yacht interior finery

yacht Interior finery

Yacht Interior Finery

Yacht Interior Finery offers luxury items for yachts and villas, catering to the specific needs and desires of our elite clientele. They provide high-quality products and services for every room and space in yachts or villas. Collaborating with global brands , renowned designers , and family artisans , they create unique products tailored to various styles: modern or classic . They also have their own custom range. Yacht Interior Finery personalizes everything tastefully and manages the entire logistics. Doka Yachting relies on their services for the renovation of certain boats to modernize them. For more information.

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Blog Master the Art of Yacht Interior Design: The Ultimate Guide for Yacht Owners

The Aesthetic Side of the High Seas

When most people think about Yachts, the first image that comes to mind is probably of a shining, sleek exterior slicing through the crystal-clear waters. But for the captains of these crafts, the interior is just as important. Both functional and fashionable, the interior design of your Yacht speaks volumes not just about your personality, but also about your approach to the high-octane boating life. Hence, we’re embarking on a round-the-world tour of Yacht interior design, aiming to inspire and guide Yacht owners to create a truly stunning inner sanctum.

Identifying Your Personal Style

Think dark, exquisite woods, plush upholstered furniture, and refined traditional elements. This style exudes sophistication, elegance, and a sense of timelessness. It often features polished bronze or brass fixtures, intricate detailing, and a muted color palette.

Contemporary

This design style often features clean, smooth lines, a minimalistic approach, and a palette of neutral colors. Lightweight, often recycled materials are commonly used, offering an echo of the sea's constant ebb and flow.

Be Mindful of Materials

With Yachts being exposed to harsh marine conditions, it's crucial to choose materials that can withstand the sea's wrath. Consider marine-grade steel, premium yacht-friendly woods like teak or iroko, and resistant textiles for your upholstery.

Incorporate Functional Design

Remember, a Yacht isn't just a floating showcase. Prioritize practicality and functionality. Incorporate in-built storage solutions and modish-yet-minimalist furniture that doesn’t constrict onboard movement. Remember, it's all about balancing comfort, utility, and luxury.

Consider the Extra Amenities

Designing your Yacht interior is also about planning for luxury amenities. From a full-service bar to a spa-quality bath, the amenities you choose, yet again, echo your personality while elevating the Yacht experience for you and your guests.

Remember: interior design isn't about following trends. It's about creating your own personal sanctuary at sea. ' The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.' said Marcel Proust. So let's open our eyes to new Yacht interiors!

Exploring the World of Yacht Interiors: A Comprehensive Guide for Gen Z Yacht Owners

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These are the 7 Yacht Interior Designers to Know

From American megayacht experts to timeless Scandi furniture connoisseurs, these are the best yacht interior designers to bring your vision to life – and sea.

By Sophie Killip

For those seasoned individuals who have experience chartering yachts , visiting friends’ yachts, sailing the high seas, or maybe even purchasing their first pre-designed yacht, the next thrill might come from building their own vessel . Although designing your own superyacht is a truly personal experience, it also involves making an overwhelming amount of choices. This is why the first step to building a new superyacht should always be to choose a designer to work with.

Whether it’s considering how the internal spaces of your yacht will work, what furniture or materials are used, or even working out the external design for your new vessel, collaborating with a designer will make the process of creating your dream superyacht as stress-free and easy as possible. To help, Elite Traveler has created a list of yacht interior (and exterior, in some cases) designers that should be on your radar.

[See also: How to Design an Amazing Superyacht Interior]

Who are the best luxury yacht interior designers?

Winch design.

Our list of the best yacht interior designers kicks off with Winch Design. Originally founded as Andrew Winch Designs by Andrew Winch and his wife Jane in 1986, it was rebranded as Winch Designs in 2015. One of the UK’s leading superyacht and private jet design studios for over thirty years, it is now led by Jim Dixon. His team has created a multitude of extraordinary projects, all of which are highly bespoke and tailored to each client’s specific requests.

One of Winch Design’s most recent yacht projects is the 289ft Feadship, for which the studio has both interior and exterior design credits. The innovative spaces created by Dixon’s team blend indoor and outdoor by offering open spaces, neutral colors, and earthly textures and materials.

[See also: L’Escale: Inside Winch Design’s First Resort Project]

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How to Design an Amazing Superyacht Interior

Terence disdale design.

Based in the UK, Terence Disdale Design is one of the yachting industry’s most respected design studios. The team works on both the interior and exterior design of some of the world’s most incredible yachts, with previous projects including M/Y Eclipse , one of the biggest superyachts in the world. The studio was founded by Terence Disdale, who – despite having no formal training – is one of the most sought-after designers in the industry.

Disdale set up his eponymous studio in 1972 after working for famous designer Jon Bannenberg (Bannenberg’s studio was also where fellow yacht design giants Andrew Winch and Tim Heywood learned their craft). Across his extraordinary 40-year career Disdale and his studio have designed over 100 yachts, including more than 50 superyachts. His wide-ranging design style often follows the mantra of ‘beach house, not penthouse’, with concepts often finding inspiration from the ocean.

Sorgiovanni Designs

Australian yacht designer Sam Sorgiovanni’s career began after he studied Industrial Design and found his first position working for shipbuilder Oceanfast. It was thanks to the experience he gained at this renowned shipbuilder that he decided to set up his own studio, launching Sorgiovanni Designs in 1997 in Fremantle, Western Australia. The studio also has an office in Monaco in order to provide its design services to European costumers.

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Previous yacht designs that Sorgiovanni has worked on include the 390 ft Amana in collaboration with Oceanco, the colossal White Rabbit and the exteriors of the 270 ft Secret. When he is not working on one of his award-winning projects, he is traveling the world to consult on yacht designs for clients, working with a variety of suppliers and shipbuilders.

[ See also: How Much Does It Actually Cost to Charter a Yacht? ]

Zaniz Studio

Next up on our list of the best yacht interior designers is Zaniz Studio. The company was founded in New York City by English-American designer Zaniz Jakubowski – who up until recently, had rarely been able to discuss her astounding portfolio of projects due to the NDAs that came with the commissions by exclusive clients – including Donald Trump. The studio has an international reputation for creating iconic and innovative projects, which always have strong attention to detail. As well as designing for both private and commercial yachts, Zaniz Studio works across other industries, including creating theatre sets and residential and commercial interiors.

One of Zaniz Studio’s flagship projects – and one it was able to share – was the 350 ft superyacht Luminosity , which went on the market in 2020 for over $266 million. The studio was responsible for both the interior and exterior of Luminosity, which was built by Italian shipyard Benetti. What is most interesting is that the team abandoned the typical format of designing the exterior first, followed by the interior; instead, the superyacht has been designed from the inside out, to avoid having to compromise on any ideas for the indoor spaces.

[See more: The 10 Biggest Superyachts in the World]

Nuvolari Lenard

Well known for its timeless design style, Nuvolari Lenard is one of the largest – and most active – luxury yacht design studios in the world, founded in 1990 by naval architect and mechanical engineer Carlo Nuvolari and stylist Dan Lenard. The studio is based in Italy’s island city, Venice, and draws heavy influence from its hometown for its classic yacht designs, combining strong architectural lines with a deep passion and understanding of the sea. 

Not only is Nuvolari Lenard based in Venice, but it also has a renowned Design Center on the outskirts of the city that hosts architects and designers working on a range of tasks. Inside the Design Center is a scale yacht model workshop that gives designers the opportunity to visualize their concepts and research shapes before confirming a final design. The interior design section of the studio’s Design Center also features a showroom where clients and designers can discuss fabrics and materials.

[See also: Nuvolari Lenard Reveals Latest Yacht Concept Design]

Patrick Knowles Designs

With decades of experience in the marine industry under his belt, Patrick Knowles is one of America’s top yacht designers. His studio, Patrick Knowles Designs , specializes in custom megayacht and superyacht interiors, as well as designing for private aircraft. The team at Patrick Knowles Design prides themselves on their creativity and a strong commitment to making sure projects are finished on time, while also exceeding expectations.

One of Patrick Knowles Designs’ award-winning projects was a Key West-inspired 206 ft ISA displacement superyacht. The owners requested an interior that felt like a five-star tropical resort; through a design that incorporated vibrant murals of plants and aquatic life, lush fabrics and furnishings, and the use of environmentally friendly, natural materials including bamboo, palm wood and coconut shells, Patrick Knowles delivered. The onboard showcase piece is a 30-foot-tall light fixture constructed from Murano glass that sits within the spiral staircase, joining all three levels.

Tillberg Design of Sweden

Our list of the most exclusive yacht interior designers would not be complete without mentioning Tillberg Design of Sweden . Founded in 1964 in Höganäs, the practice has been designing timeless Scandinavian-inspired interiors on board some of the world’s most luxurious vessels for over five decades.  

Known for its meticulous craftsmanship, use of quality materials and expert lighting, when it comes to creating beautiful spaces you’re in safe hands with Tillberg Design of Sweden. Perhaps most impressive is the studio’s recent project designing the interiors onboard the gigantic 728-foot superyacht Somnio .

The recently released renderings reveal stunning dream-like rooms expertly blending indoor and outdoor spaces. Future owners that are lucky enough to live on the world’s first residential yacht liner will be given the opportunity to work with the prestigious design firm over three months to create their dream apartment.

[See also: The Ultimate Guide to Hydrogen-powered Yachts]

Sophie Killip

Latest in luxury, the explorer.

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Inside secret: Iconic designers on how to create a great yacht interior

Light? Proportion? Comfort? Every great designer has their own take on yacht interior design , says Claire Wrathall...

Ask any yacht designer of note what the secret of a great interior is and, almost without exception, they will tell you it comes down to how the space is planned. “Superyacht designs are created from the inside out,” says Terence Disdale , of Terence Disdale Design. “Form follows function, practicality is combined with elegance. The superstructure styling is created to form a timeless envelope that encases the function of the vessel.”

In essence, this means that every single element of the structure and interior decoration is considered: absolutely nothing is designed on a whim. “The positioning of windows, for instance, is determined by what goes on within; the dining room window will be lined up with the centre of the dining table,” explains Disdale.

A good designer will consider practicality for the crew as well as the client, says Andrew Winch , of Winch Design . “We’ll be liaising with captains throughout the build who offer insights into operations – what will help the crew carry out tasks more efficiently, or what might prove problematic in terms of set-up,” he says. Disdale agrees, citing the example of  Kibo , where the windows in the guest cabins have a discreet track in the recess above them to make it easier for the crew to keep the glazing clean. “The windows are cleaned every morning so you have to take things like this into account,” he says. “The everyday functioning of the boat has to be paramount, but this doesn’t mean the finished design detail has to suffer.”

Superyacht design presents challenges far beyond those faced in land-based projects. First, there are the strict rules and regulations set by Private Yacht Compliance and similar industry codes, Disdale’s analogy being that “you cannot think outside the box; you have to design inside the box with whatever creativity you have”.

Second, you’re dealing with an object that moves. As Francesca Muzio, co-founder of the Milan-based practice FM Architettura d’Interni , explains, aside from this requiring interior items to be safely fixed, it can affect the use of materials on board. “In a house, the direction of light and the views remain the same. But a yacht will change direction several times a day, so the play of light and shadows on surfaces and materials will alter constantly and needs to be taken into consideration," she says.

“On one 65 metre yacht we had very big windows and the light was really strong, and we realised when we were choosing the fabrics that we needed to use three-dimensional fabrics.” Without texture, she counsels, textiles can “look really flat”. Lighting, generally, plays a crucial role not least because, says Muzio, “on a yacht it’s not just a matter of fitting spotlights and table lamps and hanging chandeliers. You have to consider the colour of the light very carefully. One kelvin [the unit of measurement used to describe the colour of a specific light source] too much or too little can more or less destroy a project.” No surprise, then, that her 25-strong team includes a specialist lighting designer.

Giorgio Armani also warns against admitting too much light into a yacht interior, especially in “the parts where people really live, the most private parts”. For his own 65 metre Codecasa -built yacht  Maìn , he “came up with the idea of creating bulkheads from the navigation deck to the flying bridge with a type of venetian blind – louvres – made of birchwood,” he told  Boat International  in 2015. These “prevent strong sunlight at sea bouncing off the water and coming in violently, giving the interior a muffled appearance”. The blinds run in a continuous line through the length of the boat, the intended effect of which “is that  Maìn  looks as if she has no walls. [And] you can see the whole panoramic view from inside.”

For Disdale, panoramic views are not all they’re cracked up to be. “A glass box is also just a room full of curtains after dark; there’s fewer walls to hang things on to create the interior mood,” he says. Setting an interior mood is important and, when asked how to create it, almost every designer will tell you it has nothing to do with style and everything to do with how the space is planned.

“Comfort is definitely as important as the visual side,” says Sabrina Monteleone , the founder and president of Sabrina Monte-Carlo . “Everyone thinks design is a matter of aesthetics, but in reality it is about experience.” As to the décor, Monteleone contends that “harmony is key. Whether the style is contemporary or classic, it is important everything blends in, especially the indoor and outdoor areas. Most owners spend most of their days outside; there shouldn’t be a huge contrast between the two spaces.”

In a similar vein, two of the highest-profile newcomers to yacht interior design, Milan-based Antonio Citterio and Patricia Veal’s Citterio-Viel & Partners and the Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni, of Lissoni Associati , have each favoured open-plan interiors for the Sanlorenzo yachts they have designed, and both have opted to furnish these free-flowing spaces with furniture of their own ranges.

As Muzio has observed, “clients say they want timelessness, quality, elegance”. The challenge is to make interiors that are timeless but also innovative: owners are not content with a cookie-cutter replica, no matter how luxurious in design. The inimitable Philippe Starck sees it as his duty to be pioneering in his projects, “to bring something new and interesting to advance civilisation. When you copy, you regress.”

The first step in creating something unique is customisation. “I don’t source pieces from the market,” says Italian designer Achille Salvagni, explaining that by designing everything himself, he can imbue each piece with a narrative of its own. “I never sketch for the sake of it. I’m interested in more than just the beauty of shapes. I prefer to create pieces that embody or evoke a story,” he says.

By assuming control down to the last detail to create “fully bespoke” interiors, he not only achieves what he calls “a very rich standard that few designers can reach”, but ensures the correct balance in terms of the size of pieces in a scheme. “You can change your perceptions of scale by putting a big piece of furniture in a small space, or by furnishing a big space with very small furniture. In playing with proportions, you can change the balance and transform a space into something quite fresh and new.”

Starck is also preoccupied with proportions and whether they are in “harmony”. “On many boats, the proportions aren’t human,” he says, expressing mystification that on most yachts the principal outdoor living space is to the rear of the superstructure rather than in front of it. On the futuristic 119 metre  Motor Yacht A , which was launched in 2008, he says: “My goal was to make the people who will be on board live, like the old Indians said, ‘in the light’.” Hence a huge single-span main saloon that extends from the aft deck to the fore: “a beautiful volume, designed to always have the best place, depending on the weather, the sun or your mood”.

His preoccupation with light also explains the myriad gleaming surfaces he deployed throughout its interiors: mirror, crystal, subtly shiny white stingray hide and, most splendidly of all, a scalloped silver-leaf relief that helps to illuminate the walls of the principal spiral staircase.

Salvagni also favours silvery reflective wall coverings in some of his projects. He has, for example, used panels of subtly reflective alpaca, a silvery alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, which reminds him of antique French and Venetian mirrors, but is more often used in the manufacture of cutlery. He also likes to accent walls panelled in brushed stained oak by insetting narrow panels of gilded brass with textured finishes. In one example he hadn’t an appropriate tool to get the pattern he wanted, “so we used pasta – spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli, stellini – just rolled over or pressed into the clay to make the moulds”.

He too points to the challenges inherent in designing interiors where the scene outside changes constantly. “With a residential project the neighbourhood will have some bearing on the design,” he says. “With a yacht, you need to tailor the concept more to the sensibility, tastes and character of the owner than its location because it is on the move continually so it cannot be impacted by its surroundings.” He cites the interiors of a 50 metre yacht he designed. “When I first met the owner, he immediately conveyed to me his combative approach to life. Although he was a middle-aged, northern European businessman, he struck me as a warrior. So when I created his bedside lamps, I created two symmetrical bronze shields to suggest the sense of power and strength in his attitude.”

Indeed the owner’s character should be the starting point with every project. “It is essential that before we begin the design process we listen closely to our clients to ensure we fully understand their lifestyle, their taste and the vision they have for the project. Only then do we put pencil to paper,” says Winch. “Our approach is really hermeneutic, I like to say, or interpretative,” concurs Muzio. “Designers should not have too much ego,” says Disdale. “One should never design something just for sake of being different. Bentley could easily make a three-wheeler car but that only makes it different, not desirable or better.” Similarly, says Starck, when a designer sets out to make a statement with a yacht project “you are dead. You betray your clients because you are designing for you; you don’t design for them,” he says.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking Starck is handing over any control. The designer is firmly disparaging of any contemporaries who give in to a client’s every whim. “You have to drive them in the right way. Some people and some companies think it’s easier to make more money by flattering, but that’s unacceptable. Morally it’s unacceptable. The beauty is to bring everything and everybody to the highest level you can,” he says.

Rémi Tessier , the cabinet-maker turned interiors specialist, takes a similarly hard line, believing the secret of a great yacht interior is simply to take his advice and do what you’re told. “I will not work for a person who will just put whatever on the wall because it would ruin my reputation with those who are collectors,” he once told  Boat International . So much so that there’s a clause in his contract to that effect. “It is fine to have amazing art on the wall,” he says, “but not decorative art. Serious art or no art.” The owners may have commissioned and be paying for the project, but that doesn’t give them “the right to put what they want on the walls”. He takes the same view of accessories. “Every single detail is crucial. How else can I preserve the vision and the integrity of the project? Design is the vision of one person communicated to another, my vision for the client. You know what is a camel: it’s a horse designed by a committee,” he laughs. “You cannot design by committee.”

This article was first published in Superyacht Interiors .

Top photo courtesy of Alessandro Braida

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5 Yacht Interior Designers To Consider For Your Next Refit Or New Build

The best yacht interior specialists..

The world of superyacht interior design deserves its own Netflix series. Seriously. It’s a high-class, ultra-luxury, competitive business that turns a small idea into a masterpiece. A superyacht interior should have equal parts wow-factor and functionality to elevate the boat. It takes a particular eye for art, detail, layout, and innovation to be a top name in (any type of) design industry.

For most firms, designing a superyacht is a personal experience. They’re masters at balancing a thousand different elements to create a single, elegant outcome. Elite design studios have the skills, talent, and intuition to create a layout, design, and decoration that wins awards. We already highlighted impressive yacht interiors , but who are the teams behind scenes? Here are 5 yacht interior designers to consider for your next refit or new build.

Italians have an eye for art and design, and award-winning design firm Hot Lab seamlessly integrates sophisticated detail into their work. Their interior designs are sharp, stylish, and modern. Over the years, Hot Lab has received several international awards, including World Superyacht Awards and Showboats Design , World Yachts Trophies, and Finest Interior Awards . The studio has solid relationships with both Italian and foreign shipyards and works together on both custom and series-produced yachts.

A great example of interior design by Hot Lab is on Hull #5 of the Numarine 32XP (available for a Summer 2022 delivery). The studio incorporates clever lighting throughout the yacht to give it a bright atmosphere that highlights materials from Armani Casa and custom marbles in greens and blues.

Contact Denison yacht broker Alex G. Clarke to inquire about the Numarine 32XP.

2. Giorgio Cassetta  

Italian superyacht designer Giorgio Cassetta is the dark night of yacht design. He flys under the radar yet he’s worked on some of the biggest and most stunning yachts in the world. His designs have personality, with a flare of timelessness and functionality that instantly makes you appreciate the setting. Past clients include Bennetti and Cigarette Racing, but he’s currently working with Alpha Yachts to design custom new build yachts.

Boutique shipyard Alpha Custom Yachts worked with Giorgio Cassetta to create an elegant interior for the Spritz 102 . According to Cassetta, the yacht has the feel of a Miami villa combined with great functionality. When inside the yacht, guests are never disconnected from the environment. The installation of the windows ensures constant visibility of the water and sky, even from the bed. The effect is particularly stunning in the full-beam owner’s cabin where the windows are oversized and less than half a meter above the water.

Contact Denison yacht broker David Johnson to inquire about the Spritz 102.

3. Gregory C. Marshall  

Gregory C. Marshall, Naval Architect Ltd. is a Canadian-based yacht design firm that has built a reputation as one of the top naval architecture firms in the world. For more than 35 years, founder Greg Marshall and his business partner, Gordon Galbraith, designed megayachts and commercial craft for a variety of clients Their designs gain attention as they push the limits of traditional expectations.

The interior of CRESCENT LADY , a 117’ Crescent 2020, is a Gregory C. Marchall design. Natural light floods into the interior space from expansive windows throughout the yacht. Inside, you’ll find clean, contemporary styling, which is complemented by high-quality joinery and modern fabrics and soft goods. Gregory C. Marchall created an interior that will stand the test of time onboard this Crescent 117, whose owner is accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin for the purchase of the yacht.

Contact Denison yacht broker Ari Sherr to inquire about CRESCENT LADY.

4. Patrick Knowles Design

Patrick Knowles Designs is one of America’s top yacht design firms specializing in custom megayachts, superyachts, and aircraft interiors. Patrick Knowles and his team apply their skills to ensure innovative creativity, attention to detail, and commitment to on-time delivery. Their ability to listen, understand, interpret, and transform ideas into results exceeds client expectations.

You may recognize a Patrick Knowles Design onboard REVIVE, a 150’ Richmond that was sold by Will Noftsinger and Chris Daves in March 2021. It’s one of the last (and some may say, the best) Richmond yachts ever built. In 2019, the second owner spent roughly $2 million making REVIVE perfect, and that included a completely new interior decor package by Patrick Knowles Designs.

5. Reymond Langton

You’ll know a Reymond Langton design when you see it; the British design studio applies innovation, inspiration, and functionality to their work. Most notably, ARKADIA (formerly known as Project TRITON) a 50-meter new construction Heesen , boasts an elegant interior designed by Reymond Langton.

The sophisticated layout accommodates 10 guests and 9 crew with a full-beam owner’s stateroom, 3 double guest suites, and an additional 1 twin guest suite. She promises the best of the yachting lifestyle. ARKADIA was sold by David Johnson and delivered to her owners in April 2021.

The creative world of yacht design is impressive. It takes patience, teamwork, and passion to become a top player in the industry. Whether you visualize a modern, dark, traditional, or quirky yacht interior, consider one of these interior design firms for your next refit or new build project. They’ll turn your idea into a masterpiece. Contact a Denison yacht broker to find a featured yacht for sale or yacht for charter with an impressive interior.

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May 10th 2023

Home   /   Editorial   /   LUXURY YACHT INTERIORS 2023

Yacht Interior Design Trends of 2023

Yacht Interior Design: A Journey into Opulent Luxury

Stepping aboard a yacht is an invitation to immerse oneself in extravagant elegance. Yacht interior designers have mastered the art of crafting extraordinary spaces that redefine lavishness. With meticulously selected furnishings and intricate detailing, every aspect is designed to radiate sophistication and grandeur.

Dissolving the Divisions Between Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Yacht interior design trends this year focus on the seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces. Glass doors that slide away, retractable walls, and expansive windows dissolve the barriers between the yacht's interior and the breathtaking vistas outside. Guests can revel in the beauty of the ocean while enjoying the comforts and luxuries of the interior, creating an immersive experience that transcends traditional boundaries.

? M/Y ARTEFACT, 80m - Reymond Langton Design design

Eco-consciousness

Preserving the Environment through Considered Design

The importance of sustainability is at the forefront of yacht interior design. Designers are integrating earth-friendly materials and sustainable practices to create environmentally conscious spaces. The use of responsibly sourced hardwoods, recycled materials, and organic fabrics like linen and hemp reflect a commitment to environmental preservation. The addition of living green walls and indoor plants not only adds a touch of nature but also enhances onboard wellbeing.

Modern Minimalism

A Harmonious Blend of Simplicity and Functionality

Modern minimalism has found its place in yacht interiors, beautifully blending simplicity and practicality. Clean lines, clutter-free spaces, and a neutral colour palette cultivate an atmosphere of tranquillity. Smart storage solutions and advanced technology ensure a serene environment, focusing attention on the captivating ocean views and the play of natural light within the yacht's interior.

? M/Y BAD MUTHA, 27m - Wally Why 200

Innovative Tech

Elevating the Onboard Experience

Advancements in technology continue to shape yacht interiors, enhancing both the comfort and entertainment experiences on board. From smart lighting systems and automated controls to immersive audio-visual setups, yacht owners can now enjoy a seamless blend of luxury and cutting-edge technology. Integration of touch-screen interfaces, voice-controlled systems, and IoT connectivity allows passengers to control various aspects of the yacht's environment with ease.

The world of yacht interior design is constantly evolving, reflecting the changing preferences and aspirations of yacht enthusiasts. This year's trends celebrate the seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, the use of sustainable materials, contemporary minimalism, personalised artistic statements, and state-of-the-art technology. As yacht designers push boundaries and unleash their creativity, the interiors of these floating sanctuaries continue to redefine luxury, providing an unmatched experience on the high seas.

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Who Was Harriet Tubman? A Historian Sifts the Clues.

A brisk new biography by the National Book Award-winning historian Tiya Miles aims to restore the iconic freedom fighter to human scale.

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By Jennifer Szalai

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NIGHT FLYER: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People , by Tiya Miles

Harriet Tubman led such an eventful life — so filled with hardship, extreme peril and close calls — that even an atheist might find it hard to deny that her nine decades of survival on this Earth were nothing short of miraculous.

Tubman herself credited God with guiding her dangerous work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad during the 1850s; she made an estimated 13 trips below the Mason-Dixon line and spirited as many as 80 souls north, often all the way to Canada. Tubman’s own escape in 1849 was legendary. After a first attempt with her brothers, who were so frightened that they insisted on turning back to their enslaver’s estate near the Chesapeake Bay, an undaunted Tubman made the treacherous 90-mile journey from Maryland to Pennsylvania on her own.

“Where others saw shut doors and unscalable brick walls, she dreamed into being tunnels and ladders,” the historian Tiya Miles writes in “Night Flyer,” a short biography of Tubman that is the first in a new series, called Significations and edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr., about notable Black figures. For decades after her death in 1913, Tubman’s extraordinary life was mostly relegated to books for children and young adults. Thorough, probing biographies by the historians Catherine Clinton and Kate Clifford Larson were published two decades ago. More recently, Tubman was the subject of a Hollywood biopic and “She Came to Slay,” an illustrated volume by the historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar, featuring a drawing of a pistol-toting Tubman on the cover.

Perhaps inevitably, all the pop-cultural attention has been double-edged, commemorating Tubman’s formidable accomplishments while also making it harder to discern who she actually was. Miles admits that before she started this project, Tubman “had become a stock figure in my imagination, a known hero in the cast of characters that we might call the abolitionist avengers.” Recognizing Tubman’s idiosyncrasies and physical ailments “resizes Tubman the cultural icon to human scale.”

Miles calls “Night Flyer” a “faith biography,” emphasizing Tubman’s spirituality along with her ecological awareness, expressed as a profound attentiveness to the natural world. Miles also draws on the life stories of “similar women,” such as the preachers Jarena Lee and Zilpha Elaw , to try to illuminate some of the more interior experiences that Tubman took care to keep hidden.

Such gaps in the historical record are familiar to Miles. Having written about Indigenous people and African Americans, including in the National Book Award-winning “All That She Carried,” she frequently faces what she has called “the conundrum of the archives.” Tubman did not read or write; she dictated her life story to “typically white, middle-class, antislavery women,” like her first biographer, Sarah Bradford. Although usually “well-meaning,” Tubman’s amanuenses sometimes “demeaned” her, casting her as an exotic, almost otherworldly figure.

Not to mention that Tubman herself was a skillful performer, someone whose feats of bravery were made possible by guardedness and caution. “She wanted to control the narrative,” Miles writes. By the end of the 1850s, Tubman was actively shaping her persona in spoken-word performances, “understanding that if she did not, others would make a character of her for their own ends.”

“Night Flyer” briskly narrates the major events of Tubman’s early life. She was born Araminta “Minty” Ross sometime around 1822, to Rit Green and Ben Ross on the eastern shore of Dorchester County, Md. After sustaining a severe head injury at 12 or 13, when she stepped between an enslaved boy in a shop and a two-pound weight that was lobbed by his overseer, Tubman began to have seizures that she associated with religious visions. She changed her name after marrying John Tubman, a free Black man, around 1844. By then, having seen two of her sisters “carried away” to the Deep South on a chain gang, Tubman was already asking herself a question that would animate the rest of her long life: “Why should such things be?”

Using these facts as a trellis, Miles tries to coax out Tubman’s personality. Tubman had always preferred being outside. As a child, in an effort to escape a beating for sneaking a lump of sugar, she hid for five days in a pigpen. In the 1830s, her enslaver hired her out to heavy, outdoor labor — driving oxen, cutting wood and hauling logs. Tubman deemed such work preferable to the domestic chores she hated (even though, after her escape, she would take on domestic work in order to help fund her rescue missions). Recreating the scene of Tubman’s eventual escape from slavery, Miles imagines the spongy soil of the wetland woods and the swamp blackberry she may have eaten.

But it wasn’t all about survival in the woods. Tubman also had a refined sense of style, Miles says — and a sense of humor about it, too. During the Civil War, she worked as a military scout and spy, and accompanied a regiment on the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina. Tubman recalled how her finery was not quite suitable for the occasion: “I started to run, stepped on my dress, it being rather long, and fell and tore it almost off, so that when I got on board the boat there was hardly anything left of it but shreds. I made up my mind then that I would never wear a long dress on another expedition of the kind, but would have a bloomer as soon as I could get it.”

“Night Flyer” includes an insert of color photographs by Amani Willett, of sites connected to the Underground Railroad. The last one shows a marker for the Mason-Dixon line. What’s especially striking is how ordinary it looks — a worn stub of stone, surrounded by overgrown greenery, that once marked an existential division between slavery and freedom.

Tubman lived for nearly half a century after the Civil War ended, sheltering people in her home in Auburn, N.Y., and establishing a care center for the elderly and disabled. Toward the end of “Night Flyer,” Miles admits to struggling with her project — trying to get closer to someone who left such a “murky paper trail.” She derides the as-told-to biographies, explaining that the white women who wrote them, despite their good intentions, “could not have told Tubman’s story with the fullness, clarity and philosophical depth that Tubman would have, had she written it herself.”

The claim is banal in one sense, and unsupported in another. Miles tells us that Tubman always took care not to expose “her own private feelings”; there’s little reason to think that she would have wanted to reveal more of herself to a hungry public. The Tubman who emerges from “Night Flyer” is still extraordinary, and still elusive. As one colleague put it to Miles: “No one could catch her then. It’s going to be hard to catch her now.”

NIGHT FLYER : Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People | By Tiya Miles | Penguin Press | 304 pp. | $30

Jennifer Szalai is the nonfiction book critic for The Times. More about Jennifer Szalai

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