Three captains, three Mediterranean itineraries
Meet the makers: Silverlining Furniture
Published 15 May 2026
For more than 40 years, Silverlining Furniture has created bespoke pieces for over 80 superyachts ranging from 60m to more than 130m, alongside prestigious residential and private aviation projects worldwide.
But Silverlining occupies a space far beyond traditional furniture making. Sitting at the intersection of craftsmanship, engineering and evolving yacht lifestyles, the company has become an integral collaborator within the superyacht design process.
We sat down with Silverlining Furniture founder and chairman Mark Boddington, head of strategy and business development Laetitia Contat Desfontaines, and Burgess senior marine engineer Neville Harrison to explore how superyacht furniture has evolved from decorative objects into engineered, emotional, and multifunctional architecture.
A collaborative relationship
Burgess celebrated 50 years in 2025, and its relationship with Silverlining stretches back more than 30. ‘In the early years I remember going to our first project meeting at the Burgess office in Pall Mall,’ reflects Boddington. ‘Looking back now, I feel very privileged that we have collaborated with Burgess on so many award-winning iconic yachts over many years. The great thing about Burgess is its depth and consistency – the core team have been there for a long time, and that's always a sign of a great company. It's very similar at Silverlining: longevity and continuity are really important to both us and our clients.’
Furniture may appear to come towards the end of a new build project, but in reality, Silverlining is often involved long before a shipyard or designer has even been selected. ‘As our reputation for creativity and innovation has grown, we're getting involved earlier and earlier,’ says Boddington.
‘They don't just see us as a furniture maker. They see us as an important part of the team.’ Mark Boddington, Founder and Chairman
That early integration is fundamental. Beyond creating beautiful pieces, Silverlining works collaboratively with designers, engineers, shipyards and owners to ensure each piece functions seamlessly within the nuanced realities of life at sea. ‘Furniture is a big part of creating the mood on board,’ Boddington explains. ‘There are certain pieces that the owner might use every day, so it becomes very personal to them. It’s a big part of the overall journey that the owner goes on when building a yacht.’
That collaboration is equally critical from an engineering perspective too. ‘It’s not just about the aesthetics,’ says Burgess senior marine engineer Neville Harrison. ‘It’s all the engineering behind the scenes that ensures everything functions properly, safely and reliably. It’s a complex process that relies heavily on communication.’
The owner journey
Silverlining’s pieces are investments, created specifically for that owner and their lifestyle. So it’s not surprising that Boddington reveals nearly all his clients are involved in the process. ‘We’re meeting with them regularly and they come to the workshop, trying the prototypes, and approving samples and finishes. And where it particularly works well is when a client is as obsessed over the finer details as we are.’
One example where this obsession with detail was particularly important was a previous desk project where the client was extremely tall. ‘No one had asked him about the height or lumbar support of his chairs, and it was only after speaking to him that we discovered he was used to having his chair set significantly higher than the standard, so we created several prototypes for him to make sure the chair was comfortable and worked with the significantly higher desk height.’
Silverlining also creates ‘storybooks’ documenting the inspiration, creative process, and people behind each project – something many owners value as much as the finished piece itself.
Inside Silverlining
At Silverlining, every project begins long before the first piece of furniture is made. A dedicated account handler manages the client relationship, supported by design leads, project managers, and delivery specialists overseeing everything from installation to crew training on aftercare.
At the core of the journey are what the team calls ‘pods’: small, multi-disciplinary groups formed at the very outset of a project.
‘Before we even design a piece of furniture, there would be a designer, an engineer, someone from R&D [research and development], a couple of cabinet makers, and someone from finishing,’ explains Mark Boddington. ‘It’s upfront engineering, trying to predict where problems may arise in realising the design in terms of production, timelines, and installation.’
Innovation is also embedded into the culture. Monthly ‘Innovation Fridays’ open the floor to everyone across the business. ‘People are allowed to play. Ideas come from everywhere – a spray shop colleague developed a way to laminate leather, someone in CNC explored a botanical ink finish.’
That openness extends to recruitment. Silverlining actively brings in talent from other fields, introducing entirely different creative disciplines into the workshop. ‘We have an animator, a ceramicist, a jeweller… even one of our top cabinet makers used to be a clay modeller at Jaguar Cars. It brings completely different thinking into how we work with materials.’
Across three buildings in Wales, more than 30 specialist skills are represented – from wood and straw marquetry, gilding and carving to resin, metalwork and leatherwork. The average age on the shop floor is just 31, reflecting a deliberate focus on future talent which is formalised through Silverlining’s own academy – The Silverlining Academy of Skills – designed to nurture and sustain the next generation of makers.
Future-facing craftsmanship
Designing furniture for life at sea presents a unique set of challenges. Unlike residential interiors, superyacht environments are subject to high humidity, vibration and intense natural light, meaning materials must be engineered not only for beauty, but for longevity.
For Silverlining Furniture, that process begins with understanding how materials will age over time. ‘We have an artificial weathering chamber that allows us to predict how materials will evolve with exposure to humidity and ultraviolet light,’ explains Boddington. ‘Whether the colour of straw or leather fades, or the finish of lacquer yellows. It helps clients make informed decisions – especially when experimenting with new materials.’
Accelerated weathering chamber
Oak desk dyed with gall ink
Gall ink dyed oak desk
Leather team
3D printed clay ceramic
3D printed clay ceramic
Cast straw innovation
Cast straw 'Lumen sidetable'
‘At Silverlining it’s about the balance between traditional skills and using today’s technology – never one against the other but how they are combined.’ Laetitia Contat Desfontaines, Head of Strategy and Business Development
Rather than following trends, Silverlining focuses on adapting traditional craftsmanship for contemporary yacht design through extensive research and material development.
One such example is cork. ‘We worked with a manufacturer in Portugal who traditionally produced corks for the wine industry,’ says Boddington. ‘We developed a way of changing the cork from fine to coarse granules.’ The result was a series of stools created entirely from cork for a superyacht project. ‘Cork floats, absorbs sound, doesn’t get hot and is naturally fire resistant and antibacterial,’ he adds.
Sustainability, meanwhile, has become a natural extension of that experimentation. Leather offcuts that would otherwise end up as waste are being repurposed as decorative veneers, while straw, tobacco leaves and cork are being reimagined into new finishes. ‘But in using these new materials,’ Boddington adds, ‘we need to make sure that these new things don't get commercialised before we've solved all the problems and that they’re fully functional and durable.’
The changing nature of yacht interiors
Yacht interiors today are increasingly flexible, multi-generational environments, designed as much for expedition life as for extended family use.
In Mark’s experience, that shift has been fundamental. ‘You could have three generations on board, and they might be going on expeditions. It’s extraordinary how yachts have changed.’
In response, furniture design has evolved accordingly. One of the key shifts is what Boddington calls ‘mood furniture’ – pieces designed to move and change character with their environment and use. ‘For example, a lot of people want their main saloon to be a sitting area during the day and a nightclub for the grandchildren in the evening,’ he explains. ‘We’ve developed techniques where we etch into the wood so we can introduce backlit colour. At night, when the lighting changes, you reveal patterns across a dining table or cabinet.’
This adaptability extends beyond aesthetics. Even technical elements, such as integrated wiring in desks, are designed for long-term change. ‘It’s all removable, so if USBs disappear or everything becomes wireless, you’re not left with a problem embedded in the furniture.’
Looking ahead, the team are seeing interiors becoming lighter, more open, and more connected to exterior spaces. ‘We’re going to see superyacht interiors continue to blur indoor and outdoor living. Pieces need to work for multiple purposes and multiple users.’
This is already reflected in current commissions, including a formal coffee table designed with a dual identity: elegant in form, but topped with a padded jigsaw cover that protects the surface and transforms it into a playful object for grandchildren.
Case study: BRAVO EUGENIA
Burgess and Silverlining have collaborated on many projects, but for Burgess marine engineer Neville Harrison, the standout remains BRAVO EUGENIA. Delivered by Oceanco in 2018, the project was unique in both scale and ambition, with interiors and furniture executed to an exceptional level of detail.
‘From dining tables to bespoke chairs, everything was completely handmade, with leather and metalwork seamlessly integrated,’ Harrison reflects. ‘It was a particularly interesting journey because the clients were so involved throughout the process. Speaking with them about their lifestyle revealed small but crucial details – like realising that lacquered chair edges wouldn’t work as they regularly wear jewellery, which would have quickly damaged the finish.’
One of the most remarkable pieces on board was a large Perspex table, which presented significant technical challenges. ‘That piece was incredibly complex. It had to be hand-poured in a single cast with no visible seams. We then had to resolve issues with clouding in the material through extensive polishing, before ensuring it could be properly secured and structurally fixed to the deck.’
Projects like BRAVO EUGENIA demonstrate what can happen when design ambition and engineering expertise are developed in parallel. For Burgess, this approach is central to our new build division, where designers, shipyards, engineers, and craftspeople are brought together from the outset to ensure creativity is supported by technical expertise from the very beginning.
To find out more about Silverlining, discover their website or visit them during London Craft Week (11–17 May 2026) to visit their showcase at Sotheby’s London.
If you're planning your build project, our experts are here to help. Explore our new build department or get in touch to discuss your plans.
To find out more about Burgess’ yachts for sale and yachts for charter, please contact a Burgess broker. Alternatively, get in touch with one of our offices directly: London, Monaco, New York, Miami, Singapore or all other locations.
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