SHOWCASING THE WORLD’S FINEST PROPERTIES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM
Even before you hit the gin deck, life aboard a superyacht is all about the gorgeous flow of textures. (Mohamed Masaau/Unsplash)
Superyachts make a statement from the outside of course, but it’s inside, in the yacht’s interior, where life is really lived. And where super-talented designers and craftspeople make living on the ocean wave a thing of beauty.
Type ‘superyacht’ into Google and you’ll be greeted with thousands of images of gleaming white boats. Perhaps the 115 meter-long Ahpo has just been seen in the British Virgin Islands. Maybe the new launch Nympheas has been spotted on the water for the first time in Porto Montenegro. Or possibly a grainy photo has captured a celebrity diving off a mammoth charter boat.
The images might all be different but they have one thing in common – they only show off the superyacht’s exterior. And that’s a shame, because there is so much more to yachts than that. In an industry famously shrouded in secrecy, it’s admittedly trickier to get a glimpse behind the velvet rope or the passerelle (gangway), but it’s certainly not impossible.
Boat International, the glossy magazine bible for anyone vessel-obsessed, recently held its Artistry and Craft Awards in Kitzbühel, Austria. A landlocked Alpine country may seem a novel location for a boat-based event, but then artisans creating and crafting intricate yacht interiors to the highest quality, while keeping traditional skills alive, do tend to benefit from working on level land.
LEFT: With interior dimensions on superyacht Kismet matching a five-star hotel, artisans like Poppy Pawsey get to play with a luxurious sense of scale. (Silverlining Furniture/BlueiProd) | RIGHT: Style, drama and practicality combine in the welcome lounge bar on board the superyacht H. (Silverlining Furniture/Mark Reeves)
Emerging Artisan of the Year at the awards was Poppy Pawsey. A former musician in the Royal Marines Band Service (another story, fascinating in itself), Poppy now works in marquetry at furniture design studio Silverlining. Her first solo project – a games table for a yacht called Kismet – earned her the limelight, and her award proves the painstaking attention to detail and craftsmanship that exists on board superyachts.
“The marquetry element of the games table took over a month to complete. There are numerous processes to go through before even starting to assemble it,” she explains. “The marquetry is done in layers. Each assembled layer is cut into the previous one, so there’s absolutely no room for error!”
We had to consider how the table could be secured while at sea, how the materials would respond to changes in humidity, how the marquetry would hold up over time.
The client’s expectations were high – not just in terms of aesthetics, but also in how the piece would perform in a marine environment. “That pushes you to think differently,” she says. “We had to consider how the table could be secured while at sea, how the materials would respond to changes in humidity, how the marquetry would hold up over time. Every project is bespoke for the client and therefore each piece we create comes with new challenges that stimulate original ideas.”
The 62-meter, 7-cabin motor yacht Sea Owl has a range of 6,000 nautical miles. Which leaves plenty of time for guests to luxuriate in one of the finest works of interior craftsmanship that’s surely ever set to sea. (Winch Design/Lucy Bodenham)
Winch Design, a studio renowned for producing some of the most striking yacht interiors, is big on customer-driven customization. “Our clients don’t want to go on their friends’ yacht and see a similar commission to their own,” says Creative Director Jim Dixon. They’re constantly on their toes, researching new artisans and pieces.
“We work with craftspeople all around the world, supporting local communities and regional materials. One company in France once told me they couldn’t survive without superyacht orders,” he says. “If we can create something beautiful and unique for the client, while supporting small artisans and keeping many specialized and sometimes dying skills going, then it’s a win-win!”
If we can create something beautiful and unique for the client, while supporting small artisans and keeping many specialised and sometimes dying skills going, then it’s a win-win!
One of the most recognizable pieces to come out of Winch is the Tree of Life, on board Sea Owl. The carved mahogany masterpiece has serious wow factor, at 13 meters high, spanning four decks and encircling the yacht’s central staircase. It took master craftsman Paul Jewby and his team of eight carvers a full year to produce.
“The design decisions of this project were guided by the owner’s desire to share something special with his grandchildren,” says Jim. “He stressed the importance of education and wanted the boat to provide a learning experience for them, from history to the natural world.”
Tree of Life, Winch Design’s mahogany masterpiece spanning four levels on board the Sea Owl, took nine craftsmen a full year to complete. (Winch Design/Lucy Bodenham)
The intricately carved woodwork gracing the staircases of Sea Owl tells stories of the natural world – an educational experience the yacht’s owner wanted to create for his grandchildren. (Winch Design/Lucy Bodenham)
Bespoke elements of this scale and quality really set superyachts apart, from the mosaic pool on board Savannah, with input from artist Cecily Brown, to the double-deck ‘clock’ on Octopus made by traditional German watchmakers. And there’s plenty of room for innovation as well as tradition – as proven by A Giant Sea Creature Above the Dining Room Table, the work of Zaniz Jakubowski, who founded her eponymous design studio in New York, with offices in London and Tuscany.
A Giant Sea Creature Above the Dining Room Table by Zaniz Jakubowski. The chandelier features over 700 hand-blown glass ‘bulbs’ meticulously arranged at varying heights to create a sense of movement. Fibre optics mimic the undulating rhythm of ocean waves. Crafting it was as complicated as it sounds. (zaniz.com)
“We developed this sculptural focal point crafted from mirror-polished stainless steel in collaboration with lighting consultancy Aqualuce and master artisans at Preciosa,” says Zaniz.
“Beyond its aesthetic impact, the chandelier demanded exceptional precision in both fabrication and installation, with the maritime team ensuring its structural integrity against the natural movement of the sea.” The result is a striking fusion of history, innovation and craftsmanship – something that superyachts have in abundance.
© 2025 FGP, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this website is governed by the User Agreement. The content contained on this site is provided to users “AS IS” without any express or implied warranty. For information on your privacy, please read our Privacy Statement. FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES™ is a pending trademark registration used under license from Forbes Media LLC.
Are you a Forbes Global Properties member? Login here
Are you a Forbes Global Properties member? Login here
