40 The personal touch Liz Schneider speaks with Alex Smith about her journey through the cruise interiors industry, highlighting what she has learned and why people should always be at the heart of good design COVER STORY Liz Schneider’s journey in cruise design began in 2015, when she joined Holland America Line’s growing interior design department as an intern. The cruise line was embarking on a period of revitalisation, as it carried out several significant refits onboard its ships. Schneider fondly recalls her first days on the job, when she rapidly became involved in some of the line’s biggest projects. “In my second week on the job, I was travelling to visit Holland America’s Eurodam to write the scope of work and walk the ship with contractors,” she says. “From there, my role progressed quickly, as I started taking on a lot of different projects. I’ve always enjoyed interior design, but I quickly fell in love with cruise ship design as soon as I got involved. The process, which one of my colleagues once referred to as being like floating Tetris, really resonated.” As part of the interior design team at Holland America, Schneider contributed to a wide range of projects and vessels, including heading up a fleet-wide sofa replacement project for staterooms and initiating a plan to create custom furniture designs for each class of ship. Schneider describes the process of designing a cruise ship interior as a balance between delivering an impactful, memorable moment and ensuring consistent comfort. “The first thing I think about when designing a space is what someone is going to feel when they walk into this venue,” she explains. “On the one Schneider has taken inspiration from her residential projects for her latest suite and staterooms designs Photo: Liz Schneider
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