The interior of the Baltic 175 Pink Gin IV, party gallery, part boutique hotel, reflects its owner\u2019s passions. David Glenn takes a tourThe Baltic 175 Pink Gin may have captured most of the headlines for her sheer size and cleverly engineered topside balconies, but below decks a collection of Cuban art and some phenomenal styling demand equal attention.
\nMark Tucker\u2019s team at Design Unlimited in the UK worked closely with the yacht\u2019s owner, Professor Hans Georg N\u00e4der, with whom they had cooperated on his previous Pink Gin, to produce an unusual exercise in interior styling.
\nProfessor N\u00e4der\u2019s fascination with Cuba and his taste in art, fashion and music helped inspire Design Unlimited to use materials rarely seen aboard a yacht. They include fish skin, sealskin, fashioned leather, bamboo, pewter and 8,600-year-old bog oak combining to create an eclectic style that takes the visitor by surprise at every turn.
\nThe pewter covered bar in a cockpit lit by two Murano chandeliers. All photos: Marco Moog
\nNot shy of throwing a party, Professor N\u00e4der wanted to create a platform for entertaining in a variety of environments above and below deck with music, art and unusual finishes very much part of the mix.
\nNo ordinary experience
\nStepping aboard Pink Gin from a tender is no ordinary experience. Instead of taking a boarding ladder to the deck, a topsides opening balcony leads guests directly into the port side lobby, the outboard facing bulkhead of which is taken up almost entirely by artwork fashioned from metal acetone drums. It\u2019s by Roberto Diago, the Cuban artist, whose work can also be seen in the owner\u2019s suite.
\nOnce through the sliding glass safety doors, turn left, or forward, to move into the lower deck saloon dominated on the port side by an extraordinary table featuring dried flowers set in clear resin. The piece is by London-based Polish artist Marcin Rusak and was a constant talking point when we were aboard. One can waste hours examining each tiny petal suspended in the table-top.
\nMarcin Rusak\u2019s saloon table features flower petals set in clear resin. A baby grand is seen aft
\nThe ornate glass chandelier above this table is a keepsake from the owner\u2019s previous Pink Gin, as is the leather Louis Vuitton trunk furnishing the seating area opposite.
\nPillars finished in salmon skin
\nDesign for the leatherwork adorning the lifting keel casing was inspired by bookbinding and the two deck support pillars located either side of the stairway leading to the upper saloon are finished in salmon skin. To port, in the upper saloon, is an Edelweiss Sygnet piano, finished in a subtle shade of pink \u2013 or is it purple? It\u2019s positioned to overlook the lower saloon.
\nOpposite is a smaller dining area furnished with a large, U-shaped custom-made Chesterfield sofa and a table made of rare bog oak, a hard, dark timber possessing a particularly rich hue. This bog wood is thought to be almost 9,000 years old and would have been retrieved from a swamp or bog, the acidic qualities of which preserve and form the colouring we see today. The oak cabin soles in this and most other areas are finished with a type of distressed paintwork that helps create a less formal atmosphere.
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Don\u2019t miss the day head
\nDesign Unlimited sourced the unusual wallpaper for the day head
\nNo visitor should leave without a visit to the day head. It\u2019s decorated with a stunning bespoke wallpaper pattern of coloured fish set on a jet-black background. Design Unlimited sourced it and it will leave a lasting impression.
\nForward of the main saloon are four guest cabins, one double, a twin and two tiered twins, all with en-suite bathrooms equipped with unusual taps and fittings finished in a type of oxidised metallic bronze; industrial chic might be a way of describing it.
\nA lobby serving the forward cabins is illuminated naturally using glass decklights by way of the mast. It features a sculpture by Roberto Fabelo, another notable Cuban artist.
\nUltimate view
\nOf all the areas in Pink Gin\u2019s accommodation, it is perhaps the owner\u2019s suite that succeeds more than any other as a living space and styling exercise, not least because of the fantastic effect created by the topside opening balcony.
\nThis is a large, starboard-side aperture creating a stunning framed vista for the cabin\u2019s occupants and, of course, direct access to the water. You enter the suite through an office area furnished with a desk, the top of which is finished in laser cut stingray skin and horn. There\u2019s nothing understated about Pink Gin.
\nSpectacular views and direct access to the sea from the owner\u2019s suite via a starboard opening
\nInformality sets the tone
\nThis leads into the main sleeping accommodation furnished with a king-sized double, the base of which is constructed of bamboo. What is referred to as an \u2018art wall\u2019, facing the bed, is dominated by another work by Roberto Diago, this time featuring coarsely finished painted timber from old Cuban fishing boats. This sets the tone for a cabin in which the style is interesting and challenging rather than predictable.
\nThe \u2018his and hers\u2019 full-width head and shower room again features the industrial chic styling seen elsewhere in the yacht. It is lined with what look like substantial white tiles, complete with heavy-duty grouting. In fact, the finish comes in composite sheets, made by Baltic, which are notably light.
\nThe effect is remarkable. Another stunning feature in the owner\u2019s suite and this time in a walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, is a carpet using a pattern inspiration taken from one of Professor N\u00e4der\u2019s favourite French scarfs.
\nRoberto Diago\u2019s acetone drum artwork greets visitors boarding via the port side
\nAll the crew accommodation, plus one other large guest cabin are located aft. One of the many advantages of the port side opening into the lobby is that the crew and particularly the galley staff can, if necessary, transfer stores quickly and easily from a tender.
\nTurn right, or aft, and you step immediately into the large galley, which has its own style comprising granite counter tops that no doubt had the weight police in tears, and composite cabinet doors adorned with what is made to look like a hammered metal finish. There is sleeping accommodation and a mess area for up to nine crew.
\nBog oak and pewter trim
\nOn deck there is no let up in the quest for eye-catching style. The aged bog oak can again be seen in the cap rail and the bar occupying the middle of three cockpit areas. The main cockpit table is by I Vassalletti, master craftsmen from Tuscany who have used waxed teak and pewter in its construction. The aforementioned sealskin is used to finish the handrails around the bar.
\nThe cockpit is illuminated by two vast Murano glass chandeliers suspended from the boom. They are so heavy they need to be lifted into place with a block and tackle. Design Unlimited in their press release state: \u2018Pink Gin is a yacht that cannot be categorised within existing superyacht parameters\u2019. It\u2019s quite a claim and they might be right.
\nSpecifications
\nLOA: 53.90m (176ft 10in)LWL: 45.27 m (148ft 6in)Beam: 9.55 m (31ft 4in)Draft: 4.50-7.00 m (14ft 9in \u2013 22ft 12in)Displacement: 250 tons (560,000lbs)Ballast: 79 tons (176,960lbs)Naval architect: Judel\/Vrolijk & coInterior: Design UnlimitedBuilder: BalticLaunched: 2017
\nFirst published in the April 2018 issue of Supersail World.
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The interior of the Baltic 175 Pink Gin IV, party gallery, part boutique hotel, reflects its owner\u2019s passions. David Glenn takes a tourThe Baltic 175 Pink Gin may have captured most of the headlines for her sheer size and cleverly … <\/p>\n