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When
the owner of Barbara Jean began planning the interior, he again
used Rasselas as a jumping-off point. As classic-looking inside
as she is outside, Rasselas is highlighted by rich mahogany paneling
and off-white overheads set apart by dark beams running the length and
width of the gathering spaces. That decor was created by John Munford,
and the traditional appeal of Barbara Jean’s interior also
comes from his studio.
Interestingly,
the most immediately recognizable similarities also reveal the differences.
For example, each yacht features a large compass rose woven into the carpeting
in the main entrance. But aboard Barbara Jean the initials B and
J are interlaced in the design. The entrance is made even more grand by
a staircase flanked by mirrored alcoves in which marble bases support
two three-foot-high statues of Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite. Below
them, two hand-carved gilded eagles look across the room at one another.
And perfectionists, take note: Feadship says that if you draw an invisible
line from either side of the doorway to the corresponding side of the
staircase’s base, they’ll line up within millimeters.
Even
the familiar use of dark joinery reveals differences. Both yachts feature
abundant mahogany, but Barbara Jean additionally incorporates burr
madrona and sycamore to outline every panel, adding depth and richness.
Upon first glance, the cabinets in the aft corners of the dining room
appear to be simply standard stowage for the fine dinnerware. But behind
their curved doors, which pick up the design theme of the forward bulkheads
(curved to conceal the engine-room air intakes), the cabinets can actually
open further at the touch of a button to reveal even more stowage for
china.
You
can actually feel the rest of the differences. There are molded edges
in many areas aboard, and handrails have not only curved endings but also
carved sections and carved details along their undersides. While not within
arm’s reach, there are carved ceiling cornice moldings in all of
the areas where guests gather and elaborate carvings above all doorways.
There are even more elaborate ceiling cornices in the master stateroom,
plus a remarkable headboard featuring a carved leaf and honeysuckle theme,
nestling between a double scroll. Even the master bath features intricate
woodwork, due to the creation of a recessed sculptured shell that crowns
an equally intricately carved wooden alcove. All of these complex details
kept the in-house joinermen at De Vries on their toes.
Yet
a further difference between Barbara Jean and many of her contemporaries,
regardless of whether they’re Feadships, is the way stairways are
employed. The number are kept to a minimum aboard this 185-footer to preserve
the openness of gathering spaces, and those that exist are straight, not
curved, with landings. If you’ve ever tried negotiating a spiral
staircase—even a wide one aboard a megayacht—while the vessel
was underway in big seas, you can appreciate the idea.
The
guests who get to cruise aboard Barbara Jean will certainly appreciate
the below-decks stateroom arrangement. The owner requested just four cabins
arranged off a central circular lobby instead of the customary five or
six for a yacht of this size, thereby ensuring each is commodious. Another
room that can serve as an office or day cabin for extra guests as well
as a gym lie off the same lobby area. Just as the woodwork above decks
is remarkable, there are intricate shell carvings and alcove treatments;
the doors to the guest cabins themselves are curved, and, even more impressive,
sandwiched within that joinery are steel fire doors to comply with MCA
safety regulations.
Like
the sculptures of the Greek god and goddess of the sea that stand in her
formal entrance, Barbara Jean recaptures the essence of the oceangoing
Feadships that her owner admired. The design elements she employs are
original in their re-creation and creative in their originality, ensuring
there’s more than meets the eye aboard this yacht.
Feadship
America Phone: (954) 761-1830. Fax: (954) 761-3412. www.feadship.nl.
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