Satori

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In Zen Buddhism, the ultimate spiritual goal is satori. Loosely translated, it's an experience of enlightenment; without satori, there can be no Zen. Rather than resulting from a vision, an action or some other physical experience, however, satori suddenly comes upon a believer. It’s often likened to an intellectual awakening, a realization of the deep meaning behind a person’s role in the universe.

While we won’t try to make a connection between spiritual enlightenment and yacht ownership, the 164-foot Heesen Satori does, in an interesting way, echo that Zen tenet. Satori shows that luxury need not be achieved through overt action or ostentation (view the complete photo gallery). In fact, her design philosophy holds that luxury is far more successfully achieved when individual elements that are alternately simple and sophisticated come together as a whole.



Simplicity and sophistication may seem like contradictory concepts, and typically they are. But not in this case. They were the strongest impressions that interior designer Rémi Tessier of Rémi Tessier Design had upon meeting the owner. While the two had not previously worked together, the owner had seen some of the interiors that Tessier had created for both sailing yachts and motoryachts. He was attracted to the materials and tones that Tessier chose for those projects. “My inspiration always comes from the nature and the personality of the client,” Tessier says. “I developed for him a personal, exclusive custom interior with a mix between purity, elegance and sophistication in an overall warm, casual atmosphere.”

Everywhere you look aboard Satori, the scene is serene, thanks to an abundance of natural colors. The designer employed wenge, spruce and ebony, sometimes as bleached panels, and other times as trim so they wouldn’t be more prominent than the cream-colored suede, white leathers and other tones and textures. The highly sophisticated palladium leaf (think gold leaf, except using the silvery-white rare metal instead) and custom glasswork call some attention to themselves but also contribute to making the rooms as a whole feel a particular way.

A good example is the master suite. Forward on the main deck, it contains low furnishings, like other areas aboard, to emphasize the sense of space. To enhance this feeling, the owner and Tessier selected polished steel, palladium leaf and mirrored panels to reflect the sunlight streaming in through the windows. The builder says the materials posed a challenge, but to see the result, you’d never know. In combination with the natural tones of the rest of the room’s décor, they create a soothing, sensory experience.



As sophisticated as the decorative palette is, the open plan of the master suite brings back Satori’s casual nature. The arrangement is quite a change from Heesen’s other deliveries — and most other builders’ megayachts, whether custom or not. Rather than have the en suite bath, study and sleeping area as individual rooms, they’re all visible to one another. A 46-inch TV acts as a partial partition between the stateroom and bath, rising from cabinetry. Concealed sliding doors take care of the rest.