Creative Minds: Studio Vafiadis

I DON’T DESIGN BOATS - I SCULPT THEM!

by Samuela Urbini

Stefano Vafiadis is creative director of the Rome-based Studio Vafiadis. His designs all have a sublime formal and functional simplicity. He starts each one from scratch as a series of sketches which are then used to produce 3D computer models. Vafiadis works with, amongst others, CCN, Rossinavi and Golden Yachts

Stefano Vafiadis’s drawings as a little boy were full of boats. And also the cranes he saw when he visited shipyards to view the boats his famous yacht designer father, Giorgio, had penned. As far as he was concerned they were all just big toys. Those first glimpses of the nautical world were indelibly imprinted on his impressionable young mind. He later pursued a study and career path that quickly and happily led to the position of creative director of Studio Vafiadis, which is headquartered in his native city of Rome. “I remember how happy those days I spent with my father drawing my first and very childish boats in the technical offices,” says the architect fondly. “When I grew up, I graduated with a degree in architecture in 2012 but I always felt it could give something extra to naval design because of its universality and transversality. Of course, being born in Rome with its great architectural tradition, helped that decision along too”. Vafiadis’s love and passion for his work is clear from the words he uses to describe his creative process: “I am always the harshest critic of my own projects. I like to give my all both in terms of style and spaces. I also like tailoring my boats around the client’s tastes and style. I am very much against the whole ‘cut and paste; style. Each and every one of my designs starts from scratch and from lots of freehand sketches. I also like the 3D computer modelling process – it is like a sculpture slowly emerging and finding its true identity. I reference other disciplines such as car design and architecture as well. I find inspiration in the great masters past and present as a way of getting to the future. I strive for progress but want to retain that formal and functional simplicity the great Steve Jobs taught us about in another area altogether”. This approach has produced, amongst many others, the 133 CCN, a 40m yacht with hybrid propulsion with a gorgeous modern villa vibe thanks to contemporary styling and generous volumes. The project was called Dom, in fact, a name derived from the Latin Domus, meaning home, and will be delivered by the end of 2021. “It was a great evening: I found the motif for the boat, which has not changed, in quick time. It is a carefully sculpted boat with extensive work done on the surfaces. It is heavily influenced by car design – the air intakes and spoilers you see on automobiles. It was meant to look like a modern villa with very horizontal lines making

Above, a sketch of the cleanly sculpted forms of the 37m from CCN’s Dom series which splashes this year. Opposite page, from top: the saloon aboard the DOM 37 feels exactly like a lounge in a modern villa. The exteriors of the DOM 133, a 40m currently in build for delivery in 2021

The 78m Slipstream is clothed in clean lines that are raked in certain areas to lower her proportions and bring occupants closer to the sea. Her beach area is a circular indooroutdoor affair, thanks to open-out platforms. A large six-metre pool on the swim platform is another new addition. Below left, the interior of the beach area with the Nemo Lounge and its underwater views, right

The Rossinavi 52m Florentia is clothed in pure classical lines yet also incorporates plenty of contemporary details. The 95’ (below) for Golden Yachts, on the other hand, is more modern in style without being overly extreme. Both are currently under construction

everything harmonious yet also severe. The same lines effortlessly break up the volumes too”. This is clear not just in the interiors but also the exteriors, with their large aft swimming pool and an open beach club that slopes down the sea. This particular yacht is the larger sibling of the 37m from the Dom series which is due to be delivered this year. Currently, Studio Vafiadis is also partnering Rossinavi on the in-build 52m Florentia which has

a more classic, timeless look yet also brims with contemporary details. “She’s a craft I am very proud of because I am sure she will go down in history for her classically romantic beauty and her purity. We also have other yachts under construction, most notably a 95m for Golden Yachts in Greece which has much more modern yet still beautifully balanced lines. Her impressive length also gave us an opportunity to sculpt her volumes in an extraordinary way,” concludes Vafiadis.