Nameless, eighth in the 134-foot (40.8-meter) semi-displacement series from Mondo Marine, is a celebration of Italian design and craftsmanship.
It was Manifiq, the fifth in the series, that first drew the owner’s attention to the Mondo Marine brand. Enamored by the yacht’s sleek exterior styling by Cor D. Rover in the Netherlands and contemporary Art Deco interior by Italy’s Luca Dini, he took on the Florence-based designer to devise a similarly chic interior aboard Nameless.
“The owner wasn’t looking for a particular style; he wanted instead to focus on the quality, luxury materials,” says Dini.
“The white marble floors with white leather and high-gloss mahogany paneling provide quite a sober backdrop, but the design has been enriched with bespoke materials and products by Italian artisans.”
Indeed, the yacht is a floating showroom of some of Italy’s most exclusive brands. In addition to a calacatta marble and chrome Visionnaire coffee table, a Scrigno cabinet from Edra made of laser-cut splinters of glass-like acrylic and white leather Fendi sofas in the sky lounge, there are Poala Lenti rugs, Stefano Ricci ceramic accessories, a Cassina Boboli dining table in the main salon, a Poltrona Frau pouf in the owner’s study and plush silk textiles by Antico Setificio Fiorentino woven on 18th century looms to traditional patterns in the cabins. The whole effect is punctuated with bright and bold canvases from the owner’s art collection. The yacht was launched last July with a deep spa pool on the forward sundeck lined with handmade tiles fired in a kiln dating back to the early 1900s, but this was later deemed too imposing. At the time of writing it was being replaced (using the same tiles) with a lower, but wider pool the yard designed and built so as not to interrupt the sea view when guests are lounging on the sunpads.
The yacht has four types of onyx—a notoriously friable material to work with—and several varieties of white marble. Two exterior tables designed by Dini have tops of solid nuvolato onyx, a mesmerizing stone with jewel-like translucence and exotic veining. The bathrooms are lined throughout with onyx and marble, as are the dayheads, which Dini describes as bomboniere, or decorative candy boxes. Thin veneers are mounted on an aluminum honeycomb core, but the 3,229 square feet of polished stone meant weight savings had to be made in other areas to safeguard the yacht’s handling and performance.
“We did this by using Promaguard fire insulation that is three to four times thinner and much lighter than conventional systems such as Rockwool,” says naval architect Massimo Mosca, Mondo Marine’s project manager on Nameless. “We also used Promasound, a lightweight elastic material, for the acoustic insulation.”
The advantage of building to a proven platform is that clients know exactly what they’re going to get, but the experienced owner of Nameless was keen to introduce some modifications of his own. One of the principal changes was to increase the size of the main salon by shifting the dining room bulkhead slightly forward. Mondo Marine also reduced the size of the engine room ventilation shafts to diminish what is often a narrow “dead zone” between the interior and the main deck aft. The apparent depth of the salon is increased further by mirrored panels on the dining room bulkhead that reflect the Fendi crystal chandelier overhanging the table. For every modification to a layout, however, there is usually a compromise involved, and in the case of Nameless it means a smaller pantry—no great loss for the owner and his guests, but likely a challenge for the crew during dinner service.
Another major change was to add a fourth crew cabin on the lower deck. Once again, there was a knock-on effect as the extra cabin took up space formerly occupied by the laundry. Aboard Nameless, the washing machines and dryers are transferred to the garage where the 18-foot tender is housed—a practical solution but one that involves having to carry laundry outside, so the crew have to pick a moment when guests are not around.
For her length and volume (351 gross tons), Nameless is surprisingly spacious with a light-filled master cabin forward on the main deck and two large VIP cabins on the lower deck in addition to two smaller guest cabins. The full-beam VIP cabin amidships is particularly inviting, and its daybed converts into a sleeping space for young children. Having two VIP cabins required some jiggling with the remaining available space for the other two cabins. The twin single has a Pullman, while the other has a French bed (a one-and-a-half-size single) that abuts the starboard wall—fine for children, but awkward for adults.
Nameless is the swan song of the 41-meter series as Mondo Marine works to refresh its upcoming fleet under new Italian ownership. The yard has four yachts under construction from 131 to 196 feet, the largest of which is destined for the current owner of Nameless. Given his penchant for stone, we’re told it will likely replace the traditional teak decking.
For more information: +39 019 828516; mondomarine.it
