Oss, the Netherlands

Creating a functional, attractive living space is hard enough on terra firma. So when a former client approached Mojo Stumer Associates Architects to provide the interiors of a new, 165-foot yacht, the firm, which frequently does high-end residential work, knew it would face a unique challenge. Add to that the client’s desire for an open, Modernist aesthetic in their four-bedroom, four-bathroom retreat on the high seas, and you have a veritable architectural koan.

Photo © David Churchill

Backlit fritted glass in the ceiling and under the his-and-hers sinks provides light in the master bathroom.

Photo © David Churchill

All millwork and cabinetry in the kitchen have safety closures. A full-time chef uses the spacious kitchen, which is also equipped for catering staff.

According to the architects, weight and size restrictions, and a need for things to be safely secured, presented major challenges in the project’s planning stage. “Everything had to have a home, so to speak, where it could be safely stored while the boat was moving from port to port,” says firm cofounder Mark Stumer.

To achieve the desired streamlined look and address the limitations the project presented, the duo teamed up with the Netherlands-based company Heesen Yachts. Acquiescing to limitations sometimes proved advantageous, the architects explain. “By specifying thin gauge steel, rather than the originally specified sheet metal,” for example, including for surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms, “we were able to accommodate a lot more natural stone throughout the boat to meet the design intent,” says Stumer. The countertop in the master bathroom is one such place where the luxury of stone is afforded; a single slab of limestone nestles the his-and-hers sinks there. Panels of backlit sandblasted glass beneath these sinks—and in the ceiling—provide the master bathroom’s main source of light.

In addition to these touches, the ship features an uncharacteristically open floor plan. The kitchen is demarcated from other common spaces by recessed overhead lighting and strategically placed ledges on the floor plane. Removing walls typically found on yachts created a “loftlike feeling,” say the architects. “It allowed for more flexibility,” says Stumer. “We learned quite a bit on this project.”

Credits:
Architect: Mojo Stumer Associates
Yacht Engineer: Heesen Yachts

Sources:
Kitchen Counter: Corian
Appliances: Gaggenau, Sub-Zero
Recessed Lighting: Palagi
Tub: WS Bath Collections