On board the 67-metre Benetti Kasper 7

“[The owner] played a significant role in shaping the yacht’s style, selecting materials like wood and designing the layout,” says Elisabetta Maria Di Noto, project manager at Benetti. “Drawing from her experience in luxury real estate design, the owner worked closely with the shipyard from the beginning to create a yacht that, behind its classic lines, offers many clever solutions for comfortable living on the water.”

It was Karim, who has run his own boats in the past, who chose this yacht project, making the decision to move up from a Benetti Classic he’d had for 18 years. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he says this circa 1,250GT yacht, a spec project that was in the very early stages of construction, was “a good deal” and he had to make the decision to buy it or undertake an extensive refit of their previous boat. “I said either buy it now or never buy it.”

Nisrine went along on the condition that, in addition to making their mark on the yacht’s interior, they’d also tweak the original design concept. Leading the design decisions for the couple (as a trained designer) she decided to replace the series of vertical or horizontal portholes with two large round portholes (1.9 metres in diameter) and a series of smaller ones for the lower deck.

“I thought it would look nice if I gave it a vintage look,” she says. And it does make the yacht easily recognisable. Evoking traditional nautical design, the round portholes work quite well with the horizontal planes and the blunt bow that together convey strength.

On the stormy day of my visit, it’s a bit of a rough ride to the boat anchored a fair distance from Port Hercule. Steadily anchored and stable, the yacht offers a welcome respite – inside, it feels sunny despite the grey skies and sea surrounding it. The owners, who spend extended periods on board, combined residential design, their love for art and their experience living on boats, to create their very personal home away from land.

From the get-go, it’s obvious this will not be your typical yacht interior, despite the prevalent teak (certified as being sourced from sustainable forests). The wide doors between the aft deck and main saloon beckon and my eyes fall on a whimsical and artistic piece at the entrance, a combination of shelves and bar. The frame that holds the piece together looks like it’s made of white trees hollowed by hyperactive birds. French artists Carlès & Demarquet created the piece from tree trunks of green cypress.

Once inside, it feels as if I am looking at the world through tinted glasses and that’s due to the light reflected from the walls finished in a white tinged with pink. “This was our biggest challenge, to give this wood this pinkish white colour, to keep it warm,” says Nisrine of the Tabu veneer that covers the bulkheads. The floor is also on the lighter side, an open-grain limed oak from Listone Giordano, as is the ceiling.

The couple were at the shipyard in Livorno, Italy, when the effect of light through louvres in a 1960s-era building attracted her eye, and she decided to reproduce the effect on the ceiling. “The summer house shutters on the ceiling provide a warm and soft ambiance mimicking the effect of natural light without a direct source,” she explains. Light peeks from the ceiling in a few openings.

The space inside feels vast. “I furnished the space in a way that it preserves the [open feeling the windows give]. With the help of Benetti we changed the classical air conditioning that covered [part of] the windows, and we went for a wall unit to make [the space] bigger,” she says. The windows and the views they look onto take centre stage. In front are a few seats with low backrests that have the rounded fullness of marshmallows and a coffee table on a central rope carpet.

All seems to lead to an interesting free-standing cabinet that unfolds to reveal its happiness-rich content of sweet treats. It was inspired by a piece designed by Dimore that the owners spotted in Saint-Tropez. “I [told them] I want something in the same spirit,” she says.

She wanted it to close and open like a fan and incorporate a see-through metal piece. It is meant for snacks or for drinks. “When [friends and family] come and they say, ‘Oh, I want to cheat [on the diet] before going to bed, I want to take a chocolate’ [and they can help themselves]. So you feel like you are on vacation.”

Departing from the more common choice these days to use the forward end of the main deck for a vast owner’s suite, the owners decided to create an interior dining space there (as it used to be on traditional boats). Conscious that most people don’t really use this space in this way anymore, she decided to reinvent it, and it is playful and cheerful. The centrepiece is a large pink table in resin by designer and artist Wonmin Park, flanked by 14 white and yellow upholstered chairs.

Off to the side is a bar where you could set up a buffet or plates and glasses, an unusual piece by Lebanese product and furniture designers Sayar & Garibeh. Natural light comes from the large round windows but inspired by artist André Butzer’s paintings of eyes, Nisrine decided that inside, she’d modify their shape, partially clipping the full roundness with the wallcovering.

Plants and lights seem to grow out of the back wall (the lights are on a magnetic rail and the fixtures are all hidden). Breakfasts, lunches and dinners frequently take place in this cheerful and colourful space. There is plenty of storage, but it’s all hidden behind flush doors.

Off the VIP corridor is the professional galley, concealed behind doors. It leads to the generous crew quarters, in the forward half of the lower deck. The guest’s stairs, a bit further forward, wind their way down around a glass lift to the cabins.

What’s missing are mirrored surfaces, shiny fabrics, stainless steel and other reflective façades. Details are sparse, rooms luminous

On the way down, Karagulla encourages me to put my hand on the undulating handrail custom-made by Lebanese artist Tamara Barrage. It’s smooth to the touch but curves up and down playfully, a tiny roller coaster for the palm as you descend the generous travertine staircase.

“Normally when you design, you design only for the eyes and I feel that design should be more like this; it should [involve] the feeling of touch, smells, everything,” she says.

Four comfortable cabins hug the guest lobby, which is decorated with a carpet mimicking a small sand beach. The feel is relaxing.

“When you are on a boat, it’s for the scenery and it’s not for the inside. And so for the outside to be welcomed in, the inside has to be more quiet. That’s why the rooms have a bit of colour but no heavy design,” she says.

The materials and details are consistent and repeat to keep the atmosphere calm. Functional and spacious, the cabins feature well thought-out solutions such as adjustable wardrobe shelves. “When we have guests, if they have long dresses and they unpack them, they can change the interior of the cabin.”

The beach feel continues outdoors where we step out for a quick look. The awnings, protecting the decks from the rain on this occasion, have been printed on both sides with thick stripes that recall the fabrics used for the parasols and wind breakers found on beaches of the past along the French and the Italian Rivieras.

“When you design you have to have consistency and not be afraid when it’s simple. What is important is the scenery and not the design by itself”

The teak flooring has wider planks and a custom design. Located on the bridge deck, the air-conditioned gym also has customised equipment by TRX and a hook to hang a punching bag. The top deck is for lounging in the sun or having drinks at the bar.

What’s missing from this design are the often-ubiquitous mirrored surfaces, shiny fabrics, stainless steel and other reflective façades.

Details are sparse, rooms luminous. It’s a design that leaves an impression and invites you to linger. “When you design you have to have consistency, and not be afraid when it’s simple,” Nisrine says. “What is important is the scenery and not the design by itself.”

The principles used on Kasper 7 seem obvious but are not so common in today’s yacht design. “I have seen many boats in my life,” Azimut-Benetti chair Giovanna Vitelli says, “but this is a truly new interpretation of interiors, not just in the styling but in the lifestyle,” she says.

Combining a designer’s eye with the knowledge of experienced boaters who spend quite a bit of time aboard, she says, “everything is clever and at the same time visionary,” translating into “something we have not seen before”. Design should create a story and elicit emotions. Kasper 7’s design does just that, exuding joy and ease of living and displaying an approach to yacht design that is garnering rave reviews

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