Azimut Grande S10: Malibu Beach House Mixed With Megasailer

Imagine a Malibu beach house combined with a classic J Class sailing yacht, combined further with a sports car. As disparate as these three are, they were the inspirations for designer Alberto Mancini in creating the styling of the Azimut Grande S10. This 94-footer (28.72-meter) is the new flagship for the builder.

In fact, the Malibu homes were “the main inspiration,” Mancini says. He echoed their multiple balconies flowing down to the beach in creating the flying bridge (rare on sport yachts), the extra-long and extra-open main aft deck, and the swim platform. In addition, just as glass rims many of these balconies, the Azimut Grande S10 has glass bulkheads on the main aft deck. They’re ideal complements to loose lounges that owners may want to set up here. Since the deck space is a blank canvas, owners can arrange furnishings (or not) as they see fit.

Speaking of that deck space, Mancini looked to J Class sailing yachts for ideas. “The flush deck is slightly recessed in the stern area only, as is the case on the supremely classy J Class sailboats of the 1920s, giving guests some slight protection from the wind,” he explains. Still, he puts his own spin on the concept. On hull number one, which premiered at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, two settees face each other. Just forward, inside sliding doors that tuck away, you’ll find an alfresco dining area. “The situation we imagined is that of enjoying lunch onboard while friends finish their aperitif,” Mancini says. Furthermore, diners can enjoy an indoor-outdoor ambience, because sliding doors sit just forward.

Mancini’s final inspiration is the automotive world. It’s “the guiding thread in many of my designs,” he says. He started his career as a car designer, so it’s no surprise. Like his other projects, the Azimut Grande S10 features sculpted lines, and interplay between curves and flat surfaces. Mancini employs chiaroscuro, the use of contrasts of light to convey a sense of volume, too. He even makes use of hidden lights to highlight the different angles.

As much as Mancini plays a vital role in the Azimut Grande S10, so does Francesco Guida, the interior designer. Customers can tailor the looks of the four staterooms below, and the open-plan main deck (above). Guida combined white lacquer and pale woods to accentuate the natural light streaming through skylights and large ports. Because the megayacht is a flagship, fine metal accents adorn the wood paneling, as well as furnishings. Better yet, Guida created sliding paneling in the dining area, for a flexible arrangement. It can open the area to the alfresco space, or confine it solely to the rest of the interior.

Click any of the images below to launch a larger slideshow of this 35-knot yacht, bearing a 21-foot (6.34-meter) beam.