The owner of the Feadship Savannah reached outside the mainstream to reset the bar on superyacht interior design.
No monolithic white hull and superstructure. No external staircases. No dining table in the main deck salon. No glass elevator dominating the central foyer. No long, straight hotel corridors leading to guest staterooms. Why? Because that’s how Cristina Gherardi Design of Paris, in cooperation with the owner, envisioned things on 274-foot (83.5 meter) Feadship Savannah—a yacht that transcends many design conventions, including being the largest hybrid-powered motoryacht launched to date. Savannah is full of surprises. She is also full of firsts. Refreshingly unique, Savannah is a yacht that sets a new bar for the design and execution of superyachts.
See the photos below, or CLICK HERE for our complete review of Feadship’s Savannah.
Savannah’s design also includes common areas with views of or access to the outdoors. Living areas on the main deck, bridge deck and sundeck all are meant to exist in harmony with the sea. Windows and balconies contribute to the success of this concept.
The upper-deck dining area has an expandable dining table custom made from straw with a chandelier composed of varied-length LED light. “We took some of our inspiration from the American architect John Lautner, whose 1960s Elrod House in Palm Springs was featured in the James Bond film ‘Diamonds are Forever,’” Gherardi says. The home includes lots of glass, a connection between outside and inside, and continuity from one space to another. “We have used mostly sliding doors, which are hidden,” Gherardi says. “Another factor that lends connectivity are the skylights, the opening in between decks and the mirrored ceilings that reflect the sea and increase the overall volume.”
Another way to describe Savannah’s interior areas is visually compelling. The variety of materials and textures keep your head turning at every juncture. While the yacht is markedly contemporary, she cannot be pegged to one design style. The interior is an eclectic mix of name-brand designer items, art and furniture procured from flea markets and elements that Gherardi’s firm created.
In a major departure from convention, there are no straight corridors anywhere in the guest spaces. All of the companionways are instead slightly curved and sculptural.
The modern superyacht bridge is a model of minimalist simplicity. Navigation information, engine and systems monitoring and a host of other functions can be presented on a bank of identical displays. Fly-by-wire throttles and directional controls, such as these on 273-foot (83.5-meter) Feadship Savannah, have come a long way from the days of the engine order telegraph. Look closely at this photo and you’ll see the ship’s “wheel,” which is about 4 inches in diameter and likely rarely touched.
Refreshingly unique, Savannah is a yacht that sets a new bar for the design and execution of superyachts.
Savannah’s design also includes common areas with views of or access to the outdoors. Living areas on the main deck, bridge deck and sundeck all are meant to exist in harmony with the sea. Windows and balconies contribute to the success of this concept.
274-foot (83.5 meter) Feadship Savannah—a yacht that transcends many design conventions, including being the largest hybrid-powered motoryacht launched to date.
“We took some of our inspiration from the American architect John Lautner, whose 1960s Elrod House in Palm Springs was featured in the James Bond film ‘Diamonds are Forever,’” Gherardi says. The home includes lots of glass, a connection between outside and inside, and continuity from one space to another. “We have used mostly sliding doors, which are hidden,” Gherardi says. “Another factor that lends connectivity are the skylights, the opening in between decks and the mirrored ceilings that reflect the sea and increase the overall volume.”
Savannah’s design also includes common areas with views of or access to the outdoors. Living areas on the main deck, bridge deck and sundeck all are meant to exist in harmony with the sea. Windows and balconies contribute to the success of this concept. Even the gym is open; situated on the bridge deck, it is yet another room with a view.
One reason Savannah is so singularly striking is that her designer’s specialty lies beyond yachts. Cristina Gherardi Design, founded by Cristina Gherardi Benardeau, draws largely on the principal’s experience in the luxury retail market. Gherardi earned her architectural degree from the University of Florence. An Italian national, she was the lead designer of retail spaces for Christian Dior, Kenzo and Virgin Megastores. Bouncing from Paris to New York to Milan and back to Paris, her forte was defining and creating new uses for historical buildings such as the Armani/Casa residential project on Wall Street in an old bank building.
Without preconceived notions of how a yacht should look, Gherardi, in collaboration with architect Marcello Bozzarelli, created the overall look, carving the spaces, determining the lighting, designing and choosing the furniture, and dictating the finishes. A powerhouse of energy, Gherardi pushed Feadship to achieve the maximum effect for her client—and Feadship expanded the boundaries of its own formidable skills in yachtbuilding.
