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EBONY ISSUE - n° 15 - 2018 - € 10 www.theoney d.com
The Art of Sailing Sanlorenzo SX8
QUART ERLY - P.I. 21/07 /2018 Intern ationa l € 10, Poste Italiane S.p.a. Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Spedizione in Abbon amento Postale
- 70% - LO/MI
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[ COVERSTORY ]
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The 27-metre Sanlorenzo heralds a radical concept and a slew of firsts for the yard itself. Thanks to the work of an exceptional team, this crossover paves the way for a new type of yacht with loft-like open spaces that also blur the divisions between interior and exterior. Only iconic designer pieces have been used for the furnishings by DĂŠsirĂŠe Sormani - ph. by Leo Torri
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e have created a mini revolution!” declared
Olympics) provided the initial project idea, while Mauro Micheli
Massimo Perotti of the new SX88 at Cannes
and Sergio Beretta’s Officina Italiana Design did the exterior styling
last year. Almost 12 months on from the yacht’s
and Piero Lissoni (recently appointed Art Director at Sanlorenzo)
first appearance, it is clear the Sanlorenzo
imbued the interior with a loft-like ambience.
chairman was right. The SX88 is one of the
Elegance, sobriety and beautifully balanced volumes: they are all
most radical yachts to come on the scene of late. She is also one of
there at first glance and to powerful effect. The crossover’s very
the most popular – 13 units were snapped up in a very short space
generous 30 square metre cockpit slopes away towards the open
of time, in actual fact. The crossover’s lines also made a splash
transom and, once freed of a 15’ tender and two jet skis, it becomes
at the last edition of Elite Days when the yard celebrated its 60th
a real “toes-in-the-water” platform. This is where you board and
year in business, drawing the most visitors and making the most
also where the magic starts. It is such a novel experience, you might
trips out to sea.
feel yourself getting a little lost as you drink in the myriad styling
There are several factors behind this success story. To start with,
details used to craft the exterior. The sea is literally all around –
the SX88 is a completely unprecedented concept with a powerful,
even in the interior where huge windows blur the barriers between
characterful exterior, new concept interiors and various “firsts” for
inside and out. But people also play an active part in the dynamic.
Sanlorenzo as a yard. The team behind her is one: Luca Santella (an
The large living area opens up entirely to the cockpit that precedes
architect and sailor who competed at both the Seoul and Barcelona
it with Extra Soft Outdoor by Piero Lissoni sofas and divans. It is
The 27-metre SX88 has a GRP hull but a carbon-fibre superstructure. The windshield and the front window are reverse-angled in a new take on the explorer vessel aesthetic. The bow is high and extremely seaworthy while her profile tapers aftward adding sleekness to her overall impact. Opening shot: the cockpit is just before the open space area with Pier Lissoni Extra Soft Outdoor sofas and divans in mid-shadow
a dynamic open space that creates a kind of imaginary vortex. The
marble in the bathrooms. A green and blue back-painted glass wall
Tulip table by Eero Saarinen and Carl Hansen & Son chairs by
acts as a theatrical backdrop in the master stateroom, evoking the
Mogens Koch 1932 are there, followed by the ultra-minimalist Boffi
colours of the natural world just outside. We were also intrigued
K2 cube kitchen designed by Norbert Wangen. Further forward and
by the solution Lissoni came up with for the master bathroom,
to starboard is an intimate, versatile area that has a cocoon-like
which runs along the port side and is separated from the cabin by
cosiness, while to port stairs lead down to the cabins on the lower
a glass wall that allows the sunlight from the hull windows to filter
deck or up to the fly with its helm station and second large cockpit
in, brightening the entire space.
kitted out as a sea-front terrace.
The SX88 is furnished almost entirely with freestanding designer
The only area of the SX88 that conforms to classic yacht layout
pieces from the top brands Sanlorenzo has been working with for
is the sleeping quarters on the lower deck. It has conventional
many years. There are also some pieces by Lissoni himself, but
bulkheads and service corridors, clearly defined spaces. There
iconic references to the history of design dominate: a 637 Utrecht
are three two-berth cabins and the master (which can also be
Armchair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1935), a 833 Cicognino table
located forward of the stairs on the main deck). Ribbed Tanganyika
by Franco Albini (1953), a 523 Tabouret Méribel table by Charlotte
panelling adorns the walls with wengé trimming the ceilings. The
Perri (1961) and even Vico Magistretti’s famous Atollo lamps for
light Kerakoll micro-cement floors are a clear break from the
Oluce (1977). Historic touches for a yacht that will make history.
darker woods and lift the rooms, as does the polished Calacatta
www.sanlorenzoyacht.com.
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Left, the stairs leading down the cabins. This is the only area where the interior arrangement is somewhat traditional. Below, the master stateroom with its greenpainted glass wall. Facing page, above, an intimate multipurpose area furnished with an antique Early 20th century Mauritania Sahara rug by Altai, a Living Divini Rod sofa, PK22 armchairs by Poulk Kjaerholm and the Occasional Table by Charles Ray Eames (1950). Below, there is a cosy, private sunning area on the foredeck which can also be directly connected with the interior
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The large open space living area offers extraordinarily panoramic vistas through its windows. Note the pairing of the folding chairs designed for Carl Hansen & Son by Mogens Koch (1932) with Eero Saarinen’s classic Tulip table. Right, the minimalist K2 cube kitchen was designed by Norbert Wangen for Boffi. The walls are panelled in ribbed Tanganyika while wengÊ is used to line the ceilings. The light Kerakoll micro-cement floors are by Piero Lissoni
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Exterior Design Officina Italiana Design
O
fficina Italiana Design worked on this project at a time when we had a collaboration contract with Sanlorenzo for several vessels. When Luca Santella put the SX88 concept to us, we immediately thought it was a very interesting proposal: it encompassed a whole new idea of onboard living and that was hugely stimulating for us. We came up with a form around what he gave us, that we knew had to have a very strong personality. Everything was instinctual, including the Z for Zoro motif. Those three connected lines yield a new and very contemporary take on the reverseangled window, a classic naval and explorer vessel cue, creating a motif that is very far from banal. The SX 88 has strong muscular lines yet the surface detailing is very refined. The string on the deckhouse that runs from the stern to stem and continues in imaginary fashion to the tip of the bow is another intuitive feature. We used large windows to free up the light and drew it inside the boat to brighten the interior spaces. Some of the aesthetic detailing on the surfaces you won’t notice immediately. But you will get the feeling that there is something quite unusual going on in the whole yacht: they are hidden touches that you may not understand but you will feel. Even the very dark anthracite livery is a break with the familiar, Sanlorenzo’s included. But despite that the SX88 is very much a Sanlorenzo. The family feeling is clear: the stern, the hard-top and the hull portholes are all Sanlorenzo styling cues. The SX88 is aimed at a sophisticated, unusual kind of owner and might even prove popular with sailors. We are proud to have helped create a range of yachts that have set a new course in yacht design.
Above, from right, Officina Italiana Design’s CEO Sergio Beretta and Chief Designer Mauro Micheli. This shot, the SX88 exudes character and personality, and, facing page, an aerial photo highlights the arrangement of the exterior areas
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Concept Creator and Project Coordinator Luca Santella
T
he SX88’s real strength and the source of its success lie in the collection of new ideas that sparked the project. I’m talking about the open transom platform, the single helm position on the upper deck, the mechanical closing mechanism on the large fly windows, the completely open space main deck that also includes the master stateroom, and the pod system. The lines chosen for the exteriors clothe all those innovative concepts. The first boat was an on spec craft. And, like all of Sanlorenzo’s new projects, she came about through meetings of the company board, which follows the progress of new products. I conceived many of the ideas working on a full 3D model that was then delivered to Officina Italiana Design, which did the exterior cosmetic work. The waterlines, on the other hand, were designed by an American, Lou Codega, who specialises in fast, ocean-going fishermans. Codega’s boats all have very slender bow sections which end in quite a flat stern section. This compromise means that safe, comfortable navigation even in big seas can be combined with small engines and fuel consumption levels. The truth is that the SX88 is the result of many pens: each one of us worked in our specialist field and to the best of our ability. Then there was the coordination and verification process that the Sanlorenzo Board normally does in defining new projects and which always results in the initial idea being honed to its optimum. The SX88’s exterior lines are very unusual – the very opposite of classic. The result is an excellent balance between elegance, power and functionality. A perfect mix of a working vessel and a motoryacht. What our clients like most of all about the SX – and this is also what is really driving her success – is that she is a smart, functional, seaworthy, elegant motoryacht.
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Interior Design Piero Lissoni
I
f I had to say how I started the Sanlorenzo design, I’d say I began with the idea of an owner, in this instance Massimo Perotti. I like that connection. When I talk about a project, I talk about something shared. When Massimo spoke to me about the possibility of designing an SX, a new generation boat with a whole new take on space, I thought: “This is my big opportunity, damn it!” The first thing we did was to open up a dialogue on how this boat might be. The idea was very simple: why not try to design a boat that doesn’t have any truck with the classic canons? Something open space, for example. I asked myself why we have to design corridors. Why throw away the width of a room for a corridor that is used for three per cent of its lifetime? That’s what got me saying ‘Let’s open things up, let’s take things away!’ Why do all boats have to have cabins? I thought we could limit the number
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of cabins and approach it from a completely different angle. Make it a social boat, a boat that would ensure you had an interesting social life, but not necessarily a boat for too many guests either. That’s where the SX design started from. Massimo Perotti believed in me and so here we are. At the end of the day, the SX88 is an open space in the shape of a boat with an elegant simplicity, a boat that offers her guests the chance to connect with the world around them. Very much against current nautical trends for almost entirely bespoke furnishings, the SX88’s furnishings were chosen from the catalogues of the top designer brands. The production furnishings on the market work really well aboard. In actual fact, they are a far better choice. If a thing already exists, why would you go to the trouble of inventing something banal with no nice proportions or quality?
This sketch by Piero Lissoni reveals the staircase concept featuring floating steps. A large sheet of glazing (above) adds security to the stairs. Page opposite, the sunning area on the fly and the steering position. All the SX88’s furnishing were selected from the catalogues of leading designer furniture brands.
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The Shipyard Massimo Perotti
B
ecause the SX is a crossover line, we felt a moniker that was an indirect reference to explorers might work as that idea greatly influenced the concept behind this new line which is ideal for living life to the fullest in close contact with the sea. Contact with nature, which is the SX88’s salient feature, is a priority for us. The owners who come to Sanlorenzo are real connoisseurs and passionate about boats. What they like first and foremost is being able to live the sea fully. Naturally enough, we are also targeting owners who choose Sanlorenzo yachts because they like their elegance. Even though she is completely innovative, the SX88 has the sobriety, the beautifully balanced volumes and masses that have made the brand’s craft instantly recognisable. The concept is attractive in itself but the open transom platform is hugely versatile and larger than anything ever seen on a 27-metre. The same applies to the interiors with the main deck now free of the helm position which has been moved to the flying bridge. That means it is entirely liveable – the kind of thing that only happens on very large superyachts. The big glazed surfaces also mean the interiors seem to form a seamless continuum with the exterior, guaranteeing excellent and effective communication between interior and exterior. Owners also appreciate this more “extreme” and innovative version which gives them the choice of a completely open space interior, creating an authentic loft-like ambience at sea. The SX88 was born in the knowledge that we were sparking a complete range of yachts that would brilliantly meet market demands. 70 and 80 footers are the perfect dimensions for cruising the Mediterranean and very much in demand on the market at the moment. The SX88 is enjoying significant success: the first example made its official debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2017 and in recent months we’ve upped our sales to 13 units sold, mostly to the European market, which is bouncing back after years of crisis. She is also getting a very warm reception on the American and Asian markets. The SX88 is an elegant, versatile and evolved boat.
The exterior lines are the product of a Z motif that came to the designers in a flash: the three lines making up the Z shape paved the way for a contemporary take on reverse-angled glazing (a classic feature of naval and explorer vessels)
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