| Baglietto 139 |  |
"Because boats don’t have walls like a house, the structure
itself determines the space," says Porfiri. "But as a designer I can influence
that structure, and I’ve used the open space concept to create separate areas
without partitions." Hence, a central staircase leading below is flanked to one
side by the dining table and to the other by a relaxation area incorporating
casual objects from the owner’s home life, including an antique travel trunk.
"The dining table is placed to one side so that everyone has an uninterrupted
view," continues Porfiri, "and when you look around you see air, water and
light.…It’s like having your own private island." But the most unusual feature in the salon is a vertical garden
of living plants with the odd orchid growing here and there. This exercise in
hydroponics—where all the nutrients required by the plants are contained in the
water supply—is a technique Porfiri perfected after first experimenting with it
aboard the 41-meter Baglietto Blue Ice and then researching the topic with
French botanist Patrick Blanc. As a concession to overseas customs regulations,
the panels making up the garden wall can be dismantled and stowed. On each side
of the garden, pairs of glass doors leading forward incorporate liquid crystal
technology that allows them to be changed from opaque to transparent, providing
sight lines that run the length of the main deck. Aware of the need to integrate
living space with technical systems as unobtrusively as possible, Porfiri has
housed the AC fan coils in the windowsills.
 The nav station’s scarlet leather pilot seat, bottom, recalls
the yacht’s red waterline stripe. (Click image to enlarge)
The sole is sanded zebrano, an African hardwood also known as zingana.
Because it is solid wood and not veneered substrate, the flooring gives off an extraordinarily soft tactile sensation,
so much so that it feels almost like the leather underfoot on Blue Ice. Bulkheads,
partitions and some built-in furnishings are treated with chalk-based plaster
and are designed to be painted or periodically re-plastered, just like a home.
The ceiling has a stressed metallic palladium finish on top of a red primer to
reflect natural light during the day and artificial lighting at night. Polished
stainless steel window frames are angled slightly downward to maximize light
reflections off the water. The owner’s suite continues this play on light and texture. "The closeness of
surfaces on board a yacht mean we pay more attention to the tactile quality of
materials," muses Porfiri. So the linen, cashmere, fur and suede bed coverings
call out to be touched, while the quantity of light entering the huge overhead
skylight and side windows can be controlled by roll-up shades to provide
diffused lighting or complete blackout. Here, as throughout the yacht, a
flat-screen TV is housed behind a tinted glass panel so that, in Porfiri’s
words, "I don’t have to choose Sony, Phillips or Panasonic on the basis of the
television frame!" Two side doors open to reveal telescopic platforms that provide the owner with his own seaview balconies. Extra-clear glass, which has lower iron content than standard
glass, is used in the bathrooms throughout the yacht to further reduce the
separation of space. "Why should the bathroom be closed off? Washing is a ritual
and a pleasure and should be celebrated, not segregated," says Porfiri. The
bathtub and washbasin in the owner’s bathroom are made of rare, 150-year-old
Japanese hinoky wood that gives off a delicate perfume when in contact with warm
water. The result is an aromatherapy session every time you turn on the taps.
"It comes from a forest near Kyoto and is the most expensive wood in the world,"
says Porfiri. "There are just two small Japanese companies dealing in it, but I
tracked them down because we tend to forget what nature can provide and that we
should work with it." A final personal touch to the bathroom is a 1952 Verner
Panton plywood chair, one of several collectors’ pieces aboard the yacht. Although far from the standard image of a boat interior, Porfiri emphasized
certain structural features of the yacht, such as the curvature of the hull, in
the guest accommodations and bathrooms. "It’s important to maintain the
connection with the boat’s function," she explains. "This is first and foremost
a marine environment." The two identical double guest cabins have Pullman bunks with
ingenious foldout ladders. The wardrobes function as a series of compartments
that Porfiri likens to a Louis Vuitton travel trunk. Another innovative design
solution is the VIP cabin aft, which converts from a full-beam cabin with
his-and-hers baths, into two ensuite double cabins by sliding a screen out of
the wardrobe. Furniture by Jan Jacobsen and Marcel Breuer fill the owner’s study
on the flying-bridge deck. The outside is pulled into the study by way of a
skylight, and by tongue-and-groove sanded teak flooring that matches the
exterior decking. Outside, a long, sanded teak dining table folds along its
length, and the entire dining area can be covered by an electrically operated
awning in the roll bar. Porfiri’s attention to detail is renowned, and her interiors are built to a
tolerance of millimeters. Nothing is left to chance. She roams during the build,
lux meter in hand, checking light levels and temperatures. Aboard
Nina J
she has created a container, a neutral space where the interplay of natural and
artificial light and verdant plant life blur the distinction between interior
and exterior. It is a space without apparent partitions, where form changes to
suit function and personal objects reflect the owner’s individuality. It is a
space that defines a new kind of interior aesthetic for a new kind of client.
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