Piero Lissoni channels a 'floating villa' through the interiors of Sanlorenzo SX112

The latest entrant to the SX crossover line by Sanlorenzo, its flagship yacht SX112, furthers the range’s very definition - that of a classic motor yacht, but with a flying bridge helping it cross over into the explorer type - to elevate the SX112 to a new statement of style and an equivalent for higher living amid the high seas. With a design that effortlessly merges precise functionality and a personality driven design language, the SX112 attempts to consolidate the journey that began with SX88 and the SX76, attempting to now offer a new way for the vessel to be one with the marine habitat it voyages into, or drops its anchor in.

The primary distinctive design element of the SX112, one that truly separates it from its predecessors, is its innovative use of the space available for expanding utility and avenues accosting into the sea for recreation. The project’s focal point is the new stern area, comprising a spacious beach area of about 90 sqm which may be extended further owing to the designed fold-down terraces, encompassing an indoor space, and a gym directly connected to the outside. The stern, which has grown to be the yacht’s most iconic visual element over iterations, is the brainchild of Olympic sailor and naval architect Luca Santella, now worked upon in the new crossover model by Bernardo Zuccon of Studio Zuccon International Project. Zuccon’s lines imbue the yacht design with a new visual porosity, allowing the spacious indoors to associate with the yacht’s dual outdoors: the outdoor deck and the sea itself, through floor to ceiling windows that let in natural light from all sides. The wheelhouse for the yacht too is innovatively located on the fly bridge, powered by electrically operating windows to either allow for air conditioning, or to let the sea breeze in, freeing space on the deck to accommodate more functions freely.

The iconicity of the design simply demanded a deft hand in the yacht’s interior spaces, lended here by Piero Lissoni, who returns to work on the SX series after a series of previous collaborations. The Italian designer’s interior scheme encompasses more than just colour and materiality to carefully work out interior spatial hierarchy and division in contiguous dialogue with the exterior of the yacht. Along the yacht's length, the interiors are planned with an intent to transform them into one continuous environment, from stern to bow, with a living area adjacent to the bar area and followed by a dining area. The dining area in the forward area of the main deck may offer a private, shaded dining space, but may also be converted into a large sundeck, further adding to the flexible spatiality of the yacht.

Akin to Lissoni’s previous work on the yachts, the stairs once again prove to be a fundamental and central element of the interiors. In conjunction with his particular proclivity for the staircases he designed in the SX series, Lissoni states in an official release that "the element that links all three models in the SX line is the vertical connection”. The helical staircase is developed along the yacht’s three levels to connect all decks, terminating on the main deck in a transparent oval volume. In complete contrast, the external staircase is relatively designed to look clean and requisite, built according to the principle of racing boats. Furthermore, the main accommodation and resting quarters on the yacht are offered in three large cabins situated on the lower deck: one for the owner, and two VIP cabins. The living spaces are augmented by a lounge area enclosed by wooden paneling and mirrored walls, allowing it to be converted into a twin cabin. The kitchen serving these areas directly connects to the crew quarters.

While the typology both allows for innovation as well as limits freedom in certain senses, necessitating working on a rather flexible layout, the true Lissoni touch is visible in the material palette of the yacht’s interior design. Japanese Tatami is used to cover both the floors, and the headboards of beds in the cabins, and for ceilings of all interior spaces. The bathrooms are adorned with the precious veined marble, while teak characterises the exteriors. The internal partitions too are mostly clad in wood that comes to define the character of the main deck and the sleeping area, combined here with bronzed mirror walls that amplify the space. 

The furnishings too are deliberately chosen to display a rather scattered aesthetic sense, as opposed to following a common colour and style palette, adapting to the existing character of the yacht’s bare interior, accentuated by the natural light that floods the interiors. Freely arranged, the furnishings display the characteristics of a home where “design proposals, icons of the great masters and objets trouvés are combined in the name of maximum contamination”, states an official release. Alpi, B&B Italia, Boffi, Cassina, Flos, FontanaArte, Glas Italia, Living Divani, Oluce, TechnoGym, and Vitra round up the immensely popular lineup of brands whose products adorn the yacht’s interior and exterior spaces.

"The SX112 is another empirical model, like every new model we work on with Sanlorenzo. In this case we have brought an even more architectural attitude: it is a floating building. We have connected the spaces, exactly as in a building, through very technological openings that relate the inside to the outside, and vice versa. In fact, we have built a villa that floats”, states Lissoni in an official release, on the enhanced architectural character of the SX112.