Designers' insight: Elie Saab Jr and Tommaso Spadolini on the new Maiora Supernova 50

When Maiora unveiled its 49.8-metre Supernova 50 at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, the project marked a new chapter for the Italian shipyard. Currently under construction in Pisa and scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2028, the yacht brings together two distinct design disciplines: the exterior design of Tommaso Spadolini and the interior vision of Elie Saab Jr, whose fashion house has expanded into furniture and interiors through Elie Saab Maison.

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Supernova 50

Courtesy of Maiora

For Saab Jr, the collaboration is a continuation of a relationship that began with Maiora’s 42-metre Exuma. The experience established a shared understanding between the two brands, he explains, making the Supernova 50 a natural next step – albeit one with a different aesthetic and a more ambitious spatial brief.

The collaboration extends beyond the division between exterior and interior design. According to the shipyard, Spadolini and the Elie Saab brand co-authored the yacht’s exterior lines and general arrangement, bringing their respective perspectives to its proportions, volumes and spatial planning. The interiors were developed under the creative direction of Elie Saab and Carlo Colombo, with Saab Jr representing the brand in the collaboration.

The project also offered an opportunity to explore how a fashion house’s design identity might translate into a yacht without losing sight of the environment for which it was conceived.

“We wanted it to always feel that you are on a yacht,” Saab Jr says. The intention was not to reproduce a residential interior at sea, but to retain recognisable elements of the yachting environment while introducing the detailing and materiality associated with his own collections.

Teak flooring was an important starting point. Elsewhere, bronze and mirrored finishes bring depth to the interior, while furniture from Elie Saab Maison has been selected and adapted to suit the yacht’s aesthetic and the way its spaces will be used.

For Saab Jr, visual identity is only part of the equation. The furniture must also be comfortable and practical, creating an environment that feels inviting rather than overly formal. The result, he explains, is intended to balance sophistication with a sense of home.

That balance extends to the relationship between the yacht’s interior and exterior. Spadolini describes the collaboration as an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to yacht design, with Saab Jr’s experience outside the marine industry helping to challenge conventional assumptions about life on board. He says it is a true "a quattro mani" (directly translated as "four hands") – an Italian idiom used to signify a true collaboration of two people working together.

The two designers worked closely on the project, developing their respective contributions around a shared vision. The result is a yacht in which the arrangement of the decks is as important as the styling of the spaces themselves.

One of the Supernova 50’s defining characteristics is its five-deck configuration, an ambitious arrangement for a yacht of this size. Spadolini highlights the challenge of fitting this variety of spaces into a yacht measuring less than 500GT, while maintaining a practical layout and a clear distinction between private and social areas.

As Spadolini explained during the Cannes press conference, the design is guided by the experience of the owner, from privacy and natural light to the freedom to move between spaces. “Rather than simply designing spaces, we sought to design a way of living on the sea,” he says.

Occupying a dedicated deck, the owner's accommodation features full-height glazing and panoramic views extending across the surrounding seascape. The private suite opens onto a forward terrace, with approximately 90 square metres of combined interior and exterior space and panoramic 180-degree views – creating a separate domain within the yacht, giving privacy and outdoor living equal weight.

Elsewhere, the upper deck is among Saab Jr’s favourite areas of the yacht. The connection between its seating and dining spaces and the aft terrace creates an environment intended to accommodate a full day on board, moving between the interior and exterior as the occasion demands. Across the five decks, the emphasis is on providing different settings for socialising, relaxation and privacy, while maintaining a visual and practical connection with the sea.

The yacht’s layout also addresses a familiar challenge in superyacht design: how to accommodate substantial tenders without sacrificing the spaces available to guests.

Spadolini describes a central tender-storage arrangement designed to accommodate a tender of around seven to 7.5 metres, with the possibility of carrying a second, smaller boat on board. Once the tenders are launched, the space can be put to alternative use, with potential applications including a gym, cinema or nightclub.

During the interview, Spadolini refers to approximately 80 square metres of space becoming available when the tender is in the water. The principle is clear: an area otherwise dedicated to equipment can become an extension of the guest experience at anchor. Rather than treating tender storage as an isolated technical requirement, the design seeks to make the space work harder as part of the overall experience on board.

The same thinking informs the relationship between the decks, terraces and interior spaces. The aim, according to Saab Jr, is to create a sense of generosity more commonly associated with a substantially larger yacht, without losing the intimacy and comfort of a 50-metre platform.

This emphasis on how the yacht is used extends to its intended role as a long-range cruising vessel. With an expected range of 4,150 nautical miles at 11 knots, the Supernova 50 is designed for owners who want to travel as well as spend time at anchor. The wheelhouse and captain’s cabin are positioned on the sundeck, where the elevated position provides clear views of the horizon.

For both designers, the Supernova 50 represents a meeting of different perspectives rather than an exercise in applying one signature style to another discipline. Spadolini brings the experience of yacht design to the challenges of layout and engineering; Saab Jr brings the visual language and material sensibility of a fashion and interiors house.

Their task is to make those approaches work together – creating a yacht that is recognisably contemporary in its design, but grounded in the practicalities of spending time at sea.