Oh my yacht! You've just bought a very big boat, but how on Earth do you configure it?
Those in the yachting know are increasingly prioritising outdoor living.
According to Heesen, the lucky few who own or are in the market for a superyacht are increasingly prioritising outdoor living — which means requesting more deck space, larger beach clubs and expanded wellness areas or retrofitting an existing craft to include them. (A beach club, for the uninitiated, is the moniker given to the water-level space located at the stern.)
‘First World problems’, I hear you cry, and: ‘How much more outdoor living do you need on something that blurs the line between indoors and nature, and is therefore a literal embodiment of the ideal?’ However, when you’re done redecorating your fifth house, these are the kind of problems you face, and every problem — big, small or inbetween — is deserving of a solution.
Heesen's 60-metre-long Ultra G was designed with group entertainment and socialising in mind.
Ahead of the curve: A few years ago, Alpha Custom Yachts debuted a 'trideck' concept. Each level features space for al fresco dining and relaxing, as well as a beach club with a swimming platform with direct access to the water.
Moreover, how all of us holiday has changed. ‘Years ago, life on board was much more formal,’ says Philippa Thorp of Thorp, an architecture and interior design practice. ‘We have one family who used to host black-tie dinners every evening when on board [their yacht]’ — much as dressing up for supper, in black or even white tie, used to be the norm.
These days, her clients want an area for barbecuing, yoga decks, large sunbeds for stargazing and adaptable seating that can cater to all manner of family meals and entertaining situations. ‘We help clients discover ways of living they may not have considered,’ adds Laetitia Evans, Thorp’s daughter and the design studio’s creative director.
Perhaps the prize for most imaginative reimagining of the beach club goes to Benetti Yachts whose 'Cabana' concept is less a formal deck than an adult’s playground at sea. The fold-down wings effectively dissolve the boundary between boat and water, creating a flexible and open-air living space that invites lucky guests to swim, sunbathe, socialise and drift seamlessly between the two.
Designer Katharine Pooley, who is about to start work on Ulyssia, a 323-metre residential superyacht, doesn't believe that practicality and usability has to trump style. 'The beach club is often one of the most-loved and frequently-used areas,' she says. 'Designing these spaces means understanding how people truly live on board, ensuring they are every bit as beautiful as they are functional.'
The British designer always integrates the most up-to-date technology into her nautical projects, but discreetly so as not to distract from the considered design and her client's valuable time with friends, family and with nature.
One of Thorp's favourite clients counts an 89-year-old grandmother among their ranks. She refuses to be confined to a temperature-controlled gym containing all of the best equipment, so wakes up before everyone else, plugs herself into a meditation podcast and hikes up and down and all around the three-storey yacht in order to get her steps in. ‘Whether on land or water, nature is grounding,’ says Thorp.
