Edwardian Yacht Redesigned and Brought Back to Life by Palazzo Morelli

The Kalizma Superyacht recently won a prestigious “Judges Special Recognition Award” and was nominated for Best Rebuilt Superyacht of 2022 at an International competition in London.

Kalizma’s history

M/Y Kalizma is a classic, Edwardian, motor yacht, built in 1906 and christened Minona. Originally designed as a steam-powered yacht, she was one of the first yachts to have electric lighting.

In WWI and WWII the yacht was commandeered by the British Navy to accomplish different missions like the rescue of the crew members of over 1100 ships that had been hit and sunk in battle.

In 1967, the yacht returned to the limelight when Richard Burton gifted her to his wife, the actress Elizabeth Taylor, to celebrate her second Oscar Award for her interpretation of Martha in the 1966 film ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’. In the same year, the couple decided to rechristen the boat with her current name of Kalizma, after Burton’s three daughters, Kate, Liza and Maria.

When the Hollywood couple divorced, Kalizma passed through many hands until she reached her current owner, who was fascinated by her artistic details and history and wanted to restore her to her former splendour.

Palazzo Morelli sets to re-design the yacht

In 2020 Palazzo Morelli was appointed to re-design the yacht and proceed with the full fit-out of it. One year later they handed the completed work to the client on time and in budget, bringing the yacht back to its former glory.

In this project, you can see the ingenuity and superb craftsmanship of Palazzo Morelli´s team who meticulously worked to retrofit some parts of the boat, while modernizing others.

Palazzo Morelli in-house Arch. Daniele Cambiotti re-designed the communal spaces to create tiny lounges with a softly glamorous atmosphere using warm, consistent lighting throughout.

Drawings and paintings were arranged around photographs taken of the couple Burton-Taylor on board Kalizma. The brass details highlight the original, precious, mahogany wood paneling, which has been kept intact and restored.

The Edwardian-style lounge bar area was personalised with Kalizma’s new coat of arms, also designed by the architect at the client’s request. This was then reproduced on all the yacht’s bespoke table linens and accessories.

Palazzo Morelli led the restoration work, guided by the owner, Alessandro Ortenzi, who personally supervised the work of the local and international craftsmen involved in the shipyard in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The restoration involved the main areas of the yacht and, more specifically, the master cabin, master bathroom, the internal lounge area and the main external deck. The work was based on philological principles of restoration and conservation and enriched the interiors with a softly glamorous, elegant atmosphere to highlight the Burton-Taylor story. The colour palette pays homage to Elizabeth Taylor’s intensely magnetic “violet” eyes and ranges from shades of grey, dark blue and burgundy to perfectly match the existing mahogany furnishings.

The traditional, nautical white has also been re-imagined in shades of champagne, which work perfectly with the technical fabrics to offer a surprisingly delicate, tactile, experience. The new arrangement of the interiors becomes more dynamic with the use of satin finish bronze cornices, profiles and details to fit in perfectly with the existing materials and complement the wall and free-standing lighting.

The refit also improved the Wi-fi network and the technological devices to use high-resolution films, videos and music in every cabin or communal area on the yacht.

The master cabin was completely refurbished using an extremely bright colour palette.

A warm champagne white is a dominant colour with brass highlights and a honey-coloured onyx cornice enhanced by a system of backlighting. An aesthetic, functional shell containing the built-in TV screen surrounds the bed. The only concession to colour is the burgundy accessories, which pick up on Kalizma’s new coat of arms. The master bathroom carries on the colour theme of the master cabin.

The final part of the refit concerned the external area of the main bridge, designed to host lively parties or enjoy moments of perfect relation and privacy. Materials were chosen to give a classic look yet with technological finishes for specific requirements at sea.

Passion, efficiency and flexibility are crucial to our success as well as high-precision equipment and finishing by hand.

Take a look around the amazing story and refit by Palazzo Morelli.

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