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MIMINAT SHODEINDE’S INTERIORS FOR THE PRIVATE M/Y K VESSEL SIGNAL A CHANGE IN TIDE FOR YACHT DESIGN
Miminat Shodeinde on her OMI D-3 chair in stained mahogany and nubuck.
From a slick penthouse in Cape Town, South Africa, to a contemporary country residence in Gloucestershire, England, British-Nigerian designer Miminat Shodeinde has worked on the interiors of a wealth of different residences since launching her studio, Miminat Designs, in 2015. She has also created an array of sculptural furnishings and objets d’art, and has several architecture projects underway in Portugal, India, and beyond. Now, Shodeinde is diversifying her impressive professional portfolio as she completes the fit-out for M/Y K, a 131ft private yacht.
The yacht’s owner commissioned London-based Shodeinde in the summer of 2022, and although she wasn’t familiar with creating spaces for the water, it was an opportunity she couldn’t let go adrift. “I love what I do and want to try designing everything and anything,” she says.
Interior render of Shodeinde’s design for the M/Y K private yacht.
The interiors will be installed in the latter half of this year, the culmination of a design process that came with new challenges for Shodeinde: suddenly she found herself having to navigate the space limitations imposed by even a superyacht’s quarters, and consider how pieces of decor could impact stability, weight distribution, and performance at sea. “It was such a learning curve, especially when it came to all of the marine, boating, and yacht lingo,” she adds. “But overall it doesn’t really differ from designing spaces on land—you’re essentially trying to create moving art that caters to the brief and the desires of the client.”
In taking this unified approach to design, Shodeinde has instilled M/Y K with the same warm tactility that permeates her shore-side residential works: darkened ash veneer will line the vessel’s sinuous walls and swathes of honey-colored jute will underpin the seating areas. The ceilings will be lined with pale ceramic-composite panels, their rectangular form emulating that of a traditional Japanese tatami mat. “A lot of what I do stems from Japanese design philosophy, as it often centers on space, simplicity, harmony, and a deep appreciation for the natural elements. There’s also a strong emphasis on the seamless integration of indoor and outdoor,” says Shodeinde.
Interior render of Shodeinde’s design for the M/Y K private yacht.
M/Y K’s future furnishings also add to the yacht’s home-like ambience. All of the pieces were designed in-house at Shodeinde’s studio, yet each of them holds distinctive details that make it appear as though they’ve been artfully collected. The chairs that will surround the dining table, for example, feature cushions lined in a soft, suede-style fabric and angular aluminum backrests, while the light pendant that will hang above is a sumptuous mix of textured glass and Nero Marquina marble. “Many yacht interiors tend to embrace an austere and sometimes very clinical look; they have a lot of white, glossy, and reflective surfaces that almost makes it seem like you’re on a spaceship,” explains Shodeinde. “I wanted to create something that was inviting and elegant.”
She isn’t the only one. An increasing number of architects and interior specialists are getting on board with yacht projects, applying the same palette they would use for spaces on terra firma. Shodeinde thinks this may, in part, be a result of advancements in industry technology and the wider availability of lighter, more durable iterations of ultra-luxe materials that can be effectively applied within marine interiors. But it could also be down to a significant shift in aesthetic tastes.
“There’s a growing emphasis across all design genres to infuse spaces with personality and intimacy, particularly in a post-Covid world,” she says. “Everybody wants that boutique, homely feel.” If indeed there is a new wave of yacht design coming, it seems Shodeinde is already riding high.
Photos: Armand Da Silva, courtesy of Miminat Designs.