In Contact with the Sea from Every Angle

By Editorial Staff - 5 September 2022

The elegance and grandeur of early-1960s motor yachts attracted the jet set and showbiz personalities of yesteryear, mirroring the life of La Dolce Vita… Prince Rainier of Monaco, Grace Kelly, even David Bowie, who, according to reports, liked to spend his vacations on a yacht.

They all learned to appreciate the style of Benetti’s boats, including the very design that today has been reprised and reinterpreted as the Motopanfilo 37M, a displacement boat on which the long-established Italian shipyard specializing in luxury yachts worked with designer Francesco Struglia on the exteriors, and commissioned Lazzarini Pickering Architetti for the interior design. By no means a simple restyling of an earlier model, such as the infamous Gabbiano so often photographed in Monte Carlo, this is a modern-day, state-of-the-art yacht in which the inspirational bonds of tradition shine through.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Giovanni Malgarini Il contatto con il mare, oltre che dalle vetrate che separano il salone dal passaggio laterale esterno, è assicurato anche dalla piattaforma bagno. Questa si apre a livello dell’acqua dal portellone dello specchio di poppa, le cui linee sono integrate nello scafo.

Typical of the brand’s boats, the exterior’s clean and essential lines echo through Francesco Struglia and Benetti’s concept and exterior styling, with clean-cut lines that enhance the boat’s elongated forms. The highest expression of this cross-pollination between classical inspiration and contemporary style is the transom, its minimal lines integrated into the hull, offering ample space practically at water level. Opening the hatch a second time forms a bathing platform that juts out over the sea, fronted by a beach club awning to make the most of the maritime climate.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Michela Locci

The interior design is cadenced by reinterpreting a traditional motoryacht feature – its beam – essentially, like a stave onto which different material and functional decorative notes were applied. A process of subtraction and transparency dematerialized the walls, replacing them with ample glazing, creating a false containment effect that fosters strong exterior/interior interaction from every corner of the yacht and close contact with the sea, sky and clouds. Mirrors play a significant role in all this, working with the windows and glazing to extend space and nature. The delicate furnishings follow the same principle, fitting in with great harmony and discretion to keep the onus firmly on the relationship with the outdoors.

A lobby with a spiral staircase on the lowest deck connects to the upper decks and the four guest suites, all of which feature exposed hull flaring. The deck immediately above, the main deck, is a perfect blend of outdoor and indoor spaces, with an open-sided furnished aft area, a central salon, and the master suite at the prow.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Michela Locci

The prominence of the color blue does not end with the sea. Lazzarini Pickering Architetti chose fresh, comfortable beachwear fabrics for fittings, above all linen, particularly in warm white tones with touches of blue and malachite on the divans and large decorative pillows. Fire-retardant, outdoor technical fabrics in a blue and white striped pattern complete the picture.

In homage to seafaring traditions, Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering used light wood in an innovative pattern, transforming it into an identifying element of the floorboards and ceilings. The ceilings, incidentally, are characterized by a vaulted effect that becomes double-curved toward the stern.

Two more decks are above, the topmost of which – the observation deck – offers unique views by day and night.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Giovanni Malgarini | The main deck salon is the place to stop and admire the wide blue sea: ample windows maintain a constant connection with the outside, its shapes and shades conveyed into every corner of the yacht by mirrors.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Giovanni Malgarini | Forward of the main deck is the master cabin with double bed. The other four guest suites are a level down, below decks.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Michela Locci | From the heart of the salon, with its coffee table and sofas, guests can step out into the exterior aft cockpit, which is furnished for lunch or dinner overlooking the ship’s wake.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Michela Locci

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Giovanni Malgarini | In addition to the glass windows separating the living room from the outside passage, the bathing platform provides additional contact with the sea, opening at water level from the transom hatch, whose lines are integrated into the hull.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Michela Locci | Reprising seafaring tradition, the interiors alternate delicate tones, with light wood complemented by warm white, blue, and malachite fabrics and upholstery. These colors are echoed in the coffee tables and freestanding bar.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M - © Alessandro Guerieri

Completion: 2021
Exterior Line Designer: Francesco Struglia Design
Interior and Exterior deck Designer: Lazzarini Pickering Architetti

All images courtesy of Benetti

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