Malahne
Oliver Laws was engaged to design the layout and the interiors of the art deco superyacht Malahne. While the interiors were built in Holland, a lot of British makers and manufacturers were commissioned including Dernier & Hamlyn who made the majority of the bespoke light fittings. The aim was to make if feel like an historically original interior, although it was actually all new rooms.
Guy Oliver designed period appropriate interiors and knew that finding either antique fittings or something off the peg that would fit would be highly unlikely. And with a commercial timetable to work to, designing the fittings and having them made bespoke by our team was the most sensible solution for this project. He says: “They have a lot of knowledge about how to create, make and maintain aesthetically pleasing and practical light fittings. Whenever I design a fitting it’s not just making something that looks beautiful it’s also about creating something that is easy to maintain so their expertise is invaluable.”
In the dining room Guy wanted to create an architectural language that felt appropriate with the lights acting as a lead piece. He took the octagonal star detail from the marquetry in the dining table and echoed it in a unique, period appropriate fitting that worked in the space and wasn’t overbearing. Guy and his team travelled to find things that would work on the yacht. In the salon there is a table lamp made from a cup that he found in the Marché aux Puces in Paris. Our partners mounted it on a marble block and also spun a copy then finished them both in black chrome to give an art deco feel. For the flush ceiling lights throughout Malahne’s bedrooms and salon they used milk glass and metalwork in a bronze finish. They were vented at the top so that traditional bulbs could be used.
Guy says: “Although it’s right to use LED and low energy bulbs, sometimes the colour isn’t quite right, or the rendering isn’t quite correct. So, I usually use a layering of different types of light sources in a room and experiment with them. In the ceiling lights I wanted halogen capsules, which give the right warmth of light and also dim easily without interfering with the wavelength of the lights and creating the strobing effect that you get with LEDs.”
Other lighting included ceiling, picture and wall lights for the guests’ companion way. Two antique original wall lights from the yacht Queen Mary were sourced and four copies were made and then installed on Malahne, with the originals safely stored away.
Guy says: “This was probably my favourite project to date. Although I love all the work that I do, this one was very special one. Nearly all of the lighting was bespoke and commissioned. I hope the finished effect feels like the yacht’s always been here, even though all of it is brand new.”
