With a design career that began with Princess Cruises while she was a university student in Italy, Giuseppina Arena has long had an affinity for floating architecture and design. Yacht interiors particularly became a specialty through staff roles with various Italian yacht and superyacht builders. They include Intermarine, Admiral Yachts, and multiple Ferretti Group brands. When the Ferretti Group asked her to move to the United States to head design for its American customers, Arena embraced the challenge. “In Italy, we design first and then consider comfort. In the USA, you have to be careful about function,” Arena says. After nearly nine years with the Ferretti Group, “I decided to open my own company” in 2016. “I thought I could create something that at the end had my firm, my name, my DNA.”
As the owner of Giuseppina Arena Architecture & Design in Miami, Arena handles new builds and refits globally. She has designed projects such as the Dynamiq yacht Stefania and the yacht concept Stardust by Tankoa Yachts. “Yachts are my first love and never-ending love,” she says. Additionally, she designs residential interior. In fact, the upcoming Riva Residenze (below) in Fort Lauderdale—waterfront condos evoking quintessential Riva yachts’ style—are among them. We spoke with Arena about how flexibility to satisfy diverse client desires is a must, and how and how she’s transcending traditional design norms with the Riva Residenze.
Diane M. Byrne: Do any particular yacht projects stand out for being challenging or especially enjoyable?
Giuseppina Arena: Well, one that was really unique is a refit at Monaco Marine. It was a 50-meter Benetti, and we had to do it in four months. We had to take a traditional Benetti and create a sort of upscale club, designing all unique furniture and custom carpeting. We had very strong challenges in terms of the timeline and design. There are really unique elements that I’ve never seen in any other boat in my life. It was also just after Covid, actually, so many materials were not very easily achievable. But we did great, and the client is happy. It’s a complete transformation of a yacht in four months with a unique destination of use.
Diane M. Byrne: If you could use just one word to describe what yacht owners are looking for in the design process, what would you say, and why?
Giuseppina Arena: In big boats. I would say unicity, exclusivity. Definitely uniqueness and exclusivity, because they want something that just belongs to them and only them. Honestly, you can challenge yourself more because the clients are willing to spend more in order to have something that is really unbelievable and created for them. The client knows they have something unique, but it’s also sophisticated.
Diane M. Byrne: This probably also is what the Riva Residenze buyers will be looking for—something more exclusive. Is that the feel that you’re striving for, too?
Giuseppina Arena: Yes, we’re trying to put Riva elements on each floor. We are trying to transfer the timeless elegance and unfurled elegance that the Riva brand has from the beginning, with Carlo Riva, up to the modern yacht interiors. So, the client, I hope, will be happy and surprised to have different interiors, especially because the clients who are going to be interested probably are already Riva owners. Whoever buys a Riva knows the details, knows the quality, knows the difference between one boat and a Riva boat, the legacy of the brand, and the history. This is a great responsibility because it’s not only me creating something for a client. It’s also a brand, a very important and strong brand to represent. So, we are trying to do something in terms of materials, details, elements that remind you of Riva interiors, from the small up to the big.
Diane M. Byrne: What about some of your current yacht projects? Is anything pushing you in new directions?
Giuseppina Arena: Well, a shipyard I’ve never worked with gave me the opportunity to design one of their series boats. This shipyard also has a yard in the city where I was born. They have different brands, too. I don’t copy and paste. I don’t have my own style; I have my client’s style. Of course, I bring the client sometimes to decisions that I think would be better for the project. Working with the Ferretti Group helped me to completely change style from one project to another. In this project particularly, I need to be careful to achieve the goal. This means that many clients can appreciate these interiors, they can really be in love with this, yet I’m trying to give some freedom in terms of changing elements of the interiors.
I did one project for Westport like that. I designed the 125. They wanted also to enter the European market, so they asked me to do some more contemporary interiors. I strongly believe they have the capability; they are a great shipyard. They just needed a push. So they asked me to do a basic design with some elements that you could change, and changing those elements, you could have new interiors. This is what I’m trying to do with the shipyard in Italy. I cannot mention which one, yet. But this is challenging me, and I tried to create a very sophisticated, comfy interior. You have to achieve the taste of more clients.
Giuseppina Arena Architecture & Design giuseppinaarena.com
Leave a Reply