With a portfolio that features many of the world’s most iconic superyachts, Venetian design studio Nuvolari Lenard’s creations are always a highlight of the autumn boat shows, and in particular the Monaco Yacht Show. This year is no exception either, with several of the firm's projects on display representing a variety of sizes, from Lürssen's incredible 122-metre Kismet, to the intermediate size, notably the 47-metre 499GT, Serenissima S1, just launched by the Mengi Yay yard, to one of the smallest yachts on display - the reborn and iconic 9.2-metre Monte Carlo Offshore 30.
Such a striking range of yachts is testament to the extraordinary talent and depth of experience that the studio team has developed over the past three decades since its founding by Carlo Nuvolari and Dan Lenard in 1990.
Kismet
As one of the largest yachts ever to be displayed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and currently the 31st largest superyacht by length, Lürssen’s spectacular Kismet – which features exterior styling by the Nuvolari Lenard team, coupled to a Reymond Langton interior – will undoubtedly be the star of the 2024 Monaco Yacht Show. Her elegant, fluid and understated lines, as well as her signature mast, speak to the design acumen and decades of combined experience that the Nuvolari Lenard team can draw upon to create another masterpiece that is as distinctive as she is desirable.
“The owner of Kismet has an architectural background and it’s easy to speak with someone who understands design, although the project was challenging because we needed to do not just a yacht, but the yacht,” begins Carlo Nuvolari, co-founder of the Nuvolari Lenard studio and himself a naval architect and mechanical engineer. “We’ve created many iconic yachts with strong personality and it’s hard to come up with something new that impresses – but that’s our core DNA. Also core is that a yacht is in essence a ship, and in a world where huge volumes are commonplace we are cognisant that the sea can still be aggressive and a design cannot be too exotic.”
Combining seaworthiness with standout design is the studio’s stock-in-trade, and Kismet’s mast is a clear standout element that will make her instantly recognisable. “The shape of the mast is absolutely unique, and makes the yacht unmistakeable even from afar,” Nuvolari confirms. “Also the bow is a nod to the owner’s previous yacht because he wanted something that reminded him of that project. But the main feature of the design,” he continues, “is that although the yacht features huge volumes she still looks flat and aggressive, and the secret of the overall design is that we’ve been able to hide such a large yacht in very fluent and sleek lines. People don’t want a copy so we try never to repeat ourselves, and clients don’t just want a yacht, they want the yacht that people will admire from afar and that stays a classic. These were the targets of the design, and I think we surpassed them with Kismet.”
Design, Nuvolari asserts, is not the addition of a collection of individual elements, it’s a uniquely holistic exercise that creates its own character – and it’s that approach that makes Kismet’s lines so alluring. “It’s hard to pinpoint specific design features of the yacht because it’s all about proportions – everything in architecture is about proportions, and it’s the only way to make things attractive,” Nuvolari confirms. “All the elements combine to hide a very large ship, and this is the key to the design of Kismet.”
Serenissima S1
Part of a limited series, the 47-metre Serenissima S1 draws on all the talents of the studio team, from the carefully considered exterior styling to the exceptional interior layout and style, coupled with advanced naval architecture from Van Oossanen and exceptional construction by the family-owned Mengi Yay shipyard.
“The S1 is something quite unique and quite innovative,” Nuvolari enthuses. “The yacht was built for very experienced and technically-minded owners with the aim of providing an experience for the owner and his guests of a much larger yacht, while keeping the volume under 500GT to visit places that cannot be reached with a 60- or 65-metre yacht”.
Privacy on board was a prime consideration, and the yacht offers a master suite on the upper deck which becomes a full owner deck. “That means that on the main deck forward where the master might traditionally be, there is a second saloon-cum-cigar room or music room, complete with balcony, glass-walled wine cellar, big screen, large sofa and piano – it’s an exceptional space,” says Nuvolari.
“The exterior styling is also a significant feature with very different lines,” he continues, “including a large flush foredeck beautifully finished in teak by the shipyard”.
Other unusual features include the fully covered aft deck – ideal for Middle East and Asia Pacific markets – with distinctive aft pillars blending with the transom that serve also to offer structural support for the beam cranes that will launch a beautiful wooden tender stowed on the port side of the aft deck. The transom stairs have been located centrally to afford the crew working space either side of the swim platform for mooring.
“The aft deck design and the aft supporting pillars make for an attractively unusual line but they are also there for a reason, not just for the sake of style,” Nuvolari explains. “This is a typical design approach that we have at Nuvolari Lenard – we never do something just for the sake of it, we do things that are always related to necessity. We could have solved the problem with more conventional pillars but that was too simple and too obvious – so we used this design feature which basically becomes the signature of the stern’s exterior line. Also the bow is not the typical vertical bow and features quite radical flair that also enabled us to maximise the waterline length to, in turn, maximise the top speed of the hull.”
The sundeck is also one of the longest and largest in her class, and offers great protection from both sun and wind. It features a separate crew stair from the galley, plus a large bar and serving stations, and the whole area will the highlight of daytime living on board with three zones for sunbathing, dining and a mini pool.
The interior, designed by the studio team with artistic direction by Valentina Zannier, features elegant, warm tones and a comfortable chic aesthetic, with walnut as the signature wood. “It’s the perfect combination of substance and styling which makes a yacht long-lasting and still has value 10 or 15 years down the line, coupled with beautiful finishing by the shipyard,” says Nuvolari. It will also make her one of the stars of the Monaco show. She will also soon be joined by her first sister, named Serenissima 2, which is nearing completion at the yard and scheduled for launch by the end of the year.
Monte Carlo Offshore 30
Nuvolari Lenard has also played a key role in the design of one of the smallest yachts in the show – the iconic Monte Carlo Offshore 30 which, 52 years on from the introduction of the original, is being celebrated with an updated design that builds on the legend. The original model proved a huge success, with 343 built – and it means the task of updating the design was no small ask. “It was quite a challenge to work on – it’s a bit like redesigning the Porsche 911!” says Nuvolari. “It’s a very popular boat, and extremely fast.”
“When they asked us if we could redesign it to bring it a little more up to date, we said yes of course – it’s a nice challenge,” he continues. “We came up with a line which is just a little bit more muscular – exactly like how you see a car design evolve where you understand they are completely linked by family, but they are also very different. This new MC30 is an evolution of the original, and it’s very fast with a top speed of 54 knots – it’s the archetypal boat for the South of France. We’ve adjusted the sizing of everything to make it just a bit more comfortable, and the new version is a lot lighter and with different lines.” The MC30 will be not only on show, but also visible ferrying clients around the port.
Team time and the Nuvolari Lenard 50 Plus
The Nuvolari Lenard Studio’s team will be available to meet with who will be available to meet with clients and prospective clients, and who will be excited to show interested parties around all their yachts on display as well as talking about other exciting projects on the boards, such as the sport-orientated 500GT Nuvolari Lenard 50 Plus – a sleek yacht under construction at MengiYay for delivery in 2026 , that combines with all the experience not only from design but also from engineering, production and shipyard management that the studio has accumulated over decades of creating extraordinary yachts.
“From our latest concepts to the Monte Carlo Offshore 30 to Serenissima S1 to Kismet – from 30 feet to 122 metres – I think our designs and our Monaco Yacht Show yachts are confirmation that we are active across the whole panorama of yachting,” Nuvolari concludes. “We have designed and built yachts of all sizes from fiberglass to aluminium to steel. Our company has collective awareness of what people would like from the overall design and look to the smallest details. Every time we approach a new design, we are not copying what we’ve done before but drawing on that experience. I think the three hugely different yachts we have at Monaco are the best proof of our knowledge, innovation and originality, and we can’t wait to talk about each of them in more detail with clients and interested parties.”