Pursuit Where Design Meets Reality

ENGELBERG

Sometimes, there’s a gap to bridge between a design concept and the reality, as Ocean Management found with the interior of motor yacht Engelberg, now a superb example of ultra customisation.

For over 17 years, Ocean Management has been setting new quality standards for the management and build supervision of large superyachts. Our team has a reputation for excellence and an impressive portfolio of yacht builds, including the supervision of more than 50 yachts from 25–160m at shipyards around the world. Our aim is to ensure that clients can relish the process – and ultimately, their time on board. As Robert N. Rose so eloquently put it, “Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made”

Translating our Clients’ dreams into reality is a great responsibility and, sometimes, a tremendous challenge that we are well prepared for. So when a client expressed interest in having his yacht interior designed by Swiss landscape designer Enzo Enea, the Ocean Management team thought it sounded like just the right challenge. Well-versed in landscape and interior design, Enea had not been involved with a yacht project before, but his vision for a seamless transition between the interior and exterior was in tune with the Owner’s.

Bringing his ideas to fruition was an exciting challenge, ensuring that his concepts could be implemented practically within the various confines and regulations of yacht design. “It is astonishing to see what we have been able to create: our vision evolved logically and naturally with the sea as our muse. The interiors reflect the true beauty of nature…” explains Enea.

“Guests on board will feel at one with their surroundings. The design remains modest, yet ingenious in its homage to the origins of sea travel: sailing and ships.”

Amels shipyard in the Netherlands was selected as the ideal match for quality, delivery time, budget and also the ability to accommodate Enea’s interior concept. Specifically the Limited Edition 180, chosen for its iconic Tim Heywood exterior lines, huge windows and low bulwarks offering an uninterrupted view of sea, shore and sky – all perfectly in keeping with Enea’s vision. Ocean Management bridged the gap between Enea’s beautiful interior drawings and the construction team by including experienced German yacht designers Christian Schäfer and Thomas Mühe of Focus Yacht Design. “Such a transition is not easy to achieve, as yachts, like all seagoing ships, are built solidly water tight, with multi-layers of chemically hardened window glass, thick water tight bulkhead doors and storm shutters made of bare metal in order to keep the marine environment well separated from the delicate yacht’s interior” explains Daniel Küpfer, Managing Director of Ocean Management. Building the interior required specialist input from a manufacturer with imagination, flexibility and the highest finishing standards. German manufacturer Metrica was subcontracted by Amels, assisting the design team in the interior production with superb results.

“An excellent aesthetic and harmonious result was achieved through the flow of surfaces combined with the unique decoration. Special effects included the window apertures made out of bronzed brass and the challenging bleached teak used for wall panelling and flooring, designed to look weathered” explains Ansgar Demes of Metrica. “We were all inspired on this journey, we were a team whose sum was greater than its parts. Enea brought fresh ideas, and we enjoyed putting them into a superyacht context. Ocean Management made a team that worked, not just well together, but that was also invested in the creative outcome,” says Christian Schäfer, Partner, Focus Yacht Design.