Jon Bannenberg

Who was Jon Bannenberg?

Jon Bannenberg was a yacht designer born in Australia, Bannenberg studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 1952 he moved to London and his career began to morph towards its final destination: from music to stage design to opening an interior design shop with his first wife and ultimately to designing yachts. In the 1960s he designed some of the interiors of the QEII. From the 1970s onwards he designed large yachts for clients such as Larry Ellison, Malcolm Forbes, Bennett S. LeBow, Adnan Khashoggi and Robert Maxwell

Bannenberg's innovative designs were sometimes controversial in the yachting community, provoking a "love it or hate it" response from many at the quayside. Yet today, "JB", as he was known, is much emulated, having inspired a generation of younger designers with his novel and functional arrangements and styling cues. In essence, Bannenberg introduced the latitude for the "stylist" in traditional shipbuilding, which until that time, followed conservative Post-WW2 practices.

As a rule, Bannenberg would style the vessel's exterior and interior, being responsible for the General Arrangement as well.