Everything about the Quananiche bespeaks elegance and sophistication. A place to while away languid summer afternoons and evenings. Teak and mahogany-cloaked interiors, hand-detailed millwork, custom wicker furnishings and cheerful fabrics in variations of red, yellow and blue.

But the Quananiche does not take up residence among the Victorian estates dotting the banks of Lake Geneva. Named after the Indian word for the freshwater salmon that populate the Midwest’s lakes, the custom cruising vessel balances the quaintness of yesteryear with the technology of modern-day boat building and state-of-the-art electronics.

A custom party boat for a well-heeled Chicago attorney is a nod to the 1930s. But with its cleverly concealed audiovisual system, the vessel is a modern masterpiece. (Click image to enlarge)

This dream boat is the vision-turned-reality for a prominent Chicago attorney and his boat builder of choice, Grand Craft Corp.  At 40 feet long, it’s the largest commuter-style boat built by the Michigan-based company. Constructed of solid mahogany, the boat’s design accommodates the client’s quest for cruising, cocktailing and old-fashioned family fun on Wisconsin’s Lake Geneva—a playground frequented by bastions of American business, including the Montgomery Ward, Pinkerton and Sears families, since the mid-1800s. “You can easily entertain 25 to 30 people and cruise at the 35-mph range,” says Vice President Bill Hogan, adding that everything on the boat—wine racks, glassware and furniture—is custom.

Lagrange Mann Interiors of Chicago, Ill., enhanced the boat’s hand-detailed millwork and beveled-glass cabinetry.  The singular charge of the project, says interior designer Kara Mann, was “to make this something special.” While the Chicago-based interior design firm has orchestrated interiors for the client’s Chicago office, primary residence, 4,800-square-foot city apartment and Lake Geneva vacation home, the assignment posed a challenge for Mann, who previously had only designed land-based interiors.

The Quananiche is more than seaworthy, as the nautical design of its air-conditioned salon (below) and aft deck (right) suggests. Mahogany walls, wicker furnishings, salmon-inspired artwork and a vibrant color scheme give guests all the comforts of home while they cruise Lake Geneva in style. (Click image to enlarge)

The red florals of the hand-blocked Bennison fabric dance across a gold-yellow background and play off the reddish tones of the polished mahogany walls and custom cabinetry. Complementary stripes and blues complete the palette, lending a touch of patriotism that’s “American in a way, but not kitschy,” says Mann, who collaborated on the project with business partner Jessica Lagrange. “It’s different than the traditional leather with channel quilting you normally see on a boat,” Mann says.

(Click image to enlarge)

The air-conditioned salon, the vessel’s operations and entertainment center, provides a comfortable respite with custom-designed wicker furnishings by Bielecky Brothers and plush banquette seating with dozens of pillows adorned with bullion fringe and the Quananiche crest. Nautical influences are executed in the nickel and gold hardware and the gold-rope detail rimming the bar’s nickel sink. All other furnishings take their cue from the vessel’s color palette and its namesake.

Despite Mann’s familiarity with the client’s sense of design, challenges still arose. “The dimensions are really different, and things have to hold up under sun, wind and water,” Mann says. Configuring cabinetry and space to accommodate the flat-screen TV posed a problem that the designer had anticipated. “Technology has always been part of the projects we do for this client,” Mann says. “When he entertains it’s more casual and family oriented, but media is always a part of it.”

Brad Alves of Columbia Audio/Video’s custom division in Highland Park, Ill., orchestrated the vessel’s technology. “The client told me he was [building] his dream boat and he wanted me to put a nice system in it,” says Alves, who has designed other audiovisual systems for the owner. “He knows that I know what he likes.”

Custom mahogany walls, cabinets and countertops, and a nickel sink, are just a few of the bar’s distinctive touches.  (Click to enlarge)

The three audiovisual zones aboard the Quananiche are controlled by the salon-based Crestron touchscreen that doubles as a video screen (it pops out of its hiding place within a custom drawer). The foredeck, mid-deck (salon) and aft deck operate independently of one another; for example, a DVD or football game (courtesy of a TV tuner and marine antenna) shows in the salon, a favorite radio station plays on the aft deck, and a CD selected from the ReQuest Multimedia music server plays on the foredeck. “He’s got it all,” Alves says. “It’s a serious automation system with concealed, quality speakers.”

While researching the boat’s accessories and furnishings, the Quananiche logo spawned a life of its own. “We had it printed on pillows and hand towels, and found wonderful prints of landlocked salmon that we framed,” Mann says. “One of the most exciting moments came when [the client’s] wife approached us about creating a birthday present. We had the logo engraved on crystal and silver platters.”

Guests can relive their day of cocktailing and cruising with a parting gift—an L.L. Bean tote bag containing a T-shirt, hat and bottled water, all emblazoned with the Quananiche logo. “We went all out,” Mann says. “We even had a company in Monaco make beige cashmere lap blankets with the boat’s name in red. This was one of the most fun projects we’ve done.”