Port Aft Cabin Evolution — The Start of a Journey

A design journal by Laminar Studios

This is the first post in our new design series, where we take you behind the scenes of the Balance 464 Port Aft Cabin development. This cabin design comes with its challenges, we will be focusing on optimizing liveability, storage, and aesthetics within the complex geometry of a performance catamaran hull.

Every good design starts with a pencil (or stylus). Before Rhino or AutoCAD come into play, our ideas flow freely through hand sketching. In this phase, speed is key—capturing spatial layouts, orientation options, and creative ways to integrate storage into the structure.

These sketches help us uncover early constraints and ask key questions:

• How do we balance openness and privacy?

• Where can we steal storage without adding bulk?

• What lighting conditions do we need to account for?

• How do we keep it feeling like a luxury retreat, not a sail locker?

The Design Cycle: From Ink to Interface

At Laminar Studios, our process isn’t linear—it’s layered. Here’s how the port aft cabin design is taking shape:

Site understanding involves measuring the model space which reflects the real space available after accounting for structural grid, systems routing, and companionway clearance. Mood and function are established by determining the desired ambiance—whether warm, minimal, or efficient—and building spatial ideas around that feeling. Rhino blocking is the process of taking hand sketches into Rhino to block volumes, assess headroom, and test ideas against reality. The iterate and rework phase entails going back and forth between sketch and model to refine lines and ergonomics. Finally, details and fittings are considered by starting to think about materials, cabinet construction, lighting layers, and accessibility.

The Path Forward

We will be looking storage solutions, cabinetry interface and materials palette are essential components to consider in any interior design project.

This space might be compact, but it’s full of potential—and we’re determined to make it as beautiful as it is functional.