On board Turquoise Yachts' 53m Jewels

The trick to achieving the slimming effect comes from two strong lines. A diagonal line on the back of the sculptural superstructure comes up from the swim platform to the mast and then comes sharply down to the pilothouse’s windshield. Visually, a sharp triangle on top of the superstructure in combination with the yacht’s long bow and band of windows make the profile dynamic. What is behind the strong diagonal virtually disappears to the eyes, explains De Basto, which effectively diminishes any bulkiness. It works like vertical stripes on an item of clothing.

“The yacht has a very high volume. It’s 713 gross tonnes, but it does not look like it,” says the designer. “Usually when you get to that number, the design looks heavy. My objective was to make the exterior less bulky and give a feeling of a forward dynamic movement. It is modern and forward-looking.”

The hull colour was virtually the only change on the outside, which is as De Basto visualised it. On the inside, however, the owner had a very different idea for what was originally to be a contemporary and light interior. The steel and aluminium yacht was already under construction when he purchased it, but the interior had not yet been built. With the owner’s guidance, the Turquoise team and London-based designer H2 Yacht Design reinvented Tala as Jewels, a floating family palace with nine cabins.

“We worked extensively with the yard at the beginning of the project to meet the clients’ wishes of nine guest cabins, including a well-proportioned owner’s suite. The biggest challenge for the yard was adding the lower deck aft cabin. This required access from the main saloon as well as reducing space in the engine room to make room for a guest bathroom. I can’t imagine many yards would have been so accommodating of this client request,” says H2’s design director, James Bermudez.

The shipyard converted a good section of what was originally the beach club into a cabin with its own entrance. This in turn required extensive engineering, especially given the yard’s aggressive goals for sound and vibration levels. Built like a jewel box, the yacht has multiple layers of insulation, floating floors and deep carpets to create luxurious silence inside. The shipyard works with outside consultants but also has a very complete in-house database from its previous projects to go on. Using a combination of techniques and materials, they achieved very good sound results. “We managed to achieve noise levels of 37.1 in the VIP cabin and 38.1 in the owner’s stateroom while travelling at 14.5 knots. Furthermore, we made sure vibration levels throughout were negligible,” says Yurdakul.

On the inside, Jewels is a treasure trove, much like the palaces that grace the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, where she came into existence

Forward of what is now a good-sized cabin on the aft section of the lower deck is the engine room and, while creating private access to the cabin, the builder naturally had to preserve access to the engine space. “We completely changed the design of that area so that it would comply with all rules and regulations (the yacht is built according to Lloyd’s rules). We upgraded the engineering of sounds and vibrations there and we achieved a good result. At very high speed, it may not be as quiet as the other guest cabins, but the client is happy with the result.”

On the bridge deck, what was intended as a staff cabin was converted to a guest cabin, and the original captain’s cabin was moved from the starboard to the port side, where it became another guest cabin. This, of course, implied a new circulation pattern. However, the changes did not require upsizing generators or the Heinen & Hopman HVAC system, which was sufficient.

On the inside, Jewels is a treasure trove, much like the palaces that grace the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, where she came into existence. “If you visit the Dolmabahçe Palace, you will understand [the inspiration],” says Sema Güçer Sukas, a naval architect and engineer who heads Turquoise’s interior department. The palace, which was home to six sultans from 1856 to 1924, blends elements from the baroque, rococo and neoclassical periods during a time of increased European influence on Ottoman culture and art.

The interior decor is by H2 Yacht Design, which has a long track record working in Turkey. “I have worked in Turkey for more than 30 years,” says H2 founder Jonny Horsfield, whose first project with the shipyard was the classically decorated Talisman C. “For a lot of clients now, [a yacht] is more of a home from home than a traditional yacht,” he says.

This certainly can be said of this very personal interior, which was created by lead designer Bermudez, according to the client’s wishes.

“Initial proposals focused on a more contemporary deco style using rich walnut burrs with stainless inlays and bevel-edged mirrors. But sometimes clients have a clear vision about the direction they want to take with the interior theme. Subtle walnut burrs and gloss wenge finishes were combined with bolder sycamore burrs and flame mahogany, all with high-gloss lacquers. The use of colour became the distinguishable theme, influencing the selection of fabrics for soft furnishings through to marbles in the bathrooms,” says Bermudez.

Curtains fall in lustrous folds, gold rope embellishes furniture and crystals shimmer under the light. Fabric colours are deep greens, rich purples, reds and vibrant blues. Carpets are thick and soft. The marble floors are heated for comfort for bare feet. The interior is a fantasy, blending influences and periods, at times referencing the French Empire style with lion heads on the furniture – a detail the client liked and wanted to repeat. There is no literal interpretation of any given style, however. “It’s more of an eclectic mix of what the client felt conveyed a sense of luxury,” says Bermudez. “He shared several images as we developed the interior, ranging from his favourite armchair at home to the colour of his French blue loafers.”

One significant difference with previous interiors that Bermudez and H2 have created is that, due to Covid-19, they had very little in-person contact with the client and the shipyard. “Design supervision and the selection of locally sourced materials like textiles for soft furnishings is an important part of the design process. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to be present for this important phase, so this was very much driven directly by the client,” says Bermudez.

This offered the shipyard’s interior team a rare opportunity to work directly with the owner, who was very hands-on. A frequent charterer and previous yacht owner, he took a personal interest in the creation of his first new-build yacht. The classical interiors were created in collaboration with Turkey’s leading yacht interior outfitter, Ulutas, located a 10-minute drive from Turquoise’s Pendik headquarters and a collaborator with the shipyard since 1998. With H2’s renderings and 3D models in hand, the Turquoise team created all the workshop drawings. Turquoise’s interior department has a dedicated marble team that got a chance to express its talents in Jewels. The owner came frequently to Turkey and went on shopping expeditions to select the materials.

“He has six daughters,” says project manager Yurdakul, and he wanted each cabin to enjoy its own identity. Each one has a consistent feel but different colour scheme, from rich fabrics to marbles in the showers. At the marble shop, the team followed the client, iPad in hand, in case he needed a way to remember the original rendering as he walked through each row to select stones that ranged from amazonite marble to honey-hued onyx. The selections were made over a very full day.

“I think he [had] worked with the interior designer [for] so long that he remembered most of the designs very clearly,” says Sukas. “Everything is harmonised.” Then they went shopping for fabrics and loose furniture, which took a couple of different outings. It all happened quickly, especially considering the design complexity. “It was the first time the owner was so much a part of the process, from the selection of stones and fabrics,” says Sukas. “We enjoyed it as a team.”

Although a few pieces were built in Italy and shipped to Turquoise during the final commissioning stages, almost everything on board was either sourced from or made in Turkey. Most of the fabrics and draperies, for instance, came from Persan, a company established in 1975 by three brothers and now a hot brand for luxurious interiors.

To go along with the classical aesthetics and numerous touches of turquoise on the inside, gold was the go-to colour. It was also the owner’s choice.

“The client was a big fan of gold finishes. This proved challenging for the yard as they needed to experiment with various new gold finishes including metallic paints, gold leaf and gold PVD coatings, which needed very careful handling,” says Bermudez. Many of the pieces required different techniques. “The lion heads are all gold coated,” adds Yurdakul.

Another challenge was ensuring all the bevelled and antique-finish mirrors were consistent in colour and free from any cracks or chips. The quality-control process was more extensive than ever due to the fragility of some of the elements in the elaborate design. The result is stunning and perfectly in line with what the owner wanted. “I believe that is the point of a custom build,” says Yurdakul. That is indeed the point. Turquoise has shown incredible range throughout the years, and Jewels can be considered another gem in its crown.

First published in the October 2023 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.