On board Nebula the 68m support vessel with out-of-this-world crew accommodation

“Among ourselves we called it shadow kitten,” laughs Kirsten Schwalgien, who designed the small cat using the same design language and philosophy as Nebula, and with a touch of automotive influence in the custom helm console. Compass Tenders, the British builder, did the build and she is one of its largest boats.

The tender is an all-rounder – functional, stylish and comfortable. It can make 34 knots and has a draught of a mere 60 centimetres. The foredeck, fitted with a small crane and beach landing door, is an open space to carry equipment like dive gear or bikes. There is a sofa here for overflow passengers, but most guests, up to 12 to 13 of them, would want to sit aft under the hardtop. When the boat is hoisted on Nebula’s deck, the top hydraulically lowers to reduce its height to three metres.

That’s just one of the considerate spaces that make up the lounge, which enjoys prime real estate on the upper deck forward. “We have the pantry if someone wants to grab a drink or snacks,” says Schwalgien. “We have the bar in front where people can chat to each other while they eat; then we have the sofa, which is mainly the TV or relaxation area. And there is a little meeting room to the side with a table and three chairs where people can play a game or have a meeting.

On the port side is another room with Jaime Hayon chairs from Barcelona Designs which are super comfortable and cosy; I would probably sit there all day. People can take their laptops and they can have a coffee and look outside.” These side rooms are separated by glass and the entire lounge is flooded with light from the forward wall of windows.

Another versatile space is the sundeck. Unlike every other yacht sundeck, it is dedicated to recreation

Another versatile space is the sundeck. Unlike every other yacht sundeck, it is dedicated to recreation. A combination of lounge and al fresco gym, it has two large L-shaped sofas between a yoga and sunbathing area aft and fitness equipment forward. The gym kit includes a bike, rower and treadmill tucked beneath the substantial superstructure arch, and shelves for an array of weights that are integrated into the arch’s port side. Temporary awnings fore and aft provide shade. While the layout and functionality of the crew spaces are superb, the level of the finish also sets them apart. “The owner put a lot of emphasis on the quality,” says Garcia, calling it “much, much higher” compared to the typical support vessel.

Schwalgien approached the design aesthetic holistically so there’s no disconnect between the exterior and interior. “The boat looks quite techy from the outside,” she says. “We wanted it to look young. We normally don’t have guests on board so we could be much more edgy, a bit quirky.”

The interior is a cool contemporary grey enlivened with splashes of orange. Schwalgien used the standard shipyard items like the wall panels and doors in a way that gave a totally different effect than the previous support vessel. For instance, in the corridors she had the doors visually touch the ceiling and ran a strip of indirect lighting along this top edge.

“Indirect lighting has been used in almost every space on the yacht,” she says. She also added door number plates in fluorescent Perspex acrylic that beautifully catches and reflects the light. Providing a bold pop of orange, Perspex is also used in wall sconces and shelving throughout the boat. “I chose two sheets of 3mm Perspex, helios yellow and lava orange, which were merged into one sheet,” says Schwalgien. “We had to work through a couple of challenges with the material – for example how to laser cut and thermo-bend it, but the results are truly striking.”

Schwalgien also incorporated interior materials that were influenced by her exterior design, in which a more subtle orange appears naturally. Take, for instance, the coffee tables in the crew lounge. Their bases are made of yellow painted steel, a weathered steel with an intentional orange rust, and their tops are marble embedded with Nerinea fossils of varying orange shades. These molluscs from the Jurassic period are only found in such high concentrations in the stone of a specific quarry in Zucaina, Spain.

In the cabins, which could win awards for widest crew berths, Schwalgien focused on upgrading the materials closest to the person, so the orange headboards are upholstered in real leather and the veneer behind the bedhead is a distinctive design that Ettore Sottsass penned in 1980 for Alpi. Schwalgien was well aware that it could be polarising. “I knew that some people will hate it and some people will love it, but for me it’s important not to do a beige interior.” Going back to her mandate to make a home for the crew, she points out, “You need to express individuality in a home. It should be recognisable as Nebula.”

Throughout the interior – which also includes a bright crew mess lined with large windows and a full gym on the main deck – the quality is such that spaces can be shared with guests when they are aboard. There is just one room that was designed expressly for guests – the bridge deck VIP cabin. “It’s been designed in the same colour scheme but steps up the game in terms of materials and outfitting,” says Schwalgien. Most of its furniture is custom designed by her, like the bedside tables carved from blocks of the Jurassic stone. “The concentration of fossils differs from layer to layer,” says Schwalgien. “I find it so amazing, the number of fossils and the size as well. It’s almost like it should be in a museum rather than on a boat.”

The rest of the accommodation comprises six single and two double staff cabins on the upper deck, and eight twin crew cabins and three single officer cabins on the main deck. All boast big windows. Adding in the captain’s cabin, the VIP and the Pullman berths in the single staff cabins, up to 38 people can stay on board at any one time.

“The elevated quality of the exterior and interior would not have been possible without the close collaboration between the shipyard, owner’s team and designers”

Nebula shows a multitude of other design improvements inside and out, from the clean way the windows are fitted into the hull, to the style of the helideck’s gutters and deck lighting. All of it comes together to make a very special boat, which Schwalgien is quick to point out was a team effort. The team included not only her firm, Astilleros Armon and Waterproof, but also Yacht Naval Architects (YNA) in Hamburg, which on behalf oversaw the interior and exterior design development, naval architecture and the interior builder, Oliver Design of Bilbao.

“To have a vision as a designer is one thing, the implementation another,” Schwalgien says. “The elevated quality of the exterior and interior would not have been possible without the close collaboration between the shipyard, owner’s team and designers,” says Garcia. “We all went out of their way to fulfil our requirements.”

First published in the December 2022 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.