The exterior yacht styles and interiors that have come from the drawing boards of Bernard Olesinski Design over the past 40 years have graced many a Princess and Fairline production boat and yacht. But, the principles of naval architecture, structural engineering, and more apply regardless of a boat being 30 feet or 230 feet. That’s why Bernard Olesinski Design is now expanding its services and targeting the megayacht market, too, specifically yachts in the 164- to 197-foot (50- to 60-meter) range. The office will continue collaborating with Princess—its work on the recent flagship Imperial Princess (pictured above and below) has garnered client and industry praise, as well as award nominations—but, as Justin Olesinski, managing director of Bernard Olesinski Design, explains, “with additional firepower, we will be able to also move up to bigger projects.”
We spoke with Olesinski to get more details on how he envisions the company’s experience benefitting much larger megayacht projects.

Q: What spurred your interest in branching out further?
A: Designing the Princess 32m and 40m was a huge learning experience for us, but their success and forward orders showed us that this was not only a buoyant market, but our approach and design was well received. We always wanted to go big, and we are now in a position to move ahead.
Q: Do you have any inquiries thus far? If so, can you discuss details?
A: Yes, we have had a number of enquires from boatyards, owners’ representatives, and superyacht consultants. The interest has been between the 50- and 60-meter motoryacht sector, with varying degrees of design input. As we offer naval architecture, interior layouts, exterior styling, structures, and photo-realistic images, clients can choose if they would like some or all components, depending on their preferences.
Q: Are there specific size ranges you intend to target initially? Power vs. sail, too?
A: Initially we are concentrating on the 60- to 80-meter power market, as we see this sector as one we understand and can excel in. Sail may be an option in the future, but for the time being the power market appears to be still developing strongly. Once we are established, we may move bigger or move to sail, but I am a believer in expanding slowly but surely.
Q: What do you feel you bring to the marketplace that others are not addressing?
A: Although most 50-meter-plus yachts are bespoke, our experience in high production design will benefit the client by helping to keep the cost down and optimizing space. Production design consists of very tight deadlines, and the right-first-time philosophy allows the time to market to be massively reduced compared to schedules currently offered to clients today. Our design process, teamwork, and integrated office mean all aspects of the design move together in parallel rather than the traditional sequential route. Our fresh approach, where we do not have pre-conceived ideas that can restrict innovation, produces new and exciting designs quickly with a unique and iconic superyacht. We are known in the sub-40-meter market as being the best, and we will continue to deliver this award-winning level over 60 meters.
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