4 0 When four men and a dog founded Studio DADO three years ago, they brought together decades of cruise ship design experience, a passion for creating unforgettable spaces and a philosophy that every project should be a joyful experience. Since then, the company has earned a reputation for its innate understanding of cruise brands, their passengers and the functionality they need. DADO’s work with Carnival Cruise Line, designing spaces aboard Mardi Gras including the spa, fitness room, suites and staterooms, is a case in point. “Carnival called us to discuss the spa on Mardi Gras shortly after we’d founded Studio DADO,” explains Greg Walton who, with Javier Calle, Jorge Mesa and Yohandel Ruiz – and Enzo the Italian Greyhound – started the company in 2016. “This was going to be the largest ship in Carnival’s fleet, so it wanted to elevate the guest experience and take the brand in a new direction. We knew this was something special that we could really help to mould for the brand.” The team immediately embarked on a research trip with Carnival’s executives, to gather inspiration from the spas of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. “There are some really beautiful resorts there that they wanted to show us, to illustrate what they were thinking,” says Mesa. “It was very exploratory at first, and then we distilled the design to create something unique to this ship, which touches all the senses.” The resulting designs for the ship’s Cloud 9 spa are both beautiful and simple, drawing on inspiration from the team’s Yucatan experiences to create a space for mindfulness and tranquillity. “The Mayan culture is very connected with nature, and we wanted to bring nature into these spaces,” says Calle. “We created an abstract tree sculpture which extends across the ceiling in the Cloud 9 reception area, which actually transforms a structural pillar into a work of art. And the illuminated graphic behind the spa reception desk is like a window to the natural world, because in every spa room we saw there was a window looking out to nature. We carried that through to the treatment rooms too.” Carnival also asked DADO to create a new visual palette for across its staterooms and suites. DADO’s expertise, backed by its network of suppliers and contractors, meant the team could deliver a fresh new look and feel for the rooms that is in keeping with the rest of the ship – all in just two months. “We worked with Carnival to identify the elements within the original design by DCA that were important to them, and that we needed to carry through,” says Walton. “Then it was a case of developing the colour story behind it. Carnival wanted something that felt light and airy, with subtler tones than it has used in the past, so we took elements of the original design and modified it to develop something that resonated with the brand.” COVER STORY
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