tempest
Anytime a project comes along where one or more constraints of the physical world can be ignored, it’s a good day.
In the case of this little collection of custom furniture and lights designed for the yacht Tempest, this constraint-to-be-ignored was structural stability. It may seem odd that on a yacht stability can be flaunted. But, one of the best things about yachts is that stuff is fixed to the floor, and there is no need or desire for things the be able to be moved around.
Fixed. Like a house. With a foundation. But on a floating boat. Ironic.
The tables for the Tempest are fixed to the floor but they are also expandable and moving within their position. The advantage to being fixed to the floor is that the structure itself, unlike a normal table, does NOT have to stand up on its own in balance. In fact, these tables, on land conditions, would happily topple over.
-The Dining table, made in steel and acrylic, has a pull-out top extension and LED lights underneath to give a glow to the floor and through the fume’ colored acrylic.
-The coffee table, in steel and acrylic with an LED spotlight recessed in the top, is also fixed to the floor but has 4 trays (tops) that pull out as extensions. The table can be locked shut with only one top, or fully opened and splayed with 4 trays.
-The “Big Light” recessed into the wall structure of the yacht allows for a 3-d light fixture that would be difficult to do in a normal construction. But on a boat, with its hollow sides, the light was tailored into the structure. Made in painted aluminum sheet with LED light strips, it is as light as possible.
-The small wall fixtures in the Saloon are also in aluminum with LED light. They are simply made from 2 sheets of aluminum, with a gold anodized finish to warm the light color.
-The large, exterior wall light at the outdoor dining terrace is half-recessed, half-protruding, giving an impression of a light clinging to the corner of the boat.
Yachts, like houses, have history. They have stories. But unlike houses, yachts have been places. Seen things. A good yacht is savvy and can be adapted, renovated and modernized many times over. If the original design and structure is sound, a yacht can be re-imagined for the needs and lifestyle of the owner. This collection of furniture and lights for Tempest is a contemporary iteration in the long history of the Tempest.