The newest addition to the Moonen 84 series was unveiled by Moonen Shipyards to great acclaim at “boot Düsseldorf 2005” in January.

With a comfortably familiar design by René van der Velden and in-house Moonen naval architecture, the new yacht is the fifth Moonen 84. But it is the first in the series to have a harmoniously unified new interior by the resourceful Dutch design house, Art Line. Art Line has given this “next generation” of the remarkably popular 84 a wholly new décor, with a stimulating contemporary styling set in a warm wood-and-fabric environment, with ample but subtle use of materials, colours, and geometry. The plush, curve-filled design features convex cherry panelling with recessed woven-leather insets, generous use of earth-toned Novasuedes, neutral carpeting with wood insets, and sinuous overhead mouldings that echo the layout below and disguise lighting and airconditioning.

The main deck centres on an open-plan saloon with integral bar and galley which can be closed off by a sliding door and overhead folding panel. This neatly leaves the bar, with its glowing etched-glass top and overhead Swarovski lighting, within the saloon for use by day for intimate breakfasts or by night for cocktails. The salon has only one fixed stowage cabinet. The remaining furniture, including lounge chairs from Tressera in Barcelona, is free-standing, which enables the owner to easily shift arrangements according to social needs or pure whim. A portable remote unit lowers a flat-screen television from the overhead, and controls the stereo system, the horizontal fabric blinds, and the lighting to allow guests to set any desired mood by fingertip. Though the 84’s General Arrangement is “standard Moonen,” Art Line has given much thought to the traffic pattern, making each route pleasurable as well as functional.

The fore-and-aft galley, with a full complement of Gaggenau equipment, connects the saloon to the wheelhouse to allow easy crew access to both. (The wheelhouse can be closed off for night cruising by a wide double door, one part sliding, the other folding.) The forward spiral staircase, which centres on the galley, hallway, and wheelhouse, is engulfed in curved, layered cherrywood and pierced by a stainless-steel vertical column supporting the handrail. It is as much a part of the décor as it is the convenient route between all three decks, from accommodations to flying bridge. The dining area, with a curved outboard settee and adjoining glassware cabinet, and lightweight chairs, features a teardrop-shaped table whose narrow forward end allows passage even when guests are seated.

The four-stateroom lower deck accommodations layout is the same as several previous Moonen 84s. It features a full-beam owners’ suite aft, separated from the engine room by a walk-in wardrobe and marble-floored bathroom to isolate noise and vibration; the desk doubles as make-up table.

The forward double VIP suite has a writing desk and private bathroom. The two midships double cabins share a bath. Art Line has decorated all staterooms with off-white fabric bulkhead panels and geometric relief panels over the beds with matching throw pillow and handmade decorative inserts in red, olive, purple, or gold.

The wheelhouse is a fine example of how space-age technology can be wrapped in art. The broad cherry console contains all operating and navigation electronics, but performance repeaters are mounted in the five-level overhead moulding. Behind the helm seats, mirrors recessed in imitation portlights give a totally nautical feeling to this very nautical yacht.

Moonen Shipyards currently has under production a Moonen 96, the first in a new series, and another first, the Moonen 114 Explorer. Both are designed by René van der Velden.

See NauticNews Photo Gallery of Moonen 84

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Tags on NauticNews: Moonen – René van der Velden –  Art Line

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