SET THE SAILS
Guillaume Rolland’s passion for sailing inspires his elegant and streamlined approach to yacht design
As an avid sailor and a celebrated designer in the boating world, Guillaume Rolland has led the yachting division of French design and furnishings brand Liaigre since 2001. Rolland’s ardour for boating started from his first sailing experience when he was just 10 years old; his deep knowledge on the subject made him a natural fit for the brand, whose founder Christian Liaigre was just as enthusiastic about sailing.
Maintaining the delicate balance between style and efficiency, the yacht interior projects by Liaigre convey the discreet elegance of the brand while personalising each boat to suit the needs and tastes of the owners. Here, Rolland shares more about his newest projects and the changing needs of the next generation of yacht owners.
What makes your latest project unique?
A project is special because it is the owner’s brief that initiates the story; it comes from the personality of the person who will use the yacht and not from the designer. For instance, the owner’s brief for our recent project was to create a “beach-house boat”; we used only teak wood combined with white surfaces to get a very light and calm mood throughout the boat.
What are the requests and needs of your clients today?
The new generation of owners is more driven by experiencing a real boating adventure and sharing it with friends and family. The previous generation was more focused on the demonstration of power and wealth.
A captain friend of mine told me that one day, an owner asked him to drop the anchor close to a smaller boat, just to be the bigger (boat) compared to them. I think this kind of behaviour tends to change with the millennial generation, who are more driven about issues such as eco-consciousness and sustainability.
What is your starting point for each project?
We always start from the customer’s brief and needs, the location of the project and what is the idea behind it. I do believe that the rules are universal: architecture, lines, balance, composition, flow, geometry and light are the drivers of a good project. All these elements are part of a big equation to provide the best result. I see no difference in designing a 20sqm flat and a 100m motor yacht.
Is there a type of yacht you have yet to design, but would like to?
I would love to design a river boat for cruising along beautiful rivers. I love the movie Death on the Nile (the 1978 movie based on the Agatha Christie novel), and the charm of the boat is magic.
Tell us more about your ongoing projects.
We have two beautiful yachts in the works: a nice 60m sailing yacht made in Holland with Royal Huisman and a 44m motor yacht with Sanlorenzo made in La Spezia, Italy. They will be launched soon in a superyacht show.
Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola loves a challenge and her latest project is a good example; the Milan-based designer and her eponymous firm were enlisted to design the interior of the first SD96 yacht for Italian shipbuilding company Sanlorenzo. Having worked widely across the disciplines of architecture, interior and product design for nearly three decades, it is fitting that Urquiola launched her first yacht project—a motor boat as part of the new SD line—at the Cannes Yachting Festival in France in September.
The concepts of flexibility and modularity influenced Urquiola in creating how the interior spaces flow. By bringing her vision on board, she laid out the interior of the Sanlorenzo SD96 with transformability as its focus, making for a versatile interior that’s capable of evolving and continuously adapting to the needs of those who live on it.
Why did you decide to collaborate with Sanlorenzo group?
I have always been very close to the sea. As a child, I used to spend weekends in the family home in Asturias in Spain, in front of a beach on the Cantabrian Sea, and the summer in our holiday home on Ibiza island.
When Sanlorenzo approached me, the company convinced me to start a collaboration because I understood their desire to look for a new path. The idea was to think about a boat with the same attention, comfort, customisation with which a house is designed, increasing the relationship with the sea, light, functionality and flexibility. But also to focus on research on hulls, environmental impact, efficiency and technology.
Could you explain your design concept for the Sanlorenzo SD96 yacht?
The concepts of transformability and flexibility have guided the entire project. The spaces have been designed to be able to serve multiple functions, accompanying the owner and his guests in the various moments that dictate the rhythm of the day or the seasons. These include being able to eat or relax on the different decks, have multiple places of conviviality and functions like the home cinema, a living room that can be transformed into an additional cabin, a walk-in closet. It’s the best of what we would like from a house or an ideal hotel room while being in contact with the sea, which remains the centre of the sailing experience.
What are the architectural elements that characterise the interior of this yacht?
The central staircase that harmoniously connects the three decks of the yacht is almost like a periscope that also visually unites all the levels. The masking on the outside of part of the portholes on the hull, allows a cleaner and more orderly view of the boat. The widening of the dimensions of the master bedroom allows the creation of an important space dedicated to the owner. The choice of colours and materials, such as cannulated glass, brings more light and amplitude to all bridges. And the possibility of opening the upper deck to be in greater contact with the sea.
What kind of atmosphere did you want to recreate in the various areas of the yacht?
The common thread is the sea, which was a great source of inspiration for the whole development of the concept. The materials, shapes and colours recall the marine world, creating a fluid and elegant space with natural colours. The visual constraints have been reduced to a minimum so that the sea becomes the absolute and constant protagonist, and direct contact with water was guaranteed in every environment. I’m thinking, for example, of the curved walls that allow the fluidity of the spaces or even of the parquet with curved biscuit pattern and round cane; all explicit references to the sea and its movement. And also overcoming functional constraints to adapt the boat to the needs of the personality of each owner, in order to make the boat as much as possible their own.
What was the biggest challenge you faced on this project?
Using warm and quality materials in finishes and furnishings that must also have high technical characteristics. I wanted to offer visual, tactile and mental comfort, and at the same time to be focused on technology that allows the weight of materials to be lowered. The idea was to create a continuity between indoor and outdoor, and to double the perception of spaces.