Heart and soul
BOSSY BOOTS

Interior Design • Marc-Michaels Interior Design Inc

When the commissioning owner of the 41.45m Intermarine motor yacht Bossy Boots (ex-Mia Elise) visited Marc-Michaels Interior Design Inc, he glimpsed sketches for the yacht of a European royal family and the die for the interior was cast. Dark, old world mahogany would be complemented by lush, light fabrics, and there would be a bold distinction between saloon and dining room. With this broad objective agreed, the owner was confident of leaving the project entirely in Marc-Michaels' hands.

Between the starboard entrance foyer and the dining room, a hint of things to come is provided by the convex fluted mahogany exterior of the day head, an enchanting room where a backlit Vitra Form glass sink contrasts strikingly with surrounding Portoro marble. Stainless steel hand railing for the spiral main stairway cavorts against a more orderly backdrop of the fluted mahogany and then the opening to the dining room appears loosely guarded by curtains which lend a touch of mystique. Two apertures between dining room and saloon contain silver- and gold leafed crosses inspired by Philippe Starck's hornshaped stainless steel handles used for stateroom doors. They could be heraldic devices, deluxe X chromosomes, or loop holes through which to dart a telling glance. The surrounding screen of fluted mahogany describes a wide arc making space for a matching round table on gold-leafed feet from JDM-Juhasz.

“The size of the table was tightly defined by the yacht's accessibility', says Senior Interior Designer Bruce T Linthicum. 'Bossy Boots has an aft door either side of a solid bulkhead instead of the more usual double doors. We designed the table to the last millimeter. To ease installation of an extensive and eclectic collection of furniture, a saloon window was left unglazed until everything was on board.

italmond dining chairs in the Empire style are finished in distressed gilt revealing suggestions of red base coat. Seats are covered in a DL Lyons gold damask silk from Jeffrey Michaels while Zimmer & Rohde's striped silk chair backs of reds and golds evoke a parade of medal ribbons. The wool carpet, a custom design from Carpet Source, lies flush with a perimeter of honey onyx selected from Keys Granite. Between mahogany paneling and on the ceiling is golden Thai silk from East Meets West. It glows warmly like sun-lit sand in the light from a Sirmos glass chandelier suspended below a massive ogee molding carved from solid mahogany The crown molding around the walls is similarly large scale and on the port side the buffet cabinetry rises to meet it with leather paneled doors detailed with freehand curves marked by nail heads. The window treatment here and in the saloon uses stained mahogany blinds from Drapery Castle behind voluptuous Savoy velvet pelmets from Robert Allen. On the forward bulkhead, a dancer painted in shadowy reds, blues and golds adds drama to what is sure to be a spectacular meal emerging from an adjacent door to the galley. The round seating plan ensures that everyone feels fully engaged in the occasion.

The top-drawer furnishing of the dining room continues seamlessly into the saloon where Marc-Michaels has created an air of ease and warmth. Crossed inlays of polished stainless steel bind columnar mullions behind port and starboard sofas from Steve Grafton.The starboard sofa is smartly defined by continuous buttoned upholstery. The separate cushions of its more casual companion have dined exceedingly well on stuffing in the upholsterer's workshop and are covered in a subtle damask Lombard chenille from Hinson. Armless slipper chairs, more of Steve Grafton's work, are covered in Cowtan & Tout's coffee Palais Ottoman silk. A distressed gold coffee table from Reyna spreads at knee height. Adding to the infinitely flexible seating plan are upright wooden chairs impeccably turned out in Gisbert Rentmeister's Chelsea and gold-threaded Westminster chenilles. Two of their attendant tables are in chinoiserie style with black and red lacquer while another is a contemporary piece from Century Furniture with a glass top and gold-leafed tapered pedestal. The contemporariness continues aft where a modern painting slides aside to reveal a plasma screen TV. Freestanding lamps throw pools of light wherever a book or a cognac might rest, while bromeliads and orchids signify the yacht's Floridian origins and further soften the surroundings. This dining room and saloon are shot through with European grandeur yet in weaving the magnificent tapestry of choice textiles, wood and stone, Marc-Michaels has succeeded in creating very livable surroundings defining a new regal style for today.