The Clients desire for a beautiful interior that was gentle and refined was a challenge we greatly enjoyed. The largest problem, as always, was meeting their requirements for space and to find an environmentally friendly wood. The magnificent bamboo and ash interior of this 117ft sailing yacht faithfully delivers the Clients original desires of honest integrity, respect for the worlds resources of hardwoods, and the overwhelming feeling of light and space.

Fulfilling our Clients brief lead to the concept of visible structure within the design, such as overhead beams and ringframes. Alongside the design development process we researched the lightest and most appropriate fast growing woods. Once the bamboo veneer had been resourced, and after extensive mock-up trials, we worked out how to use it for all the furniture. The bamboo proved to be a very complex structure to use and was very difficult for the yard and their team to use, but they rose to the challenge and created an interior that has plenty of light and a glowing warmth. Complimenting the woods with neutral fabrics and stitched leather work, created a contemporary interior without being minimal, comfortable and accommodating to all lifestyle issues – a racing cruiser of the future.

The complexities of working with the lightweight bamboo veneers created an interior requiring an aircraft construction level of expertise, throwing up the same challenges we come across in our aircraft interior projects. The specification for a silent interior was also a very difficult request to fulfil that had to be solved together by CNB’s acoustic and technical engineering departments.

A significant complication in the design was how to accommodate the issues of reduced draft and lifting keel, whilst maintaining visibility over the top and retaining cabin access alongside. The resulting attractive visual feature at the forward end of the saloon was a close collaboration between Andrew Winch Designs, Philippe Briand and CNB.

Including all amenities now required on a modern sailing yacht, was another test and a welcomed design quandary. Where to house a large flat screen TV? was solved by it rising out of the central leg of the dining table for a cinema experience from the portside sofa area.

Along with her calm and tranquil deckhouse saloon, Hamilton II’s spacious interior includes a generous twin Owners cabin aft, with twin bathrooms to port and starboard. Forward port and starboard guest cabins, a very chic and minimal stainless steel galley and accommodation for 5 crew.