LEEWARD
LIAIGRE YACHTING
WITH THE SEA AS A BACKDROP AND HORIZON, THE VERTIGO TOOK A COUPLE AND THEIR CHILDREN ON BOARD FOR A YEAR. THE MAISON LIAIGRE HAS DESIGNED THIS TWO-MASTED YACHT TO OFFER EVERYONE A LIVING ENVIRONMENT COMBINING ELEGANCE AND COMFORT, ENOUGH TO ENJOY EXPLORING THE DEEP BLUE IN A SPIRIT OF ULTIMATE CLASS.
While the aesthetic proposal of this brand - which has succeeded, in some thirty-five years of existence, in imposing an undeniably strong imprint - retains the quality and know-how of its precious French heritage, it is the totally pure and contemporary lines that are the hallmark of its remarkable achievements. The watchwords are balance, correct proportions and perfection down to the smallest detail. The Liaigre spirit? Going to the end of the possible and the achievable. His DNA? Luxury effortless chic, with clear lines that favour a constant search for well-being at the heart of a restrained and refined aesthetic. And her style? Adapted to the lifestyle of its customers, it nevertheless cultivates sobriety, in a stripped-down style and an absence of superfluity. This is well suited, among other things, to the interior design of boats. For while Liaigre carries out prestigious projects for houses, apartments, offices and private jet cabins all over the world, he also designs yachts and sailboats. Faced with the Big Blue, there is plenty to excel at. In this context, H recently met Guillaume Rolland, Principal in the brand's Parisian HQ - a beautiful Haussmann-style building in the 7th arrondissement of Paris housing his teams of totally passionate professionals -. He told us the story of Vertigo. Welcome aboard!
"LESS IS MORE". THIS MOTTO - WHICH FITS "LIKE A GLOVE" TO THE MAISON LIAIGRE -, IS MASTERFULLY DECLINED ON THE VERTIGO. BECAUSE IF THERE'S NOT AN INCH TO LOSE ON A BOAT, IT'S WELL KNOWN, NONE HAS BEEN NEGLECTED.
We play a lot with exposed structures," continues the designer, "especially in the barrots. It's a great feeling to be in a boat and not in a house. "It's about accepting the object, not covering it. It's about accepting the object, not covering it." This in fact allows you to exploit the perception of where you are.
PRECISION AND OPTIMIZATION
Black and coloured pencils arranged in ranges of shades, large white sheets of paper where so many sketches come to life, plans, computer screens open to projects that make you dream at first glance, these are what make up Guillaume Rolland's luminous desk. It is precise and very tidy, like the worlds he creates. "On a boat, everything has to be efficient," he explains right away. "So when it comes to research, as long as it doesn't work or isn't completed, we start all over again. For example, in a bedroom, it will be a question of the positioning and layout of the bed, bedside table and cupboard, and the direction in which the doors open. "This applies to all layers of project design and development, and to the details," he says. It's about details like wood adjustments, stone layouts, or the timing of joints that need to be in phase with each other. "The customers are ultimately very involved. They discover, with us, that you can go very far in this area too. Finding solutions is very satisfying and it becomes a game to see how far you can go. It's like a Chinese puzzle, a challenge.
DRAW ME A sHIP
In fact, these are extremely precise levels of execution. Guillaume Rolland takes us, from his screen, aboard the Vertigo in order to apprehend some of its subtleties. Just imagine: 70 m long, peaks at 20 knots... She bears her name well, the Vertigo, with her look so proud as to make you dizzy, so majestic is she. A sporty yacht, but also a rare object with a distinguished and sober elegance. The interior reflects her extraordinary allure. Designed, conceived and refined down to the last detail by Liaigre, she offers a living environment that reflects the views through her portholes: quite simply exceptional. Starting with its harmoniously contoured interior curves. As you look through them, your gaze can only follow their contours. But the windows have not only been designed for aesthetic reasons: they are also designed to ensure maximum safety without compromising comfort. Because on such a yacht, it can get very uncomfortable! Everything is therefore fixed to the ground, in particular. And to keep the sea legs - and above all, well positioned - the ends of the solid aluminium staircases have been bent. "This way, when the boat heels over, you always have a point of support," explains Guillaume Rolland. More than just a detail, this creation symbolises the yachting spirit of Liaigre: a very subtle combination of sobriety, elegance and perfect functionality, expressed in pure lines through noble materials forming the decor of a daily marine life that must at least be experienced as an enchantment.
Sea LEGS
Guillaume Rolland is himself a seasoned sailor. And it is undoubtedly for this reason that he masters his subject so well. "I've been sailing since the age of 10," he says. And even today, he still sails all year round... For a yacht designer, that's obviously a great advantage. "It's a question of logic and reflexes for me," he continues. This elbow staircase that we were talking about, for example, is the result of a reflection based on real-life experience: it is therefore a beautiful object in itself, but it also avoids twisting your ankle when accessing the upper deck at high speed or in strong winds. The starting point of the reflection? "It's not a question of trying to make an apartment in a yacht," stresses Guillaume Rolland. Rather, the opposite is the case with Liaigre's approach: inspiration comes from examples taken from the lair of smaller boats - 10 or 11 metres - where constraints are all the more present in terms of space management. "We're sort of 'boosting' the solutions that are optimal for this type of boat. The result is an incomparable 'finish', from the small edges at the ends of the furniture - so that objects don't slip and break on the floor - to the hidden storage spaces dedicated to the different types of objects to be accommodated. It is not only everyday objects that are hidden from view: in all bathrooms, you have to 'open the mirror' - a sliding door - to gain access to the amenities.
STYLE STATEMENT
"We play a lot with exposed structures," continues the designer, "especially in the barrots. It's a great feeling to be in a boat and not in a house. "It's about accepting the object, not covering it. It's about accepting the object, not covering it." This in fact allows you to exploit the perception of where you are.
TRAVEL SHAPES THE YOUNG
The Vertigo's itinerant life has meant that during this trip, the boat has not only had to listen to the sound of the waves, but also to the sound of the lessons given to the children. A small classroom was therefore designed for this purpose. "We notice a very good level of execution here," points out Guillaume Rolland. "Round sliding doors make it possible to close the classroom, and there are still very good views when they are open. In the teacher's office, discussion triangles have also been provided, with a sofa facing the armchair so that the children can come and exchange, study and read in good company in this space. A happy conviviality with an unobstructed view of the waves.
IN THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS
And since everything on a boat is about space and atmosphere, one might be inclined to think that it's best to imagine a "chalk line" arrangement to optimise it. "Look at this bed, it's not rectangular," counters Guillaume Rolland. So as not to bump into each other? "Firstly, it is rounded because it frees up space at the corner, but it is also angled, which makes it easier to move around the cabin and gives a more dynamic view of the room. A small storage cupboard is nested above the bedside table, and a metal mast is provided with hooks to stretch a canvas to the side so that it doesn't fall over if the boat heels over during night sailing. For the Vertigo remains a sporty two-masted boat. A yacht in which luxury is a matter of course - a lifestyle on the open sea.
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