Karen Lynn Poulos, founder of Karen Lynn Interior Design and lead interior designer on a refit of the 143-foot (43.6m) Heesen M/Y Octopussy, said one of her main goals in designing crew quarters is keeping crew happy and making sure they’re as comfortable as possible.
Currently on Octopussy, work is underway to install personal TVs at the front of each bunk, Poulos said, and the plans include a focus on creating light.
“There’s not a lot of natural light in those forward sections of the boat, or some boats have the crew quarters located in the aft part of the boat, so we just try to keep things light, airy and fresh,” Poulos said.
Although some elements are standard when designing crew cabins, like the captain’s cabin being bigger, Poulos said she always speaks with crew members to hear what they prefer.
“They’re the ones on board, they’re the ones servicing the charter or the guests, and they know what they need,” Poulos said. “They’ll give me a lot of direction, and I take it all and try to incorporate it into making it the best possible space for them.”
Poulos has worked on numerous refits throughout her 20-plus years in the yacht design industry, but she said two yachts in particular stand out as having the best crew quarters.
A stint on M/Y Xilonen, one of the most extensive refits she has ever worked on, resulted in her favorite crew quarters. “Every single aspect of the crew quarters was redone: shower enclosures, flooring, toilets, sinks, window treatments,” Poulos said. “The crew’s quarters were completely reconstructed.”
The second yacht Poulos thinks of when recalling the best crew quarters is M/Y Winning Hand. “We reconfigured it in a better way, took out all of the finishes and redid everything, and it was actually one of the nicest crew’s quarters, as far as modern,” Poulos said. “I did some really cool wallpaper in there and it came out really nice. They were happy there.”
Find out more at karenlynninteriors.com.
Related Posts
Topics:
