Eye catching innovations, design trends and stunning solutions

Marecucina
www.alno.de

This truly is an installation for yachtsmen so in love with the world of boating that they can’t bear to be away from it, even in the kitchen. Created by German manufacturer Alno, the hull-shaped wooden worktop features a ‘mast’ with integrated lighting, handle-less cabinet doors to keep the ‘hull lines’ clean. It’s finished in walnut and white gloss, and according to the company is suitable for installation on board or at home. Prices start from £40,000.



 

Electric Chopper Bike
www.graydesign.se

A motorbike with lower running costs and less pollution shouldn’t look this good, but we’ve fallen for this electric chopper from Swedish brand Gray Design. Made with carbon fibre and blasted aluminium, it has a 7.7kWh battery pack, 96hp motors, and adjustable suspension. Pre-order now for delivery in 2012.


Nemus Dianae
www.coroflot.com/filippotaiani

We’ve seen some unusual inspirations for superyacht concepts in the pages of SuperYacht World, from supercars to beehives and dolphins. But we’ve never seen something that takes its inspiration from classical Roman shipbuilding. Nemus Dianae is an 80-metre concept from the board of Italian designer Filippo Taiani. It is based on the vast ships that archaelogists have excavated from Lake Nemi outside Rome, which were said to be the favoured retreat of the notorious Roman emperor Caligula. The emperor packed his floating palace with luxuries: plumbing for hot and cold running water has been discovered in the 70-metre-long wrecks, and we can assume the party areas were the focal point of Caligula’s activities.



Nemus Dianae’s main superstructure runs aft from amidships, and features a gym, a swimming pool and a hot-tub. Two VIP cabins are below at the bow (there is accommodation for eight guests in all). The owner gets an apartment on the top deck, with a helipad on top and a private deck area, as well as private stairs to the deck below. Slanting floor-to- ceiling windows certainly make this a yacht with fine views: the vast saloon aft on the main deck will be a great place to pass the time. Folding terraces to port and starboard bring a note of architectural Roman grandeur to the main deck. The yacht will be constructed in aluminium.

The yacht’s ten crew are housed in cabins below, and the technical equipment is also built in the hull. The eye-catching solar panels feed the yacht’s battery banks and hydrid propulsion system, though it is also pegged to carry twin 1,400kW engines. With all those open party spaces, an on-board wellness centre and pools galore, it’s the perfect vehicle for the on-water hedonist. Caligula would have blushed.




Firebird Collection
www.boodles.com

This delicate new design collection from Boodles is inspired by a book of Russian folklore drawings about a firebird, a glowing bird that according to the legend would fly down into the Tsar’s palace and steal golden apples which gave strength and youth to anyone who ate them. When the Tsar’s sons tried to capture the bird, all they caught was a tail feather that was bright enough to light an entire room.

The collection depicts the firebird rendered in white diamonds, the golden apples in yellow diamonds and the tail feathers in larger, teardrop- shaped yellow diamonds. It also includes a choker (POA) and ring (priced at £78,000). The cuff is priced at £245,000. Only one of each item in this collection has been crafted.




 

Grasshopper Timepiece
www.comitti.com

Looking for a historical artefact with 21st-Century style? This Grasshopper clock is based on the first-ever marine chronometer created by John Harrison in the 1700s. Before his invention, the motion of a ship prohibited sailors from navigating accurately. However Harrison’s ‘grasshopper escapement’ (so called because the escapement kicks like the insect) compensated for a boat’s movement. Although today most of us would opt for a different way telling the time accurately and establishing longitude, this is a little piece of history with a modern touch. It’s priced at £9,985.




Lady Blanche iPhone
www.gresso.com

With three Swiss clocks set to New York, Paris and Moscow time, the limited edition Lady Blanche is the ideal iPhone4 for dateline crossers. The Antillian mother-of-pearl clock faces are decorated with floating 0.1 carat diamonds and Swarovski crystals, and the specially crafted rear panel is framed in solid diamond-coated mineral glass. The phone went on sale in June, priced $30,000. It is only available on special order. A less expensive version without the diamond-coated back panel is also available in a limited edition of 50 for $7,000.




Zaaf Design Bath
www.zaafdesign.com

As much inspiration takes place in the bath, it can be useful to share your thoughts with someone. The Breeza bathtub makes for an unusually intimate bathing experience, with a reclining area that can accommodate a significant other. From $1,600.

 

All prices and information correct at time of publishing – Published September 2011.

This feature is taken from the September/October 2011 edition of SuperYacht World. Click here to buy the issue for your iPad