BUILDING AN INTERIOR VISION
For more than 70 years, List GC has made the impossible possible and delivered custom solutions for some of the world’s most renowned yachts
A luxury yacht interior is to List GC what bespoke tailoring is to Savile Row; an artistic expression of accurately executed quality imbued with a personalised flair. The leading interior outfitter of unique living spaces has breathed life into more than 60 yacht projects, 400 interior refits and 300 residential projects to date. From complex finishes and experimental surfaces to elegant wall panelling and individual pieces of furniture, List GC interprets, builds and assembles entire interiors bringing 3D design to reality.
From humble beginnings as a small family joinery business founded in 1950, the company from Bad Erlach in Austria has continued to expand and is today at the pinnacle of superyacht craftsmanship. It operates in a world where trends are eschewed in favour of owners’ dreams. Where seasonal colour palettes are shunned, and bespoke is king.
Craftsmen and artisans, including carpenters, painters, surface technicians, upholsterers and production engineers work together under List GC’s roof. The world’s leading designers outline an owner’s brief. The world’s leading shipyards construct the yacht. And List GC takes the mantle at the outfitting stage building the finished interior. But it doesn’t end there.
The yachting industry may be indifferent to fashions, but it sets the creative benchmark high. Owners’ demands for new surfaces, inventive finishes and specialist details keep List GC’s innovative cogs turning. It’s the interior outfitters who conceive liquid metals, 3D lacquer resins, new treatments for timbers, unique bas relief techniques and work together with specialised suppliers to invent an entirely new generation of sustainable fabrics.
INNOVATION IN MOTION
For decades, List General Contractor (List GC) has worked tirelessly to expand its knowledge and expertise. In 2021, it took that process one step further, investing in its internal research and development department. Leveraging years of collective experience, the R&D team are tasked with advancing the company’s expertise while simultaneously pioneering new opportunities. Improvements made in CAD engineering and 3D printing supports the beating heart of List GC’s inventive imagination. Now, prototypes can be printed, tested and revised in a few days, rather than weeks, before the final piece can be ordered from manufacturers.
As the yacht designs themselves grow ever more fanciful, so the high degree of calculations and precision engineering at the outfitting stage evolves. It produces head-scratching moments, such as how to secure a heavy slab of marble to a bathroom substructure without compromising the design or function. In most cases, standard parts are not the answer, and an entirely new locking mechanism would need to be developed to hold it securely in place. The invisible solutions – behind the scenes inventions – are what see a superyacht interior come to fruition.
Interior outfitting requires a clear understanding of how life exists aboard a yacht. The ebb and flow of movement, and the fine line between entertainment and privacy. Yacht design has witnessed a decisive move towards large swathes of curved glass that let in more natural light, and the ‘in vogue’ central staircase, the only vertical design canvas on board. It has also ushered in a new generation of yachts that enjoy larger exterior spaces, from a private owner’s deck with panoramic views to a sprawling beach club with drop down terraces for bathing by the water’s edge. The rise of the indoor-outdoor connection has required List GC to adapt yet again, developing finishes, furniture and materials that are suitable for outside spaces yet regarded as interior extensions. It’s a seamless transition that requires materials, surfaces and cladding previously used primarily indoors to now meet outdoor requirements. They must be resistant to the harsh maritime UV, salt, varying temperatures and moisture, yet remain desirable all the same. Even the choice of paint, hinges and substructures all need to be reconsidered, but still deliver the desired luxury look and feel.
List GC uses state-of-the-art testing methods to guarantee quality for years to come. New bondings or coatings are subjected to alternating climate chambers before being exposed to UV radiation in a sun tester. It monitors how materials will wear after years at sea or how their composition will change. Crucially, this allows List GC to expand its expertise while remaining independent from external partners and suppliers.
SUSTAINABILITY FORWARD
Owners’ desire for a visible connection to nature is also prevalent in the need for sustainability to be at the fore. While building interiors in the style of Louis XVI, deco or art nouveau, List GC keeps one eye on the future, paying special attention to the conscious use of materials. This extends to both quality and regional availability of raw materials, such as veneers from Europe to avoid long transport routes.
Sustainability at List GC is central to its company ethos. It generates a third of its electricity requirements using its own photovoltaic system mounted on the roof of its production building. It also donates recyclable materials that it can’t reuse to its apprenticeship scheme or regional schools.
Put simply, it’s about adopting an appreciation for the imperfect beauty of natural materials and recalibrating our definition of luxury while minimising the amount of off-cuts. And that is what List GC embodies, down to the very last veneer.
There is skill in realising an interior design but breathing life into an owner’s holistic vision is the magic that sets List GC apart.
For more details Tel: +43 2627 2060
or visit www.listgc.at
