1 1 4 INTERIOR COMMENTARY A reflection on Crystal Cruises and its influence on cruise ship interior design Founded in 1988 by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), Crystal Cruises was one of the first cruise lines to introduce the concept of luxury interiors within the cruise industry. The interiors of Crystal’s elegant ships have been popular for over 30 years and were characterised by a combination of British and Italian style, with a touch of American modernism and Japanese sensibility. Sadly, Crystal went into liquidation in 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but its legacy will remain for many years through the work of the interior designers that it inspired. The director of design for the cruise line was Robert Tillberg, founder of Tillberg Design of Sweden, who I accompanied on all the Crystal projects and it was that feeling of discreet but deeply rooted luxury that I perceived in every detail onboard Crystal’s ships. The company’s first vessel was Crystal Harmony, which is still owned by NYK Line but now sails as Asuka II. Crystal Harmony was beautiful and featured an all-white exterior with a thin turquoise line from bow to stern, as well as two seahorses on the funnel that became representative of the cruise line’s branding. Almost all the cabins had a sea-view balcony, which was a novelty at the time. I remember seeing the ship when it was moored at Mitsubishi’s shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, in preparation for its maiden voyage in the early 1990s. I admired Crystal Harmony from the very beginning. A couple of other vessels followed on from Crystal Harmony including Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, before the cruise line changed ownership to By Vittorio Garroni, Garroni Design Adieu Crystal The combination of British, Italian, Japanese and American style is epitomised in the restaurants and public areas onboard the Crystal ships
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