To be the best, you have to use the best and, in Riviera Australia’s case, it’s an attitude that extends right down to the choice of premium Sunbrella fabrics as the very essence of tactile luxury, quality and practicality.
The name has become synonymous over the past 50 years for offering the finest shade canvases and outdoor upholstery materials under the sun. In recent years, however, they have also introduced a stunning indoor upholstery range.
At the recent Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Sunbrella partnered with Riviera to unveil an all-new product. It is Sunbrella’s first non-woven marine seating vinyl fabric that is microbial resistant, cold-cracking and fade resistant, and ultra-soft to the touch.
The occasion was the premiere of the new Sport Yacht collection featuring Sunbrella extensively on the outdoor cockpit lounges, sun lounges, awnings and internally on the helms, lounges, headliners, pelmets, bedspreads and bed heads.
True to Sunbrella’s design innovation, this new range furnishes 30 on-trend colour options so that your boat can colour-match from cockpit to foredeck to stateroom.
Sunbrella’s Shade and Marine Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Yann Simon, said the company was delighted to partner with Riviera and display its latest products aboard yachts that are world-renowned for exemplary quality.
“Sunbrella is proud to show our legacy craftsmanship and performance can now be applied above and below deck, to ultimately give Riviera designers more freedom and boat owners greater choice,” he said.
“Our range has never been so innovative and complete. Performance and design live in symbiosis throughout the entire range. These are exciting times.”
Since their launch, the special edition models have been widely acclaimed for their refined styling and customised stitching where Riviera’s designers and upholstery craftspeople created features with plain and textured fabrics.
Fabric bedheads have also become highly popular. This is a modern, European-style aesthetic, evocative of a super yacht or grand apartment.
Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst agrees that international design trends were a major part of the inspiration behind adding more fabric elements to the interiors.
“We wanted to create a contemporary, minimalised look while still offering a high level of functionality and a luxurious feel,” he said. “Sunbrella’s new products allowed our design team to create a distinctive new interior and exterior design palette.
“At the same time, the durability and serviceability of Sunbrella is very impressive. Our new yacht owners are always very impressed when we tell them that these fabrics are bleach cleanable and that red wine won’t stain the fabric.”
On this point, all Sunbrella fabrics are engineered for easy day-to-day maintenance. Owners simply need to use a light spray of mild soapy water, a soft bristle brush and a gentle rinse before leaving the fabric to air dry. It makes the interior products perfect for harder wearing areas such as headliners, wall linings and interior lounges.
Boating enthusiasts have repeatedly commented on the fresh colour and texture palette that enables them to personalise their motor yacht’s décor.
The new headliner vinyl, for example, makes an eye-pleasing impact with more of a clean, cool matte finish. Wall lining fabrics have a subtle pattern, incorporating white, beige and grey, to coordinate with the timber and benchtop selections.
For the helm stations, a Sunbrella dash vinyl is employed. It lends a light and classy grey colour with matte texture and soft-touch finish to blend nicely with the darker hues of the electronic displays and instrumentation. It also works nicely with Alcantara inserts in the leather helm seats.
A textured Sunbrella feature vinyl, which is the same colour as the headliner but with a subtle embossed pattern, has been used for the pelmet to frame the top of the saloon windows.
With a trend, world-wide, leading towards fabric upholstery on interior lounges, Riviera is again using Sunbrella fabric. Along with the amazing durability, the material retains a soft, plush and restful feel.
Exterior awnings, meanwhile, are constructed with the impressive Sunbrella SeaMark product, which balance the Platinum hardtop colour beautifully and visually extend the sleek design lines of the yacht.
SeaMark has a 100 per cent impervious waterproof backing, is mould and mildew-resistant, and built to retain its vibrant colour against constant exposure to UV rays and salt.
Like all Sunbrella marine fabrics, it has the Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of approval, while also allowing air to pass through, creating a comfortable boating experience for all aboard.
Sunbrella passionately believes that textiles are an important ingredient in exceptional design, comfort and living. So does Riviera – the company has its own Décor and Interiors Coordinator, Sarah Mathias to provide expert guidance and advice when selecting from the various fabrics and personalising your new motor yacht.
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