| Amels 171 |  |
In this era of homogenization and mass marketing, it’s easy to
find automobiles and homes that captivate a large audience. It’s rare, however,
that one man’s personal vision for the ideal custom yacht matches that of
another. Yet that is what happened with Lady in Blue.
A high-profile Italian client had an eclectic vision for
his 171-foot yacht, which he engaged Amels to build. He knew it would take
someone with an unpretentious yet sophisticated sense of style to bring his
dream to life. The owner’s association with Studio Alberto Pinto in Paris
made the design house an easy choice for the exterior and interior styling.
Designer Laura Sessa was placed in charge of the project.
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Taking delivery in May 2004, the owner enjoyed his new yacht
for several months. Then he learned that Lady in Blue had caught the eye
of a business acquaintance who happened to be in the market for a boat. After
some discussion, the Italian yachtsman accepted an offer and Lady in Blue
became an American’s dream yacht.
Dark wacapou wood, which was used for the bed in the owner’s
full-beam stateroom (top) appears again in the master head (bottom)
contrasted beautifully by light maple. Bianco puro marble and plenty of mirrors
make the space even lighter. Photography by Marc Paris. (Click images to enlarge)
Her transatlantic appeal can be attributed not only to the
pedigree of the Amels’ build, but also to a daring interior scheme.
"The request was for a classical yet ethnic look – different
from the usual concepts – that included large spaces for entertaining friends
and associates," says Alberto Pinto. The directive gave Pinto and the Amels
design team some maneuvering room, both in the styling and sizing of the
interior. While Lady in Blue employed the same well-proven hull form as
the Tigre d’Or series, project manager Wouter Kleijpoel says, "We made
the superstructure approximately seven feet longer on the main and bridge
decks." He notes that this provides an additional 333 square feet of interior
space between the skylounge, abaft the bridge, and the main salon.
 The starboard-side study and seating area makes the
owner’s suite a spacious retreat. Photography by Marc Paris. (Click images to enlarge)
Pinto used the hues and grains of a variety of woods, such as
bamboo, maple and dark wacapou, to contrast with cream wall coverings for a
warm, inviting ambiance throughout the yacht. The interior is an eclectic combination of geometrics, patterns and surfaces, with textures visually
creating some of the shapes. The dining room’s straw-covered cupboard, for
instance, complements the traditional straw-colored dining chairs and is
offset by the wide strips of weaved dark wood that form the salon chairs.
Zebrano, a rare African hardwood with a deep honey and black
grain pattern, is used horizontally as a wainscot throughout the dining room and
main salon. It not only lowers the appearance of the room visually, but also
elongates the space.
 A waist-high centerline cupboard inconspicuously divides the
dining room from the salon. When needed, such as after meals, a more formal
partition distinctly separates the areas. Its unconventional pocket dividers are
as dramatic as they are functional. Exterior deck lockers that create an
intrusion on each side of the salon/dining room transition provide the perfect
place to store eight canvas panels that slide out manually, meeting in the
center between the cupboard and the sofa. Working in acrylic, Parisian artist
Dominique Derive hand-painted both sides of the panels in motifs tied to the
spaces they face. In the dining room, the panels feature an African theme while
the reverse salon sides are graced with swimmers that Pinto says, "evoke the
spirit of the sea." (Click image to enlarge)
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