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The Greatest Christian Liaigre-Designed Yachts
To celebrate the legacy of the late French designer Christian Liaigre, we round-up his greatest interior design successes at sea, including Abeking & Rasmussen explorer Cloudbreak and Perini Navi sailing yacht Seahawk .
Abeking & Rasmussen’s 75.3 metre Cloudbreak was an instant hit when she splashed in 2016, scooping a Neptune at the World Superyacht Awards and the gong for Best Interior at the Showboats Design Awards thanks to the expertise of Christian Liaigre. As a hardy explorer cruising to remote locations, such as the Antarctic, it was important that guests on board were cossetted in a warm and welcoming interior. Liaigre’s vision was to reflect the feel of a chalet – warm and cosy in the evenings and light-filled during the day. Liquidambar veneer contrasts lighter woods such as Hornbeam flooring and brushed or scored pine, while camel-coloured leathers and greys continue throughout.
'Urban at sea' is how Liaigre depicts the interior design of the multi-award-winning sailing yacht Vertigo . The ambition was to turn a state-of-the-art 70 metre sailing yacht into a distinguished work of art. A natural palette of walnut, darkened waxed oak and flashes of steel create a contemporary, loft-style feel throughout, set against crisp white leathers and light soft furnishings. Luxurious, understated and functional too, her interiors are aligned with the owner’s passion for world cruising, with furniture bolted to the floor and storage spaces built in case of rough seas.
Guillaume Rolland, head of Liaigre’s yachting division, pins Seahawk as his favourite project to date. The 60 metre Perini Navi sailing yacht hit the water in 2013 and was designed as a performance-cruiser that could battle her way around a racecourse as well as she could provide five-star comfort and luxury to her owners. The owners approached Liaigre after seeing the interiors on board Rosehearty and wanted to mimic her modern-classic feel. The result: an aesthetic mix of old and new, pairing teak with silver metallics, with modern curves and custom-designed furniture.
The interiors on board Feadship superyacht Letani were the result of a seamless collaboration between Liaigre and Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design. Liaigre handled the interior styling, opting for a calm, warm and contemporary look, with light fabrics, natural leathers and wood tones. Panels on the walls and bulkheads are smoked eucalyptus, with deeply smoked, washed oak underfoot, illuminated by large floor-to-ceiling windows. Liaigre also came up with the idea for a “nook”: a cosy, informal lounge area with discreet sliding doors, neatly slotted between the dining room and saloon on the main deck. The space features a big plush sofa, bookcase and television, and offers a quiet place to kick back isolated from the rest of the boat.
Impressive both inside and out, Perini Navi sailing yacht Rosehearty perfectly captures the spirit of classic yachting with a modern twist. Her Liaigre interiors are traditional and nautical with mahogany, pine and teak, paired with crisp white linen sofas and Hermes leather banquettes. What’s more, almost every piece of furniture on board double as storage space. Rosehearty is often spotted leading the fleet on the racecourse but more recently returned from a navigation of the North-West passage .
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Inspiration
Behind the name SL44, is a 44,5 meters superyacht entirely made of aluminium, built by the Italian shipyard San Lorenzo, with interiors designed by Liaigre.
The sponsor and future owner of the yacht had one particular requirement: to combine Asian style with a French touch…
For the Liaigre studio, the consistency of a project particularly rests on an intentional limited number of materials.
In this precise case, the team’s choice was based on wood, stone (green and white onyx) and leather. The palette of shades starts with dark and light wood species, warming up to dark hues (Prussian blue leather in the cockpit, garnet-colored leather in the dining room, celadon green facing an onyx green bar in the smoking room), without forgetting a palette of whites and ecrus particularly outdoors.
The principles of a fusion or dialogue between Asian culture and French style are expressed through subtle details such as the door frames which have a slightly narrower base, in reference to Asian architecture, or the two crystal terrariums hold miniature trees – a nod to the Bonsai tradition.
Everything about this superyacht is about relaxation and the art of living.
With clean shapes and apparent simplicity, the splendor of the layout is revealed through a multitude of details that are not immediately apparent, but which make the difference and characterize Liaigre’s approach and specific luxury design.
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Liaigre’s Award-Winning Superyacht Perfectly Blends French and Asian Influences
The interiors of the 144-foot sanlorenzo vessel also feature artworks by bosco sodi, jung lee, toshio shibata, and mao lizi.
Architectural details like rounded doors that narrow at the base nod to Asian style while various wood tones customary in French design created a stunning aesthetic fusion. Photo : Mark Seelen
Given the luxury of thousands of square feet, designers conjure majestic interior design plans with bold architectural choices and a wide array of furniture and art. But creating a compelling aesthetic within the confines of a boat is a next-level challenge that only a handful of creatives can complete. The yacht design team at Liaigre , headed by Guillaume Rolland, is clearly up for the task. Indeed, the 144-foot Sanlorenzo vessel they devised topped the category for semi-displacement or planing motor yachts 40-meters or above at the this year’s World Superyachts Awards.
Working in tandem with Italian studio Zuccon International Project, which crafted the exterior architecture, Rolland conjured a serene interior that combined the client’s request for “Asian style with a French touch.”
For the interior of his Sanlorenzo yacht, Liaigre's client requested “Asian style with a French touch.” Photo : Mark Seelen
In conceiving this owner’s first yacht, the Liaigre team mined the maison’s historical references, drilling down to the basic components of French interior concepts. “It’s a philosophy of shaping and sculpting the interior with strong symmetries, niches that speak to each other,” says Rolland. “It’s really part of the classical French decor.”
Drawing on both fractal and Piranesian principles, the designers pushed the boundaries of scale and perspective. “When you create a diagonal perspective instead of being locked to quadrilaterals, rectangle boxes with a window that goes in each one, if you manage to get some angles and to create some unexpected windows and perspective you create additional sights which really boost the space and create a kind of magic,” he says.
Spaces that cater to evening entertaining feature a more moody palette of jewel tones, including the bar that is crafted from green onyx. Photo : Mark Seelen
Throughout, the designers employed a neutral palette, punctuated by rich jewel colors and places of luminosity, including an ethereal circular stair that opens to a frame of reflective panels. “A reflection of the sea landscape to glossy dark is very interesting,” suggest Rolland. “You will see dark reflections because it helps to boost and to diffract and duplicate this shimmering drips of the water which is a big part of the landscape.”
Elm paneling indicative of classic French styles envelope the rooms, including the bar area where green onyx mixed with moody celadon hues nod to jade, a celebrated element in Asian culture. Other elements pay homage to Asian design including custom ovaloid doors that narrow at the base, reminiscent of decorative screens, while two terrariums housing bonsai create visual interest in the living area.
Custom Liaigre furnishings are installed throughout the SL44 which also hosts a selection of artworks by Bosco Sodi, Jung Lee, Toshio Shibata, and Mao Lizi. Photo : Mark Seelen
Liaigre furnishings are installed throughout, elevating the residential areas that also feature a respectable collection of artworks including pieces by Bosco Sodi, Jung Lee, Toshio Shibata, and Mao Lizi. “The choice of artwork is really key to boost and give this extra little twist to the interior,” says Rolland. “There was a kind of corner area, which was a result of some volumetric choices, and it was interesting when you go from forward to aft to also have another eye-catcher, so your eyes are always stimulated.”
Also evident in the final decoration is Liaigre’s dedication to meticulousness, with every element infinitely considered. “There is nothing done by random; there is nothing done that is not thought twice from every aspect,” explains Rolland. “It can be the swing of the door—is it better from the left or the right; which one gives the best perspective entering the room. Everything is analyzed.”
Take a closer look below.
Photo : Mark Seelen
“A reflection of the sea landscape to glossy dark is very interesting," says Liaigre head of yacht design Guillaume Rolland. Photo : Mark Seelen
In the living area, two terrariums hold miniature bonsai. Photo : Mark Seelen
White onyx in the bath of the Liaigre designed SL44 yacht. Photo : Mark Seelen
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