Sanlorenzo a leader in Italian shipbuilding, explored in an unusual and somewhat didactic manner the relationship the Ligurian company has with the world of contemporary design.

An immersive experience into the world of Sanlorenzo, in which the city of Milan, the European capital of design, represents the ideal setting to recount these stylistic and interior design values as well as the manufacturing tradition and vocation of bespoke work that strongly connect the company with the world of design.

It is the first time that a shipyard has taken part in the Design Week.

Sanlorenzo‘s new official installation inaugurated today at Milan’s Fuorisalone, bringing the Sea to the European capital of design.

The shipyard, one of the leading shipyards in the world for the production of yachts over 24 meters in length, chose the spaces of La Triennale and the whole Milan Design Week for this sensory story.

For the Salone 2017, Sanlorenzo utilised the spaces of La Triennale – one of the city’s reference points for architecture and design- with the Sanlorenzo: The Sea in Milan installation.

The event was conceived to immerse the audience in the world of Yacht Design, altering the city’s landscape: the area in front of La Triennale di Milano is transformed into various seas that alternate by means of a large projection on the ground, evoking a hypothetical ocean crossing in the remotest places on the planet.

At the foot of La Triennale entrance a “dock” allows visitors to view a projection “Au bord de la mer”.

Il Mare a Milano

Sanlorenzo has brought design culture in the yacht industry.

The installation involved the interior spaces of the Triennale as well, where an entire room is dedicated to the presentation of the great families of yachts produced by Sanlorenzo (SL, SD and Superyacht) and to the narrative of the collaborations with Dordoni Architetti, the studio Antonio Citterio & Patricia Viel, and Piero Lissoni.

“ The exhibition describes transversally and with a little bit of Dadaism the creativity of our shipyard.”

With these words Sanlorenzo explains the installation named Sanlorenzo: the Sea in Milan: an immersive experience into the world of their stylistic and interior design values as well as the manufacturing tradition and vocation of bespoke work that strongly connect the company with the world of design.

San Lorenzo Yachts – Interior Designers

In the past ten years, Sanlorenzo has therefore involved some of the best renown figures from the design world in its yacht interior projects, starting with Dordoni Architetti, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and finally Piero Lissoni for the SX line which will be launched in September on the occasion of Cannes Yachting Festival, the major European Nautical show.

The collaborations with these architects and designers have resulted in a total revolution of the aesthetic codes of nautical design through the adoption of a series of innovations and style elements that have made it possible to bring the concept of “home living” on board.

On one hand, the work on the element of space, while still tied to the constraints of the structure of a yacht, seems to expand endlessly thanks to the destruction of barriers and the creation of a single space that develops fluidly throughout the cockpit, on the other a new way to interpret illumination, always an essential, important element on the lower deck, that designs the spaces scenographically, providing them with the warm atmosphere of a home.

Once again, it is the search for balance between interior and exterior spaces in the vein of maximizing harmony.

Another essential element is the close collaboration with the companies that represent excellence in the international design world including Paola Lenti, Minotti, B&B, Knoll international, Flos, and many others that have developed ad hoc solutions for Sanlorenzo, adapting their products’ technical characteristics, materials, and construction solutions to marine needs.

Each interior project is developed hand in hand with the ship owner who is actively involved in every design step, through a direct relationship with the company and the designers to best respond to his requests

Another fundamental part of the decision-making process and one of the stylistic peculiarities of Sanlorenzo is also the “design tour”, in which the client is personally accompanied to visit the most prestigious Italian showrooms to select the furnishings himself and to appreciate the quality of the best design with his own hands.

Dordoni Architetti

In 2007 the first experiment, when a boat was conceived with Rodolfo Dordoni, who tried to underline the “home concept”, and furnished the interior with items by Minotti, and Paola Lenti that communicated style and comfort. The ADI Italian Innovation Award received in 2009 for this boat was the first assigned to a nautical project

Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel

Citterio & Viel worked on the “boat concept”, studying for example the connection between exterior and interior.

And then the Explorer Line project with Albanese Experience: a boat with a range of 5,000 miles to cruise for 40/50 days without touching land, isolated from the world and civilization.

Comfort must be extremely high.

Piero Lissoni

Piero Lissoni, with his usual ironic and desecrating style, mentioned a series of values that cannot be neglected. These are rules of good design, that apply to architecture, design objects and shipbuilding.

First and foremost lightness, in terms of materials and style of composition. Then rapidity (a project may require years of studies and research, but execution must be fast). And exactness, the necessary balance that exists in nature and man is able to replicate.

Then multiplicity, a typical feature of what consists of a set of various elements that can be distinguished, as is the case of a complex project. This is followed by consistency, accuracy in following the project. Without these values, foolishness may take the upper hand, which irremediably devastates and mars any project, be it simple or very complex

Sanlorenzo fleet

In addition to design, Sanlorenzo is particularly sensitive to the themes that relate to the art world.

For this reason, it has recently launched a series of initiatives with important Galleries including

Tornabuoni Arte on the occasion of Art Basel Miami Beach, hosting an exhibition dedicated to the Italian Monochrome, one of the fundamental painting themes of the 1900s, on board of one its yachts.

With the desire to reconfirm its own affinity with the world of art, Sanlorenzo will also be in Venice in the month of May for the 57th Venice Biennale with an event in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Tornabuoni Arte.

Sanlorenzo’s closeness to art is also expressed from a project point of view: in the future, a further integration of interiors with contemporary art is envisioned in order to transform Sanlorenzo yachts into unique pieces with ad hoc works done for the interior spaces in a boat.

About Sanlorenzo

The Sanlorenzo shipyard has been building high-quality motor yachts since 1958.

It is a boutique firm in the yachting industry, building only a limited number of made-to-measure units per year. Each yacht is designed and produced according to the specific requests, style, and desires of the individual owner

Starting in 2005, through the visionary management of Chairman Massimo Perotti, Sanllenzo began a journey towards new and unexpected routes though with similar languages, like the world of art and design.

In the past ten years, San Lorenzo has therefore involved some of the best renown figures from the design world in its yacht interior projects, starting with Dordoni Architetti, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and finally Piero Lissoni for the SX line which will be launched in September on the occasion of Cannes Yachting Festival, the major European Nautical show

In 2005, Massimo Perotti – formerly Managing Director of Azimut-Benetti where he had been advancing his career for 23 years – acquired the Ameglia-based company from its founder Giovanni Jannetti and opened a new shipyard in Viareggio.

In more than half a century the shipyard built over 600 yachts, each one different from the other.

Sanlorenzo’s production is based on 4 ranges of products: planing GRP motoryachts from 78ft to 118ft (SL line), GRP semi-displacement motoryachts from 92ft to 126ft (SD line), the new fast displacement line (SX), and the superyachts in metal from 40 to over 60 meters (Superyacht Division).