Custom concept

Simply Custom uses a common naval architecture and engineering platform of 80 metres, developed by Lateral Naval Architects, on which 17 renowned design studios, including Hot Lab, have created their own concepts to a common brief from Oceanco.

Lumini explains the Superleggera 80 draws its inspiration from a simple idea: to design clean and essential lines as if they were effortlessly, naturally born. “We wanted the design to be soft and minimal; subtly related to the sailing style, edgeless and with a great continuity of surfaces,” he says.

“In addition to this, we aimed to break some recurring patterns, such as the typical stern of a yacht with its staircases and hatches. For this, we concealed both under a veil of teak.

“When we design new items, we focus on certain details, chasing the goal of constant incremental innovation.”

The result is a classically elegant yet contemporary style that incorporates subtle design cues all over. The Hot Lab team worked on all aspects of the concept from exterior to interior, layout and the basic concepts of the interior style, working within the parameters and constraints outlined by the shipyard.

“The incredible thing about designing the interiors concurrently with the exteriors is the ability to connect the design across different scales, from large to small details,” says Lumini.

“Italian design is first and foremost elegant – and we strive to be elegant,” he adds. “Everyone has their own vision of beauty and elegance but for us it means designing ‘less’, removing rather than adding, cleaning rather than cluttering.”

The studio says the design intends to evoke the same sense of awe one feels in an expansive penthouse, and that intention is borne out in details such as a 5-metre-high main atrium and a central bar illuminated by a skylight.

There are six guest suites plus a master, with ample light across the four decks from the expansive glazing, and a beach club in the stern, along with a gym that features an opening balcony.

Lumini says a client’s influence can be more significant in interior design, but generally, the studio aims to guide owners toward a clean and strict design.

For the Superleggera 80, that desire is reflected in a bright, contemporary style and palette, curved furniture and integrated lighting, wood and bright lacquered finishes, and elements such as the glass-ended aft deck pool that slips toward the curved teak that flows over the transom.

Of course, striking the all-important balance between ‘timeless’ and ‘contemporary’ is harder than it sounds, particularly while avoiding a bland outcome.

“It’s challenging, and I don’t believe it’s always possible to succeed compared to what you can do with the exterior lines,” admits Lumini. “But what we try to do is impose ‘our’ style: we reiterate certain stylistic elements, thus becoming classics while ensuring our design is recognised. This signature is our way to reach a broad base of clients without being boring.”

There’s another factor at play, too – what Hot Lab calls architecture for voyagers. “It’s a vision: it means conceiving the yacht as a perfect blend of style and utility between practicality and beauty, and that’s exactly what we have applied to the Superleggera 80,” says Lumini.

“Practicality is emotional – it’s that sensation that reaffirms to the owner, every time they experience it, that they made the right choice.

“The right designer, the right project, the right yacht. The union between perfect practicality and style, means communicating to one’s clients, and they to their friends: ‘I did well. This is the yacht for me’.

“Our Superleggera 80, along with Lateral’s engineering and Oceanco’s superyacht building prowess, is that project, that yacht.

Romano adds: “If our design doesn’t evoke emotion, then we are not designers. Superleggera aims to draw a smile. One must admire it and smile inwardly, as if to say, ‘There it is, I’ve found it, this will be my boat.’”

hotlab.it
oceancoyacht.com