Heesen Yachts Creates Quinta Essentia

Earth, water, air, and fire are considered the four essential elements. The fifth, quinta essentia in Latin, is the substance of heavenly bodies. Or is it? A yachtsman and Heesen Yachts have proven that the fifth deserves a new definition: wine. The owner’s family has a vineyard, and the color and components of wine play a role in the 180-foot Quinta Essentia’s design. The sleek styling, from Omega Architects and Dobroserdov Design, has been painted a custom metallic Merlot-tone. Even the custom limo tender, designed by Vripack and built by Vaudrey Miller, bears the color. Inside, the four—well, five—essential elements comes into play creatively, thanks to the work of interior designers Michela Reverberi and Ken Freivokh. The saloon’s mostly white decor is offset by swaths of purple, chosen to represent air. (Air is clear, so it needed an embodiment.) There’s also a custom perfume made from wine that’s kept in vases here, employing vine clippings as diffusers. Air’s incarnation comes into play again belowdecks, in a guest cabin. Water is symbolized by blue tones in another stateroom, and fire is represented by red in a third. The VIP stateroom, on the main deck, symbolizes earth. And all guest staterooms also call to mind water, since each one’s television can show footage fed by Quinta Essentia’s underwater camera. While the master suite embraces all four elements, it’s best appreciated as a penthouse on the sea. The 753-square-foot space rivals that of a far larger yacht. Even in bed the owner can enjoy excellent views, through sliding glass doors on each side that lead to private alfresco spaces. The longtime definition of quinta essentia may be heavenly bodies, but this Quinta Essentia calls for new thinking. Wine is the substance of celebration, after all. As Shakespeare wrote, “Drink to the general joy of the whole table.” For more information, visit Heesen Yachts.