Agis Variani, experienced Chief Stewardess and consultant to interior designers, begs the question, could the eye of an experienced crew member help enhance a yacht interior design project?

Although many designers might feel that the crew perspective might be less important or even unnecessary, the reality is that no one knows the interior of a yacht better than the interior crew. When the going gets tough, the interior crew needs to unfold itself to maintain the level and speed of service expected by demanding and critical guests in order to keep them happy and satisfied.

No one quite understands others’ professions and skills as they do their own, and learning is a process that lasts a lifetime. Luxury and functionality may appear to walk hand-in-hand, but yet so often one tends to lack the other. Without a doubt, there do exist owners who don’t prioritise or even care about functionality, but at some point in the use of a yacht, it is bound to become a trigger, either through a delay in service or by a lack of what would be deemed ‘expected quality’.

Ego apart, the “joint venture” of senior crew + designer has all the elements to be a very fruitful one, when each side respects the knowledge of the other. And the designer is undoubtedly the interpreter and enforcer of the owner’s wishes, but owners don’t have to think about where things will be stored safely, or which kind of product will be used to clean something, or what expensive material will be chosen for the master bedroom headboard. Just as the designer knows which material would match this or that room, the interior crew knows if here or there is…