CRUISE SHIPINTERIOR AWARDS

1 5 J U N E , 2 0 2 0 | FA E N A F O R U M | M I A M I

SPACES

Grand Canal Restaurant | Deck 3-4 | Costa VeneziaBEST RESTAURANT DESIGN

Grand Canal Restaurant | Deck 3-4 | Costa VeneziaBEST RESTAURANT DESIGN1

Grand Canal Restaurant | Deck 3-4 | Costa VeneziaBEST RESTAURANT DESIGN2

Grand Canal Restaurant | Deck 3-4 | Costa VeneziaBEST RESTAURANT DESIGN3

Growth in Chinese cruise guest numbers is significant but market potential remains large-ly untapped: the 2.5 million guests cruising per year amount to less than 2% of Chinese foreign travellers. Today, 40% of Chinese cruise customers are from Shanghai. Innova-tive thinking is needed to appeal to a broader pool of guests, especially from central China.Delivered in 2019, Costa Venezia embodies a strategic move by Carnival Corp to capitalise on that potential, as the first of a series of Cos-ta Cruises ships built from start to finish with Chinese cruise guest experience in mind. The 5,200-guest capacity vessel has been de-veloped to meet Chinese expectations on accommodation, entertainment, dining and retailing while also delivering a cruising and holidaying experience based on Italian cul-ture and lifestyle.Ship interiors represent the starting point for delivering on the owner’s cruise experience objectives, with Costa Venezia inspired by the city of Venice. Among a number of public ar-eas conceived, developed and brought to life by YSA Design on board the ship, the Grand Canal Restaurant occupying the aft section of Decks 3 and 4 stands out. Designed to call to mind a waterside wander along Venetian walkways past colonnade-fronted palacios, the space also provides a setting for a regal dining experience to match. The iconic position of Venice within Ital-ian culture is not in doubt but its iconogra-phy must be handled carefully to avoid cli-ché. YSA Design’s work for the Grand Canal Restaurant sought to sustain an authentically Venetian ambience not only by deploying ‘Lion of Venice’ sculptures, but through the subtle use of scale, perspective, signage and lighting.

As its centrepiece, the Grand Canal Restau-rant features a real gondola made by Squero di San Trovaso artisans, which ‘floats’ in back-lit glass and offers guests the photo opportu-nity to capture an authentic ‘Canal moment’. Guests can also step across the Venetian bridge, either on their way to the romance of canal-side dining against a majestic backdrop of colonnade ‘palacio’ frontage or enter one of the elegant rooms behind for more seclud-ed dining. With their classical interior de-tailing, these luxurious two-storey hideaway interiors add another layer of authenticity to the complete Venetian experience. For YSA Design, the project demanded de-sign ingenuity to deliver on owner expecta-tions while working within a pre-allocated space, as well as painstaking materials selec-tion and close coordination with Italian mas-ter craftsmen working to exceptional finish-ing standards. The Grand Canal palacios clad in real plaster, for example, while their door-ways are framed in Italian soft stone; inside, individual rooms feature soft Murano lighting, brocaded wall hangings, period artworks, and luxurious and tactile fabrics in pinks, beiges and blues.Whether experienced from an inner room or the waterfront, YSA Design’s achievement has been to make Grand Canal architecture and styling work in harmony to recreate spec-tacular Venice without overpowering the in-timacy and surprises that make it unique as a tourist destination.YSA Design is currently hard at work on a second Costa Cruises ship for the Chinese market, this time with the flavour of Florence. The ship is under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard and due delivery in 2020.

Grand Canal Restaurant | Deck 3-4 | Costa VeneziaBEST RESTAURANT DESIGN4