterpillar tracks that allow the company’s craft to crawl up on shallow beaches. Built in France, the company’s new Foiler model is billed as the ‘first fully electric amphibious boat’, pairing surface piercing hydrofoils, an Evoy electric outboard motor and foldable tracks. Often specified as a tender vessel on the larger superyachts, the Iguana Foiler is a multifunctional vessel with a range of up to 50 miles.

Iguana-Yachts.com, @Iguana.Yachts

As luxury travel brands go, the Orient Express has been remarkable for its savvy ability to unveil one unique experience after the other, invariably cornering the high ground, sometimes literally, with a luxuriously grand fleet of trains and hotels. And now, the high seas are firmly in the cross-hairs, the marque recently announcing the debut of the first of two yachts.

Scheduled to set sail through the Adriatic, Mediterranean and the Caribbean in the summer of 2026, the Orient Express Corinthian will be – for now, anyway – the world’s largest sailing yacht, clocking in at 220m from bow to stern. Crowned by three 100m-high masts which can unfurl 4,500 sqm of sails, the vessel, propelled solely by wind, can reach speeds of 17 knots, though a high-tech LNG-powered engine is reassuringly on hand.

On every metric, the 54 all-suite yacht is an object of beauty, its super structure conceived at the Nantes-based shipyard, Chantiers de L’Atlantique, and its Grecian-luxe interiors by Maxime d’Angeac, the architect and artistic director of Orient Express. ‘Drawing inspiration from the golden age of luxury cruises, the Corinthian reinvents movement and comfort on the water,’ says Sébastien Bazin, Group Chairman & CEO of Orient Express’s owner, Accor.

Not that guests will be spend too much time holed up in their suites. Not when the Corinthian lays out five restaurants, eight bars, a cabaret, cinema, spa and - just in case you’re moved by all that fresh sea air to exercise your vocal chords - an actual recording studio. All this alongside an almost 17m lap pool.

Swathed in a palate of creamy accents, timber veneer wall panels, slender Ionic columns, Greek key patterns and Art Deco wardrobes, the suites are framed by deeply-set bay windows, with bathrooms edged with rich red-veined marble.

By any yardstick, these are usually busy times for Orient Express as the brand preps for the unveiling of two hotels - one in Rome by the end of the year, and another in Venice next year - as well as the launch of another train, La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which will journey through Italy.

orient-express.com

While a catamaran might not have the grace of a monohulled vessel, the expanded beam gives designers a much freer hand when it comes to shape the interiors. It’s this freer hand that Meyer Davis – Will Meyer and Gray Davis’ New York-based multidisciplinary design studio – has exploited to the full with its interiors for Seawolf X, a 140ft (42.8m) catamaran built by the Italian shipyard Rossinavi.

Meyer Davis is perhaps best known for its high-end hospitality work, with a portfolio that includes the W Rome, the Etéreo-Auberge Resorts Collection in Mexico and the Four Seasons in Cabo San Lucas. Rossinavi commissioned the studio to distil this knowledge into the cabins and decks of Seawolf X, underpinning the catamaran’s sustainable credentials with a distinctly non-standard nautical aesthetic.

The yacht itself is the shipyard’s first foray into catamaran design, with a hybrid-electric drive system that uses batteries and solar panels for a pure-electric cruising experience the majority of the time. Shaped by Fulvio De Simoni Yacht Design, the twin hulled design has a large sundeck, a hidden pool stashed in the bow, and accommodation for up to 12 guests in five guest cabins, along with seven crew members.

Meyer Davis’ design makes the most of Seawolf’s broad beam, with a 100 sq m lounge and dining area forming the social heart of the yacht. The material palette includes the extensive use of wood, both on the walls and floors, along with organic forms and natural textures. The latter include woven raffia wall coverings in a subtle green that pairs with the timber panelling and brass details, as well as recycled wool rugs underfoot.

Fluted, curved wooden partitions and panels are a nod to the studio’s award-winning aesthetic approach to the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami, which received a 2022 Green Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum. There’s a clear Scandinavian influence at play as well, noted in the subtle curve of key pieces of joinery, the careful integration of furniture pieces, and an overall minimal style that exudes craft and warmth.

Rossinavi.it, @Rossinavi
MeyerDavis.com, @MeyerDavis
FulviodeSimoni.com, @FulviodeSimoni
Seawolf X is available for charter, details at CecilWright.com

Concept superyachts play a similar role to the concept car, in that they represent a tantalising vision of a future that’s technically just out of reach. The difference, of course, is one of scale; it might cost millions to bring a concept car to physical life, and even more to make it fully functional, but a 75m superyacht concept is only ever going to exist as a virtual proposition.

This is the new Feadship Concept C, the Dutch shipyard’s annual foray into the spectacular and speculative that’s timed to drop during the Monaco Yacht Show 2024 (25 – 28 September), the industry’s biggest and most glamorous shindig. A 75m motoryacht, the Concept C exists only as these renderings, but Feadship believes the proposed systems and technologies are very much part of its future.

Superyachts have been having a hard time of late, mostly before the court of public opinion. No one needs a superyacht, let alone deserves one, and some people deserve one rather less than others. That hasn’t stopped the apparently undeserving from being the industry’s most important customers. And just as car companies have the thankless task of implementing tasteless customer requests, yacht builders are at the whim of clients and interior designers who believe wholeheartedly in the status value of elaborate soft furnishings.

In that respect, a concept yacht is a chance for a boatyard to explore off-kilter aesthetic avenues as well as a refined, tasteful modernity. In the case of Concept C, that task was given to De Voogt Naval Architects, Feadship’s in-house team of designers. Created to celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary (diamonds are a theme here), the 75m hull has classically elegant proportions (a homage to the late Frits de Voogt, who died in December 2023, and who came to define Feadship’s modern era).

Within that glittering white hull are a number of visual and technical innovations. The diamond theme resurfaces again and again, notably in the faceted edges of the balustrades, the glass-walled pool and even the custom furnishings. At the core of the boat is a glazed atrium, that brings light down into the owner and guest suites below decks.

Overseen by senior designer Ruud Bakker, the design team also worked alongside Amsterdam diamond-cutting workshop Gassan Diamonds to explore the art of faceted patterns and the transmission of light. Another source of inspiration was contemporary architecture that blurs the boundaries between indoors and out. As the shipyard notes, ‘these concepts [were used] to amplify guest contact with the sea, a relationship that owners note sadly tends to fade as yachts get larger’.

In section, Concept C has a series of half decks, rather than the conventional arrangement, which does away with long corridors, and allows the central atrium to illuminate more levels. A ‘floating’ staircase and platform-style lift move through this vertical space. The latter is a signature feature, rising up to the top of the vessel where it cantilevers out over the upper deck to become a ‘private crow’s nest’. Towards the rear of the hull is a partially enclosed lower deck sea lounge, with side terraces that can be lowered to create an al fresco seating and dining area, along with a bar. Towards the stern, you’ll find a gym and a spa.

Of course, being fully conceptual means the rigorous detailing and compliance required to bring these features to life hasn’t been fully thought through, let alone costed, but Feadship’s customers are the kind of people who would sign up to bring such ideas to life. On a more practical level, the Concept C showcases pure electric propulsion, a development of the system successfully deployed in the 2015 Savannah, originally commissioned by the late Swedish-Canadian mining magnate Lukas Lundin.

Further innovations take the form of an onboard DC electrical grid run by methanol-powered fuel cells, paired with lithium-metal batteries. The industry is under pressure to be seen to be working towards more sustainable, efficient methods of propulsion; few modes of transport can match a 75m superyacht in terms of emissions per passenger. Nevertheless, there’s an argument that the heady development costs of hybrid, fuel cell and electric systems are best swallowed by billionaires so they can ultimately filter down to everyone else. C goes even further with its proposed wave-actuated fins, which can be extended out to generate energy from waves as well as provide additional stabilisation.

Energy saving is very much the vibe about the concept. Those classic lines and dominant superstructure have the added bonus of shielding glazing from direct sunlight, cutting down on the need for artificial cooling. Feadship is also working on moving its processes to ‘low impact’ steel and aluminium, a long-term ambition to source materials that have a much lower carbon footprint. Suggested accommodation is 12 guests in five staterooms and one owner’s stateroom, while a crew of 19 is required to keep all this ship shape and running smoothly.

That’s assuming that someone steps forward with the chutzpah and chequebook to make the Concept C happen. ‘We could start building concept C tomorrow or incorporate any of her sparkling innovations in the design development of a full custom Feadship knowing they are truly functional and buildable,’ the shipyard says. It’s more likely that certain facets of this ocean-going diamond will emerge in future builds as the superrich realise that even they are impacted by the world’s finite resources.

Feadship Concept C, Feadship.nl, @Feadship

After more than 180 years’ perfecting the art of boat building, revered Italian manufacturer Riva Yacht has launched the Riva El-Iseo, the company’s first all-electric motor yacht. Now owned by the Ferretti Group, along with Pershing, CRN, Wally, Custom Line and more, Riva first showed the prototype El-Iseo at Monaco in 2022.

The customer-ready boat, shown here, has been designed by the firm’s regular collaborators, Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, founders of Officina Italiana Design. It’s a classically elegant shape, albeit with an entirely new design for the deck, cockpit and helm station, and a new hull colour for the company, California Sky Blue. This colour complements the familiar aquamarine ‘beauty line’ that can be seen just above the waterline and is found on all Riva boats, past and present (examples of which are overwintered and maintained in Monaco’s Riva Tunnel).

Riva El-Iseo electric motor yacht: the greening of conspicuous consumption

At 8.4m (27ft) and a maximum beam of 2.5m, El-Iseo is finished with the familiar polished mahogany deck and stern platform, with stainless steel details and deck equipment. It’s closely related to the conventionally powered Iseo model, sold alongside the classic Aquariva model. The helm station has a fully digital dashboard with two touchscreen displays providing charts and battery status, while the rest of the cockpit is beautifully trimmed and furnished for guests to lounge, swim and eat.

Under the hull is a high-energy-density lithium battery pack, driving a Parker GVM310 full electric engine from American manufacturer Parker Hannifin. This gives the El-Iseo a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots, as well as much swifter acceleration than a conventionally-powered equivalent. Like an electric car, the 150 kWh battery pack can be fast charged, with Riva suggesting a 20 to 80 per cent charge can be achieved in 75 minutes.

Power can be delivered through three different cruising modes, Adagio, Andante and Allegro. The first is for the most economical use of power, with a limited top speed of five knots and the ability to spend up to ten hours pottering about between bays with zero sound or emissions. Andante mode lifts the maximum speed to 25 knots, while Allegro is the all-out maximum sporting mode. Should you drop below 20 per cent charge while out on the water, the boat will automatically enter Adagio mode to preserve your chances of getting home without running out of power.

The electric boating scene is still confined to high-end, small-scale powerboats, and Riva’s innovation is a welcome step in the greening of conspicuous consumption. Next step, time to electrify that most profligate all modes of transport, the superyacht.

Riva El-Iseo, price on application, Riva-Yacht.com, @RivaYacht

The still somewhat speculative world of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) transportation has received a fillip in the form of this partnership between Silent Yachts and Derby-based start-up VRCO, creators of the forthcoming Xcraft XP4 aircraft. While not as economically substantial as Stellantis’ partnership with Archer Aviation, the tie-in should certainly raise the profile of both companies and give billionaires something new to dream about.

Silent Yachts and VRCO team electric catamaran with eVTOL

Whilst everyone else is wondering how eVTOL will change the shape of airports, Silent Yachts and VRCO are pondering how to integrate electric aviation into the world of the superyacht. The proposal starts with Silent Yachts’ Silent 120, the as-yet-unbuilt flagship of the Austrian company’s fleet of all-electric superyachts (we looked at the Silent 55 in a Cannes Yachting Festival round-up back in 2018). 

The two firms have struck up the first-ever collaboration between a yacht builder and an aircraft manufacturer, although VRCO’s design is still at least 12 months away from receiving certification. Described as a ‘hyper luxury supercar of the skies’, VRCO’s four-seater XP4 is powered by four tilting and rotating turbofans and carries a ballistic parachute for emergencies. There’s also talk of a hydrogen-based range extension system for additional security in the skies.

The vision is that each bespoke XP4 will take material and design choices from the yacht interior, styled inside and out by Italian designer Marco Casali. The Silent 120 is the culmination of Silent Yachts’ founders Heike and Michael Köhler’s successful vision of a fleet of zero-emission superyachts, using a vast array of solar panels to create unlimited range and a total absence of noise and air pollution when running or moored.

Atop the large explorer-style catamaran, 36.74m long with an 13.85m beam, there’s more than enough space to land an eVTOL craft. Clever engineering will enable the yacht’s solar panels to slide away to create the touch-and-go helicopter pad – a distinction that means the zone doesn’t need to comply with many of the more complex regulations about taking off and landing at sea. 

From eVTOL aircraft to personal submarine

The boat builder has also announced a collaboration with personal submarine builders U-Boat Worx, a rather more conventional pairing for the superyacht world. The latter’s Nemo submarine is also electrically powered and will use the yacht’s panels to charge it up for silent forays down in the ocean’s depths. The yacht’s spacious interior means that stowage space for ‘toys’ like the Nemo is abundant, without compromising the size of the cabins and decks.

The first Silent 120 is currently in build, although there’s no word yet as to whether the future owner will include an XP4 in their specification. Given that every superyacht is the result of one person’s extraordinary flight of fancy, we wouldn’t be surprised.

VRCO.co.uk, Silent-Yachts.com

Oneiric is a new catamaran concept from  Zaha Hadid  Architects (ZHA). Developed in collaboration with the Italian superyacht builder Rossinavi, the 44m aluminium-hulled Oneiric Catamaran has been created to showcase the company’s commitment to green technology, with large areas of solar panelling to feed power back into the batteries set beneath the expansive decks.

Yacht design has given ZHA free reign to indulge in the fluid, dynamic surfaces and forms that characterise the studio’s architecture, informed in turn by  Zaha Hadid’s very sculptural approach to designing objects at every scale. At the same time, the yacht’s ability to harness renewable energy minimises the impact the vessel has on the marine environment.

Full electric cruising is possible 100 per cent of the time when you’re pottering between islands; for longer voyages, Rossinavi estimates you’d only need to run the motor for 30 per cent of the time, saving around 40 tonnes of C02 for a typical trans-Atlantic crossing.

Those solar panels can’t do all the work, of course, and the catamaran’s batteries are designed to be charged when moored.

Alternatively, the boat can be used as a mobile power source; hook it up to your remote island retreat and it’ll provide enough juice for heat and light. 

Inside, the Oneiric has space for ten passengers and seven crew, with an owners’ cabin and four guest cabins.

As with all catamarans, the Oneiric makes the most of the expanded deck space, even though the twin hulls are shaped and placed for the best combination of balance, stability and hydrodynamic efficiency. 

One other key design element is the use of reflectivity, with glossy curved walls, surfaces and windows helping animate the yacht amongst the reflections of the constantly changing waves.

This helps ‘blur the boundaries’ between ship and the sea, with walls and ceilings that bend away from the horizontal to remove any visible barriers between the decks and the ocean. 

There’s ample lounging space on the decks and inside, with an outdoor lounge and dining space joined by the full-beam main saloon. The owner’s suite also provides access to the large front deck, while an open-plan approach sets the Oneiric apart from conventional yacht design, typified by an array of small cabins and corridors.

Great swathes of curved wood and – in these renders at least – furniture from Zaha Hadid Design complete the contemporary feel. 

Superyachts aren’t having the best time of it right now, with schadenfreude out in force as many major vessels face sanctions. It takes a substantial investment to bring a concept like the Oneiric Catamaran to life, and the industry bristles at any suggestion of aiding and abetting financial impropriety.

Nevertheless, if you must embark on the long journey to yacht ownership, then purity of intent and vision is an essential place to start. 

It's not the first time that ZHA has been involved in naval architecture. Back in 2013, the studio shaped a series of six concepts for the German shipyard Blohm + Voss. Times have changed, and the elaborately organic ‘Unique Circle Yachts’ now feel a little bit too bold for comfort.

Instead, ZHA has given Oneiric a look that’s strong but not showy, reigning in the more baroque excesses (and also eschewing the glittery take on luxe of a thousand other vessels before her). Together with Rossinavi’s electric drive system, Oneiric could run smoothly, silently and under the radar for many decades to come.

INFORMATION

rossinavi.it

zaha-hadid.com

It came as no surprise to discover that the Monaco Yacht Show 2021 was a tad more subdued than in the past. The cancellation of the 2020 event threw a spanner in the complex nautical logistics required to see the global fleet of superyachts sail from one charter hotspot to another, taking in the key events along the way. That said, the industry is hardly reeling. One of the knock-on effects of the pandemic era is that the rich have continued to get richer, often dramatically so. As a result, the yacht-building world and its many affiliate and spin-off industries are steaming ahead like there’s no tomorrow.

The first six months of 2020 were hard, but demand roared back and now charter and brokerage are bucking all economic trends. Traditionally, shipyards and yacht designers tend to launch a fleet of conceptual visions at this point in the season in order to tempt owners to upgrade, or nautical novices to take the plunge for the first time. Here is our selection of the latest yacht concepts, revealing what’s projected for the years to come.

New horizons for superyachts

Feadship Pure

At 81.75m, Dutch shipyard Feadship’s proposed Pure is a sizeable yacht with a minimal ethos. Penned by Studio De Voogt in collaboration with Feadship’s in-house ‘Knowledge and Innovation’ department, Pure pushes the boundaries of what’s needed to run a superyacht. The conventional bridge has been replaced by a virtual ‘command centre’, freeing up the upper superstructure for more leisure space, while the smooth, seamless lines maximise the feeling of space. The shipyard claims everything is feasible and work could start tomorrow. 

feadship.nl

Oceanco Kairos

The Kairos is a collaboration between shipbuilder Oceanco, designer Pininfarina and engineers at Lateral. Combining a hybrid powerplant with an asymmetrical superstructure, the yacht is organised around a central ‘piazza’, an inside-outside space spanning the width of the hull. The ambitious design, part of Oceanco’s NXT future initiative, is intended to lure younger and more dynamic customers into the industry, people who aren’t turned on by traditional superyachts. 

oceanco.com; pininfarina.it

Tankoa T760 Apache

The glass-bottomed swimming pool has become a polarising symbol of excess in recent months, so it’s hardly surprising to find them showing up in concept superyachts. The Tankoa T760 Apache is a proposal by designer Alberto Mancini for the Italian company. The 76m yacht is made from steel and aluminium, with not one but two pools, including the 9.5m glass-bottomed one that oversails the gym and seating area. 

tankoa.it; amyachtdesign.com

MM770 Concept 

Another yacht concept that pushes an architectural angle, the MM770 is a design collaboration between two Hampshire-based yacht studios, Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design and Mark Whiteley Design. Working alongside Feadship to ensure the design was production-ready, the two teams have created a substantial superyacht with a crew of 15. The rear beach club is expanded by the folding side bulwarks, and the onboard gym and spa connects the swim platforms directly to the guest accommodation. 

markwhiteleydesign.com; malcolmmckeonyachtdesign.com

ShadowCAT

The rise of the support ship is one of the more contentious superyacht design trends; to facilitate sleek, elegant boats with expansive deck space, a whole industry has grown up to create secondary vessels that tail along behind, bearing ‘toys’ like jet skis, submarines and powerboats, as well as space to house a helicopter and additional crew. ShadowCAT’s ToyBox concept maximises the available storage with its catamaran hull, cramming the complement of kit into its relatively compact 48m length. 

theshadowcat.com

Faro Boats

Portuguese company Faro Boats believes it is offering the first ever electric boat and solar charging dock, a combo set to transform remote docking spots. The compact 5m speed boat seats up to five and is designed to be paired with the panel-topped floating dock. This contains batteries and an access point and can be used to raise the Faro out of the water for maintenance as well as provide a charge. 

faroboats.com

Sorgiovanni Designs ZeRO

A far more futuristic proposal from Sorgiovanni Designs, the ZeRO is a superyacht for the as-yet uncharted hydrogen era. At 94m, the ZeRO concept is on the large side of the superyacht spectrum, with space for a retractable helipad at the bow, and four tiers of rear decks stepping down to the water. The proposed electric power unit is driven by hydrogen fuel cells and conventional batteries.

sorgiovannidesigns.com

As superyachts go, the new Spirit 111 is somewhat remarkable from the outset. Built by the Suffolk-based shipyard, Spirit 111 is the largest yacht ever to be launched by the Suffolk-based shipyard.

Founded in 1993, Spirit Yachts specialises in traditional wooden boat-building methods, eschewing the use of fibreglass that dominates the industry in favour of sustainably-sourced timber. Designed by Spirit’s Sean McMillan, the 34m yacht is believed to be the largest single-masted wooden yacht built in the UK since the 1930s. 

Spirit Yachts designed the interior in partnership with acclaimed sailboat specialists Rhodes Young Design. The curvaceous, organic layout is truly bespoke, with barely a straight edge in sight. The below decks arrangement is echoed in the shape of the skylights and seating areas up on deck, with the centrepiece of the main saloon being a curved bench and table, around which the plan spirals off. This seating, together with the bed heads, were constructed from American walnut by former Spirit Yachts employees Will Fennell and Ben Jackson; the seating area alone took over 2,000 man-hours to build. 

Jonathan Rhoades describes the client as having ‘an absolute passion for design. The brief was a combination of his love for furniture and organic architecture.' The forms were partly Inspired by their visit to Arizona's Antelope Canyon – ‘it the catalyst for the idea of the warm soft flowing walls creating unique focal points within the rooms.'

Rhoades Young's approach Is Intentionally sculptural, and the skill of Spirit's team of craftspeople Is In evidence at every junction, twist and joint. The curving ‘S' of the layout starts with the circular seating and galley area. All doors are concealed and activated via sensors to maintain the smooth, organic lines, with motion detectors replacing light switches. A generous master suite occupies the forward cabin, complete with yet more curved fixtures, while the two guest cabins located at the rear of the plan, and a fourth cabin tucked off the main space. 

In addition to its 450 sq m of sails, the yacht, christened ‘Geist’, has an electric propulsion system that can be charged when under sail. Every component, from air-conditioning, appliances, generators to powered winches, was selected for optimal eco performance, giving the yacht the ability to run at anchor for up to four days without using the generators.

The carefully designed hardware and rigging are all set up for owner-operation, making it a superyacht that can be run without a professional crew, a truly rare thing.

INFORMATION

spirityachts.com
rhoadesyoung.com

There’s a lot going on in this ultra-compact transformable apartment, designed for a globe-roaming couple and located onboard a large residential yacht. Michael K. Chen Architecture has dubbed the apartment the ‘Pied-à-Mer’, and the design playfully references mid-20th century ocean liners, one of the obsessions of the early Modernists. There’s also a streak of high-tech, with a love of craft, technology and bespoke elements running right through the space.

Chen’s studio specialises in small, multi-functional spaces. ‘It’s a very particular kind of project,’ Chen admits from New York, ‘these elements are mostly for fun but they also help us prototype hardware, etc.’ Building such an exquisitely crafted structure on board a boat presented certain challenges. ‘We could move things around quite a bit, which was surprising to me, but there were definitely restrictions on things like flammable materials,’ says Chen of the 600 square foot space (which is actually two combined units). Having a wooden floor, for example, meant the walls had to be made from aluminium and fibreglass.

The plan is minimal and fully reconfigurable, with both master and guest bed folding down from the walls when needed to maximise the space during the day. When not required, the guest bed transforms into a banquette, with a fold down table that turns it into a dining area. The master bed can also be tucked away, but when open it forms part of an impressive suite, complete with bathroom and dressing room. It is also positioned to make the most of the sea views, day and night.

The cantilevered beds, from the Austrian company Ladenstein, are counterweighted to make them easy to operate, while the bronze and aluminium table is a bespoke element manufactured in NY by MKCA’s collaborators Rush Design. In addition to custom elements, furniture includes Jaime Hayon’s Vuelta sofa and pieces by Faye Toogood, Michael Anastassiades and Konstantin Grcic, along with art works by Ed Ruscha and Phillip Low.

The central spine of this nautical apartment contains a modest galley kitchen (most dining is done elsewhere), as well as a sliding partition that subdivides the temporary guest space off from the master suite. From the entrance, the view is directed towards the sea, with functions concealed within the aluminium ribbing that clads the central volumes, while concealed LED lighting makes these walls appear to float, ‘I find that our general approach, particularly in small spaces is to try to say yes to as many requests as possible and then look for ways to incorporate them by reducing the visual noise,’ says Chen, ‘here you only really want to see the ocean.’

The bulk of the new fit-out was prefabricated in a yacht builder’s workshop in Austria and then transported to Spain, where it was installed during the vessel’s annual dry dock maintenance.  ‘It was a bit of a learning curve, but our contractors were familiar with the ship, and we’re learning a lot about building on board,’ says Chen, Other things the architects had to consider were the pitch and roll of a ship at sea. ‘The expectation is that you’re going to be tossed around,’ he explains, and the fittings and fixtures have to have a certain resilience as a result.

While compact but luxurious apartments are one of Chen’s specialisms, his studio is working on a Manhattan apartment building, as well as a community hospital building in Bushwick. ‘We’ve also started a non-profit to do pro bono design work for small businesses,’ he says. The organisation, Design Advocates, builds on MKCA’s project for a library in a women’s shelter in the Bronx. ‘It was such a meaningful and positive experience,’ Chen says, and the organisation now has around 50 firms all seeking to designing spaces for social change. These ideas might seem a long way from roaming the oceans of the world, but they point to Chen’s myriad influences and belief in the power of design.

INFORMATION

mkca.com; design-advocates.org

Danish architecture studio Norm have brought their meticulously crafted 'soft minimalism' on board with this interior architecture scheme for ‘Bella', a 70-foot sailing yacht. 'Bella' is the first iteration of German shipyard’s MS Yachtbau's new Y/Yachts Y7 line, a sleekly competitive sailing yacht that blends high performance with stability and comfort.

The Copenhagen-based designers were able to consider all aspects of the Bella’s interior, with a consistency of materials and high levels of craftsmanship that mirror the sleek exterior design. The yacht can by sailed by a single helmsman and the interior has a similarly pared-back ethos, consisting of a series of minimal, unified spaces. The master cabin is located at the bow, alongside more double cabins, a spacious galley and sitting area, a private office, discrete crew quarters and a concealed tender garage at the stern.

AS FEATURED IN THE WALLPAPER* DESIGN AWARDS 2020 ISSUE

The natural curves of the hull were concealed to create large surface areas that expand the feeling of space. ‘We wanted to challenge the general understanding of a luxurious yacht interior and move away from brass, glossy wood and other typical elements,' says Norm's Katrine Goldstein. ‘Instead we used natural materials, subtle and earthy colours and beautiful details to underline the exclusivity of the space.' Above all, ‘Bella’ is blessed with meticulous attention to detail, right down to the hand-stitched leather grab rails and custom light fittings, shaping a space that performs as well as the yacht itself.

INFORMATION
normcph.com
yyachts.de

For any designer or maker, a yacht commission represents a voyage into design nirvana. Yacht clients — whether owners, brokers or the shipyards themselves — demand an attention to detail and quality that is not always easy to find on dry land. Every element that goes into a yacht not only has to be meticulously tailored for the space, but also designed for safety and performance considerations. That means furniture that can be anchored for stormy seas, materials that resist sun and water damage and weight-saving wherever possible.

The Italian manufacturer Giorgetti is increasing its involvement with the yachting sector, dealing with all these awkward issues without ever losing sight of the importance of style. Recent collaborations have included interior projects by the Italian shipyards CCN, Columbus Yachts and Monte Carlo Yachts. Every one of these projects demanded extensive customisation. In particular, Monte Carlo Yachts' new MCY76 deploys the Giorgetti range to full effect. The clutch of aqua green Hug armchairs in the main living area are a fitting addition to the nautical setting, with their curvaceous, wave-like walnut frames enveloping the soft seating. The 23m MCY76 has four cabins including a full beam master cabin and space for a crew of four. The main deck contains the living and dining areas and a galley and there is an expansive flybridge above. In the main salon, Giorgetti also supplied the Ling dining table matched with elegant Ibla chairs.

The 80m superyacht ‘Dragon’ by Columbus Yachts is another showcase for the company’s custom skills, with a 14-seater dining table made from Roman travertine, maple and leather. Using Giorgetti’s Gordon table, originally designed by Robert Lazzeroni in 2014, as a starting point, the company’s new design complements an interior scheme by Francesco Guida. For CCN's 31m new hybrid yacht Vanadis, Giorgetti supplied the designer Guido de Groot with Progetti armchairs for the main space and Ibla chairs for the cabins.

Many companies are vying for space aboard these rarefied projects, and Giorgetti’s inclusion is a testament to the company’s strong working relationship with these leading Italian shipyards. It also helps that their traditional mix of wood, leather and other fine materials is a fine match for contemporary superyacht style.

INFORMATION

giorgettimilano.it
montecarloyachts.it

The new Princess R35 performance yacht appears to have pulled off the rare trick of combining agility and elegance in a single package. The backstory of the British-built boat may involve the skills of legendary Italian design house Pininfarina allied to technology derived from the Americas Cup racing team BAR, but arguably its most exciting feature is the sheer enjoyment to be had from piloting the vessel at speeds that might unsettle lesser yachts while keeping one’s cool and looking good.

The R35 is almost 11 metres long with a half-load displacement of nearly six tonnes – and this correspondent is far from a yacht-racing expert – but the ease with which it is possible to accelerate up to 50 knots, then steer and turn sharply in a manner that doesn’t scare your passengers, feels incredible, and incredibly safe.

The secret behind the 860hp R35’s high-speed composure is hydrofoil technology, albeit used in a different way to something you might have experienced on a channel crossing where the foils help lift the boat out of the water to reduce drag. Instead, the R35’s Active Foil System, developed with BAR technologies, doesn’t lift the boat up but uses two independently-adjustable foils below the waterline to channel water around the yacht. This ensures the boat always has the most effective contact area according to computer analysis of the boat’s pitch, speed and acceleration characteristics. Calculated 100 times a second, the carbon fibre foils at port and starboard move by plus or minus five degrees to keep the boat as stable as possible. In addition, the pilot can assist the computer adapt to the sea conditions by choosing from Optimal, Sport and Rough modes from the helm’s twin 17-inch Volvo Garmin touchscreens.

The boat’s ability to carve through air and water so effectively is also the result of good aero design input from Pininfarina, a weight-reducing carbon fibre hull developed by an ex-McLaren Automotive expert and the computational fluid dynamics expertise of Isle of Wight-based naval architects Olesinski. As Princess Yachts’ director of marketing Kiran Haslam explains: ‘Our product development director Paul Mackenzie was at McLaren for a long time and responsible for technical development. His nickname was “Captain Carbon” so now you have an idea why we’re sitting in a 100 per cent fully carbon fibre yacht. Pininfarina had a lot of ideas for this boat which challenged us too. We’ve actually looked at aerodynamic efficiency for probably the first time since we’ve ever built a boat.’

To help new customers learn how to get the most out of their circa £560k vessel, Princess Yachts is also offering a ‘familiarisation course’ prior to delivery – like Porsche and other high-end performance carmakers have done for years. Teamed with a cozy cabin below deck, replete with large screen, live-stream footage of the direction of travel (from an exterior-mounted forward-facing camera) and an upmarket sound system from British audio maker Naim with waterproof speakers and a subwoofer to add sonic ambience and excellence, the Princess R35 really does seem to offer a refreshingly well-rounded yacht experience. Fast decorum indeed.

INFORMATION

princessyachts.com

‘Lexus is a boring brand.’ These were five words that Akio Toyoda was determined never to hear again when he became president of Toyota. ‘Hearing this made me feel embarrassed and bitter: Toyota is practically my name so I’d feel personally hurt when one of our Lexus cars was hit, hurt or insulted,’ he recalls. Consequently, there has been great change, from the acclaimed annual Lexus Design Event at Milan's Salone, through to airport lounges and even hoverboards, Lexus has transformed from a car brand to a lifestyle brand. The new Lexus LY 650 Luxury Yacht is the ultimate example.

Classed as a ‘sports yacht’, the LY 650 is bigger than a standard speedboat at 65’5”, but with up to 1,350hp available it’s certainly no gin palace more suited to posing at Cannes. Instead, it’s sleek, powerful and comfortable as well as efficient: the boat’s guidance system is programmed to produce optimal – rather than the fastest – performance, and the trim interceptors on the hull keep the boat from pitching when the ocean is squally.

There hasn’t been a literal transference of ‘car to boat’ here, apart from the signature stitching on some door panels. Lexus approached the Italian company Marquis Yachts to manufacture the LY 650; the challenge was to merge Italian and Japanese design philosophies. This wasn’t as discordant as one might assume: Dan Lenard, interior designer at Nuvolari Lenard, felt that the Japanese minimalism married well with the cleaner, subtle approaches in Italian culture (think ‘Armani’ rather than ‘Versace’).

Walking through the yacht is a calming, sumptuous experience. Furnished with soft carpet underfoot, there is a muted palette of neutral whites, creams and greys, plus wooden veneer wall panels. All appliances have been hidden for a neater appearance, yet despite this minimalist approach the overall effect isn’t in the least bit sterile. At the heart of Lexus design lies their philosophy of ‘L-Finesse’, based upon principles of Japanese hospitality and aesthetics. The brief here was ‘movement without movement’, so the curved lines are intended to be welcoming and draw guests in (plus it’s great for those still finding their sea legs).

Unveiled in Miami, the yacht comes in an unusual grey/rose gold combination, although currently there are five colourways available. However, at $3.7 million, if the buyer wants neon green, that can no doubt be accommodated. Going on public sale in the USA on 30 October, the company hopes to make around 6-8 examples each year. As it currently stands, five have been sold, largely to car dealers and real estate developers in the US. However, there has been one buyer over in Japan: Akio Toyoda himself. The ultimate endorsement? Able to find the anonymity when sailing in Miami that he cannot enjoy in his native country, the eagle-eyed out there may spot Toyoda cruising Florida’s motorways. Whether they’ll see him on a hoverboard, however, is another matter.

INFORMATION
Lexus LY 650, from $3.7m. lexus.com/future/LY-650

The autumn yachting season sets sail with a cluster of boat shows around the world, including the Salone Nautico in Genoa, the Cannes Yachting Festival and the biggest and most prestigious event of all, the annual Monaco Yacht Show at the end of September. Founded in 1991, the MYS was focused on superyachts from the start, and as the sector expanded, along with the length and ostentation of the yachts themselves, the MYS has become a celebration of all things high-end, and not just nautically minded.

As always, far-fetched concepts are thick on the ground, although the boats in the harbour are no less spectacular. Contemporary designed interiors still lag a decade or so behind architectural trends, and there's still a noticeable passion for the all-out, highly styled decorative interior; Winch Design’s TIS, built by German yard Lürssen, won the Show’s Interior Design Award for its Versailles-on-sea approach. Other companies used the MYS – and Cannes – to debut designs that are many years from being launched.

So is it all just business as usual? As demonstrated by the billions of dollars invested in the boats floating in Port Hercules and moored offshore, the superrich don't seem to be in much danger of going broke. And superyachts aren't losing their fascination either. Launching such a boat isn’t exactly a stealthy operation; these beasts take years to build and fit-out and shipyards around the world are stalked by enthusiasts eager to track progress on the latest vessels. Despite the high-wattage spotlight that shines on these extreme displays of wealth, designers, shipyards and owners collude to keep essential details under wraps. You have to be in the know to understand exactly where the money’s coming from, for example, and while a 100m-long yacht can’t exactly stay under the radar, you’ll be hard pressed to find interior images of many of the biggest and boldest boats afloat; they are simply not available for public consumption.

Monaco has a vested interest in maintaining this veil, and even though the MYS is all about display, getting on board the newest superyachts is very much an invite-only proposition. That said, the show is still a place for ‘international premieres’, with new launches taking the role of debutantes on the international stage. Here’s our round-up of the best new boats, completed or conceptual, unveiled at the tail end of summer 2019.

Nomad 95 by Gulf Craft
The trend for long range craft continues, perhaps because of the stealth-wealthy implication that you can spend long stints at sea. Nomad Yachts is from the Emirates, one of several Gulf-based yacht builders that are gaining increasing traction in the market that kick-started the superyacht era back in the 70s. The Nomad 95 SUV even has a name that implies a more rugged, enduring character, although it is of course luxury business as usual below decks, with up to seven crew attending to the six staterooms rooms, set out in a modishly neutral way. The handsome lines were designed by Andrew Wolstenholme and the yacht includes solar panels on the superstructure to give it more self-sufficiency.

Bintador by Tankoa Yachts
Bintador is new a hybrid design from Italian company Tankoa Yachts, a 50m boat based on Tankoa's S501 series and designed by Francesco Paszkowski. With a near-silent range of nearly 5,000 nautical miles it uses one of its two main engines to power the electric propulsion system, with a booster mode that uses both engines and electric motors to reach 18 knots. The five-cabin yacht was launched in May. Paszkowski's interior, designed in collaboration with Magherita Casprini, has an abundance of natural materials and a playful use of artificial light, mirrors and windows. tankoa.it

Grande S10 by Azimut Yachts
Azimut Yachts' Grande S10 has been doing the rounds of the Mediterranean shows, a sleek yacht with an exterior designed by Alberto Mancini to evoke the idea of a grand seaside villa. There are also copious references to car design, particularly in the way the main cabin curves back above the hull. Interiors are by Francesco Guida, with hi-tech touches like an electrochomic glass skylight.

Sangi by Royal Huisman
The Sangi concept was unveiled at the show by Dutch shipyard Royal Huisman. The name, which means 'change' in Esperanto, signals the ambition for this medium-scale superyacht to be more flexible and 'smarter'. Royal Huisman hopes that future owners will take advantage of the choice afforded by the 55m lightweight aluminium hull – plenty of interior space, multiple configurations and the opportunity to install hybrid or full electric drive systems. Sneaking in below a gross tonnage of 500 means the yacht doesn't have the regulatory burden of a larger yacht. The trim, upright design is by Cor D. Rover and naval architects Van Oossanen.

165 Wallypower by Wally
Eagerly awaited and announced in time for the show, the 165 Wallypower is a 50m motor yacht proposal from celebrated Italian shipyard Wally, working in conjunction with two of the superstars of yacht design, Espen Øino and Luca Bassani. Featuring the signature faceted Wally style, the 165 Wallypower is spacious and flexible, with five main cabins including an owner's stateroom, several fold down balconies and an extending beach club. Concealed functions include the hidden tender garage beneath the foredeck, and frameless, flush glass.

Lush by Oyster Yachts
Lush is a classically elegant sailing yacht with nearly 100,000 miles on the clock, the boat's owner enlisted the firm to undergo a complete re-fit. The end result is a modern take on the traditional nautical interior, updating the 2012 Oyster 885 model with many carefully crafted elements, from walnut furniture to wireless charging pads scattered around the cabins. A wide beam allows the 90-foot yacht to sleep up to 12, including crew, while the raised saloon offers sea views during inclement weather.

48 Wallytender by Wally
Wally, now owned by the mighty Ferretti Group, ramped up its presence at this year's MYS with the reveal of the 48 Wallytender. Designed to be either a compact standalone boat for day trips and short excursions, or to be stowed on board the grandest of superyachts, the 48 is an evolution of the original Wallytender, introduced by Wally founder Luca Bassani back in 2001. Flush fittings, faceted forms and folding platforms are all signature elements of any Wally design, as is the impressive 38 knot performance.

Samurai by Alia Yachts
Turkish yard Alia Yachts debuted their 60-metre Samurai at the show, a new flagship styled by Omega Architects with interior by the British firm Redman Whiteley Dixon. This was the first show appearance by a boat completed some three years ago, an indication of how much the industry is driven by owners' languid timetables and availability. Accommodation is for a maximum of 12 guests and 14 crew, with the entertainment areas finished in a breezy, loft-living style that makes the most of the yacht's 10m beam. There's also room on board for two custom-built 7m tenders. aliayachts.com

Feadship SYZYGY 818
Acclaimed Dutch yard Feadship brought SYZYGY to Monaco, a 77m superyacht previously known only as Project 818. Twelve guests are attended to by a crew of 18, but the most significant element of this sleek design is the use of glass. Curved glass technology is hugely complex on boats, as the stresses and strains far exceed that of conventional architecture. SYZUGY's wraparound superstructure was only made possible by advances in glass design and manufacture.

Wally / Pininfarina 101
A fittingly grand concept from Wally was announced a few weeks earlier at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Designed in collaboration with Pininfarina, the 100ft sloop promises to be a truly dramatic sailing boat. A vast, uncluttered deck area is great for both racing and sunbathing, depending on your activity levels, whilst interiors look set to continue the Wally tradition of pared-back nautical minimalism.

Sherpa XL by Arcadia Yachts
Arcadia Yachts' Sherpa XL also debuted at Cannes before sailing down to Monaco for a second showing. Described by the company as a 'pocket mega yacht', the XL illustrates the trend for more functional, utilitarian designs that eschew obvious elegance in favour of maximum interior space. At just 24m long, the XL still has space for eight guests. The tall, cabin-forward hull design is arranged to maximise deck and entertaining space, allowing for an architectural approach to design.

Excellence by Burgess
Broker Burgess Yachts showed the 80m Excellence, one of the standout superyachts on display. With a sleek, prominently bowed exterior by Abeking & Rasmussen and interiors by Winch Design, Excellence was awarded the Finest New Superyacht Award and the Best Interior. The latter includes a swimming pool, while views from the main deck are through curved floor to ceiling mirrored glass walls.

Metis by Benetti Benetti's 63m Metis illustrated the multi-studio collaborative nature of most big yacht projects. Built by an Italian yard, the naval architecture is by Giorgio M Casetta with interiors by the pioneering London studio of Bannenberg & Rowell together with Birgit Otte Interior Design. This hefty team of talent have come up with a design that makes it all about the owner – their suite is an impressive 162 square metres, with panoramic ocean views. The main deck also includes a playroom and nanny suite.

Joy Rider by Damen
The esoteric and highly extravagant sector of 'Yacht Support Vehicles' was epitomised by Damen's Joy Rider, the functional flip side to the trend for sleek-decked superyachts. 46m in length, Joy Rider is designed to tag along at a discrete distance, with a dedicated helipad and space for 15 tonnes of tenders and water toys, as well as ancilliary accommodation for six more guests.

Ocean Alexander 90R
Ocean Alexander are Taiwanese, an example of how this traditionally Northern European-based industry is becoming more and more global. The company was actually started in the late 70s and their latest boat ups the ante on the glamour and scale. The 90R is notable for its broad beam and impressively airy interior, more akin to a floating loft apartment than a traditional boat. . oceanalexander.com

INFORMATION

monacoyachtshow.com

Two things strike you as you walk around CRN’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The first is that the water in this part of the Adriatic is a very particular shade of light, chalky blue, which bounces off the hull of a yacht as if by design. The second is that everything is really big.

This makes sense: after all, CRN is in the business of thinking big. Designing and building fully custom steel and aluminium yachts of up to 100 metres in length needs space – 80,000 sq m, in fact, of gargantuan warehouses and private marinas, all based in Ancona’s historic harbour. Founded in 1963 in the city, CRN’s dedicated fleet now numbers more than 180, along with a healthy number of aluminium and light-alloy models built for other brands under the Ferretti Group umbrella.

Having just completed its latest megayacht, CRN is building four other custom yachts simultaneously, each build bringing its own challenges and ambitious owners. Working in such a bespoke and exacting world should be a sure-fire formula for stress, especially when any new materials you develop or solutions you find probably won’t be used again, but to Gabriele Piacenti, senior project architect at CRN, it’s anything but. ‘It’s very fun,’ says Gabriele, pretty persuasively. ‘For an architect or designer it’s probably one of the best places to work.

‘Maybe you never use things again, but our yachts are one-offs. For example, we’ve been working with these guys at Fendi and other luxury brands, and we asked them to study some elements for decorative walls. We work directly with the craftsmen, asking for something new.

‘Each detail has to be clear in our mind. We have to make in three dimensions what we draw in two dimensions, so you think in 3D, you draw in 2D, you come back to 3D. It’s not so easy, but it’s really fun.’

Costanza Pazzi, chief architect of CRN’s design department, has just finished work on CRN’s latest creation, the 79-metre steel and aluminium M/Y 135 megayacht, launched earlier this year at a lavish private ceremony attended by not only the owner and guests, but all those who worked on the yacht’s creation. Working alongside Zuccon International Project on the exterior and Laura Sessa for interiors, the new ship has five decks accommodating 12 guests in five VIP cabins, plus the owner’s suite and a 29-strong crew.

Even working with experts like Zuccon and Laura Sessa, and nearly 200 other accomplished professionals, getting a superyacht from a mood board to the water isn’t an easy task: ‘I worked closely with Laura and the [owner’s] family,’ Costanza explains. ‘In the first meeting, they asked for a mountain chalet on the water. We used a lot of white wood, oak, a lot of wallpaper. We also used a lot of teak and all the colours that the family chose, because they each chose their own cabins. It was amazing to work with them.’

CRN is represented in every meeting a client has with its designers, because as Constanza says, ‘at the end of the day, they would like something, but I have to build [the boat]. I have to explain what we can and can’t do, because we’re not in a building.

‘Sometimes we fight, but at the end we find a compromise. For me, a boat is a beautiful compromise.’

Other concept projects in the pipeline are collaborations with some of yachting’s most important designers – Alfarosso (45m, 50m and 55m) by Francesco Paszkowski, Begallta (75m) by Lobanov and She (70m) by Vallicelli. Looks like there are more beautiful compromises on the horizon.

INFORMATION

crn-yacht.com

Azimut Yachts has always had a disruptive and innovative character, both in its products and communication. In 2018, it participated in Milan Design Week by placing one of its S7 yachts in front of Palazzo della Triennale (the museum of Italian design; a symbol of art and architecture) which sparked a broader brand initiative referred to as Azimut Staging Places, in which the Italian brand's yachts are placed in unexpected environments.

Turning heads, it recently placed a 60 ft S6 yacht onto one of Time Squares’ central-most islands. ‘Being the place New Yorkers call “The Crossroads of the World”, means being in the symbolic center of the modern world,’ explains Azimut Benetti Group vice president Giovanna Vitelli. ‘This new form of design expression is consistent with the original choices and codes which have defined Azimut’s successful journey throughout its 50-year history.’

But the first time she mentioned the idea to her team, they thought she was joking. ‘With our yachts, we can reach any indoor boat show, including those in New York, but driving a truck with a special transport to Times Square is something else entirely!’

Prior to the installation, Azimut had to revise and reconsider the best way in (and out) a number of times; all defined within a very specific timeframe – overnight, by cover of darkness. Due to the sheer volume of the yacht, they even had to remove and then replace some traffic lights. At one point, they had to divide the boat in two pieces, using a crane to re-form them on-site.

Despite rough waters, it was a true spectacle. Complete with full waiter service, serving champagne, canapés and sweets around the clock, accessories provided by Maison Gerard, and a lounge area curated by longtime collaborator and furniture designer Paola Lenti, the experience can only be described as a luxury-design world eccentricity – and there wasn't a Hermès towel or Dedar textile out of place.

The deliberately and dramatically incongruous installation — a seafaring sanctuary rising abruptly out of the sidewalk – was F. Scott Fitzgerald meets Fitzcarraldo. But amidst the spectacle, there was also a deeper wave of meaning at the heart of the project. ‘Today, sustainability and blue economy are part of the program of every conscious company,' Vitelli explains. ‘For more than a decade, Azimut has been acting with an ecologic attitude, being the first to test and use hybrid propulsions and decreasing the weight of its yachts with a massive use of carbon fiber, thus reducing the fuel consumption up to 30 per cent compared to yachts of the same size belonging to the previous generation.'

The installation was also used as a platform to promote the latest iteration of its design competition, in partnership with international cultural organisation Arts Thread. Together, they are calling for highly innovative projects from transportation and interior designers, asking them to create a new day cruiser. The winner of the competition, which gives equal weight to creativity and use of sustainable materials, will receive an all-expenses paid three-month internship at Azimut headquarters in Avigliana, Italy.

INFORMATION

azimutyachts.com

The next time you spy a gleaming superyacht bobbing up and down in one of the world’s more salubrious harbours, check out the name on the stern. If the design is of a sufficiently high calibre – with sleek lines and a sheer delight in attention to detail – then there’s every chance the vessel originated in the studios of Andrew Winch.

Established in 1986, Winch Design is now one of the preeminent names in nautical design. Winch rode the wave of the first generation of superyacht owners, parlaying his own love of sailing into a lucrative design career. After starting his career at the pioneering studio of Jon Bannenburg – one of the most influential of all naval architects – Winch struck out on his own, securing the kind of clients that any creative profession would kill for.

The studio’s new Assouline monograph, simply titled Winch Design, charts this starry course up to the modern day, with an in-depth look at many of the key boats created by the studio. These include the sleek Madame Gu, the home from home Sea Owl and many other iconic boats, each of which seems to mark a new level of innovation and craft (and not to mention expense and ostentation).

As well as an informative text by Dominic Bradbury, the book is also a meticulous piece of picture research, replete with many inspirational images of places, works of art and techniques that have informed the lavishly finished staircases, murals, wall coverings, and bespoke works of art that fill these boats.

The Winch approach doesn’t stop at the shore. In recent years, the studio has found their approach increasingly in demand for both private aircraft and residences, and the book dips into the tantalisingly unreal world of aviation design for the superrich, a place where ‘most clients want their private jet interior to look like anything but an aircraft’.

For the uninitiated, Winch Design is an eye-opener. For the most part, the clients are as discreet as their boats are outlandish, but a spot of Googling will probably enlighten you as to who owns what. A modern superyacht represents a rare occasion when ultra high net worth genuinely trickles down into a wider pool of designers, suppliers, and craftspeople, however inaccessible these flying and floating realms remain to the majority.

With this monograph, Winch gives an intriguing glimpse into a rarefied world. The studio is making a donation to The Blue Marine Foundation for every book sold, helping fund marine reserves and sustainable fisheries around the world.

INFORMATION

Winch Design, $175, published by Assouline. For more information, visit the Winch Design website

Every September the luxury world casts its eyes over the new nautical offerings that crowd the quays at Monaco Harbour. Superyachts and high design don’t always mix, even if the time, effort and energy (not to mention money) involved in creating these floating behemoths far exceeds even the most intensive architectural project.

Each year, a clutch of new designs stands above the rest and advances the eccentric art of yacht design. Here’s our round-up of the best boats from the 2018 Yacht Show. 

Illusion Plus

Y.Co’s Illusion Plus is the largest yacht ever built in an Asian shipyard, Pride Mega Yachts in China. At 88.5m, the expansive interior space gives the 12 guests a true hotel-like ambience within eight cabins, with double-height saloons, acres of low-slung furniture, rich materials and painstakingly applied traditional craft. There are a total of four lounges and two dining rooms, with a spa on the lowest of six decks, while the owner’s suite alone measures 80m2. Illusion Plus is one of the big draws at this year’s show and shows Y.CO’s evolution into one of the biggest playing in the superyacht industry.

Flying Dagger, from Rossinavi

The minimal interior of Rossinavi’s new Flying Dagger is a very contemporary statement, all moody lighting, angular chrome insets and not a curve in sight. Interior design was by longstanding wallpaper favourites, the Rome-based studio of Lazzarini Pickering Architects. The boat’s dark, sleek hull by Enrico Gobbi of Team for Design continues the low-key theme, with a technical layout pitched towards high performance. Ultimately, however, this 50m yacht will spend its life undertaking long-range, warm water cruising, a relaxed way of life enabled by its flexible interior that can be closed down or opened up depending on the number of guests aboard.

Latona by CRN

Latona is the latest superyacht from Italian shipyard CRN (‘Costruzioni e Riparazioni Navali’). The 50m vessel presents a classic face to the world, with an aquamarine-coloured hull and traditional-styled deck and railings. The interior is even more of a throwback, with an elaborate art nouveau influenced decor that draws inspiration from the work of the era’s icons like Victor Horta and Hector Guimard. Not exactly cutting-edge, but the mix of mosaics, curved wood and careful craftsmanship makes this an elegant – if eccentric – addition to the shipyard’s fleet.

52HT by Mazu Yachts

Mazu’s new 52HT is a compact superyacht, a twin-engined day cruiser with a surprising amount of below deck space and two hefty marine engines to give it a top speed of 36 knots. Carbon fibre construction keeps the weight down and performance and efficiency up, while the upper deck of the Turkish-built boat has clean, unblemished lines, with plenty of space for lounging.

Power Play by Damen

Damen’s new Power Play is a 55m support vessel, designed to accommodate the crew, toys and equipment that might otherwise clutter up the lines of the mother yacht – the vast deck can house tenders and helicopters, for example. Mindful that not every journey needs to be undertaken with a small fleet, the Dutch company hasn’t scrimped on quality and style, ensuring that Power Play can stand alone if need be, with space for six guests in three suites as well as a sun deck and lounge – elements that are usually lacking in these hard-working boats. The absence of the usual superyacht fripperies makes for far more functional accommodation. If you can’t bear to slum it, the shipyard’s proposed new SeaXplorer 75 suggests a hybrid solution to cater to all tastes.

Swan 115 Odin by Nautor’s Swan

Billed as the most advanced boat ever built by the Finnish shipyard Nautor’s Swan, Odin is a 115-foot sailing boat, a true racing machine that also has the ability to cruise long distances around the world. Three years in the making, Odin is an incredibly pure design, hand-crafted using traditional methods with a pared-back interior with none of the usual superyacht eccentricities. Although there is ample – and very comfortable – accommodation, this sailing boat also a racing machine, intended to compete at the highest level.

Titian Tender

Fresh from a first prize at the Cannes Yachting Festival’s Concours d'Elégance, the Titian Tender is the epitome of ocean-going luxury. The 9.5m tender has space for 12 and was designed by Cullum Bespoke, with extensive use of wood and silk panels, as well as a Corian and copper galley. There’s plenty of seating and lounging space up on deck – the boat was designed as a tender for an 88m superyacht and can more than hold its own in terms of craftsmanship.

Go by Turquoise Yachts

Resplendent with its turquoise hull, GO is substantial 77m yacht that’s another throwback to an earlier era of waterborne glamour. Designed by the London studio, GO has space for 18 guests, with a substantial beach club area and three tenders, all painted in the same turquoise hue. The main staircase incorporates a glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly and the five main deck areas include features like a teppanyaki grill, a 5m swimming pool and the obligatory ‘touch and go’ helipad (a designated space for drop-offs). Photography: Guillaume Plisson

Tankoa Solo 72m

Styled by Francesco Paszkowski Design, the new 72m S701 from Tankoa Yachts is a mighty new launch from the Italian yard. Having just completed sea trials and undergoing a final shakedown, the yacht is due to make its maiden transatlantic voyage after the Monaco show for its debut season in the Caribbean. On board, there is ample room for 12 guests in six cabins, including a substantial owner’s deck and a VIP cabin with impressive sea views. Other features include a winter garden, a beach club that incorporates a spa and gym, a 6m pool and a fish tank incorporating stabilizers to ensure the contents don’t slosh around in high seas.

INFORMATION

Monaco Yacht Show runs from 26 - 29 September 2018. For more information, visit the website

The Cannes Yachting Festival (which runs from 11-16 September 2018) is smaller and less overtly ostentatious than the big quayside catwalks of Monaco, Miami or Dubai. As a result, it’s not all about football pitch-sized superyachts like those in our concept dream boat collection. This allows more modest vessels (all things being relative) to step into the limelight. Here you’ll find new releases and debuts, alongside the tenders, toys, yachts and speed boats that make up the vast majority of the yachting market.

Here’s our guide to this year’s best in show...

Lexus LY 650
Not shown at Cannes, but making a splash in the yachting world is Lexus. As Toyota’s high-end brand with a focus on contemporary craft, design and technology, Lexus is increasingly invested in the rarefied world of yacht design. Following on from last year’s Sport Yacht Concept, a 42-foot speedboat powered by twin Lexus V8 engines, the company has decided it needs a bigger boat. The LY 650 is a 65-foot sport yacht built in collaboration with the American Marquis-Larson Boat Group, with a hull that takes the flowing spirit L-Finesse design language on board. The very first example is currently being built in the States, and with it Lexus hopes to extend its reach in the luxury market. lexus.co.uk; www.marquis-larson.com

Princess R35
Princess Yachts have teamed up with Pininfarina to create the R35, a high-performance sports yacht that also incorporates technology developed from the America’s Cup to improve speed and stability – the boat is capable of up to 50 knots. Portsmouth-based Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies consulted on the carbon-fibre hull structure, with ’active’ foils that minimize drag and help maneuverability. Below decks is a compact cabin that transforms into a double bed with separate wet room, while an audio system from Naim and a big screen linked to a bow camera bring the outside in. princessyachts.com

Arcadia A105
Arcadia’s new A105 is another muscular vessel from the Italian shipyard. With space for eight guests and five crew over three decks, the A105 has a modern, utilitarian feel, designed from the inside out to maximise the feeling of space and privacy within, without compromising the relationship between the cabins and decks and the sea. That slab sided appearance conceals a typically contemporary interior, starting with a substantial sun lounge. The deck is designed to be light and airy, with solar panels on every available roof surface. Down below dinner seating for up to 20 people makes this a floating party destination whenever it docks. www.arcadiayachts.it

Sunseeker 74 Sport
The new Sunseeker 74 Sport Yacht is a typically dynamic design from the British manufacturer, with a hull punctuated by a run of dramatically angular windows. Inside, this feast of fenestration provides plenty of light and waterline views, while a flexible layout – depending on the whims of the owner – allows for layouts that favour entertaining over lounging. A new cockpit door mechanism adds to the versatility, allowing the yacht to open up to the elements in warmer climates. www.sunseeker.com

Silent 55
Billed as the first ocean-going full electric catamaran, the Silent 55 is the most technically advanced project to date from Austrian yacht designers Silent Yachts. The 55 joins the 64 and 79 models and will make its ocean-going debut at this year’s Festival. First announced in 2016, Heike and Michael Köhler’s vision of a whisper-quiet, eco-friendly superyacht uses a broad catamaran hull to maximise the area of solar panels. Silent Yachts suggest their four-cabin yacht has a theoretically unlimited range based on a daily cruise of 100 miles, as well as the ability to moor up and use all on-board facilities without recourse to noisy generators. www.silent-yachts.com

Astondoa 377 Coupe
Astondoa’s 377 Coupe is a compact, sporty boat for day trips and short breaks. The 11.6m craft accommodates up to four people in two cabins, one of which doubles up as a comfortable saloon. There’s plenty of space on the generous deck for lounging, fishing or just watching the world go by, while the Volvo marine engines powers the unique hull design to a maximum speed of 36 knots if the mood takes you. www.astondoa.com

Iguana Commuter
Iguana continues to be an outlier in the world of naval design. The Commuter is the latest variant of the company’s tried and tested hybrid technology, which uses retractable caterpillar tracks in the hull to allow the sleek tender to crawl up upon sandy and stony beaches. If you’re at the mercy of the tides or simply want to make a grand entrance (or have an absolute horror of getting your feet wet), the Commuter will solve your problems like no other boat. www.iguana-yachts.com

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Cannes Yachting Festival website

For luxury yachts, money is no object. Oftentimes, the constraints of design reality aren’t an issue either. Want your superyacht shaped like a giant canoe? No problem. Want 260 sq m of glass on board? Consider it done. Here, we wave ten of the most outlandish, progressive and future-seeking contemporary yacht designs, for your cruising pleasure.

From designs by Achille Salvagni to Rosetti, hop aboard the superyachts that really float our boat...

Tuhura by Oceanco

Named after the Maori word for ‘discovery’, Tuhura is a substantial concept design with a radically different approach to hull design. Commissioned by Oceanco, the 115m proposal resembles a colossal canoe, with curvaceous light coloured hull paired with a dark gloss superstructure and a wraparound single-level deck. The canoe-style design approach was allegedly inspired by traditional Maori vessels, and the entire boat pays homage to that culture’s long, long history of ocean exploration.

...The sleek exterior was created by superyacht specialists Lobanov Design, while Achille Salvagni Designs have overseen the proposed interior. Throughout the generous open-plan spaces Salvagni has used natural materials like tatami and teak floors, pairing them with bronze and gunmetal to create a warm, decidedly unsynthetic look. www.lobanovdesign.com / www.achillesalvagni.com / www.oceancoyacht.com

Project Bolide by Tankoa

Designed by Tankoa in collaboration with the Italian studio Exclusiva Design, Progetto Bolide is an experimental approach to materials. In particular, the Italian shipyard used the design study to explore new ways of working with glass – there’s some 260 sq m of the stuff onboard, ranging from the curved glass balustrades that encircle the decks, through to the great swathes of windows that run along the side of the boat, giving it a dramatic structural profile. www.exclusivadesign.com / www.tankoa.it

47m FOR.TH

Arcadia’s 47m concept FOR.TH has a brutish, militaristic look, helped by the fashionably bluff bow. The Italian shipyard’s proposal is part of a push towards building ever larger boats, using their tried and tested steel hulled designs. The FOR.TH is distinguished by an extensive use of glass and the faceted, geometric forms of the superstructure. This very architectural approach incorporates lots of external terraces for dining and bathing, with sliding interior windows creating a ‘sky-lounge’ for even more outdoor space. www.arcadiayachts.it

Manifesto by Vitruvius

Philippe Briand’s range of expedition yacht concept is designed to be flexible. Depending on where the boat is deployed – the warm waters of the Med or somewhere slightly icier – the boats can be specified with an on-deck pool and plenty of sun-bathing space, or else a working rear deck with room for a couple of tenders.

...In full scientific trim, there’s space for a double-deck garage, or a helipad atop a lightweight research vessel. www.philippebriand.com / www.vitruviusyachts.com

Project Maximus by Heesen

As its name suggests, Clifford Denn Design’s Project Maximus, designed by the Dutch shipyard Heesen, is a sizeable piece of kit. Denn is best known for ocean liner design (including Cunard’s Queen Mary 2) and although Maximus doesn’t come close to these, at 83m it would still take up substantial space in any marina. Project Maximus is designed for warm water cruising, with copious deck space given over to guests. At the rear, an especially lavish triple-level pool, complete with waterfall-style dividers. The boat’s lines sweep back from the vertical bow, with sheltered and secluded decks. The interior is no less spacious and includes five main guest suites as well as a grand salon. www.heesenyachts.com / www.clifforddenn.com

85M Expedition Supply Vessel Concept by Rosetti

Tommaso Spadolini’s creation for Rosetti, developed in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce Marine, envisages a future where a superyacht is a kind of Range Rover of the seas, able to deliver the usual dose of luxury while capable of long-range voyages in all weathers and climates. At 85m, the Spadolini-designed vessel blends Rosetti’s long experience of designing commercial boats with the naval architect’s portfolio of some 200 superyachts. As is normal for the expedition sector, there’s an option with a helipad and dedicated helicopter hangar, although this can be replaced with storage for a sailing yacht and a grand saloon. The bulk of the accommodation is housed in the tall forward superstructure, with space for a small pool on the open foredeck. www.rosettisuperyachts.it / www.spadolini.it

Project Avanti by Winch Design

Andrew Winch’s studio is a mainstay of the modern superyacht industry, with divisions that deal with architecture and aviation as well as superyachts for a number of leading shipyards. Winch also creates concepts such as the new Project Avanti, a boat that’s all about making a grand exit, quayside. The ‘beach club’ steps down to the water and the concept suggests a flexible lower deck with space for a spa and sauna. Elements like an onboard infinity pool and a small fleet of of tenders are paired with a broad interior layout for plenty of space, including a private sky lounge adjacent to the owner’s stateroom and lots of nooks and crannies so that a party of 12 guests can each find their own private spot. www.winchdesign.com / www.heesenyachts.com

Noble Path, 80m yacht concept, by Philippe Briand

A fleet of new concepts has sailed out of Philippe Briand’s London studio. The trio is helmed by the 80m Noble Path, a concept design for a private superyacht that integrates hull and superstructure. An Arabic-inspired lattice wraps around the boat, reducing the profile of the boat to just a few simple lines, creating five private decks that also offer up views from within. Briand proposes using a mineral-resin mix called Krion to form the sculptural shapes and suggests it is a superyacht for the next decade. The Briand 163’ has a towering 62.5m mast, a height that meets the Panamax limits defined by the maximum permitted vessel size to travel through the Panama Canal. An elegant aluminium sailing boat, it has five principle cabins and space for both a 7 m ‘limousine’ tender and diving tender and is designed for endurance voyages without scrimping on space or luxury. Briand also has a 66m expedition yacht in his new portfolio, embracing the trends for superyachts to be more than mere dockside accoutrements and floating villas. philippebriand.com

Few designers have done more to re-shape the identity of the modern superyacht than the Frenchman Philippe Starck. Over the course of two decades, naval architecture and design has formed a considerable – if largely unseen – chunk of Starck’s consultancy work. His best-known boat was the late Steve Jobs’ impressive Venus, a sleek 79m superyacht built by Dutch yard Feadship.

Starck has also turned his hand to two monumental commissions, the 119m Motor Yacht A and 143m Sailing Yacht A, both owned by the self-made entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko. At this end of the market, clients rarely invite the world’s media into their grand saloons, so much of what we know about these boats comes from spy shots, yachting enthusiasts, rampant speculation and the occasional glittering spread in the specialist press.



A keen yachtsman and boat-builder himself, the designer likes to explore new techniques and technologies on a small scale before ramping up to meet the demands of his clients. Wallpaper* spoke to Starck about the business of building boats, what drew him to the industry in the first place and what keeps his ideas afloat.

Portrait of Philippe Starck. Photography: James Bort

W*: How did your first naval project come about?

Philippe Starck: One day, a gentleman called me to ask if I could design a 120m yacht. My answer was yes. He said: ‘perfect’. When I asked him about the programme, he said: ‘Make what you want’. One month later, it was designed. He loved it. We did it. The owners are happy.



W: What are the key differences between designing yachts and designing buildings?

PS: Except for monuments, buildings have functions, they are useful, we hope at least. A yacht is not made to be useful, it is the ‘crystallisation’ of a childhood dream. The territory is not the same; it is a sentimental imagination built with the highest rigorist technology. It is a paradox.



W*: What yachting innovations are you most proud of at Starck design?

PS: My first job was to replace the vulgarity of the power of money by the elegance of intelligence and happiness. Afterwards, there was an interesting work about harmony with the sea, then I worked on the elegance of the religious minimum of invisibility and other high-tech inventions.



W*: What is next in the future of yachts? Can you speak about any upcoming projects?

PS: The future is electric and hydrogen for all sizes of boats, from 3m to 300m. I am ready to help Elon Musk to make the same revolution he made for cars but applied to boats. After saving the earth, now it’s time to save the sea.



W: Does yacht design ever bring innovations that you can translate into products or buildings?

PS: Absolutely and that’s also the reason why I design boats. A mega yacht is a free advanced technology laboratory which explores thousands of challenges. When they are won, they can be applied to everything.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Philippe Starck website

Launched at February’s Dubai International Boat Show and tucked in amongst the glossy white hulls of the superyachts, was a striking creation: a new launch by UAE-based Enata Marine.

The Foiler is a sleek speed boat with integrated twin carbon fibre hydrofoils. Designed to lift the vessel out of the water at high speeds, the hydrofoils create an ultra-smooth ride 1.5m up above the waves as well as exceptional efficiency and speed. The diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system allows the Foiler to zip across the waves at speeds up to 40 knots, with the ability to glide silently in electric mode as well.

Foiler zips across the waves at speeds up to 40 knots.

A range of 130 nautical miles ensures this is a practical machine as well as a dramatically styled superyacht toy, perfect for skimming across the warm, calm waters of the Gulf or seeking out swimming spots in the Northern Med.

At less than ten metres long, with an eight-person capacity, the Foiler is designed to fit in most superyacht garages for ready deployment as a tender or day boat. Happy hovering.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Foiler website

If you’re flying privately into Nice, have a quiet word with the captain just before the final approach. For depending on air traffic control, it’s worth knowing on which side of the plane to sit. For this is one of the most spectacular views in civil aviation. With the Mediterranean coastline laid out before you, it’s a veritable feast of property-watching. Towards the end of September, there’s another thing to look out for; the shining white arrows of the global superyacht community, scattered along the bays and marinas, gradually increasing in frequency until you see the expensive thicket of hulls surrounding Monaco harbour.

A solitary superyacht can be a thing of wonder, if not always of beauty, a monumental symbol of not just wealth but of industry, creativity and massive, massive complexity. However, taken en masse, as per the marina and bay of Monaco roundabout the height of September’s annual Yacht Show, it’s easy to be less sympathetic about the view. Massive yachts are moored puffy cheek by billowing jowl, resembling nothing so much as a particularly florid dessert, with extra layers of rich sauces and unnecessary accoutrements from an army of sharp-elbowed chefs.

This is the panorama that greets you at the Monaco Yacht Show, where every dock, jetty and pontoon overladen with the white and grey flanks of some of the world’s biggest boats. Around 125 superyachts were moored up for this, the 27th annual event, and despite the dips and dives of the global economy, the yachting community remains relentlessly upbeat. People are still commissioning yachts. Fraser, one of the world’s pre-eminent brokers and charter firms, claims to have a solid kilometre of yachts on display.

It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that superyachts have been getting bigger over the past decade, an expansion that correlates neatly with the number of newly minted billionaires emerging from territories where such wealth was once anathema. However, as Fraser’s annual review of life on the waves noted, sales growth is actually in the middle market, the 20-40 m boats that were once in danger of being swallowed up by the megayachts. Although there will always be those who live to commission increasingly massive yachts, some in the industry see the way forward in this middle ground. The ‘pocket superyacht’ is a charter favourite, offered by companies like Fraser, Y.Co, Burgess and Camper and Nicholson as an upscale alternative to a villa in the Maldives or a high season week in Courchevel. Might might not always be right.

Monaco, and the media, still favours the massive – the average size of the boats on display was an impressive 49m and the top five were all 70 m plus. Like a giant sea beast, the yacht world is an ecosystem feeding many, many smaller creatures, from interior designers and furniture makers, to porcelain and crystal specialists, art, IT and security consultants, pilots of helicopters and submarines, chefs, stewards, and managers and many, many more.

Away from the massed ranks of docked behemoths, there’s always fascination to be found in the dedicated toys and technology aimed at this very particular elite. It was also the second year of a dedicated 'car deck,' with the supercar-loving Monégasques getting a chance to check out their next ride, be it brand-new or elaborately restored.

So with memories still fresh of the swish of endless tenders shuttling foot-weary punters backwards and forth, and the sound of waves lapping against expensive hulls (not to mention the high-pitched hum of photographic drones and those coastal views from NetJets’ brand new Challenger 350), here is our selection of the best in show, both above and below the waves.

Project Triton: We kick off with a classic, the kind of collaboration that takes years to set up. Aston Martin’s announcement that it is teaming up with long-established submarine manufacturers Triton will stir the soul of that small sub-section of customers looking for a performance kick in the wet and the dry. Aston Martin Consulting has transformed Triton’s three-person sub with dynamic new lines, creating a machine that looks poised, dynamic and – appropriately enough – pleasingly fluid.

Cloud 9: The traditional grand yacht was well represented by Cloud 9, a 74 m yacht styled externally by Studio Zuccon and internally by London-based Winch Design. The whole ensemble was overseen by specialists Burgess and built at CRN Shipyard. Cloud 9 is geared towards outdoor living, with a cascade of rear decks spilling down to the ubiquitous beach club. On-deck accessories include a Teppenyaki bar and a karaoke system (think of all the eclectic party themes you could come up with), while up to 12 guests can be accommodated in the eight cabins.

Rossinavi Endeavour II: We recently featured Rossinavi’s new Aurora, but the Italian shipyard also had another debut at MYS, the Endeavour II. Team For Design’s all-aluminium yacht measures 49.9 m and the Salvagni Architetti-designed interior deploys clean lines and contemporary Italian furnishings, making it feel a world apart from the industry’s still widespread reliance on ’traditional’ style.

Glider Yachts Supersports: You’ll need plenty of space and a strong constitution to trial the Glider SS 18. Promising a frankly outlandish 96 knots top speed, this slender craft is raised up above the water on two rapier-like floats, minimising drag and giving the pilots and passengers the sensation of being in a high-flying sports cabriolet.

M/Y Legend: Expedition yachts continue to proliferate, as the escapism offered by visits to the far-flung corners of the world’s oceans gain traction. We experienced the folksy interior of the M/Y Legend, an (alleged) former Soviet spy ship converted into an ice-class super cruiser with cabins like a 70s dacha, a boatload of reproduction art and a full quota of tenders and toys, including a submarine and helicopter (keeping high maintenance, fast depreciating assets all in one place). Antarctic journeys start with an 80 k charter flight to King George Island, ensuring a truly dedicated clientele.

So’mar: Riza Tansu, the designer and entrepreneur behind Tansu, takes a different tack to yacht design. ’Yachts should be like a beach house in Malibu, not a palace in Paris,’ he says from the deck of So’mar, a 37.9 m superyacht that majors on style and space, rather than complex hydraulic push-button gadgetry. Tansu likes to chase simplicity, with a smaller crew and a greater sense of being close to the sea. His forthcoming yacht ’Cyclone’ pushes minimalism every further. His boats have a robust form that pioneered the current era of straight bow designs. ’They are little ships first, and then yachts,’ he says, explaining how he is inspired by aeronautical design and contemporary architecture.

Areti: The Lurssen built Areti has a Winch exterior and interior, although the latter has been given a far more traditional treatment than the sleek superstructure. Beneath the sizeable decks of this ultra-modern 85 m craft is craftsmanship straight out of the interwar heyday of glamorous yachting, all carved wood, gilt and marble.

Home: One of the largest hybrid-powered superyachts, the Perry Van Oossanen-designed Home was built by Heesen Yachts in the Netherlands. Winning the show’s award for most environmentally-friendly luxury vessel, the 49.8 m Home has smaller engines meaning more accommodation, as well as the ability to cruise silently on electric power. Italian designer Cristiano Gatto created the appropriately minimalist interiors, using plenty of Paola Lenti furniture.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Monaco Yacht Show website

Unveiled in Cannes at this year’s boat show, Princess’ new 62 model is here to prove that when it comes to luxury yachts, size isn’t always everything. At a more modest 19.34m long, the 62 bobs comfortably at the company’s mid-size category of their famous Flybridge range, a design that casts a benevolent appearance in comparison to the somewhat aggressive, generously proportioned silhouettes on offer elsewhere.

The focus here is on a quiet luxury rather than opulence: you won’t find Swarovski bling or fur trims aboard a Princess (unless demanded by the buyer, perhaps). According to its head of design, Sarah Verey, the challenge with yacht interiors these days is meeting an ever-increasing demand for a minutely personalised experience amongst a sea of rapidly shifting trends. Nowadays, many Princess customers use their yacht to work on while spending time with family as a sort of itinerant holiday home.

In order to create that homely floating environment, there’s a muted palette of hand-stitched Fendi materials (Princess is owned by LVMH) and a comfortable layout of seating throughout (a dining area, a sunpad aft and a circular forward seating area that can be converted into an additional sunpad). Large glazed windows help enhance an ‘inside/outside’ experience by cutting out much of the external noise, which would certainly be considerate at full throttle should the buyer opt for the Caterpillar 12.9 1000 engine, with a top speed of around 30 knots.

The Princess 62 saloon

Also revealed on the quay alongside the 62, to much anticipation, was Bentley’s limited-edition Continental GT Convertible Galene Edition, designed by Mulliner and directly inspired by the Plymouth-based Princess Yachts. Both brands place a passionate onus on British craftsmanship and a devilish attention to detail with material, stitching and user experience.

What first grabs the eye is the bright, yacht-like white exterior featuring a ‘sequined blue’ stripe. Rather than going for the obvious ropes and Breton seats, literal nautical references can be found in the pinstriped walnut veneer – reminiscent of decking – on the central console and lining the boot. As an extremely bespoke touch, Spanish artist Jaume Vilardell’s watercolour illustration, featuring a Flybridge, is featured on the interior fascia panels.

A Bentley yacht may not be on the cards any time soon, but the partnership has proved a success thus far: there were originally going to be 20 of the GT convertibles made but demand has been so high that there will now be 30. If the new luxury seafaring trend is to accessorise one’s yacht with its matching car, keeping a vehicle in every port is going to get expensive.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Princess Yachts website and Bentley Motors website

The world of yacht design is used to high-profile creative collaborations. Aside from the established designers who have been helming superyacht projects for decades, many major architectural studios have also turned their hand to nautical trimmings, no doubt lured by the big specifications, meticulous detailing and generous budgets typical of this demanding industry. While acclaimed practices such as Foster + Partners and Amanda Levete Architects are happy to dabble, other firms have made floating interiors and sleek craft their speciality. One such designer is Achille Salvagni, whose Rome-based studio Salvagni Architetti has garnered a clutch of awards for its work on land and off.

Salvagni’s latest creation is a collaboration with the shipbuilder Rossinavi, based in Italy’s Viareggio superyacht hub. Founded as the Rossi shipyard in the 1970s, it became Rossinavi in 2007, turning out a small fleet of hulls every year from 45m and upwards. Rossinavi specialises in aluminium, building highperformance boats with generous internal space and
hull openings to bring in light and views.

‘Aurora’ was commissioned by a sport-loving couple who wanted classic transport design – particularly the textures and materials of vintage motor sport – in an impressively scaled package. The naval architect was Arrabito, with exterior design by Fulvio De Simoni. Inside, however, was Salvagni’s realm. His brief was to distill the clients’ tastes into a coherent whole. 'The owners wanted the design to enhance their dynamic and active lifestyle,’ the designer says, referencing what he describes as the ‘spatial fluidity’ of the living areas in the 49m yacht. Inspiration also came from classical sources, including the spaces shaped by the great baroque architect Francesco Borromini.

The ‘beach club’, with access to the swimming platform. Photography: Paolo Petrignani

‘There is a sense of movement that pervades,’ Salvagni says, going on to chronicle the levels of detail that typify a yacht project of this scope and scale. ‘We decided to contrast the noblest materials in every element of its interior, such as limed sycamore walls, dark polished tineo details, brushed natural teak floors, hand-knotted silk carpets, Carrara Statuario marble, gunmetal bronze and custom lighting.’ Armies of craftsmen and women descend on Rossinavi’s shipyard, not just to build the hull but also to weave in hundreds of miles of wiring, elaborate materials and finishes, and – most important of all for a yacht – fixtures and fittings that have tolerances more akin to the auto industry than the architectural world.

In many respects, a modern yacht is the equivalent of the grand country seat of centuries past, a blank slate upon which the cultural obsessions of the age can be explored through outstanding craftsmanship. ‘These clients are typically international, with multiple homes, are established collectors and have much more knowledge about design. They are sophisticated, with a taste level to match,’ Salvagni says. To make a modern yacht a coherent showcase of form and content requires exceptional curatorial skills, not just the ability to give it shape and get the most from materials.

The design and construction of ‘Aurora’ was a three year-process, and the boat’s owners are now taking in a Mediterranean summer before heading off to winter in the Caribbean. No country estate ever had such flexibility – nor would it have had a mechanically extending rear ‘beach club’, designed to sit flush with the water for easy bathing access. Despite the barrage of tech on display – including a recessed gym, a sauna, a cinema and a wine cellar – Salvagni is keen to stress the importance of having a wood-lined interior, both as a nod to traditional yacht design and to display the craftsmanship that might otherwise be hidden under modern materials. Those fluid lines posed a challenge for the woodwork and the marble, but time and energy were lavished on this project until it was just right.

Understandably, the shipyard itself relished such attention to detail. ‘Achille has a high profile not only for his vision but also because of his way of designing everything,’ says Federico Rossi, Rossinavi’s COO. ‘The design is still functional and everything is in harmony with our full custom-building philosophy.’ Salvagni’s hard work has taken to the waves in a remarkable demonstration of coherence and style.

As originally featured in the October 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*223)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Salvagni Architetti website, and the Rossinavi website

As yachts get bigger, so do the options and opportunities for extravagant interior design, features, facilities, finishes and accoutrements. A visit to the first SuperYacht Gallery, held at London’s Saatchi Gallery at the start of June, demonstrated this trend in full effect: there was pretty much nothing you can’t do on board a boat, given the right budget, boundless imagination and adventurous designers.

Sanlorenzo’s SX88 offers a slightly different take on waterborne living. The SX88 is a ‘crossover’ motoryacht, in that it has been designed to be as flexible as possible, without focusing on one particular attribute. Intended for island-hopping charters, this floating retreat eschews impractically sleek lines in favour of an open, more upright stance. The angular glassy superstructure appears to float above the generous hull, and despite the SX88’s generous 27m length it’s still a minnow in the superyacht league tables.

Nevertheless, Sanlorenzo has found space on for a couple of tenders and a generous ‘beach club’ (the flat bit at the stern designed for swimming, sunning and generally enjoying the good life). Below decks there are 4-5 well appointed cabins, along with crew quarters. And for a big boat, the SX88 uses as little energy as possible, with power coming from banks of high-tech banks of batteries to minimise emissions in out-of-the-way locations.

The flying bridge over the beach-club decking

Key to the SX88’s interior ambience is the involvement of acclaimed designer Piero Lissoni, working alongside the exterior designer Lou Codega. Sanlorenzo has previously tapped the talents of Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel for interior design, and the Lissoni collaboration marks a next step in the company’s design language.

Opt for the open-plan configuration – instead of the grand owner’s cabin – and you’ll get a wood-lined loft-style living space more akin to a penthouse apartment than a traditional boat. Lissoni and his team of David Lopez, Stefano Castelli, and Marco Gottardi, have created a saloon with panoramic views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a space that flows right through from the bow seating area to the beach club at the stern.

A compact galley sits alongside an open-plan dining area, emphasising Lissoni’s loft-inspired approach. Slender open-tread stairs lead up to the captain’s chair on the fly bridge, where a secondary open-air seating area provides an even loftier view over your berth. The SX88 is available for order now, built at Sanlorenzo’s La Spezia boatyard and with first deliveries expected in Spring 2018.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Lissoni Associati website and the Sanlorenzo Yacht website

Citroën Conservatoire, Paris, France

André Citroën founded an automotive empire with a Gallic twist, inspired and driven by engineering but also mindful of expression and emotion in car design. Throughout its history, the marque has meticulously chronicled and archived its output, resulting in the creation of the remarkable Citroën Conservatoire, a collection of over 400 vehicles (and 1.5km of document shelving) that catalogues the design evolution, technological innovation and sheer stylistic bravado that has always been central to the brand. The collection includes pre-war production models, quirky commercials, unusual concepts (a helicopter among them) and variants of the legendary DS. Mint examples of humble 1980s hatchbacks sit alongside burly rally machines and priceless one-off prototypes. The company’s long-standing relationship with officialdom is charted in the set of stretched saloons built over the decades for inhabitants of the Élysée Palace, while the opposite extreme is marked by development models created for the groundbreaking 2CV and the rough and ready Méhari buggy. The archive is open to the public – prebooked tours only – and it’s tempting to speculate that this ready grasp of nearly a century’s worth of archive material helped shape Citroën’s recent revival of the ‘DS’ name as a standalone, upscale brand in its own right. As displays of singlemarque design diversity go, the Conservatoire is unrivalled, offering lessons in transport design that still look ahead of their time.

Pictured, Citroën’s U23 bus from 1947, with bodywork by Carrosserie Besset, alongside the ill-fated RE-2 helicopter concept, intended as a rival to American manufacturers. In the foreground is a classic 2CV Fourgonnette, the light commercial vehicle that transformed rural France, while one of two custom-made SM Presidentials can be seen at the rear.

Riva tunnel, Monaco

Monaco Boat Service began life in 1959, when the family-run Italian boat-builder Riva sailed into the public eye as one of the defining elements of Riviera style and glamour. MBS was one of the company’s premier sales and maintenance outfits on the Mediterranean coast, making the most of its splendid location and starry clientele. The company’s pier still stretches out into Monaco harbour, and has displayed a polished line-up of desirable vessels, from the late Carlo Riva’s celebrated Aquarama, built from 1962 onwards, to contemporary Aquarivas and other high-tech sports boats. Carlo was instrumental in bringing the company to Monaco, and to cope with the need for more space to restore and maintain its clients’ precious charges, he instigated the creation of the Riva Tunnel. Initially designed to drystore 100 boats, the tunnel was blasted out of the Rock of Monaco, beneath the seven centuries-old Grimaldi Palace. Today the company is overseen by Carlo’s daughter, Lia, and continues to make a major contribution to the daily lives of Monégasques. Collectors flock to the site to participate in the annual Riva Trophy and the vintage Aquaramas are still a common sight in the bay, especially during the principality’s yacht show, when they flit between the mighty superyachts and deliver guests to Norman Foster’s Monaco Yacht Club – directly across the harbour – in peerless style. The tunnel is still very much a marine workshop, home to one of the world’s finest collections of a sea-going legends – even though the space scrubs up for the occasional party.

Pictured, a flotillia of classic Riva Aquaramas fills the tunnel, kept in pristine condition for their outings along the Rivera.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC, USA

Some of Smithsonian’s artefacts need more space than others. NASM is not so much an archive but a place where aeronautical icons go to live out their years in climatecontrolled retirement. SpaceShipOne, seen here, was the world’s first privately funded spacecraft. Bankrolled by Microsoft’s Paul Allen and designed by Burt Rutan, it was lifted to the edge of the atmosphere atop the White Knight mothership before boosting itself upwards, then gliding back to Earth. From 2003 to 2004, the plucky little rocketship undertook 17 suborbital flights, reaching a peak altitude of 112km, before retiring. Today its successors are getting ready for the big time with Virgin Galactic.

Pictured, SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately funded spacecraft, is displayed with its wings in the ‘feathered’ postition for re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.

'Handles like a boat' is not a fulsome compliment in the automotive world - it's usually a dig at large, unwieldy and dynamically challenged vehicles from the dark ages of automotive design. But for a boat to handle like a car is quite another matter. The new AM37 from Quintessence Yachts is a day boat with sporting pretensions. Designed by the Dutch-based ship builder in close collaboration with Aston Martin's design studio, this twin-engined machine is intended to be a gran turismo for the waves, a swift cruiser for the open ocean, all put together with the same care and attention to detail as Aston Martin's acclaimed four wheeled portfolio. 

The AM37 began life as a conversation, a 'what if' speculation intended to explore credible ways of taking the car company's design language and rock solid brand image into different sectors. Reasoning that high-end boat owners and supercar drivers were quite often cut from the same cloth, frequenting the same places and wanting the same mix of craft, design, luxury and performance, the idea was set. Aston Martin's design team drew up the ultimate speedboat, a day cruiser designed to deliver the same level of visual detail, aural excitement and material seduction as an Aston Martin sports car. 

Quintessence were the perfect partners, a Dutch company with the skills and experience in building high performance boats with cutting edge technology and hull design. Working with its long-time partners, naval architects Mulder Design, Quintessence offered up a hull design that was sleek, speedy and refined. The AM37 is built around this solid core, using twin 520 Mo Cruiser engines to deliver a socking great punch when needed but also the ability to gently cruise from place to place with excellent refinement. 

Aston and Quintessence cite a 50-knot top speed for the AM37S variant, putting this two-berth day cruiser in the upper echelon of performance boats. Not all owners will use every last drop of power, of course, but it's good to know the boat will outrun all but the most dedicated performance machines. This high-speed ability is the Aston DNA at work. From the outset, Quintessence has striven to capture the essence of the 'gran turismo', that fabled automotive unicorn that's as much about romance and intention as it is about real world ability. The boat builder describes its ideal customer as someone with a superyacht moored nearby (it would take a bit of alteration to turn the AM37 into a tender, but it's no impossible) who's seeking a bit of quiet time without the close attention of the crew. Designed to be easy to operate, delightful to drive and practical to own, the idea is that the AM37 can whisk a select group away to some secluded spot, with no need to enlist an entourage. 

As a result, the boat is extremely practical. That performance and ride quality is backed up by lashings of craftsmanship and material quality, using the same suppliers and a similar attention to detail as one would find in a road-going Aston Martin. The cabin has a compact galley and washroom, and a table that converts to a double-bed, while the cockpit itself is kitted out with a digital dash, leather covered seat and enough chrome and carbon fibre to give even the most vivacious four-wheeled AM a run for its money. Quintessence has pulled out the stops to make the AM37 a technical showcase, with a dedicated app that operates covers, roofs and steps remotely, and nice touches like a champagne cooler that glides out and opens up to offer you a glass or two of something cool. 

Aston Martin is not the first car company collaboration to set sail in recent years. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz have both unveiled ocean-going iterations of their most upscale design ideas. The AM37 feels like the most resolved, perhaps because it brings together a delight in material and surface as well as the crucial performance aspects. This powerboat feels like more than a mere brand extension, but a genuinely successful attempt to take a century-old marque into another realm. 

INFORMATION

AM37, from around £1.6 million. For more information, visit the Quintessence Yachts website