Interior and yacht design Ionna Marinopoulos on why she always tries to maximise natural light and why she loves classic yacht Endeavour...
A couple of design details I have recently loved were from the 70 metre Perini sailing yacht Sybaris: the 12 steamer trunks that are suspended on titanium straps each side of the saloon, and the deep sea windows of the cabins.
Endeavour is one of my favourite yachts, with a great history. Built in 1934 by Sir Thomas Sopwith, she was the most advanced design of her day. I love the fact that Sopwith applied his expertise in designing aircraft and created this elegant vessel. After 46 years, it remains for me a masterpiece.
One of my favourite projects is to transport a summer beach house onto a yacht. This would be a yacht with informal areas to enjoy peace and relaxation. Natural light is my priority. Everywhere you look there should be shimmering reflections of the sea and, with the windows open, you should get a real sense of being part of the landscape rather than being insulated from it. In general, I don’t like using nautical motifs as I think that the strongest nautical motif is the natural environment of a yacht. That’s why I love big windows, which bring indoors the actual nautical life.
A boat should be functional and keep everybody safe when you are on the water, but when you are docked it’s nice to have a space that feels like home. The marble table lamps I use from my collection transform the ambience of the yacht, as lighting definitely sets the mood in a space.
I feel my style has become synonymous with the Hamptons. I love using house furniture rather than pieces custom designed for yachts. My usual colour palette is pale blue, white and beige. I like playing with woven and Caribbean shutters, particularly white ones, like on my former yacht Doubleshot II. The white surfaces bounce light around, giving the space an open, airy feel.
For Ioanna Marinopoulos’s Spartan Glory collection of lighting, furniture and accessories, see imarinopoulos.com.