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[ MEGAYACHT ]

The very first yacht in Baglietto history to sport a plumb bow, this 40m revolutionised the classic RPH boat concept. Custom-designed for a visionary owner, she hails a paradigm shift introducing boundary-shattering aesthetics that brilliantly balance the conventional and the remarkable. The result is a peerless experience by Désirée Sormani - ph. Petrignani (interior) - Scovavento (exterior)

lub M is an oasis of peace and tranquillity. A vessel ready to cast off on a very different kind of adventure. Her destination: next gen. A place but also a non-place. A voyage within a voyage. This fully custom 40m aluminium semi-displacement beauty has turned the page and opened a whole new chapter in Baglietto history. Club M’s exterior lines and naval architecture come from the ever-brilliant pen of Horacio Bozzo while the equally creative Achille Salvagni quite literally crafted her interiors. A design team par excellence selected by her owner, a cultured, expert yachtsman who knew exactly what he wanted. By good luck, he is also something of a visionary. He wanted his new yacht to brim with genuinely unique and innovative stylistic content and tech. He also had several must-haves on his to-do list: this yacht would have to be useable and enjoyable anywhere, anytime, and have large al fresco spaces as well as bright, airy and versatile interiors. Her exterior lines were to be clean, sporty and elegant at once. Consequently, yard and designers found themselves confronted with several new and really quite unique challenges. To overcome them, they called in top artisans and craftspeople who cleverly mixed traditional techniques with advanced technologies. The result is a paradigm shift that completely breaks with Baglietto convention and styling. Starting with her stunning plumb bow, a major departure in itself for the Liguria yard, and, of course, her upper deck, one huge al fresco space with two walkways running its full length. Everything aboard Club M feels magically harmonious: neither the exteriors, interiors, stylistic choices nor solutions are standalone achievements – each one is interlinked. Absolute focus has been lavished on every tiniest detail – including, for instance, the portholes. These were designed specifically to maximise the amount of natural light in the interior and create magnificent interplays and contrasts. Importantly, they also underscore the connection between inside and outside: guests never lose sight of the panoramic views of the outside world aboard Club M. Moving inside, Achille Salvagni has quite literally sculpted the interiors. Though perhaps, carved is a better term. The result is the perfect mix of classicism and contemporaneity. He has clearly poured all of his expertise and broad-ranging culture into the project: historic references, architectural hints from the past – everything from the Baroque to the 1920s and 30s and even modern times - abound. References to film too. Salvagni essentially distilled his wealth of experience in the residential sector to produce marine interpretation of the various spaces. “Because,” as he stresses, “a house is a house and a boat is a boat”. Every square inch has been designed. An interplay of contrasts reigns supreme as if Salvagni were seeking to surprise and dazzle the owner with truly unique and inimitable solutions. Walls and ceilings are trimmed in light leather that is buttery soft to the touch and crafted into organic forms – sensual roundness and soft lines alternate and interact with those contrasts to create tension: pale brushed oak melds and provides a harmonious contrast to darker eucalyptus accents while the natural oak floors alternate unexpectedly with hand-knotted silk carpets. The volumes are so clean and clear-cut, they feel hewn by wind or sea. Even the interior light sources evoke the tentacles of marine organisms. Everything aboard feels fluid as if designed to create sense of unbroken softness and versatility of space that will envelop guests in comfort of the most sublime kind. Speaking of guests, there are three staterooms dedicated to their use on the lower deck while a fourth has been kitted out as a gym but can be converted to an extra suite if required. The master suite is full-beam with its own office, balcony and a wonderfully cocoon-like bedroom area: “I wanted to create a sense of protection in the place designated for rest,” says the architect. “Just as four poster beds were once used to rid occupants of the anxiety induced by high-ceilinged rooms that made them feel tiny, lowering the ceiling in the centre and raising it at the edges changes the perspective and makes the space seem larger. Which is more or less what Borromini did in the gallery at Palazzo Spada in Roma to create a dynamic, taut impact”. Ah yes, Club M is most definitely a voyage within a voyage. www.baglietto.com

Club M is the first yacht in Baglietto history to sport a plumb bow and revolutionises the classic RPH concept. Fully custom, her owners wanted to turn even purely technical items into design features, including the requisite protection for the anchor chain which is now a distinctive design detail. Opening, the saloon aboard Club M where circularity is a clear theme. The vibe is cocoon-like, exuding a sense of intimate, cosy conviviality. The central island created by sofas does not impinge on the natural light flooding in through deckto-ceiling windows. An aluminium displacement beauty, Club M can reach 18 knots

Above, the dining area. Contrasts reign supreme throughout – forms and materials designed to surprise and dazzle the owner with natural light doing its bit too. Below, the full-beam master suite has its own office and a balcony that slides out from the hull while the area above the window

opens up to help air circulate when the balcony is closed. Centre, the master bathroom has an Art Deco aesthetic albeit with contemporary twists. The master bed (below) is tucked into a niche to offer the owner a protected space. Above, an intimate corner: every single piece of furniture was designed to make this a unique space

The upper deck is wonderfully innovative as it was designed to maximise al fresco space: it is an open plan area connected from stem to stern by two large walkways, creating a single, very useable space. Aft, a sunning area with a hydromassage tub which is also custom. The bar picks up on the lunar theme (facing page, bottom). The handrails around the upper deck are designed to be minimal and stylish so as they don’t obstruct views

Exterior Design Horacio Bozzo

his design really did start with a clean sheet. We began by working out how much space the owner and his family needed and how it would be used as well as the mood it should have. Then we thought about the general concept and the configuration of the interior areas to guarantee owners, guests and crew functionality. Lastly, we moved on to the clean, sleekly sporty profile with many different styling cues that also have a function: the plumb stem is an example of a necessary protection for the anchor chain that also became a distinctive

design detail. Another thing that makes this yacht unusual is the way the exterior space is used: we connected both aft and forward upper deck areas with an inviting one-metre-wide corridor at each side, something we normally would have on a 60-plus metre, doubling the original space and giving the feeling of a much larger yacht. One challenge was to bring natural light inside all over the yacht, an essential aspect of the owner’s brief. So, we combined deck-to-ceiling glass panels and low bulwarks, while thick cap rails in teak helped keep the exterior lines linear. In the owner’s cabin, the light was drawn inside the yacht through openable balconies, but in the bathroom it was achieved by combining generous hull windows and a central big skylight. The hull portlights are another unusual design feature: their perimeter is shaped to maximize the amount of natural light coming into the cabins and also the view angle from inside to the exterior. The owner wanted a large exterior dining and lounge area, where he and his guests could hang out regardless of the weather conditions. We turned the challenge of obtaining a large exterior area into an innovation by developing the aft upper deck as a convertible area open to the breeze and views but also protected. We fulfilled both of these requirements by integrating electric drop-down windows mounted throughout the sides, rotating roof louvres and skylights. The roof louvres produce a controllable source of airflow to allow fresh air in and let warm air out as well as providing protection from bad weather or extremely hot midday sun. Club M really is a detailorientated, distinctive pocket superyacht.

Interior Design Achille Salvagni

he owner is a real adventurer whose life has been filled with challenges and great achievements. That to me was a fantastic basis to start from. As well as the yacht’s name: Club and the initial M. The club was the best way for him to escape the world and move to another planet, to a very relaxed dimension connected with nature but in a very unusual way. The idea was to be bring together two types of language: interstellar travel and that of the East, meaning a sophisticated type of minimalism with very few materials and meticulous attention to detail. There are plenty of references of different kinds: the films of Stanley Kubrick, the interiors of the Sputniks and the space shuttles, mixed with velvety woods that look like they’ve been weathered and polished by the wind and which

create coral fronds as natural elements, which come inside the boat, grow and modify its most mechanical part, making it anthropomorphic. Round, circular forms that recall craters and planets which are revealed but then refer back to flowing surfaces. There are no sharp angles aboard this boat – just like in a spacecraft – not even in the intersections between the walls and ceilings: we used quarter-spheres, a complex shape to achieve particularly if the materials involved are leather and wood because the natural grains have to match. The theme of softness also runs through all of my boats. Because a yacht is a very large living being. A space that plays host to people but also an organism in its own right. The absence of sharp angles makes people feel like they are inside a big moving body, a dolphin or a whale’s body. However, it is a gamble to treat boats as if you were in a loft in Zurich, London or NY. But you might be able to glean something from residential. It gives you the opportunity to experiment with

aggregating things. In all my projects, I create a neutral shell and something that brings a touch of uniqueness to the space: a piece of art or a designer object, a change to a horizontal surface. There is always something that breaks that perfect balance. I don’t like moving around inside rigid, unbending symmetries. Everything aboard is designed specifically for that space: from the lights to the sides of the bed which are cast in bronze, the bedside tables, handles, seating. Even the furnishings in the bathroom which reference the 1920s. The nobility of the space comes from the space itself. I like the idea of listening to and then disorienting the owner, surprising him. I am omnivorous: I read constantly and hop from art to fashion to culture. I adore history. Aboard Club M, we used Egyptian linens and textural surfaces. I used parchment and brass: I like creating fractures between design and materials. Rough and smooth, dark and light, softness and stiffness… together they create a harmonious system – just as happened aboard Club M.

Every last detail has been meticulously penned and crafted for this project. What looks like pure simplicity is actually the result of extremely complex architectural design. From door handles to the tiniest detail on the stairs, the closets and furnishings trimmed in parchment, the individual lights and accessories – all are the result of a single philosophy and the great craftsmanship of Italy’ finest artisans

The Shipyard Fabio Ermetto, Baglietto CCO

There is a large sunning area forward in addition the aft one: this is a comfortable open plan lounge area. Aft is a very appealing beach area. Club M is a superyacht that can tackle all kinds of cruising – her high performance hull even has a shallow draft, making her ideal for sailing around the Bahamas

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he platform used for Club M is completely new and designed around the owner’s specific requirements. It was a challenging hull, the first with a plumb bow ever to be built by Baglietto and it revolutionises the classic RPH boat concept. The preliminary design process took six months and it was built in two years. The owner had very definite ideas: he’d already picked his designers. He was looking for a yard that could guarantee a very high quality yacht but was also flexible enough to produce a craft that was stylistically and technologically unique and innovative. Baglietto is synonymous with quality and I believe it was our expertise as a bespoke atelier that convinced the client to choose us for this particular experience. The owner wanted a hull with large open spaces that could be enjoyed in any kind of weather conditions. That resulted in a complete revision of the RPH concept: the upper deck was totally redesigned as an open plan space from one end to the other: 28 metres of footage (which is a lot on a 40m board). It was a huge challenge to create a unique, original outdoor/indoor space that would still allow us to keep the lines clean and sleek yet also boosted the practicality and enjoyment of life aboard. Another big challenge was the complexity of ensuring people could move around freely in a boat of relatively compact size, again while keeping the lines clean, but without losing any efficiency or practicality. The balcony in the master suite, for instance, with its double opening upward and downward, and the garage hatch with its travel lift or hideaway hydraulic stairs to connect the upper and main decks forward. Furthermore, the interiors created by Salvagni for the yacht make it genuinely special as it exudes a peerlessly balanced, refined and elegant luxury. The soft, sinuous lines penned by the architect only appear linear but actually point towards great architectural complexity as well as creating warm, harmonious ambiences in which even the tiniest detail counts. All in all, Club M was a completely new project that stimulated and expanded our construction expertise. She is now most definitely an excellent calling card. Club M is a compact technological, stylish and elegant gem.