On board the first Sanlorenzo 44X-Space yacht La La Land

This ability to seamlessly shape shift between amenity-rich cruiser and ready-to-roam explorer at any given moment is exactly what Sanlorenzo hoped to achieve in its new X-Space series. The first 44X-Space, La La Land is a stepping stone between two worlds. She blends the displacement hull, long range and abundant storage of an explorer yacht with contemporary exterior styling and lifestyle features. And a creative layout puts a priority on privacy for her very hands-on owner.

La La Land’s owner, who was stepping up from a smaller Sanlorenzo yacht, was pivotal in creating the first 44X-Space. “The project was just on paper when he signed on, and we’ve been involved in developing the GA from the start,” says Trevor van Wyk, La La Land’s build manager representing the owner.

Involved in the project since the concept stage, the owner provided input on both functional and stylistic choices. The owner’s heavy involvement explains why La La Land feels so personal. Although formally first of a series of boats, La La Land is highly customised and, says her owner, stands out from the rest of the boats in the series.

Much like a traditional expedition yacht, the superstructure volume is shifted forward, allowing for a generous aft section. “On the one hand, inspiration was drawn from the captivating world of explorer yachts, characterised by their strong and solid imagery. On the other hand, there is a more romantic and elegant spirit,” says Zuccon. “It’s a dialogue between the two souls. Bringing together two such distinct DNAs and merging them into a single product was a delicate exercise in proportions and equilibrium.”

It also allows La La Land to keep a lower overall height, despite hosting five full-height decks above the waterline. A starboard-side cupboard in the cockpit, adorned in Verde Alpi marble, hides a bar and DJ booth set-up. The bar also holds the first of many ice makers installed on board. “One thing the owner learned from his previous yachts is that you don’t want to be running out of ice, so you can never have too many ice makers,” van Wyk says.

The lower cockpit serves as a segue between indoors and out, and as an entry point to the sea-level wellness area, with its spa and gym, accessed via an internal staircase to port. When the aft doors are slid all the way open, the cockpit flows right into the main saloon via a flush-mounted floor. Devoid of an interior dining area, the saloon is a true living room, with three deep, white sofas inviting you to sit down and enjoy the views out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Zuccon is practised at experimenting with asymmetrical layouts for Sanlorenzo, and there’s a nod to this on board La La Land. On the main deck, the superstructure is full beam to starboard, with exterior side decks only found on the port side. But the port-side bulwarks are made of glass to avoid disrupting views from inside the saloon.

La La Land’s interiors are created by Lissoni & Partners, designed by Piero Lissoni and his team, including Stefano Castelli, Gaia Guarino, Federica Ravera, Pino Caliandro and Marco Gottardi. “Sanlorenzo proposed a selection of architects to the client, and the client chose us,” says project architect Castelli. “To date, this marks approximately the 10th collaboration with Sanlorenzo.”

Rather than the owner coming to the design team with a specific brief for the interiors, Lissoni made a proposal with ideas for the layout and interior finishes, which was refined by working closely with the owner to customise the yacht to his wishes.

Much like the yacht’s exterior presenting a softer side to explorer yachts, there is a suitable softness to La La Land’s interiors. The walls are clad in off-white resin, and the ceilings are covered in off-white fabric. The mainly white colour palette is soothing, while the soft goods, glass vases and artworks showcase various shades of blue, conjuring up the idea of the sea beyond.

With vertically planked wood floors and natural-fibre rugs, there is a sense of relaxed beach house, but brass details, smoked mirrors and rich marble also elevate the interiors. “The beautiful thing about this project was having the chance to maintain all the functions and qualities of an explorer while creating a strong dialogue between what happens inside and what happens outside,” Castelli says. “We divided the rooms horizontally and designed large windows, thinking of it as a real floating villa.”

As the owner’s suite enjoys its own deck above, the space typically dedicated to accommodation on the main deck is instead a lounge and cinema that can be used as a dining room in inclement weather. “One of the requests was to create a multimedia dining room that could be transformed into a cinema room,” says Castelli.

The space, which features a hidden 98-inch television, also functions as a gaming room. An oblong black marble coffee table lifts to become a dining table, and the Lissoni team came up with a clever idea to have the back of the sofas move forward so guests can sit upright while dining.

There is hidden storage found all over the boat, and the captain points out the storage compartments beneath the built-in sofas. A curved wall cloaked in vertical strips of wood at the entrance to the lounge slides open to reveal a backlit tangerine-toned onyx bar that’s home to another ice machine. This same finish of vertically cut joinery is used in details throughout the yacht, most notably wrapping around the walls of the elegantly contoured staircase.

But even when dining inside, there needed to be a connection with the outside, so the owner was keen for the windows in the forward lounge to be free of visible supporting frames to make them feel as large as possible. “He said ‘How much do I need to pay to get rid of this frame?’” says van Wyk. “The bond between the owner and Sanlorenzo was strong because he pushed the limits like this.” Sanlorenzo met the challenge head on. By building in extra supports in the exterior frame of the window, it was possible to do away with the mullions, creating unfettered views to the outside.

Removing the mullions on the long, rectangular windows in the lower-deck cabins couldn’t happen as it wouldn’t meet class approval. “The owner is a person who, when there is no solution, will find how to do it in the right way,” says van Wyk.

Instead, the chunky mullions are covered in mirrors on three sides to make them less visible and reflect the sea outside. Two VIP and two twin cabins are found here. The same marble with different patterns is used in all of the en suite guest bathrooms to give a sense of continuity.

Meeting the brief to give La La Land living spaces akin to that of a bigger boat, an owner’s apartment takes over the upper deck. “Having a deck exclusively dedicated to the owner is a feature typically found on much larger yachts,” says Zuccon.

The upper saloon has been translated into a large office space and studio, which the captain says has been appreciated by charter guests who require a dedicated place to work. This space also allows owners or principal charterers to entertain guests within private quarters. Athwartships from the office is a walk-in wardrobe, which leads into the bathroom.

This layout allows for the owner’s bedroom to be set forward and enjoy uninterrupted views, with full-height sliding glass doors leading out to a private bow lounge with a hydro massage pool. There is another nod to the desire for privacy: not only does the owner have the entire deck, but the private bow lounge can be used when the yacht is moored quayside without being seen from the dock below.

A creative layout puts a priority on privacy for her very hands-on owner

This flush set-up was possible due to a significant effort made to hide anchor winches below on the main deck in the anchor area, as on larger superyachts. As there’s a dedicated cinema on the main deck – along with the al fresco cinema set-up – the upper-deck lounge can be private for the owner as well. Glass doors slide open on three sides of the lounge to create an open-air living area.

“Considering the owner’s full involvement throughout the entire creation process, since the very first sketch, the launch was a deeply emotional moment. As a designer, witnessing an owner’s attachment to their project is a source of great satisfaction,” says Zuccon. “La La Land perfectly embodies the concept of travel, which is the primary reason one chooses to navigate.”

With a steel hull and a range of 4,000 nautical miles when cruising at 10 knots, travel she will. La La Land is available for charter with IYC, currently splitting her time between summers in the Med and winters in the Caribbean.

But the owner’s goal is to eventually work their way around the world. Part explorer, part private party pad – this is a yacht that can do it all. “I like to define it as a ‘multi-tasking’ yacht, where spaces transform and areas can be interpreted and experienced in different ways,” says Zuccon. Whether it’s crossing an ocean or entertaining charter guests, La La Land rises to the occasion.

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