with – seldom seen on yachts – a four-poster bed, and his
and hers bathrooms.
The guest suites are on the lower deck, accessed via
a central staircase. Here, the layout differs from the
standard four-cabin plan, with two of the three large
cabins designed to combine into a VIP, with a seating
area and two bathrooms. At this level, Nederpelt points
out the sound of a generator – it is coming from the
yacht docked next to Moon Sand. Thick silk Tai Ping
carpets mute footsteps and the sound inside the cabins
is that of luxurious silence. This relates to the yacht’s
exhaust-cleaning system, says Nederpelt. With particles
removed, clean exhaust from generators shoots to the top
instead of off to the sides, offering the fringe benefit of
eliminating one source of noise on the lower deck.
The carpets follow a general theme of texture and
richness. The colours, materials and furniture are what
set this interior apart. “We knew they wanted something
colourful, bright and bold, using a lot of museum-quality
pieces,” says Dickie Bannenberg.
As is usual in creating a custom interior, the designers
travelled to the owners’ home to better understand their
tastes. It was a mobile by Alexander Calder in their private
collection that inspired the design of the dining room
table, an amazing showpiece of marquetry, with Murano
glass insets, built by Pollaro.
“It involved 10 species of veneer, as well as stainless
steel, bronze and glass,” says Frank Pollaro. “All of these
materials were masterfully woven by the Bannenberg
& Rowell team into a spectacular piece of art furniture.
The table required over 1,450 hours and was one of the
most complex we have ever made. The bottom was as
beautiful as the top.”
Serving as a backdrop is a colourful and playful
underwater scene with fish and corals made of cracked
eggshells. That piece took 1,000 hours to complete.
Silverlining created the eye-catching twin cabinets
holding china and accessories that frame the entrance to
the dining saloon – the contrasted and modern marquetry
make them works of art in their own right.
One of the dominant woods on board is zebrano,
an owner’s choice. It is found throughout as an accent
and on some of the floors, along with a dark American
walnut. Many other woods, including bleached wenge,
oak, macassar ebony, maple and even petrified wood
stone, contribute to the detailed interior. Unusually, many
bulkheads are treated with a heavily textured off-white
material. The surface is warmer to the touch than stone.
“It’s specially milled Corian,” explains Bannenberg.
“During many conversations and meetings, it became
clear that the owners were not interested in conventional
fabric panels. [This finish] was in response to the owner
saying ‘what else can we do?’”
Much of the décor evolved over time through meetings
and trips of discovery. A trip to Carrara changed the plans
for the bathroom stones in the master suite. The owners,
who went along, were awestruck by a slab of onyx in the
shop; its colour nearly matched the pink Chanel jacket the
wife wore. It was a fun coincidence that inspired them.
They went for the pink onyx and chose a blue marble for
his bathroom, which mirrors their predilection for coral
and turquoise found elsewhere on board. Also in thatThe “classic Feadship bow” shows the
traditional virtues of Moon Sand, while
the wheelhouse is a contemporary mix of
clean-looking technology and luxurious
leather details and custom helm seatshttp://www.boatinternational.com | April 2016PHOTOGRAPHS: YACHTIMAGES.CO.UK