Louis Postel
01/01/2005
As one of the chief exponents of the modernist ideal so prevalent in our
culture, designer Juan Montoya, 59, enjoys lavish media attention.
Recently, he
shared his thoughts on the fine art of paring
down while
living large.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Lazzarini and Pickering’s interior
design for the 52-meter Benetti Sai Ram, top
and above,
utilizes a
simple but striking palette of colors and textures
to
express a sense
of space. Photography courtesy of
Benetti
(Click image to enlarge)“Modernism came into play in the 1920s when people started looking at material objects for residential use. A celebration and abstraction of what was typically industrial, modernism uses stainless steel and rubber, rendering it ‘homey.’ It is the result of the discoveries of the industrial revolution as expressed through the Bauhaus school. The big examples of modernism are Charlotte Perriand, who worked with Le Corbusier in the 1940s and 1950s, and Jean Prouvé, Marcel Breuer and Philip Johnson in the 1950s.
“I love Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times. It was the first movie to show stark industrial scenery as an expression of modernism. Chaplin introduced elements that made architects and designers think,” Montoya says.
Of his own work, he says, “I was influenced by Susan Slesin’s book, [Lofts, Un Nouvel Art de Vivre] which defines ‘industrial chic’ as it was known, and also by the master architect Louis Kahn.” When Mantoya discusses modernism, he invokes Kahn’s transcendental, geometric, “built for the ages” approach, because geometry defines the way we think about, build, and see shapes and forms. He also talks about the work of minimalists.“I am challenged by Calvin Klein’s minimalist straight lines and the designs of John Pawson, the architect of Klein’s flagship store on Madison Avenue, who, even more than Armani, thinks everything should be spartan and monastic. I am attracted to Pawson’s almost empty spaces because they are reflections of abundance, the reverse mirror of a world glutted with too much stuff,” Montoya says.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Darren Henault employed multiple textures,
such as Ultrasuede, and geometric
shapes in his modern interior refit
design for 120-foot motor yacht Moon
River. (Click
image
to enlarge)The opportunity to test his ideas in a maritime venue presented itself with the commission for a 110-footer, Lady Elizabeth. “The yacht I designed has the dynamics of a modern yacht and follows the lines of a modern yacht. But carrying those modern lines into the interior would have interfered with the atmosphere of relaxation. People want comfort and soft lines. The juxtaposition of modern lines with a bit of sentimental clutter helps,” he said. “The richness of wood, silks and cotton, inlays of stones like lapis lazuli and onyx, and the introduction of Lalique elements in the design…We do need to relax,” he added.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Another
perspective
came
from
Darren
Henault,
speaking
while
standing in front
of
the
Benjamin
Hotel in New York,
one of
the
“skyscraper
palazzi”
designed by
architect
Emory
Roth, who
immortalized modern,
jazz-age
glamour.
Henault, 39, is
one of Roth’s
creative
heirs. His appreciation
for
classic
modernism is showcased aboard Moon
River, the
120-foot
yacht he
recently
redecorated for a
New
England-based
family. (Click image to enlarge)“When they showed me the boat they were about to buy, I found that the six-year-old yacht had been outfitted for an elderly couple. The staterooms had been ripped out to accommodate the owner’s wheelchair, and everything was basic teak and nautical-themed prints,” he says. “The husband thought the boat had great bones and would do just as it was. The wife envisioned a somewhat slick, James Bond grooviness. I suggested that the boat, with its classic exterior, deserved an interior inspired by the luxurious and elegant ocean liner the Normandie.” Henault notes that seagoing modernism came into its own aboard the 1935 launch Normandie, which featured the talents of such cutting-edge furniture designers as Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann and Jacques Quinet.“I upholstered Moon River’s master stateroom walls in Ultrasuede, covered the floors with Tibetan rugs and used hand-cut Aaron Adams tiles in the master head. Inspired by Jean Royère, I selected lamps that glide up and down, eliminating the need for most overhead lighting. The new lounge has a seating pit and a huge, red-lacquered bar inlaid with nickel strips. In the 19th century, the bar would have been carved and paneled, but the modernists used metal to imply paneling,” says Henault.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Juan Montoya’s carpet designs,
available from
Stark Carpets, illustrate the
importance of
geometry in his
work.
(Click
image to enlarge)Among designers more frequently associated with yachts are Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering. Despite working from a studio in Rome with the Tiber River as a backdrop, Lazzarini and Pickering are often regarded as among the best in modern architecture.
Pickering, 44, an Australian expat, studied architecture in Venice. His partner Lazzarini, 51, is a native of Rome. While yacht design comprises only one-tenth of their practice, neither is shy about expressing an opinion about what works and what doesn’t.
“We design buildings,” says Lazzarini. “Our first boat project revolutionized yacht interior design. It was the [Wally Yachts 108] Wally B, which won a ShowBoats Award in 1999. We couldn’t understand why people shoved cubes into the extraordinary geometry of yacht hulls.“Designing a boat is not like designing a house. It’s important to respect the geometry of the hull, whether it’s a motor yacht or a sailing yacht. The cultural references of yacht interiors [seem to be] Las Vegas hotel lobbies. Our European clients, however, insist on interiors that are more like their own beautiful – often quite modern – houses,” he says.
“Luxury is about space and function, and materials and craftsmanship,” says Pickering. “In our view, luxury is not simply highly varnished burled wood and gold taps. It is an elegantly served dinner for sixteen and the hand-stitched leather lockers aboard Wally B; the sense of space in the just completed 170-foot Benetti Sai Ram; and the rapport of exteriors, interiors and the informal lifestyle aboard the Wally Power 118.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Dick Young Designs’ birchwood, oiled teak and
stainless steel interior for the
140-foot sailing yacht Gimlä,
launched
by Vitters in 2004, is a stunning example
of
modernism afloat.
(Click image to enlarge)“Our interest is inspired by the architecture of Pierre Chareau and the designs of Eileen Grey – the modernism of spaces and the transformability of functions – in which idiosyncratic and luxurious furniture contrasts with the perfect machine for living. Beloved objects should be part of a modern interior, as well. The key is the total integration of the exterior and interior for the dissolution of boundaries between the two: That’s the logic of our work.
“Modernism isn’t about forms, it’s about approach: Understanding spaces, functions, and people’s lives and trying to make them better,” Pickering says.