By
Rebecca Gibson |
Originally trained as a therapy dog to bring comfort to hospice patients and the elderly, Enzo the Italian greyhound is now a familiar sight in cruise lines’ board rooms, at shipyards, onboard cruise ships and at industry events.
“Enzo has become somewhat of a celebrity in the cruise world and people are always disappointed if I turn up without him!” says Greg Walton, his owner. “He’s made friends with many people in the industry and given us lots of funny moments.”
Enzo has also become the mascot of Miami-based design firm Studio DADO, which was co-founded by Walton, Javier Calle, Jorge Mesa and Yohandel Ruiz in November 2016. The firm has quickly established a reputation for designing bespoke, luxury guest accommodation, dining and entertainment venues for cruise ships.
“We’ve delivered designs for some of the world’s most luxurious cruise ships,” says Walton. “We’ve also had consecutive years of growth and profitability, survived a pandemic and we’re on track to achieve record financial revenue in 2024. When we started the firm, I never imagined that we would accomplish so much in a such a short space of time.”
Walton attributes this success to the hard work and determination of the Studio DADO team, explaining that every individual is dedicated to pushing design boundaries and delivering the best possible service to clients.
“Our goal is to create extraordinary experiences for guests, so we always remain curious, never stop asking questions and relentlessly pursue design innovation,” he says. “We’ve hired very selectively to build the most skilled, creative and dedicated team in the design industry. This has enabled us to partner with leading cruise brands and develop an extensive project portfolio.”
Studio DADO has completed three major cruise ship projects in the past 12 months – Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Viva, Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Vista and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur. These vessels have showcased the firm’s ability to design immersive and innovative spaces to new audiences.
“We’ve been approached by other cruise brands who are impressed by our work on these ships and are interested in working with us to create interiors that will attract a new demographic of guests to their own vessels,” says Walton. “We’ve also won contracts with well-known hotel companies that want us to take the lessons we’ve learned from designing spaces for cruise ships and translate them into bespoke high-end interiors in their land-based properties.”
Christian Santiago Photography
The Penrose Atrium onboard Norwegian Prima is just one of the many impressive spaces Studio DADO has designed in the past eight years
According to Walton, the increase in cruise contracts and diversification into land-based design marks a new phase for Studio DADO.
“The firm is transforming from a start-up into a corporation, and we’re making several investments to support this growth,” says Walton. “We’ve doubled our physical office space in Miami to facilitate better collaboration and accommodate our team as it continues to expand. We’ve also promoted some of our current employees and, in a big leap for the company, we’ve hired our first chief operating officer, Eduardo de Jesus. He will oversee the day-to-day management of the company and help us to build the administrative infrastructure we need to work more efficiently and facilitate future growth. This will free up our leadership team to focus on client development and design direction.”
In addition, Studio DADO has hired its first Europe-based team member. “He will be based in Italy and doing everything from helping us with design production to reviewing workshop drawings, inspecting mock-ups, meeting with shipyard teams in person and going onboard vessels during the construction and outfitting stages,” says Walton. “Having a physical presence in Europe will help us to resolve any issues quickly during projects, which will benefit both us and our clients. It will also strengthen our partnerships with the shipyards and other key stakeholders in the supply chain.” Walton is confident that Studio DADO’s ongoing investments will drive its future success, which he says reassures him as he prepares to start a new chapter of his own.
“I’ll be retiring at the end of this year,” he says. “Studio DADO is thriving, my spouse is embarking on a new journey in his career, Enzo is getting older, and I have a long list of places I want to see and things I want to do while I’m still sufficiently young and healthy to fully enjoy them. All the stars have aligned and now is the right time for me to step aside. Yohandel, Javier and Jorge have always had a clear vision for Studio DADO’s future, and I can’t wait to see them reach new heights.”
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.