Q&A with Lidia Bersani, designer of the first superyacht for women
The distinguishable 80-metre La Belle, the first superyacht designed for women, is the baby of Monaco-based designer Lidia Bersani.
Described as “a jewel”, gold, precious stones, pearls and crystals, the floors are clad with mother of pearl, onyx, silk and fur carpets, gold and flower mosaics while crystals and gold columns decorate all the decks. The off-white, ivory, cream and gold colours are Bersani’s trademark.
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The yacht concept, which has been featured in international media from The Telegraph to CNBC, is designed for 12 guests, with a large master bedroom on the second deck with a round king size double bed with baldachin and outstanding views and a private terrace. In addition, there are five guest suites.
Missing over La Belle’s five decks are pool tables and beer kegs, replaced with a spa and beauty centre, fitness club, lavish comfy chairs in front of the fireplace, a place for ladies to chitchat or read a bestseller. Throw in a disco and a cinema for good measure.
The idea is to equip the yacht with an ultra-modern stabilising system and state of the art machinery and equipment. And yes, there’s the rooftop helipad (for your gold helicopter, bien sûr).
ML: Lidia Bersani Design is located on boulevard d’Italie and you’ll be at the Monaco Yacht Show next week. Why did you choose Monaco?
LB: Monaco is an amazing place where I can combine work and a feeling of being on permanent vacation. I never seem to feel tired here and it makes me very energetic and active. In addition , Monaco is very cosmopolitan, attracting a lot of important international events and is a meeting place for different people and cultures. In my opinion, it’s the perfect place for my business and for living.
ML: Why did you become a luxury interior designer?
LB: Designing is my passion. Why luxury? Because of my favourite colours, characteristic of my style, golden accents, my taste and my ideas, it is what makes interiors much more luxurious than the others. Talking about interiors, I design private luxury villas, apartments and spa. But not only interiors.
Currently I am working on designing a small palace, which I’m trying to keep unique yet special as a traditional palace used to be, but in a completely modern and different style with, of course, an exceptionally luxurious interior.
ML: Tell us about La Belle, the conceptual first megayacht for woman.
LB: La Belle was designed as a counterpart of today’s luxury megayacht world, which primarily focuses on entertainment and sports for men. I focus on taste, frills and interests of today’s emancipated women who like to be pampered in an environment where they feel at ease, with (or even more) without their boyfriends.
ML: What do would-be yacht owners need to consider when choosing to design their yacht?
LB: A yacht is like your second home. This is why it’s so important to work with a suitable designer, who can create the style in line with the owner’s tastes. The owner today has the possibility to choose everything: the style, the shape, the arrangement, equipment, everything they need and they like.
The days of limited, typical and traditional yacht design are over. Today, we use materials and solutions which have never before been used for yacht design, especially regarding interiors. What’s trendy at the moment is a modern design, a different and outstanding yacht, without any frames and borders. The only limitations are the budget.
ML: La Belle the first megayacht for women. What does this tell us about the market?
LB: Today’s superyachts are treated as an attribute to male billionaires. Designers in the yachting world are mostly men, and not even one of them thought about designing a feminine yacht. I felt, as a woman, it was my duty to design something specifically for us, where we can feel a woman’s touch. I wanted La Belle to be a bit like a boudoir dressed in the new style.
I wanted to change the old stereotype, to open our imagination. I hope from today, the superyacht world will be a part of women style life as well, an attribute of the female billionaire.
The large master bedroom on the second deck is the quietest spot. The round room is fitted with huge surrounding windows to ensure panoramic views from the bed, which is a king-size round double bed surrounded by baldachins in the middle of the room.
Crystals columns, the golden wall with roses behind the bed, and ivory coloured silk curtains and decorations plus a private terrace gives direct access from the bedroom.
Fitted with large surround windows for unobstructed views, the main deck is the real palace. Outside and in, there are luxury lounging areas with comfortable, wide round sofas. Two bars (below) with golden and crystals columns, and a dining division, with a unique oval table are ready to accommodate all 12 guests with a Crystal chandelier over the table.
There’s an area for live music, piano and harp to accompany the dinner hour or cocktails (there’s room to dance). All the furniture – table, chairs, sofas and even the piano – come from the limited-edition “La Belle & Rose” collection.
The library with fireplace and bar. This is on the same deck as a small fitness room and sauna, both with large windows and outstanding surround views, connected to an outsize big mosaic Jacuzzi and tanning area. The outer deck is connected by wide impressive stairs to the upper sun deck, with unobstructed views. Lots of spots for tanning and partying.
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The entirely private project is now Europe’s largest tennis academy and a training centre for Top ATP & WTA players. A Centre Court has also been developed specially for preparing the French Open.
