On board The Italian Sea Group's 66m Admiral superyacht JAS

Mark Berryman, whose studio designed the interiors of both JAS and Life Saga II, doesn’t think it compromises the yacht’s look too much. “It does put some height on the overall dimensions of the vessel, but it doesn’t really affect the lines of the boat,” he muses. “I’m glad the owner pushed for it.”

Although “pushing for it” may be the wrong phrase, according to Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group (TISG), the parent company of Admiral. He says that being adaptable is all part and parcel of their yacht building mentality. “When clients choose us, it’s not just because of our technical ability,” says Costantino, “but the extreme flexibility to accept the challenge in building a specific project that has never been seen before.”

One such thing was the cabin configuration because he was adamant about having a second owner’s cabin. Not a fun-sized second VIP, mind you: a full-size second owner’s cabin. He saw that by conjuring up a new deck up top, the sundeck no longer needed to function as an indoor-outdoor lounge (which is the arrangement on Life Saga II) and could therefore accommodate that extra cabin.

The arrangement brings the total number of guest cabins up to an impressive eight – a leap from the six that is more common on yachts in this size bracket (although one of these cabins is technically classed as a staff cabin and is located on the lower deck).

There’s a clear evolution from Life Saga II to JAS, and that doesn’t just come from the added height. Both boats use wood and leather to create a beach house effect, but Life Saga II has the soothing, Zen-style feel of an Asian-inspired spa, while JAS has the boho yet stylish vibe of a Mykonos beach club.

Initially, Berryman and his team had opted for the darker, moodier sepia and taupe shades that are common in European woods, but “the client turned around and said he would quite like a lighter accent in there as well”, explains Berryman. “We used an American oak, so it’s got a lighter feel to it, and then we’ve gone really dark with the wenge as the contrast. It’s just pairing the woods a little bit differently.”

Since the boat started life without an owner, Berryman had to be creative about how he envisioned the owner using the boat. “All my clients work hard and when they use their boats they want to be enjoying them and putting their feet up,” he says.

A harmony of materials helps create a fluid connection between the indoor and outdoor areas

“I know it sounds crazy, but there’s nothing worse than [when] you walk on board and you don’t want to breathe because you don’t want to upset a beautifully laid out interior.” He didn’t mind losing a bit of “cutting-edge, contemporary” style if it meant the yacht feels liveable.

To that end, the design details are subtle, and Berryman tried to create a relaxed feeling. The repetition of materials and motifs helps with this.

In the cabins, the same carpet can be found underfoot, but there’s a slightly different pattern in each space; you may not notice it unless you are looking for it. The timbers used inside extend into the outdoor space – an approach Berryman is particularly fond of.

“It’s something that many years ago probably wouldn’t have been attempted because it wouldn’t have been durable enough,” he says. When he started out, teak was the only finish designers were brave enough to use outside because “even if your lacquer isn’t 100 per cent up to it, it’s a very durable wood – the oil in it fights the problems that you’re likely to get. If you stuck oak outside 25 years ago, as soon as it gets water in it, it’ll start to go black.”

The same applies to fabrics. Now, everyone wants their outdoor spaces to feel like an extension of their home. With this demand have come new sealants for wood and materials with foam cores that allow water to pass through without damage.

This harmony of materials helps create a fluid connection between indoor and outdoor areas, which is also seen on the main deck with a saloon that glides almost seamlessly into the al fresco entertainment space, with a fully foldable glass windbreaker.

That fluidity is repeated on the upper deck, where a circular dining area sits between indoor and outdoor decks. It can be encased in glass, left open or sealed with glass on one side, making it either an indoor or outdoor dining area depending on your inclination.

Many of these choices were made in the name of gathering big groups, something that underpins a lot of the decisions on the boat – including all that accommodation. “Even if the owner isn’t using it, he’s got very close friends and family that he’ll [lend] it to,” says Russo.

Those friends and family will have no disputes over who gets the best cabin. The sundeck suite looks out over a forward wall of glass with totally private access to a foredeck that doubles as a touch-and-go helipad. The owner’s cabin that’s actually used by the owner is situated on the main deck forward, and it covers 80 square metres including the bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.

Attached to it is a cabin that is ideal for little ones wanting to sleep close to their parents. Also on this deck is a VIP, with the remaining cabins found below deck. The yacht will be privately used, but all of those cabins would make her a charter star if she ever wanted to go down that route.

Like the rest of the yacht, the colour palette in the cabins is a well-balanced blend of cream and light brown. “You don’t have to throw 100 different finishes into a space; you can use one or two, but the way you treat those materials can make them look completely different to each other,” explains Berryman. He prefers more rustic and organic textures.

“I’m not a big fan of high gloss and hiding the natural material’s character,” he says. Foglizzo leather in woven, mottled and distressed textures carves out the wall panels and small furnishings, as on the door handles and around the side tables. Hammered brass with a burnished finish complements touches of smooth grey nickel and an almond-toned carpet adds a brightness that works well with all the natural light.

This was another non-negotiable for the client and something that stands out about JAS. If you only saw her from the outside, you’d know her interiors were airy and bathed in light, thanks to the huge sheet of windows that can be seen running along the main and upper decks.

“From the profile, it seems [to be] a single piece of glass,” says Silvia Fabbrini, TISG’s project coordinator, “but it’s two sections, each measuring two metres.” So, four metres high in total and about the same length along.

On the main deck, you can slide open the glass and pop out a balcony at the touch of a button, giving you an over-water terrace to enjoy at anchor. More unfolding bulwarks can be found on the lower deck beach club, with two balconies that flank the space and sit “more or less 60 centimetres from the waterline”, says Fabbrini.

The focal point of the beach club is a 3.2-metre by 1.2-metre pool, which has a curvy border that adds visual interest. Above, two clear panels on the floor of the main deck bring some much-needed light into the space. The beach club style was something that the owner appreciated on Life Saga II and reintroduced on his own boat.

During JAS’s Monaco Yacht Show debut, interest in the boat demonstrated that combining elements from Life Saga II with fresh ideas has created something completely new – a yacht perfectly able to meet the lofty ambitions of her owner.

First published in the May 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.