Inside track: The yacht interior design brands to know this season

If you're looking for custom artwork, sculptural furniture or a show-stopping centrepiece for your superyacht then London-based design firm DKT is the one to call. Priding itself on a site-specific approach, DKT's skilled craftsmen can turn their expert hand to almost any form of decorative work, including mosaic, sculpture and bas-relief in metal, glass and stone, trompe l'oeil, gilding, paint finishes and mirrored artworks, and have undertaken commissions for no fewer than 62 superyachts. Recent projects include custom designs for Ulysses, Joy, Dilbar and Plvs Vltra.

Visit dkt.co.uk.

“Offshore is an inhospitable world of wind, waves, rain and ultraviolet light,” designer Guillaume Rolland once said, “so the belly of a boat must be a nest — a place where one escapes all that.” Rolland heads the yacht division of the eponymous company founded by fellow Frenchman Christian Liaigre in 1987. He has been working with Liaigre since 2001, initially involved in all projects within the company, which is known for subtly luxurious furniture and interiors that make an elegant, understated use of natural materials, such as raw linens and woods weathered by the sea.

As the yacht interiors side of the business took off, Rolland, a lifelong sailor who regularly competes in regattas around the world, took charge of the company’s yacht design studio. Projects he has undertaken include Vertigo, a 67 metre sailing yacht that was awarded Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2012 World Superyacht Awards. With Vertigo, the design studio worked closely with the boat builders from the start, so that the interior was created along with the yacht, rather than just made to fit into it. The design includes glass panels and doors in the cockpit areas that can be made transparent or opaque at the flick of a switch. So escaping the elements — or even your fellow guests — is simple.

Visit christian-liaigre.fr

Italians can turn everyday objects into works of art and this is certainly true of the exquisite porcelain from Richard Ginori 1735. Delicate, hand-decorated patterns and illustrations of 19th century botany and rare birds adorn its charming collections, which will turn any on-board dining experience into an event to be remembered.

The distinguished porcelain company was founded nearly 300 years ago in the foothills of Monte Morello near Florence. Over the course of its illustrious history, it has collaborated with leading Italian architects and designers including Gio Ponti and was recently acquired by Gucci.

Visit richardginori1735.com

As one might guess from a furniture company with a name that evokes adventure, Summit’s speciality is extremely high-quality furniture specifically made for the outdoors. Crafted in sustainable, plantation-grown teak, which is water-resistant and strong, its chairs, tables and loungers are as ideal for the deck of a superyacht as for a domestic garden.

The Californian firm collaborates with leading designers like Linley, with which it created a clean-lined, curved collection (lounge chair, above, €5,487), inspired by the interiors of the top classic yachts. It is made to be stacked or stowed — perfect for sailing purposes.

Visit summitfurniture.com

“All projects start as dreams in the mind of an owner.” This is the philosophy of the Italian company that has designed the interiors of some of the world’s finest superyachts and most luxurious hotel suites and palatial private homes. FM Architettura d’Interni was founded by the architect Francesca Muzio and the interior designer Maria Silvia Orlandini in 2009, and in a few short years, has amassed an incredibly impressive portfolio of clients in all corners of the world.

The company made its name by creating yacht interiors that are effortlessly elegant, yet at the same time have an inviting, natural feel. As its reputation grew, it was commissioned for high-profile interior design projects such as the luxurious Presidential Suite of Shangri-La at The Shard, London - along with other Shangri-La properties in China and the Philippines — as well as premium residential properties stretching from Bahrain to Beverly Hills.

Despite the long list of people lining up to benefit from their expertise, Muzio and Orlandini never forget the views of the most important person in any project: the owner. Whether the commission is for a yacht or a penthouse, the pair consult at length with the client so his or her “uniquely personal wishes” can be fully reflected in the interior that FM Architettura d’Interni will go on to create.

Visit fm-arch.it

Designer Giorgio Armani will shortly open a four-storey Armani/Casa flagship boutique in Milan — the new home of his interiors collection, which launched in 2000. This season, as previously, he has once more looked to the natural world for inspiration. As well as the 50-piece numbered and signed limited-edition bar cabinet, “Club”, which features on its doors a hand-lacquered ocean motif inspired by Japanese artist Hokusai’s The Great Wave, there is a screen featuring a Japanese-style landscape print. The same image adorns an upholstered chaise longue, and there are blankets decorated with images of lions and leopards, leopard stone marquetry, and a crystal-encrusted flower to elevate a table setting.

“All my designs for the home collection are intended to promote an atmosphere of calm relaxation,” says Armani. “One way to do this is to reference Mother Nature, as the natural world is nurturing and beautiful.” Those who enjoy life at sea will certainly appreciate that sentiment.

Visit armanicasa.com

Bohemian crystal has been revered for centuries for its high quality and ground-breaking designs. Founded in 2007 to build on this tradition, Lasvit combines artisanal skill with cutting-edge technology to create modern light-sculptures and art installations.

One of its new bespoke creations, Cassia (above) by Petra Krausová offers a flexible approach to interior design. Intended to resemble flowers gently swaying in the wind, its low-hanging, hand-blown glass pendants can either be suspended as a single entity or dispersed individually around a room, to equally striking effect.

Lasvit’s 2016 line also includes the aptly named Candy Collection — a range of table lamps and chandeliers resplendent in playful rainbow stripes – that were designed in collaboration with brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana.

Visit lasvit.com

Baldi, founded in Florence in 1867, is dedicated to continuing the rich artistic heritage and tradition of craft that has long been integral to the city. The one-of-a-kind creations of its interior-design arm, Casa Baldi, are imbued with classic Italian style and hand-crafted using the very latest techniques. Its first foray into nautical design saw superyacht Alexander Again transformed into a spectacular floating palace.

Visit baldihomejewels.com

Stunning stone doesn’t begin and end with marble. Solid Nature sources the finest alternatives from across the world for the ultimate in bespoke floors and walls.

Its semi-precious line is perhaps the most extraordinary, comprising as it does those not usually available in large slabs — rose quartz, lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite and petrified wood, among others. Onyx options, meanwhile, range from a honey hue with white veins to caramel clouds and speckled Maldivian azure, while matte travertine comes in neutral taupe, rusty ochre and gold. If you simply must have marble, there’s an array of colours, from gold-streaked smoky-grey Portoro to yellow moonstone and even zebra stripes.

Visit solidnature.com

Dudgeon creates bespoke sofas for the luxury residential market. Its relationship with the luxury boat industry was forged in 1992, when a yacht interior designer called into the Knightsbridge showroom on the hunt for Chesterfield sofas. Since then, its team of skilled British craftspeople has gone on to make upholstered sofas and chairs for 86 superyachts, including award-winners such as the 63 metre Benetti 11.11.

Visit dudgeonsofas.com