Architects and Designer
A Privilège begins with two disciplines working toward the same purpose. Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group gives the yacht its offshore architecture, balance and sailing ability. Darnet Design turns those volumes into a refined home at sea. Together, they help us create yachts built to cross oceans and designed to be lived in.
The architecture that makes distance possible
For us, naval architecture starts with a practical question: what must this yacht be able to do for its owner? A Privilège is conceived for long-distance sailing. It must carry the stores, systems and equipment needed for autonomy. It must remain reassuring when conditions become demanding. It must also sail efficiently enough to make an ocean passage rewarding. That is why our collaboration with Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group is central to the Signature range. Based in La Rochelle, the practice was founded by Marc Lombard in 1982 after yacht-design studies in Southampton and early experience in offshore racing. Its work now spans racing yachts, cruising yachts, multihulls, production boats and superyachts. This breadth creates a useful discipline: performance, structure, ergonomics and life aboard have to work together.
The Lombard philosophy starts with function
Marc Lombard describes the architect’s role as adapting an object and a habitat to the function it must fulfil. That idea is particularly relevant to an ocean-going catamaran. Offshore performance comes from the interaction between hull form, displacement, appendages, sail plan, structure, weight distribution and deck ergonomics.
A bluewater cruising catamaran also carries realities that a pure racing boat can leave ashore. Owners need tankage, storage, robust systems, comfortable cabins and protected living spaces. The architect therefore manages a permanent balance between efficiency and payload. The objective is a yacht that remains responsive under sail while carrying what is required for genuine autonomy.
The design that turns a yacht into a home
Once the architecture defines the platform, the interior has another responsibility. A Privilège may spend weeks at sea and months away from its home port. Circulation must feel natural. Storage has to be where it is useful. Natural light must reach deep into the accommodation. Materials have to be elegant, durable and suitable for marine use.
For this work we collaborate with Darnet Design, the Nantes studio led by Franck Darnet. Founded in 1999 by Franck Darnet after six years of collaboration with the Finot Group, Darnet Design is a design firm specializing in the high-end nautical sector. Based in Nantes, the firm now brings together a team of 7 to 8 passionate designers dedicated to designing sailboats, catamarans, and motor yachts ranging from 10 to 80 meters. Their expertise spans both exterior design and interior architecture, covering both production models and fully customized superyacht projects. We approach every project with the same high standards: to create elegant, cohesive, and sustainable boats, where aesthetics always serve functionality and the onboard experience.
The Darnet approach makes luxury practical
Darnet Design states that its role goes beyond creating an artistic concept: the design must also be feasible and successfully carried through to construction. That principle matters on a semi-custom yacht, where furniture, structure, lighting, systems and maintenance access all compete for the same volume.
The Signature 510 shows the result clearly. Its defining interior feature is the full-beam owner’s suite set forward in the central nacelle, combined with large openings and serious storage for extended life aboard. On the Signature 650, Darnet Design and Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group worked together on a new deck arrangement to improve forward visibility and optimise saloon volume. The owner’s cabin gained large forward glazing and a 180-degree view.
Our collaboration with Privilège Marine began in 2012 with a shared goal: to highlight and strengthen the shipyard’s unique identity. Working alongside naval architect Marc Lombard, we undertook a modernization of the interior design of the range while preserving what defines the very essence of Privilège. Our goal was to create contemporary, refined, and functional living spaces that are perfectly aligned with the shipyard’s philosophy. For more than fourteen years, we have been helping to craft long-range cruising catamarans renowned for their seakeeping qualities, balanced performance, onboard comfort, and exceptionally meticulous craftsmanship. A world where elegance is expressed with discretion, without ever veering into ostentation.
Franck Darnet – Founder of Darnet Design
The interior remains personal because the yacht is personal
Our owners live differently, so their yachts should reflect different priorities. Darnet Design’s “à la carte” philosophy fits naturally with the Privilège approach. Some owners prefer a restrained contemporary atmosphere. Others want richer materials or a more classical expression. The constant is the quality of the spatial thinking and the precision of the detailing. The new Signature 600 takes personalisation further. Its aft portside cabin can become a cinema, gym, office, studio, storage room or large walk-in wardrobe. This is a meaningful design choice. A long-range yacht may also be a workplace, a family home, a private retreat or a base for a specific passion.
“For more than fourteen years, our partnership with Privilège Marine has been built on a shared vision of luxury cruising: to offer a level of comfort, refinement, and quality worthy of the finest residences, while maintaining the seafaring qualities essential to a true offshore catamaran. What sets Privilège apart is its ability to combine remarkable artisanal craftsmanship, extensive customization, and timeless elegance. Each boat is designed as an exclusive living space, where luxury is not limited to materials or finishes, but is expressed above all through the sense of well-being, spaciousness, and serenity one experiences on board.”
Franck Darnet – Founder of Darnet Design
The collaboration that gives a Privilège its identity
The strongest yachts emerge when naval architecture and interior design inform each other early. Window size affects structure. Headroom affects exterior profile. Furniture affects weight distribution. A forward owner’s suite changes how the nacelle is used. Exterior seating and glazing change the relationship between shelter, visibility and light.
This is why the collaboration between Lombard, Darnet Design and our teams in Les Sables d’Olonne is so important. The Signature 600 was developed in continuity with this long-standing partnership. The Signature 650 provides another clear example: architecture, deck design, panoramic vision and interior volume were developed as connected decisions.
The result is the balance we seek across every Privilège: bluewater safety, efficient sailing and refined living. Our yachts are built on the French Atlantic coast, in a shipyard shaped by offshore sailing culture. They are also private homes, created around their owners. The technical and the emotional belong on the same boat.
