The journey began in 2011 when "Greyzone" was launched at Concept Marine in Turkey. A decade later, the 43 metres arrived at the Serenity shipyard in Antalya; the plan was for a straightforward refit with a focus on the bathrooms. As is so often the case, this was not the case and instead a large-scale conversion was carried out. The hull and superstructure were stripped down to the bare metal, the bow and aft decks extended, the flybridge completely overhauled and the engines replaced. See also the large Refit of "Ursus".
Zucker & Partner managed the project, while iYacht provided the concept, exterior lines and construction. Katharina Raczek was responsible for the interior. All three players are based in Hamburg.
A visit to designer Katharina Raczek
The extent of the work meant that the classification society categorised the project as a new build. Under the name "Thanuja", the now almost 50 metre long lady with a volume of 463 gross tonnes was launched and cruises the seas as a charter yacht for ten guests via Ocean Independence. The interior also takes centre stage. For Katharina Raczek, this is a stroke of luck, "finally a project that I can talk about and officially show," explains the designer.
During a visit to her studio in the Hammerbrook district, she reveals details of her work. She was also surprised by the extent of the three-year mega refit: "I was actually only supposed to do the guest bathrooms, but then I practically renovated everything." For three years, "Thanuja" kept her and her team on their toes, travelling to the construction site on the Turkish coast about once a month. "We developed some really great solutions," she says.
Everything at zero for the Interieur of the "Thanuja"
After the gutting, only the stairwells would have remained on the yacht, so Raczek practically started from scratch. He re-sketched the rooms, designed renderings of the salons and master suite, developed mood boards with material samples and colour ideas. "I always go from material to form, most designers do it the other way round," she explains. Her suggestions were well received, and in the end she delivered a complete package for "Thanuja", including the furniture and lighting right down to the table linen and cutlery. Even the free-standing furniture for the outdoor decks was on her to-do list.
Raczek explains her particular penchant for materials in the salons and master suite. She chose a wool and silk blend for the carpet in the main deck lounge, a non-slip bouclé cover for the linear sofa and combined it with cushion covers made of soft velvet and cashmere. "That was a feast for me," she says and then explains how textures are repeated throughout the room, albeit on different surfaces and in slightly different patterns. The veined marble meets natural oak wood, the "cloudy" carpet and the cushions in a subtle, blue camouflage look. The result is a harmonious overall concept like a composed watercolour painting.
The major role of colours
Colours play an equally important role. While blue accessories predominate in the main deck salon - "I love blue!" - the focus in the Skylounge is on forest green, for example for the shiny bar cabinets. In front of it is an imposing counter, the surface of which is adorned with green marble interspersed with red and white veins. The front shimmers in bronze and the same metal, combined with brass, can be found on the coffee table.
Each guest suite was given its own colour scheme In the master suite, Katharina Raczek dressed the bed frame in a plum-coloured cashmere robe from Loro Piana and placed a dark green leather stool in front of it. The sofa, which stands around the corner, was also upholstered in almost the same colour, albeit in a deep-pile velvet. Unsurprisingly, Raczek furnished each of the four guest suites with details in very different colours: mustard yellow, green, blue and rust orange. A difficult decision for the charter guests.
With "Thanuja", the art is already in the concept
What was really special about this refit project was that the works of art were also integrated into the concept from the outset and not, as is usually the case, only found a place "somewhere" at the end. "This way, the art gets the care it needs," explains Katharina Raczek. She had the advice - what fits where, who makes it and delivers it - directly at her side, in the studio and at home. Her partner, photographer and painter Astor Milan Salcedo, is the founder of AMS Yacht Art Advisory and organised the logistics and customs documents for the artworks on "Carinthia VII".
A luminaire made from real ostrich eggs For "Thanuja", for example, he discovered the two tall, slender sculptures for the niches in the salon, looked for perfectly fitting paintings for the gaps in the shelf walls, curated the art library and designed the illuminated neon lettering for the narrow staircase between the main and upper decks. "A picture should hang in that space," says Katharina Raczek, "but it's far too dark there."
Luminaire made from carbon and real ostrich eggs
The couple got to thinking, Astor Milan Salcedo started drawing and now a completely different work of art hangs in the same place: the lettering "Don't believe everything I say", which has been integrated into the interior lighting control system. This could be a motto for the entire "Thanuja" project, which nobody initially believed would become so big.
Another special exhibit is the ceiling light above the dining area of the Skylounge. Egg-shaped luminaires are attached to filigree carbon fibre branches, which spread a soft light. "The London-based manufacturer took real branches from a forest for this," explain Raczek and Salcedo. Using the found objects, he built moulds to replicate the carbon branches. Bronze-coloured lacquer refines their surface, and real ostrich eggs are attached to the ends. The result is a feather-light chandelier that draws attention to the dining table and gives the room a natural look.
