Inner harmony
In Mandarin Chinese, the number 8 is considered to be a lucky number, and the sound of the number 88 is consonant with the words “double luck.”. That is why the concept sailboat developed by Igor Lobanov's Barcelona studio for Oceanco is 88 meters long and named Double Luck. The mega sailing yacht equipped with a high-performance DynaRig sailing system is definitely worth a closer look, as she is going to be very interesting and advanced from both technological and design points of view. The Russian-born yacht designer has a long-standing relationship with the Dutch shipyard. Oceanco has already completed two of his projects, and both have become his trademarks in the world of “full custom” mega yachts. The first one is 110 meters Kaos (formerly Jubilee), and the second one is 85.5 meters Amore Vero. His reputation in the sports yacht category has been established by his amazing projects for Mangusta—the 104REV and 165REV projects. The latter was launched last summer and received well-deserved praise at the Cannes and Monaco boat shows. Thanks to the success of the 165REV, Lobanov Design Studio started a collaboration with Arcadia. Besides many interesting design and technological solutions, the new projects draw attention to the way the interiors, layout, and exterior of the yacht are subtly combined.
Yachting: What is the first thing you look for as a designer when you are to board a yacht? What details do you use to judge whether a project is a success or not?
Igor Lobanov: The well-sustained style from the beginning to the end. I judge the spaciousness of the yacht by the narrowest place and the quality of the interior by the weakest corner.
What do you think is the most fashionable trend in yacht interiors at the moment? What are owners requesting?
There are three key requests. Huge windows—the bigger, the better. Increased ceiling height. A sense of cosiness. The desire to feel like home. More of modern «terrace on the sea» interiors.
Which do you find easier, the exterior or the interiors of the boat?
Exterior and space planning. Interior decoration is a bit of a challenge for me personally. That's why our studio hires specialists to work specifically on interiors.
How would you describe the interiors of the A96, your very first project for Arcadia? What features of Arcadia yachts do you find strong and attractive?
Arcadia Shipyard approached us after the success of the Mangusta 104REV, for which we developed exterior and interior design. Arcadia A96 is the first project for Lobanov Design Studio, where we were invited to design only the interior. The exterior had already been drawn.
The interior of this yacht will be done on a new level for this shipyard. Stylistically, we have complicated many aspects of it, rounded corners of beds and closets, and increased the space of bedrooms. We have created an atmosphere of cosiness, and I would like to say... and why not? Yes, love.
Especially strong in terms of design, I think, were the two large VIP cabins on the lower deck (which is unexpected for a boat of about 30 meters in length), as well as the saloons on the main and bridge decks. The saloons are surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows and terraces. They embody the trendy concept of "a villa on the water" interior.
Long-term business relationships with shipyards are always of vital interest for design studios. We hope for successful sales of our first joint project and look forward to further cooperation.
Another project of yours, where not only exteriors but also interiors attract attention, is Mangusta 165REV. Very interesting is the “master cabin,” where you have to climb the stairs from the bedroom to the private salon cabinet. What are the advantages of multi-level rooms?
Although the 165REV has remained in the under 50 meters and under 500 tonnes category, incredibly, this boat looks bigger than its predecessor, the 165E. This is partly due to the fact that she has floor-to-ceiling glazed windows and doors everywhere. The Mangusta 165REV is very well lit inside by natural light and has excellent visibility.
Imagine you have all the same volume, limited by the rules of up to 500 gross tonnes, and you have a rectangular room, and you can't make it bigger. Now, we divide it into two parts and shift them to different levels by 4 steps. The important point is that we left the transition from one space to the other open. There is only a step, but no doors or walls. The tonnage (and its cost) remained the same. But the perception of the space has changed. Now you see not 2 meters 40 centimetres of height, but also the neighbouring room, and the height becomes 3 meters 20 centimetres.
The owner's cabin on the Mangusta 165REV is the largest not only in the class of up to 500 meters and 500 tonnes. The total area, together with the closet and bath, is 92 square meters. I visit a lot of different yachts, and I see a lot of other projects. And so far, I have not yet encountered an owner's cabin comparable in size and impression of space on either 60 meters or 70 meters. Not long ago, I visited a 72-meter yacht, and there is a single-level cabin, 82 square meters, with ordinary, low ceilings.
Please, tell us more about your new concept for Oceanco, Double Luck.
The sleek shape and minimalist design of this sailing yacht come from the automotive world. We wanted the yacht to convey the mood of the best classic British Gran Turismo cars of the past. The bow has a slight reverse slope. The board line slopes gently down to a low aft. Long, elegant curves. Nothing abrupt. The superstructure is styled to look like a cockpit. We designed two main exterior colour options: entirely black with copper details or entirely white with yellow gold details.
As for the interiors, the main thing for us was to achieve a sense of quietness, balance, and connection with nature. I consider these to be very important features of sailing, and it was necessary to take them into account when designing the yacht. Hence the reference to Zen philosophy.
To create a style language to unify the entire concept, soft shapes, surfaces, chamfers, and radiuses were used for both indoors and outdoors.
Since Double Luck is a two-masted sailing yacht, all of the design ideas centred around the masts. Instead of trying to distract attention from them, we decided to turn them into unique design elements. That's when we came up with the idea to use the masts as the heart of the Zen Garden and of the main saloon. These are the spaces that bring light and connection with the outside world. Merging indoor and outdoor spaces was another important theme we wanted to convey. It had to be very clear and tangible in order to give guests a sense of control that brings calm and relaxation. That's why we didn't want to hide the staircase or anchor the furniture. All spaces were designed symmetrically to enhance the sense of balance and calm.
What is the future of a yacht’s layout? How will master suites, foredeck layout, and beach club layout change?
There are available general trends out there. The ones I have already mentioned, such as the increase in glazing area. There is also a gradual but steady increase in ceiling heights. But here in the layouts... I think the future lies in an even greater variety of solutions. Once we leave the classic layouts behind, we will not return to them. Of course, some people will build classics; they will always have a certain market share, but in general, it will shrink in the future. This approach is a bit more complicated for yachts built in series. In such cases, shipbuilders have to choose the layouts themselves, accepting all the risks involved. And in the case of a full custom project for an individual customer, it is impossible to predict anything. We try to make each project different from the previous one.
Double Luck's renderings show a Zen garden and a Sakura tree. It seems many other projects today are using plants as an important design element. Is this really a trend? How would you recommend decorating a yacht with plants? Are artificial plants acceptable (at least high-quality ones), or only live plants?
Absolutely, this is an important trend today. The task is not easy; not all kinds of plants can withstand salt and sun.
I prefer live plants, but technology is constantly evolving, and in some cases, it is quite acceptable to use artificial ones. Preferably in places where guests cannot reach out and touch them with their hands.
