Lifestyle

Two If By Sea

A Jamestown couple is ready to spend less time on land and more time on the water

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It’s not an uncommon daydream: quitting your job, selling most of your belongings, buying a beautiful boat and spending your days sauntering around wherever the saltwater seas take you. David and Tricia Evangelista of Jamestown, however, are embracing a similar reality. By the end of the year, David will be wrapping up his career as an engineer and he and Tricia made a plan to make their recently purchased 48-foot Kadey Krogen trawler better reflect their personal style.

“It’s a 2008 and in perfect condition. The previous owners took immaculate care of it and had the interior design professionally done,” explains Tricia. “We wanted to make it our taste, just like you would a home.” Tried and true Rhode Islanders, the Evangelistas were looking for the boat to celebrate their Ocean State roots by creating a warm and welcoming look and feel with classic nautical stylings. “I have used virtually that same color scheme on the last three boats: simple but classic,” says Tricia, a lifelong sailor.

The boat’s interior and the soft goods design was a critical element as the vessel was purchased to be much more than just a summer weekend toy. “We’re going to move aboard full time and move the boat down South to live aboard in the winter months,” explains Tricia.

Though she’s the first to say she has some definite preferences, Tricia wanted to enlist the help of a professional. “For me, I needed somebody to bounce things off of because it’s not my area of expertise. I knew what I liked and what I didn’t like but I’m an accountant and my husband is an engineer; we’re not what I would call creative,” she says with a laugh.

When the Evangelistas were enjoying the afternoon at the Newport International Boat Show, Tricia’s eyes were drawn to Ally Maloney’s booth promoting her business, Maloney’s Interiors. Ally, a Warren-based designer and an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers, the oldest, largest and leading professional organization for interior designers, had decorated her exhibition booth in the exact palette that Tricia sought for the couple’s boat. The two talked and it seemed a picture-perfect match from the start.

“It’s not their first boat, so she definitely knew what she liked and what she didn’t,” agrees Ally, but the designer also knew it was important to push Tricia slightly outside her comfort zone and introduce her to new patterns, new designs and new lines. The result was a dynamic collaboration resulting in a proud designer, an over-the-moon client and a stunningly warm, welcoming boat interior executed with traditional navy blues, creamy whites and whimsical but subtle patterns including starfish and coral.

“I like to mix prints and patterns in a cohesive way,” explains Ally. The interior designer says one of the fundamental differences between when she designs a residential interior versus when she designs a boat interior is that with the latter, most spaces have duel functions and the fabrics need to be more than beautiful. They need to be functional, durable and in most cases, water-repellant, all while being stylish and comfortable. “I try not to be too nautical or predictable,” says Ally, cautioning that the look goes wrong when it gets too literal. Multiple patterns can create a layered look, especially when every inch counts, like on a boat.
“She brought all kinds of sample books here to the boat and I would pull out the ones that would catch my eye and she would find coordinating fabrics to go with it,” explains Tricia about the process. Ally’s dedication to the craft and to her clients is what Tricia says made the renovation project an exciting and rewarding experience, especially when the last of the cushions arrived last month and fit perfectly in their admittedly snug spaces. “I could not be happier with the quality of the workmanship,” says Tricia. “Every piece is beyond my expectations. I have had cushions done before and these look brand new, they fit, the liners are perfect... everything fits perfectly.”

Working with a knowledgeable professional, explains Tricia, opened new doors and offered new possibilities for the boat. “We had to work with some of the fabrics that were already here,” she says. But Ally introduced her to lines she had never heard of, even though she’s been on the water her entire life. “Her knowledge of the various quality of products and vendors... I think in general it was way too big a project to tackle myself.”

Just in time for the summer season, the Evangelista’s Kadey Krogen cruiser is in Wickford – its home harbor – and is ready to power through local waters and later, down South, all in no hurry whatsoever. “It goes slow, about seven knots,” describes Tricia of the single engine boat. “It’s very comfortable underway... we’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

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