The A List: Yachting's Top Designers In Their Own Words

The world’s top designers descended on Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Superyacht Design Festival in February. Here we capture their views – and the spectacular Italian scenery

Martin Francis, Francis Design To work with Philippe Starck!

Sam Sorgiovanni, Sorgiovanni Designs The wildest request (no pun intended) was for a live terrarium on Nirvana, with living camellias, turtles and water dragons, achieved in collaboration with a zoologist specialising in reptiles. It specified environmental needs, humidity and temperature requirements along with a forepeak cricket farm for live feed! However, seasickness was something we didn’t anticipate.

Fiona Diamond, Seymour Diamond I was asked to recreate the decorative ceiling with tortoiseshell from the lobby of the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco for an owner’s lounge. We achieved this by 3D-scanning clay and wood details, which were then produced in SikaBlock by CNC machine, all finally being sanded and painted to replicate the look. Faux tortoiseshell only!

Daniel Nerhagen, Tillberg Design The boat was more or less ready for delivery when the owner came on board and did the walk-around. In the lobby atrium he saw a perfect parking spot for his vintage Ferrari. So not much to do: remove the interior, windows and lining and make a cut out in the bulkhead to be able to lift in the car, then close the opening and put everything back again. Turned out great in the end.

Frank Neubelt, GYC Studio The most complex design brief given to me was a removable, land-storable helipad set over the pool deck on a 70 metre, for carrying a helicopter on exploration journeys only.

Tim Heywood, Tim Heywood Designs I am fortunate in that I find inspiration all around me, all the time. You just have to be receptive to it, make “crossing subject boundaries” the way you look at all objects, be they the thorax of a butterfly or the exposed structure of a 50-floor contemporary office block.

Terence Disdale, Terence Disdale Design Sitting by a lake, watching the sun come up.

Axel De Beaufort, Hermès I find design inspiration in my day-to-day life. Curiosity is the best way to find new ideas, in sometimes the most unexpected situations. I would love my life to be perpetual astonishment. Speaking with craftsmen is also a huge field for building up new ideas and challenges by understanding techniques and seeing how to push boundaries.

Jozeph Forakis, Jozeph Forakis … Design I get inspiration from all aspects of nature: plants, animals and systems, down to the microscopic scale. I’m currently studying the extraordinarily beautiful and weird ultra-deep sea “aliens” being discovered only now. They are better than any science fiction – mother nature has an incredible imagination!