Panorama Veranda Suite
Seabourn
With 42 years of experience in the luxury design industry, there’s little Adam Tihany, founder of Tihany design, can not. As a pioneer in the US restaurant design industry, he has worked on a variety of projects in the hospitality industry, from fine dining restaurants and clubs to some of the best hotels in the world. About 15 years ago, his company took on their first nautical project, the original Disney cruise ship. They continued to work with groups including Royal Caribbean Cruises and Carnival Corporationwho owns the luxury cruise line Seabourn – a brand that Tihany longed for.
“My real wish was to take Seabourn in hand because our practice specializes in luxury products,” says Tihany. “On land or at sea, all of our customers are ultra-luxury operators and Seabourn has been the award-winning company.”
Tihany got his wish when he was commissioned to design the interiors of Seabourn Encore and later Seabourn OvationBoth have been commended for improving the cruise line’s design game. Now he’s been brought back to design Seabourn’s new purpose-built expedition ships Seabourn Venture, which will set sail in December 2021, and its as-yet-unnamed sister expedition ship, which is scheduled to launch in 2022.
Tihany shares his experiences working on this dream project with Forbes, revealing the elements that make these ships unique from anything we’ve seen from Seabourn before.
Adam Tihany, founder of Tihany Designs and designer of Seabourn Venture
www.PETER-MURPHY.com
How did you incorporate the expedition ethos into the Venture interiors while preserving the Seabourn luxury aesthetic?
The early explorers spent years planning their voyage and designing the smallest details of every corner of the ships: equipment, tools, furniture, luggage, and clothing. We have adapted the same philosophy and created a tailor-made vessel that contains tactile, “elementary” and environmentally friendly materials. From the light switches to the bespoke stitching of the upholstery, no detail is overlooked to capture the feeling of refined sturdiness while delivering a flawless, luxurious and extremely comfortable vessel.
You have a lot of regular customers on cruise ships. You like familiarity. They like the fact that they are returning to something they know. The challenge in designing a new ship is how to retain this loyal customer. Surprise and joy are wonderful, but familiarity and constants are equally important. We had to be careful to preserve Seabourn DNA while building in some magic for humans to discover for themselves.
Seabourn Venture The Restaurant
Seabourn
How did you approach the design differently from the other Seabourn ships you worked on?
The expedition ships are unique. They really occupy a very important segment of the cruise because expeditions are desirable. Everyone wants to go to Antarctica. Everyone wants to have a real adventure. It isn’t exactly a recreational cruise, although it is, but it can make you feel like you’re exploring and discovering. The design of such ships has many moving parts. You need to think about how you can involve people in this discovery process.
I have researched the history of adventure, travel and discovery for a long time and read all these incredible stories from the original expeditions. It was pretty obvious that all of these great expeditions were planned years in advance. They had plans, books, diaries, drafts … everything was written in scripts. When you get into it, you’ll admire the details of how these people designed everything right down to their shoes and dresses. So we took that stance on everything on the ship and said we want to celebrate adventure, but in a way that people understand that everything we put on the ship was designed for that particular trip.
It’s a nod to the past, but it’s also very much in the 21st century in terms of technology and materials and so on. For example, the light switches on the bed look old-fashioned from the outside, but they work digitally. It’s a super contemporary environment and it’s responsible in terms of materials – everything is sustainable – but some pieces look like they might even be a relic from ancient times. It is fun.
Seabourn Venture Constellation Lounge
Seabourn
Are there any key design elements that you are particularly proud of?
Seabourn Venture’s design aims to capture the romance associated with early exploration by creating a ship that celebrates aesthetics, quality, and the joy of discovery. The entire approach to design revolves around nature, natural materials, and the bespoke travel of expeditions. Expedition cruises have usually been a bit rough and rushing – my analysis is a Birkenstock versus Hermes sneakers. You can be rough in both, but the images are different. We made our way to the first ultra-luxury expedition cruise.
One of the many unique aspects of Venture is the bespoke furniture collection I have designed. The collection is framed in wood and metal with textured fabric and leather and exudes a feeling of luxurious handcrafted robustness. The collection combines authentic Italian craftsmanship with the latest technology and innovation, adding unmatched sophistication to every corner of the ship.
Seabourn Venture Sauna
Seabourn
Do you enjoy the unique challenge of nautical design?
The entire process of building a ship is dramatically different from building on land. It’s a very script-based process. It’s very regimental because the shipyards are on a very tight schedule and there is a system of how you design it and how you build it. You can’t go wrong. For example, we commit to design three years before the ship is built. If you have two inches of clearance on anything it is a problem as no one can move it later without cutting through steel. You cannot use anything that moves, such as B. a chandelier. There are quite a few considerations, not to mention security, fire, and so on. But the more challenges you face, the better you become a designer.
Solving problems is my middle name. I don’t like projects without problems. It’s extremely challenging, but at the same time it sharpens your brain. You need to focus and be more careful, but at the same time you need to deliver something that people will love. They say there are three reactions when you show someone something: “yes, no and wow”. We’re going for the “wow”.
Seabourn Venture
Seabourn
