112 for the overall experience, which has been interesting and challenging at the same time. The ships don’t just have to be more beautiful, they must also be smarter and offer more amenities and experiences. The dining experiences have to be heightened because people are no longer looking for quantity over quality; they want expertly prepared food. They also want extraordinary destinations and unforgettable memories they can tell their friends about. The whole industry has greater integrity now too. Cruise ship design wasn’t necessarily seen as a serious pursuit when I first started out, but now the work we do is on par with – if not above – anything we see on land. We have industry visionaries like Frank Del Rio, Harry Sommer, Harri Kulovaara and Richard Fain to thank for that. They, and many others, have pushed the envelope with their impatient search for the next thing. Do you have any amusing stories from your career that helps to illustrate why you have been so captivated by this industry? My amusing stories all centre around my ever-present and loyal companion, Enzo, an Italian greyhound with impeccable style and class. Enzo was the first dog to ever enter Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard and, if it weren’t for some quick-thinking diplomacy, the visit would surely have triggered an international incident. To make a long story short, Enzo was allowed through the gates and has since been welcomed with open arms at Fincantieri. He even has a permanent yard pass and has been a key member in stateroom mock-ups as well as mock-ups for public areas. He has also (literally and figuratively) left his mark in the boardrooms of the major cruise lines. What does the future look like for you now that you have entered a new chapter of your life? For most of our adult lives, we’re defined by our careers and related accomplishments. My architecture and design career has taken me all around the world, multiple times. It’s been an incredible journey and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Now I am beginning a new chapter, but I haven’t written the script yet, so I am open to future possibilities and how those will define me. For my whole life I have had a very clear path of what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. It may have meandered a few times but there was always a trajectory. Now there are infinite possibilities laid out before me, which is both exciting and slightly terrifying! DESIGN LEGEND One of Walton’s most recent design projects with Studio DADO was creating interiors for the three-storey, glass-walled Penrose Atrium – and many other spaces – onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Prima-class ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva
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