The 5-Star riverboat RV Samatha is set for her maiden voyage on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River following the completion of the interiors by Vancouver-based firm CHIL Interior Design, a hospitality studio of the international firm B+H. The vessel’s design was spearheaded by studio principal Adele Rankin.
Rankin and her team gathered inspiration from the area, incorporating emerald and ruby tones. The region’s jade was also borrowed for the palette along with lighter hues from the thanaka and betel leaves found along the riverbanks.
Ornate screens reference the one-legged rowing techniques of Myanmar’s fishermen, whose nets inspired the boat’s elegant metalwork—part of the team’s effort to reinterpret locally identifiable patterns in a modern context.
The boat also houses a restaurant, bar, sundeck, and spa with room for up to 60 guests.
