112' Westport Yacht Refit Emilia
What’s in a name? Every yacht has a name, some are whimsical and witty, others are sentimental or perfunctory. For their new yacht, the owners selected the name Emilia as an amalgam of their children’s names, Emi and Giulia. But there is a deeper meaning. The Latin definition of the name Emilia means “to strive or excel or rival” so when visualizing the yacht’s logo mark, the owners incorporated the family’s Japanese heritage and set the name interpretation as “to overcome.”
The Logo
“In keeping with the Japanese theme ‘to overcome’, we arrived at the historically symbolic Japanese wave woodblock by ukiyo-e artist Hokusai: The Great Wave off Kanagawa, or, simply, The Great Wave,” say the owners.
The Fine Line Between Art and Design
While construction was well underway, we began designing and selecting furniture and materials that effortlessly blurred the distinction between design and art. The decor and furniture would honor the Mid Century period. According to the owners, “Emilia‘s furniture represents original or faithfully and meticulously reproduced examples of the finest work from Charles Eames, Isamu Noguchi, George Nakashima, George Nelson and Frank Lloyd Wright.”
Good Vibes Only
What would it take to turn the main salon into an LP listening space? This was a question posed by the owners as the project and the interior design details began to take shape. Soundproofing and noise attenuation was already being incorporated throughout, but an extra step was taken to accommodate the owners’ desire for an authentic, nearly soundproof listening studio feel in the main salon.
Vibration and sound dampening insulation was applied to all ceilings and bulkheads. Nearly all of the main deck was changed to hardwoods to easily eliminate dust and allergens.
Entertainment
Naturally, the entertainment for the Mid Century era would come from a stylish turntable sound system that the owner designed himself with special stabilizing properties to reduce vibration.
“In order to retain the authenticity of the Mid Century Modern aesthetic, we found and restored a Thorens TD-12k MKII turntable, paired it to a modern receiver, period speakers and 600 clean watts-per-channel amps. Two Eames Lounge Chairs will face the speakers for pure unadulterated enjoyment.”
The majority of the cabinetry in the main salon was removed and replaced to accommodate the new layout changes.
Noise Attenuation
Art is Life
As the finer details of the yacht’s interior aesthetic come together, we are meeting regularly with the owners and various vendors in our studio to curate the materials, the table settings, the fabrics and finishes and the art installations on board. As is to be expected of this particular project, the artwork throughout will be meticulously considered and deeply personal.
The Kimono
From the onset of the project, the owners knew that they wanted to display a beautiful Japanese kimono in a prominent position onboard. We didn’t want it to simply hang against the wall – the plan was to display it in a traditional hanging rack called an Ikou. When it came time to determine exactly where and how, we had to bring in the reinforcements! In consultation with our seamstress and carpenter, we tackled the challenge of displaying the kimono properly while eliminating the risk of movement of the fabric. Our carpenter will build a custom Ikou but modify it to be boat worthy, and our seamstress will fasten it so that it won’t flutter loosely.
Space Age
The 1950s and 1960s marked the beginning of space exploration, so this theme was the inspiration for the design of the pilothouse. Being a Navy veteran, the owner envisions a clean, purpose-built bridge with a spaceship flare that would be full of technology. In addition to enclosing the original stairs on the port side to house a coffee station for guests, together we’ve redesigned this space and relocated the dash and upper panel aft as well as some of the instrumentation to allow for better access and visibility. The finish materials will be black, gray matte and carbon fiber.
This extensive refit is well underway and will soon be nearing completion at Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center, so stay tuned for the final project update on Emilia, coming soon!
For more on refits of all types, be sure to check out our blog posts Yacht Interior Designers Guide: To Refit Or Not To Refit Part 1 & Part 2. Be sure to come back and check in on our News Page for more progress on the refit of the 112′ Westport Yacht Emilia and other news and project updates!
