Cruise & Ferry Interiors 2020

1 4 3 encounters occasionally caused fireworks. Thankfully, Langston-Carter and Fabio Franceschini, senior vice president of hotel purchasing, were always on hand to put the fires out and our pyrotechnics were always to the advantage of the project! What’s next? Design is a real passion for me, so I cannot foresee a future that doesn’t involve continuing to work on new designs and having an active role in the management of the firm. Today I manage alongside my son, Lorenzo, who joined the firm in 2012 after completing degrees in naval architecture and interior design. He was raised in a family that has close ties to the shipping industry – I’ve been going onboard ships, visiting shipyards and attending naming ceremonies since he was very young and my wife’s family was also involved in the shipping business – so his passion for designing vessels came naturally. Lorenzo has brought new ideas and energy to the studio, helping to improve our creative process and the way we manage projects. He’s also enhanced the digitalisation of the studio and streamlined many of our processes and procedures. Like the rest of the world, GEM started 2020 by facing an unprecedented health pandemic. However, we continue to work on important design projects from home and we hope for a speedy recovery from this pandemic so that we may go back doing what we love most – sailing the seas and delivering amazing interiors that enrich the passenger experience. CFI Art and lighting aid Mortola’s ability to create intimate spaces Seven insights into Giacomo Mortola Favourite GEM design: the passenger cabins onboard Silversea Cruises’ Silver Muse because they have a simple and embracing colour scheme and exquisite design details. Favourite design by someone else: Patricia Urquiola and Scott Butler’s work on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge and Eden, where they have created an amazing sense of space and a fresh and vibrant colour scheme. Most enjoyable design collaboration: my time working with Teresa Anderson on Princess Cruises’ vessels. Most significant ship: Silversea’s Silver Spirit and her sister ships because GEM was responsible for the full general arrangement planning, all public areas and all passenger cabins. Proudest moment: the delivery of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth in Southampton, UK in 2010, when I was introduced to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Next cruise: I’m hoping to enjoy time onboard Scarlet Lady, and her sister ships, since they are my latest projects as a coordinating architect. Photos: Silversea Cruises