Bilgin’s ‘Eternal Spark’ Superyacht Has a Bonkers Crystal Staircase
In the current barefoot-chic era that celebrates paired back luxury and natural materials, Bilgin Yachts continues to buck the trend. The 164-foot yacht Eternal Spark, the Turkish builder’s newest model from its semi-custom 163 series, made its public debut at Monaco. It follows on recent launches by Bilgin with unusual interior designs, such as the 263-foot Leona, which has a Grecian-themed beach club, complete with Greek statues around the swimming pool.
While most yachts center around the owner, Eternal Spark’s owner chose to take the commercial route and turn it into a full-scale but unique charter yacht, now listed through Ocean Independence. The evidence? A day head on every deck, modular furniture manufactured in-house by Bilgin, and details like two pop-up televisions in the main salon to prevent squabbles between younger guests. There are also five bars and a whopping nine socializing areas—six outdoor and three indoor—including an integrated beach club with a sauna and ice fountain.
The four-deck layout has an interior that Enrico Lumini, a partner at Hot Lab Studio, who penned the design, describes as “a perfect balance of shapes, soft colors, and great richness of detail.” With that in mind, it’s safe to say that Eternal Spark does not resemble any other charter yacht on the water. The designers employed more than 200 exotic materials, from emerald quartzite marble to crystal chandeliers to multiple woods and leather in many patterns. It has modern touches, too, including televisions (some double sided) embedded into mirrors in all six guest cabins. Who can forget that eye-catching gold-hued hull?
Despite the glam, the owner’s main intent was to create an onboard experience that allows guests to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Unique Yacht Design, which did the exterior, sought feedback from existing Bilgin 163 owners to create a design where every possible square inch is being used. That means Eternal Spark has some of the largest outdoor space available in its class.
The shaded and sheltered areas allow guests to relax in groups, but there are also quiet zones for solitude. The layout includes cozy nooks that retain a connection with the yacht’s surroundings, such as the bridge deck aft, with large sunpads that convert into a sofa. The extended swim platform, by contrast, sits directly beside the sea. “Our large living and entertainment areas on the open decks provide magnificent spaces where everyone can comfortably spend time and enjoy the sea,” Bilgin’s senior project manager, Halil Uzunbabalar, told Robb Report.
Here are 12 features we love on Bilgin’s most lavish, user-friendly yacht to date.
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Aladdin’s Magic Cave
Image Credit: Ocean Independence Eternal Spark’s interior uses more than 200 materials, including wood inlays, stone flooring, crystal chandeliers, and 3-D white leather by Foglizzo. Mirrored ceilings, such as this skylounge, give a sense of height to the rooms. Italian Carrara and Brazilian emerald quartzite marble, with antique brushed brass finishes, add to the grandeur. Embossed natural leather seating even finds its way into typically mundane areas such as the wheelhouse.
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The Grand Entrance
Image Credit: Ocean Independence This entrance to the central stairway also shows the contrast of materials and patterns used throughout. Note the triangular wooden floor patterns that match with overhead lighting and ceiling shapes.
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The Shapeshifting Sky Lounge
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The upper-deck sky lounge is a social chameleon. It’s a tranquil social area by day but transforms into an immersive movie theatre at night (a second outdoor cinema is on the bridge deck bow). An L-shaped sofa moves around the room to guarantee everyone has a good view of the screen. Once the credits are rolling, the lights dim, the music plays, and the space transforms into a high-society nightclub with a twinkling LED ceiling.
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Rippling Staircase
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The central staircase is designed to echo the waves of the sea, with dapples of light reflecting from the glass-bottomed sun-deck Jacuzzi above. Crystal wall lights lead the way for guests on the leather-clad stairs. A stunning crystal light installation hangs in the middle as the centerpiece. Glass floor inserts and glass treads add a final flourish.
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Topsy Turvy
Image Credit: Ocean Independence Here’s a better view of the central staircase that shows its full visual effect.
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Suite of Dreams
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The full-beam primary suite is accessed through a private office. A king-size bed is surrounded by leather wall coatings, shaggy carpeting on the floor and custom artwork above the bed. There’s also a walk-in wardrobe, large windows, and an ensuite shower that doubles as a steam room.
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Ultimate Ensuite
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The stonework in the main cabin’s ensuite reveal yet more details of this idiosyncratic design.
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Five Bars
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The yacht’s five bars not only offer a change of scene but offer a different signature cocktail at each stop. Guests are welcomed to the vessel at the main deck aft bar, while the sky lounge cocktail bar is defined by a mirrored ceiling and subtle lighting. The lounge bar in the beach club is where guests gain refreshment post watersports. The last two bars are on the upper and sun decks.
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Soaks and Sundowners
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The sundeck is where most guests spend their time, lured by the stepped access to a 1,300-gallon glass-fronted Jacuzzi. The whirlpool surrounded by sunpads and is partially shaded from sun awnings. A central hardtop covers the bar, dining area, and outdoor barbecue.
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Beached Out
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The owner’s numerous custom requests included an extension to the stern to allow for an enlarged swim platform. The integrated beach club has a Finnish sauna, dayhead, and shower, as well as a dedicated entertainment system and an ice fountain for cooling off on those hot summer days.
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Guest Suites
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The five lower-deck guest cabins include two doubles, two twins that convert to queens by gliding the berths over fixed nightstands on specially crafted rails, and a VIP with a chaise lounge. All guest cabins have televisions embedded into the mirrors, which are fitted with handmade eucalyptus doors intersected by an aluminum relief to provide a modern touch.
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Gold-Hulled Wunderkind
Image Credit: Ocean Independence The gold-hued hull is low-key compared to some of the interior design features, but certainly fits with the overall attention-grabbing theme.
