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Grandiose luxury yachts have long been a place of relaxation for their owners, but many have upgraded their superyachts with luxe executive offices where they are able to work undisturbed in privacy and comfort.
Until relatively recently, superyacht owners have been limited in the amount of work they can do from their yachts, which were probably most often docked when any work or business was conducted onboard.
But as the world changes, more people are becoming more readily connected to places of work or businesses. The idea of conducting a conference call from the middle of the ocean becomes a more realistic circumstance.
Good design, tailored to individual tastes is what helps these workaholics achieve the best results. A superyacht office has to offer an aesthetic that encourages reflection and productivity.
How an onboard office is designed depends entirely on the owner’s tastes and experiences. While most superyacht builders will custom fit the office of a superyacht in close communication with the buyer, it is good to assess the options that are available and examine how other owners have fitted out their seaborne executive spaces.
Below are examples of luxurious executive offices onboard some of the most expensive and impressive superyachts in the world, where polished woodgrain, gold fittings and striking paintings are the norm.
Feadship
83.5-metre superyacht Savannah was owned by Swedish-Canadian billionaire Lukas Lundin until his death earlier this year. His company, Lundin Mining made a fortune in natural gas exploration in Oman in the 1970s, when Lukas’ father Adolf was at the helm.
When built by Feadship in 2015, Savannah was hailed as the first ever true hybrid superyacht, extracting power through three generators to power its banks of lithium-ion batteries, saving 30 per cent on fuel costs. Lundin’s background in mining led him to commission a yacht using the most advanced electrical technology available.
Designed by French firm CG Design, Savannah’s office exudes class and features custom cabinetry, wood panelling, modern furniture and sleek flashes of metallic shine peeking out from between polished surfaces. A comfortable day bed means an afternoon power nap can provide a refresh on your day’s scheduled items.
Blohm + Voss
Earlier this year, the 105-metre Lady Moura was sold by a Saudi billionaire to Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, owner of Grupo Elektra, Banco Azteca, TV Azteca and Mazatlán F.C. The mogul once aired a Liga MX soccer game at the same time as the Mexican Presidential debate in May 2012 on his channel after posting on Twitter, “If you want to see the debate, watch it on Televisa; if not, watch the game on TV Azteca. I’ll give you the ratings the following day,” despite calls for him not to.
Not one to shy away from controversy, Pliego’s superyacht Lady Moura features unbelievably glamorous interiors where no expense was spared on an opulent executive office. It flows more like an executive meeting space, where communication and ideas are encouraged and all parties are put at ease, as well as impressed.
The office’s sumptuous furniture is reminiscent of a high-level New York CEO’s workspace. Dark wood is offset by emerald green jewel tone curtains in front of large windows giving the space elegance while glamorous Art Deco lighting imparts sophistication. It is one of the most dramatically-styled examples of an executive office on a superyacht.
Vosper Thornycroft
Single-masted sailing superyacht M5 is owned by Texan billionaire Rodney Lewis. Born near Laredo, South Texas, the 68-year-old CEO made his money in oil and gas drilling. An avid World War Two aircraft collector, Lewis owns 30 antique warplanes as well as private jets, including a Dassault Falcon 7X and Cessna Citation X. Lewis is involved in many charitable causes and was the recipient of the Angel of Hope Award for work in his home of Webb county, Texas.
When Lewis was thinking of building a sailing yacht back in 2008, he quickly discovered how difficult it was to find a builder who would want to take on the project. With the motor yacht market so hot, it became clear that a complete refit of an existing hull was the only feasible option. After discussing his wishes with renowned sailing yacht designer Ron Holland, Lewis came across the 75-metre Mirabella V, which at first he thought was too big.
In the end, Lewis decided to go ahead and refit the largest single-masted sailing yacht in the world. Her interiors were designed with the help of Redman Whitely Dixon Yacht Design from the UK and overseen by Ron Holland who was based in Canada.
Incorporating a library, this executive office is stylish and functional. New overheads and floors make the most of the shape of a single-mast sailing yacht to allow the light-filled office to serve its purpose as a place of research and study. Clean lines and the classic colour palette of light-coloured wood with marine white walls give the tan pillows and dark leather lounger more weight.
Abeking & Rasmussen
Excellence, an 80-metre superyacht built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen in 2019, is owned by Boston car dealership billionaire, Herb Chambers. Serving as an aviation electrician in the military in his younger years, Chambers made US$80 million from the sale of a copier business he started in 1983. He then bought a few car dealerships in Boston where he had received poor service, thinking he could improve their profits.
Herb Chambers Companies now owns 60 car dealerships in the Boston area and employs 2,500 people. Chambers likes to invest in exotic cars and said that his favourite was a 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spider he owned in the 1980s. He has owned six superyachts over the years, including a Mangusta 94 and a 47-metre Feadship.
My company continued to do well, so I got a bigger boat, and a bigger boat, and a bigger boat, and in between all those boats, I probably owned a half dozen Cigarette boats, two or three Magnums and a Formula boat. I’ve always had this passion for boats. I love them.
With interiors by famed London firm Winch Design, the office onboard Excellence gives us hints to what the superyacht’s owner had in mind for his expedition-based work schedule. Minimal, functional and pared back, the office, as well as the other rooms onboard Excellence, features clean, modern contemporary interiors displaying neutral tones and purposeful use of glass and wood. The office seems to fit perfectly as a place of work. Charismatic American artwork is featured throughout the vessel and recessed lighting means the indoor spaces are softly illuminated at night.
Feadship
The 70-metre superyacht Joy is owned by Indian billionaire Sameer Gehlaut who started the financial services company, Indiabulls Group. In 2021, Indiabulls was acquired by online investment platform Groww for A$2.437 billion. Gehlaut made it onto Forbes’ billionaires’ list in 2019 and was believed to have been worth over A$2.79 billion that year.
Joy was built in 2016 by Feadship with interiors by Studio Indigo based in Chelsea, London. It has an elevator servicing all five decks, wellness facilities and an Asian-inspired office. The bonsai tree is the focal point of the room and the space is transformed by access to a private terrace that folds out mechanically.
Mixed dark and light shades of wood textures perfectly blend with clean, gentle lines and a subdued colour palette to help this onboard office to lend itself to complex work where concentration on the task at hand is important. This stylish office provides a place of quiet solitude to reflect upon the goings on and direction of one of India’s most successful financial services companies.
Oceanco
The enormous office onboard Barbara leaves very little to be desired. The 88.5-metre superyacht features a window into a glass-bottomed swimming pool which casts dancing light onto its polished surfaces, giving the space sophisticated character. This executive space boasts a strong connection with the ocean, paramount to the impression it has on those who utilise it.
Designed by Sam Sorgiovanni, feelings of grandeur are inescapable thanks to soaring 3.5-metre ceilings and automated sliding glass doors. The largest office Oceanco has ever fitted on a superyacht opens out to give the vast, inviting area even more weight. It provides the perfect place for important meetings and well-considered decisions and allowing more fresh air to flow through the spacious room when open.
Balconies on either side mean the feeling of space and freedom inside the office aboard Barbara is unparalleled, the ideal area for the owner to keep a close eye on his business.
Fancy Nautica caught up with Sam Sorgiovanni at the recent Sydney International Boat Show to get an insight into his inspiration and the challenges he faces in his unique job.
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