Chesapeake Home

Indeed, whatever the boat type—sail or engine, classic or ultramodern—yachts are exclusively about pleasure. And as objects of true passion, yachts are about beauty. But beauty, as we all know, lies in the individual eyes of the beholder.

The fully customized main salon includes a wet bar (which can be hidden behind doors), and a console for pop-up television, at right.

In the realm of yacht interiors, the quest for beauty presents unique challenges, and for boat owners, the aesthetics of beauty are continually evolving. Thankfully there are many ways to achieve beautiful, comfortable interiors on the high seas.
Yachts are very personal. “It is always about satisfying the individual client,” explains Marianne Googins, principal of Yacht Interiors of Annapolis. Throughout the course of more than 15 years, Googins has aimed to make every boat unique to its owners. Googins routinely incorporates the individual desires of clients into the function and design of the interiors of their boats or “homes away from home.”

There was a time when yacht interiors were predictably about brocade and captain’s lace and other ornate trappings. In the 1950s, yacht interiors transformed into simpler, less is more, easy-on-the-eye design schemes, reflecting the dominant trends in commercial and residential interior designs of the time. However, soon enough, many came to see pared-down, less design as boring, and decorative detail returned with new fervor. Yes, design directions run in cycles.

The gold-leaf ceiling enriches the warmth of the inviting dinning salon, enhanced by classical furnishings.

Today, more than ever, custom yacht interiors span a wide range of decorating directions. Often, the approaches expand past popular conventions, and the interiors depart from the predictable or just stereotypical nautical decor. Beyond the world of cliché white canvas and blue pillows, Lisa Vandenburgh, a leading interior designer based in Washington, DC, works with originality and inspired aesthetic sense, consistently balancing beauty and luxury with practical requirements.

For Lisa Vandenburgh, who specializes in high-end residential interiors, a yacht is a welcomed assignment, a refreshing change from houses. Yacht interiors test her talent for innovative ways to marry form and function. A fundamental objective is to achieve the illusion of spacious accommodations within what are often miserly spaces.

The restful master stateroom offers a king berth as well as original artwork, including an oil painting, “Stepping Stones” by Alfred De Cesare.

Vandenburgh meets significant obstacles in order to integrate elements of both function and beauty and produce a harmonious whole. Accommodations must be full size yet not appear too crowded, allowing convenient access to all areas without annoying distractions. The traffic patterns of the boat’s owners and visitors must be kept in mind. A prerequisite of designing yacht interiors is a solid understanding of
space. Also required is knowledge of light, color, texture, and pattern as design devises to impart a sense of spaciousness.

One of Vandenburgh’s extraordinary and especially successful commissions was the decoration of the 106-foot Bon Vivant, probably the most sophisticated yacht built by the unsurpassed American boat-builder Henry Burger.

In collaboration with Rybovich Spencer Yacht Services of West Palm Beach, Florida, Vandenburgh accomplished elegant and luxurious interiors, presenting “residential” character, maximizing the boat’s promise for intimate entertaining as well as larger business or social functions.

The enclosed, climate controlled afterdeck lounge extends the luxurious, refinement of the main salon.

Lisa Vandenburgh fully understood her client’s wishes for the interiors of Bon Vivant, as she had just completed the interior design of the client’s large and gracious 1890s-vintage home on Nantucket. She knew her client’s taste for understated traditional design. As new owners of the Bon Vivant, Vandenburgh’s clients found the interior decoration to be overindulgent and overpowering, nd soon realized that the extravagant, over-the-top decoration put in place by the former owner had to go. Vandenburgh, with her intuitive sense of luxury with comfort, skillfully guided the transformation of the yacht and delivered elegant, splendid classical interiors with restraint, sophistication and charm.

On board Bon Vivant, a double entryway leads to the main
salon conceived as a luxurious but comfortable living space. This salon exhibits Vandenburgh’s signature mix of antique and contemporary furnishing. The central fireplace with gold plated detailing is a welcoming focal point, strengthened above by an antique wood carving of the serene Asian Goddess Guaynin.
Notably, the carpet with its rich gold fleur-de-lis pattern serves to visually unify this interior where gold-plated features, such as woodwork inlays, light fixtures, and hardware, gleam throughout softly and discretely.

For ultimate comfort, the salon accommodates oversized upholstery pieces covered with brocade damask silk fabric. Antique Aubusson pillows compliment the salon’s refinement, enriching the luxury.

Lisa Vandenburgh knows very well that achieving fully customized spaces can be a formidable challenge. She says, “Boat interiors are all about customization, customization, and customization!” And Bon Vivant evidences that everything is bespoke, from the honey teak and ash woodwork to the wet bar (which can be hidden behind doors) to the console for pop-up television and much more.

The designer’s confident use of both the old and the new extends harmoniously into the dinning salon. Here, having restored the original gold-leaf ceiling, Vandenburgh enriched this salon with a classical dinning table made of the warmest Karelian birch veneers. Regency-style chairs upholstered in a crimson and gold fabric surround the table, enhancing the comfortableness of this area designed for entertaining with ease.

Back in the main salon, a dramatic spiral staircase fitted with gold-plated stair rails lead below to three staterooms and a convertible study. The residential ambiance of the main deck continues below with damask fabrics as well as prints and colors carefully selected for traditional flavor.

The full-beam master bedroom suite is a relaxing private interior space. The neutral color palette is soothing. Light fabrics contrast splendidly with the rich honey colored paneled walls and built-ins. The gold-leaf ceiling contributes a soft glow. A king-size bed conveniently faces a complete entertainment center. In the adjoining study, charming touches include an antique Italian writing desk and a William IV walnut chair.
In the master bedroom suite, as throughout the other accommodations, the exquisite details, including fine oil paintings and decorative arts, are prominently present. The details have presence in Vandenburgh’s subtle and restrained easy decorating style.

With Bon Vivant, Lisa Vandenburgh mastered the artful expression of a spacious and most gracious “residence” at sea, an elegant and distinctive retreat freed of anything predictable or ordinary. For Vandenburgh, harmony was the operative word. And there are no superfluous elements. On board, everything is easily accessible and uncomplicated, for the pleasure of living on the high seas.

Contacts:

Yacht Interiors of Annapolis,
Mary Ann Googins: 410-263-7144

Lisa Vandenburgh, Ltd
Lisa Vandenburgh: 202-625-4100.