In Pictures: Inside 106m Yacht Conversion Dream

The magnificent 106.5 metre Dream started out life as a humble passenger vessel in 1997 before she embarked on a near decade-long conversion project to fulfil the lifelong dream of an ambitious new owner. The task was taken on by Studio Vafiadis with designs first unveiled in 2008 under the project name Poseidonos. Ten years of hard work truly paid off as she scooped the award for Best Converted Yacht at the 2019 World Superyacht Awards. Take a peek inside one of the world's largest superyacht conversions...

Italian interior design studio Ciarmoli Queda had 4,702 gross tonnes of living space to play with. Dream's interior focuses on decorative wood panelling as well as delicate blue tones and acres of shagreen (invented by Jean-Claude Galluchat for Madame de Pompadour). It’s elegant, restrained and cites minimalist master Jean-Michel Frank as an influence. But there are also nautical flights of fancy: in trompe l’oeil mosaics of sea creatures, or the insides of lifts decorated to feel as if you’ve dived into the blue.

Dream can sleep up to 36 guests in 18 cabins, with additional accommodation for up to 40 crew. The 260-square metre full-beam master suite (pictured) sits forward on the boat deck, and opens on to a spacious foredeck with spa pool and loungers.

The owner wanted a natural breeze to flow through the yacht instead of air conditioning. In response, there are 66 opening portholes, 20 manually opening windows and 112 electrically opening windows controlled by iPads integrated to the “infotainment” system. “I think we have overdone it – in the toilet, instead of four windows opening, one would have been enough!” said the owner.

At the heart of Dream sits a towering, multi-deck atrium in marble and glass, lit from above by a massive skylight that spills light onto the decks below. The architectural equivalent of a jewellery box, the atrium displays the boat’s grand scale to spectacular effect.

Easy access to the sea for swimming, diving and watersports was a must in the conversion of Dream. As well as a dive store and space to keep rugged tenders and the overhead cranes to launch them, there is a 42-square-metre, 12-tonne stern door that opens on to the sea for swimmers and divers alike. The yacht also has dynamic positioning for dives in protected areas where you can’t drop anchor.

The sundeck houses a massive, two-level mosaic pool, which can be emptied into a dump tank in nine minutes, either from the deck or the wheelhouse. To one side sits a number of sunpads shaded beneath multiple awnings, to the other side is a sit-up (and swim-up) bar.

The designers incorporated the owner’s desire for nautical style with sea creatures in mosaics, murals and more, as well as an undulating fishing-net-inspired motif repeated in the carpets and lighting design

Among its more contemporary features, Dream boasts an intimate Japanese-style dining saloon centered around a teppanyaki grill and decorated in black and red lacquer like a glossy bento box.

Other features on board Dream include two lifts and four staircases for guests alone; a 400-square-metre main saloon and a dedicated cinema; a hotel-sized warren of crew and service areas; six pantries and more than 270 kilometres of electrical cable powering it all.