---

There is a well-known relationship between a yacht’s design pedigree and its sale value. How do well-known yacht interior designers add value?

Greatly, of course [laughs]. If you go for a pedigree arrangement all around—pedigree shipyard, pedigree designer and pedigree naval architect—then, yes, it does have an intrinsic value, which gives its own provenance to the yacht, particularly with motor yachts. It takes about three years to build a yacht. If it has the right provenance, it will increase in value in that period of time, and will hold its value.

What is the value of a highly personalized interior versus one which is of a more classic or period style?

A highly personalized interior has value for that particular owner at that time. Why not have what you want? I don’t think you should necessarily compromise because you think it might affect its resale value. One of the reasons for my success is that the yachts I design hold and increase their resale value because the classical style is more enduring.

In the context of yacht value, what is the relationship between money and time?

Everybody undervalues his or her own time. You always think you have enough of it and that you will be able to make up time. The reality is that, no, you can’t. There is no point in messing about because as your time gets shorter, you should invest in exactly what you want. Don’t nickel and dime it.

You have said that the value of money cannot be fully realized until you spend it, and that the true value can only be seen in the craftsmanship it supports.

Money in itself has no value whatsoever. You can’t see any benefit from it until you have actually spent it, and the only thing you can spend a surplus on is craftsmanship. For example, in the past, the wealth of the church could employ craftsmen and artists. That’s why we have the Sistine Chapel and great works of art, and it is exactly the same today, but the icons may be different.

How would you describe your design style?

I call it traditional and classical. The idea is classic proportions and a traditional style. When I started, it was referred to as a “club style” interior, with paneled bulkheads and antique effects. It was a quite masculine interior, but in fact softened around the edges. Most of the yachts I dealt with in the early days were sailing yachts, and they tend to be quite masculine environments. Coming from a traditional background and understanding furniture construction, this was a style I was comfortable with, and luckily most of my clients shared that feeling.

How does the exterior design of a yacht impact its interior design?

Theoretically, if you have a traditional exterior, you would have a traditional interior. For example, a 1928 classic yacht would probably have a period interior to suit. What you are comfortable with on the inside is not necessarily what you are comfortable with on the outside. Cars are a good example of that: You might like leather and a token amount of wood on the inside, and sharp styling on the outside. So, to give you an example, I designed the interior of the Mari-Cha III, a monohull ultrafast cruising yacht with a Philippe Briand naval architecture and exterior styling. The outside was super slick; initially I did not think a traditional interior would fit. The result, however, was spectacular. The exterior is a slick working machine, and the interior is a calming, classic environment.

Designers of yacht interiors must interpret their designs for a marine environment, accommodating watertight compartments and strange angles. How do these requirements limit or enhance your designs?

I don’t find it limiting at all. You fit around structure and you fit around shape. I like cambered deckheads [a slightly curved ceiling that relates to the deck above]. Looking back, I consider how the craftsman in the past would have built it. It is good that the structure of the boat tends to show through and be incorporated into the interior design.

You are known for working with wood. What does wood bring to a design or an artistic vision that other materials lack?

Immediate warmth. It is very tactile and has that comfort factor, which is something that people can relate to very easily. The mahogany paneling in many of my traditional yacht interiors provides a fantastic background for the presentation of art and personal decoration.

Would you ever experiment with a more modern style?

Yes, I have flirtations with a more modern style. I’m working on a modern sailing boat at the moment. It includes wood and leather, along with stainless steel. I don’t really know what to call it—perhaps comfortable modern or comfortable contemporary.

Recently, I’ve completed Detroit Eagle, which is sharp, shiny and modern. It was nice to use the other side of the brain for a change. The interesting thing is that even though the style may be modern, you still use classic proportions, which is a Golden Rule technique. The shape and functions of modern or traditional may be the same, but the style will be determined by the emphasis you put into the presentation, detailing and decoration.

To what extent do you accommodate your clients’ requests? Do you or they have the final say on how their yacht will look?

I suppose clients are the final design editors in a way. You are designing and building it for them; they are the ones who will use it. They have an idea when they start, and then they select designers—both naval architect and interior designers—that probably most suit them style-wise and comfort-wise, because you do have a relationship with that person for over three years.

You are very selective these days in the projects you take on. What factors make you decide to accept a project?

One of the reasons I’m selective is because I have reduced my office staff. I want to get much closer to design again, and be totally involved in the whole process of design. It is almost in an artistic way, I suppose. As for future projects, I get interested in variations. I always like to try something different: longest, tallest, shortest, fastest. Those sorts of things interest me. It always changes.

At the end of the day, the value of a yacht is more than its resale value. What is the value of a yacht designed by John Munford?

I would say you are buying a piece of art that is designed and directed by myself, but in fact contains thousands of years of experience in craftsmanship.

Mahogany paneling, antique effects and an overall masculine air are trademarks of Munford’s enduring classical style.