112' Westport Yacht Refit Symphony
Like a favorite song that evokes those familiar feelings of nostalgia with its first notes, when a large project wraps up and all of the installations have been finalized, the subcontractors have moved onto their next task and the owners have set about planning their time onboard, there is a bittersweet reminiscing that occurs. Even though we, too, have turned our attention to our next projects, the memory of the transformation aboard the 112′ Westport Symphony stays with us, for this was one of those extra special projects for extra special clients.
The Inspiration
Among their many pursuits, the owners have an appreciation for fine cars. During one of our early conversations, we likened their desired interior style to the class and elegance of a Bentley with its quilted leather seats and contemporary flair. The yacht’s original rich traditional interior – replete with deep Mahogany wood – would become more contemporary and transitional, with a large portion of the wood being covered with textural materials. The owners were very particular about the different wallpapers they selected – so there is plenty of texture and depth brought forth by all of the wall coverings. Blacks, whites and soft golds would create a chic aesthetic with a comfortable ambiance that exudes style – like a Bentley. With accents of red throughout in artwork, and accessories, and in exterior fabrics.
Artwork
The selection and installation of the artwork aboard each yacht is one of the most important and detailed final steps of the design process. With Symphony‘s owners, we spent countless hours on Zoom calls with my Art Consultant picking out every single piece of art for their yacht. I try to do this with each of my clients because art is so personal. In addition to the custom welcome sign hanging in the foyer that was detailed in the Symphony News Post Part II, each piece of art throughout carries its own special story. In the day head, for example, the owner had found a piece of art that she fell in love with that would perfectly complement the black lacquer vanity and the black, white and gold motif. Usually in this situation we are able to locate a print and have it framed, but we were simply unable to find this art anywhere. So, I asked my photographer Mariya Wai to recreate this exact image with a model on Delray Beach. We ordered the hat on Amazon, and the owner directed the shot via FaceTime. The end result was beautiful and turned out exactly like the original. This piece now carries a very personal story for the owners, who couldn’t be happier.
Another highlight of the day head is the unique mirror that the owners absolutely loved that just barely fit the space and only came in navy blue leather. We had our custom leather upholsterer remove the navy blue leather original to the mirror and wrap it with black leather to match the space. And because of its size, we had to install it before installing the sink and faucet, which also meant that the wallpaper had to go in first. But the end result was worth it!
To complement the custom Bentley-inspired settee and helm chairs in the pilothouse, we carefully selected photos of famous racers to place around our own iconic image of the owner and his wife – which our photographer Mariya took of them with their Aston Martin in front of The Boca Raton Hotel.
Main Salon
The main salon came together in a flurry of activity, as we installed new glass holders in the bar, new china holders in the cabinets, and all new dishes sourced from the fabulous brands we carry in our showroom!
The custom dining table is topped with a very thick, very heavy piece of 3/4in glass and the glass is UV glued to custom fabricated stainless steel standoffs. The base was modified and mounted to the floor.
Our custom cocktail table is fabricated out of a multi-dimensional resin base and bent clear acrylic tops. The custom wall cloud art in 22k gold and shagreen finish on the forward bulkhead provides a high-impact decorative focal point.
We completely modified the wet bar to open it up and squared off the rounded edges of the salon countertops.
Door Detail
The incredible door detail was quite a challenge! The plan was to cut out the original mahogany panel and leave the black inlay, but this wasn’t possible so our painter ended up having to re-paint the black border around the shagreen. With the shagreen being so bumpy, a wiggly effect would be visible if the shagreen was not sanded at the inside edge first prior to painting. This was all extremely labor-intensive!
Master Stateroom
In the master we installed all new lighting, headliner, carpeting and window treatments – there wasn’t anything that we didn’t touch. Uniquely, we also installed an adjustable platform bed. This is something we had not done before and we first had to adjust the base to accommodate the additional height. The bed came from a European manufacturer, so not only did we have to consider the electrical wattage, but our carpenter had to create a new platform that would accommodate two separate twin-size adjustable beds. For each set of sheeting, we made two twin mattress pads and two twin fitted sheets which are covered with a king-size flat sheet and duvet.
The owner didn’t care for all of the rounded edges found throughout the original interior, so we eliminated them as much as possible. We weren’t able to make all straight edges in the stateroom as it would cause the stone to butt up against too many other surfaces so the wood edges were painted in these instances.
All of the stone in the master stateroom was milled down to a quarter inch – especially the lift-up vanity so it wasn’t too heavy to lift and so that it was flush when the top was down.
The master ensuite was an extensive project! We raised the ceiling to accommodate the rain shower and raised shower floor, adding drainage around the shower floor perimeter, and have no visible drain to interrupt the beautiful brass and stainless wall and floor inlay.
Shower Inlay
When we found the brass and stainless inlay on the display floor of the tile shop and all fell in love with it. When we went to order it, however, we realized it was just the display that held the strips of inlays – each of which was sold separately. So, we decided to create our own! My installer had to purchase each inlay, route out each individual line in pure White Thassos and duplicate our desired look! It is simply exquisite!
Queen Stateroom
Throughout the guest staterooms, the final installations included changing every keypad, switch, module, etc… to white. In the queen stateroom, we found beautiful light fixtures to bookend the bed – each individual piece of crystal and brass had to be modified in silicone to ensure it wouldn’t move!
The main art piece selected for the queen stateroom played a key role in the outfitting of the space – the pillows on the bed tie in with the pattern of the chairs in the artwork.
We added Soundown insulation for noise attenuation throughout the guest rooms, added the baseboard and painted the beds in a satin finish. The countertops were painted a high gloss for ease of maintenance and touch-ups.
Have you ever wondered what is done with the void left behind from those large bulky televisions of yesteryear? Aboard Symphony, which was built in 2009, we modified the tv spaces so that the new television can hang on the wall with its equipment and wires comfortably behind it. Then in the leftover void we created a built-in safe that can be accessed through the ensuite.
Twin Stateroom
The twin stateroom received the same detailed treatment as throughout the yacht, complete with Soundown insulation, new paint, new wall covering, ceiling, carpet, etc… In this space we designed quilted diamond patterned leather headboards that echoed the subtle Bentley theme throughout.
Guest Heads
Throughout the guest ensuites we finished the installation with all new lighting, wallpapers, quartz stonework, decorative tile and brass fixtures.
Exterior
Accommodating the owners’ request to add a dual bench to the side of the flybridge helm and put the helm chair on center so that he and his wife could sit together while the boat was underway was a challenging task for a tight space, but the ask was so endearing we had to accommodate. We ended up moving the life ring behind the bar for easier accessibility. We also added a convertible cocktail tables/ten-person dining table on the starboard side, which required routing into the new teak decking and the fiberglass as well. To accommodate this dining we also had to move the helm chair forward closer to the steering wheel. While moving the helm chair might look like a quick and easy task, this move would position the chair directly over the main salon dining table and chandelier. So, in order to not have to move the chandelier we did a lot of research and came up with a solution that involved mounting the chair with a fiberglass epoxy material that wouldn’t require thru-bolting it into the deck.
On the foredeck we added a sunpad with reclining backs along with handrails with steps. We made a removable table for the VIP keyhole hatch and added a sun awning for shade here.
The owners were very proud of the barstools added to the new aft deck bar. Designed by Andrew Winch for Summit Furniture, the stools fit perfectly in this space. We made our own cushions and stained the wood to match the other furniture in this space, including the refinished aft deck table.
Be sure to see our previous posts for earlier progress!
Stay tuned for the final professional images and portfolio page on the beautiful Symphony, 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!
