All Hands on Deck

Minimalism, luxury, and technology set sail on a yacht by Luca Brenta Yacht Design, Kitty Hawks, and Lissoni Associati

Edie Cohen -- Interior Design, 7/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Ghost takes its name from the metallic-silver paint covering its carbon-fiber form. At 122 feet long, with a mast stretching up to a staggering 165 feet, the yacht is something supernatural but far from spectral. Whether docked in Monaco, Saint-Tropez, or the Caribbean, it's formidable and impossible to forget, a result enacted by Lorenzo Argento and Luca Brenta, partners of Luca Brenta Yacht Design; architect Piero Lissoni; and interior designer Kitty Hawks. The owner's mandate was speed above, luxury below.

The process began in 2000 at Monaco's annual boat show, where, one day, Argento and the owner, who was shopping for a yacht designer, met informally. The next day, the two sailed aboard LBYD's Wally B, a 107-foot yacht the firm built in 1998. A day later, almost as fast as Ghost's 28-knot capability, the client was in Milan closing the deal.

"He liked Wally B's open spaces and long axis of visibility," recalls Argento. Ghost, which was fabricated in English and Dutch shipyards, incorporated these traits and much more.

Most impressive is its immense 22-by-10-foot skylight. Made from three strips of glass that cap the yacht's saloon, the main living area, it allows those belowdecks "to see things from a totally new perspective," says Argento. "As soon as you walk inside, you look up and discover a world never before seen on a boat." Its mast and boom are in sight always.

"Another novelty," he continues, is the gray rubber set between the teak deck's 3-inch- wide planks. "Usually the fill is black." Such is Ghost's level of detail.

For the interior architecture, Argento commissioned his friend Piero Lissoni. Though they had never worked together, Argento long-admired the architect's subtlety, impeccable detailing, and clean, but not brutal, minimalism, all of which can be seen in the many showrooms, hotels, residences, and products Lissoni has designed. "I focused on super-purity, as boats are often full of different materials and details," says Lissoni. "It's analogous to an urban environment."

Thus, the 1,300-square-foot interior, which Lissoni organized into the saloon, a 280-square-foot master cabin, two guest cabins, a galley, and accommodations for a crew of five, is all of a thematic piece, an element to which Kitty Hawks contributed. Wood throughout is bleached mahogany. Horizontal cabinetry in the saloon and master and guest cabins is finished in cream-colored crackle lacquer, craftsmanship dating to 16th-century China. Straw-colored custom wool rugs woven in Sweden cover the floors of the saloon and the master cabin.

For furnishings, there's no sacrifice of styling for size, as quarters are anything but tight. The design team selected items that are as equally at home in a New York loft as they are on the yacht. In the saloon, for example, Lissoni's large Met sofa is accompanied by a pair of custom chaises and a mahogany cocktail table, all three of which transform into pieces for dining.

Fabrics come from top design resources. "At the outset, I knew the point of the boat, its silver ghost quality," says Hawks. Revealing her intuition is the smoky gray cotton-silk and linen upholstering the saloon's seating, and the silk and linen on the walls of the sleeping cabins. More luxe is found in the saloon's square wall panels covered in hand-stitched Italian saddle leather.

"Super-technical" is Lissoni's word for the 17-foot-long galley. Stainless-steel appliances are topped by a granite counter that's just millimeters thick (it clads an aluminum-honeycomb core), as weight is a consideration in a yacht's building materials. The Italian marble counter and walls in the master head are of the same construction.

LBYD punched out seven 2-foot-square hatches in the master cabin, which includes a study. From there, glimpses can be captured of the deck, appointed in a manner similar to the saloon. A pair of Le Corbusier's LC 3 sofas, customized with a stainless-steel frame and covered in ecru Sunbrella fabric, flank a custom steel-and-glass table with fold-down leaves. At night, the two titanium steering wheels are lit by a pair of custom lamps.

Further illumination comes from LEDs installed virtually throughout. "A Formula One in a dinner jacket," says Lissoni of the yacht, which took three years to build. Here's to smooth sailing.

Previous spread: A 22-by-10-foot skylight caps the saloon of Ghost, a 122-foot yacht by Luca Brenta Yacht Design, Kitty Hawks, and Lissoni Associati.

Above: Piero Lissoni's Met sofa and custom chaises that transform into dining banquettes appoint the saloon. The bronze Cambodian drum and 1930's chair were purchased at auction. The stairs and floor are bleached mahogany.

Left, top: Three glass panels compose the oversize skylight, which is hermetically sealed to keep in air-conditioning and keep out moisture. Left, center: The custom chaises and mahogany-and-steel table set up for dining. Crackle-lacquer cabinetry provides storage. The wool rug is from Sweden. Left, bottom: Hand-stitched Italian saddle leather covers the square wall panels. Below: Ghost's single carbon-fiber mast is 165 feet tall, equivalent to the height of a 15-story building.

Above: On the teak-plank deck, customized Le Corbusier LC 3 sofas flank a custom steel-and-glass table with fold-down sides. Right, top: The 17-foot-long galley is fitted with stainless-steel appliances, polyurethane-coated cabinets, and a granite counter. Right, center: In one of the two guest cabins, Hawks covered the wall panels in linen. Right, bottom: In the navigation center, the central panel opens to communication and positioning equipment. The counter is bleached mahogany.

Opposite: On deck is a study in balance: A pair of custom battery-operated lamps in brushed stainless steel illuminate the two titanium steering wheels as well as the Sunbrella-covered sofas.

Top: Above the bed in the master cabin, LBYD punched out a 2-foot-square hatch; there are seven total. The wall is covered in silk and the bed platform in leather. Center: The Italian marble counter in the main head has the thickness of veneer, since, in yacht design, weight of building materials is a consideration. The counter's core is honeycomb aluminum. Bottom: Antonio Citterio's leather-covered Iuta chair serves the master cabin's study with sliding bleached mahogany cabinetry panels.

Opposite: A man atop the skylight illustrates the boat's scale. The main sail is made of Spectra, a durable polyethylene fabric.

SOFA (SALOON): CASSINA; ROGER ARLINGTON (FABRIC). CUSTOM CHAISE LONGUES (SALOON), SOFAS (DECK): GASPARINI. CHAISE LONGUES FABRIC (SALOON), WALL FABRIC (GUEST CABIN): ROGERS GOFFIGON. CUSTOM RUG (SALOON, MASTER CABIN): KASTHALL. WALL LEATHER (SALOON), PLATFORM LEATHER (MASTER CABIN), CHAIR LEATHER (STUDY): ASHBURY HIDES. WALL-LEATHER MANUFACTURING (SALOON): VITTORIO GRANATA. LACQUERED PANELS: GALLERIE C.T. LOO. CUSTOM TABLE (DECK): NAOS. SUNBRELLA: GLEN RAVEN. COOKTOP, OVEN (GALLEY): GAGGENAU. WASHER, DRYER: MIELE. BED LINENS (GUEST CABIN): FRETTE. BED LINENS (MASTER CABIN): PRATESI. WALL FABRIC: SILK DYNASTY. TOWELS (MASTER HEAD): SCHWEITZER LINEN. BASINS: RAPSEL. FITTINGS: VOLA. CHAIR (STUDY): BB ITALIA. MAINSAIL (DECK): HONEYWELL. LIGHTING: ISOMETRIX LIGHTING + DESIGN. CARBON-FIBER WORK: GREEN MARINE OFFSHORE COMPOSITES. PAINT: SIKKENS. EXTERIOR PAINT WORK: BONSINK. INTERIOR BUILDING: RUITER QUALITY INTERIORS. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT: SP TECHNOLOGIES. GENERAL CONSTRUCTION: VITTERS SHIPYARD.