Yacht Design: State of the Art

Uncovering the secret weapon behind every superyacht designer.

This article was written by Rachel Ingram. Photography courtesy of DKT Artworks.

“You will never know of DKT, unless you know it,” says Guglielmo Carrozzo, head of marketing at DKT Artworks, a studio you’ve likely never heard of but whose work you’ll almost certainly have seen. The company is one of the secret weapons that world-leading yacht designers and shipyards use to elevate their designs and bring their ideas to life.

DKT specializes in bespoke decorative finishes and artworks, employing 30 full-time multi-skilled artisans in its London studio their expertise ranges from gilding and sculpturing to fine finishing and glasswork decoration.

With roots in high-end hospitality and residential design, DKT broke into yachting 25 years ago–it’s first project was a 52-meter Feadship in collaboration with Winch Design. The studio has since gone on to work on nearly 100 yachts, including some of the world’s largest builds: Dilbar, Here Comes the Sun, Madame Gu, Al Lusail, Serene, Kismet, Kibo, and A+ (formerly Topaz), among others. “You name it and we’ve done something on board,” Carrozzo says.

Many of DKT’s artworks have become as iconic as the yacht they decorate. Take Phoenix 2, an Art Deco haven built by Lürssen with interiors by Winch Design. DKT artisans crafted several stand-out decorative pieces for the yacht, including the gold jazz players that perform for guests in the dining room, the Dean-Cornwell-inspired staircase mural, and the Empire State Building-inspired artworks on one of the landings.

The studio is also behind myriad award-winning features such as the bird and floral scene that circles the staircase onboard Lürssen yacht Ahpo and a famed floor-to-ceiling finish onboard Heesen yacht Irisha. “The finish has been referred to over and over as a reference,” Carrozzo says. “But DKT goes beyond exceptionally nice finishes- our work is for when you want something spectacular that will blow your mind.”

DKT specializes in bespoke decorative finishes and artworks.

Designers can choose how they work with DKT. They can go to the studio with a fully formed idea for its artisans to execute or they can involve them from the beginning in the initial concept. “We are also here to advise on the critical points in delivering an artwork, such as IMO or weight restriction, humidity, light exposure or joints,” Carrozzo says. “All of these things make us more than a supplier, but a collaborator and a partner with a designer or the shipyard’s in-house design team.”

DKT isn’t the only place to go for bespoke superyacht art and fine finishes. Many designers choose to commission artists independently or through galleries. Contemporary artists such as Monaco-based artist Daria Usova, who uses a patented technique of collage named “Pieces Art”, have crafted myriad pieces for superyachts, as have sculptors like Takashi Murakami, Dale Chihuly, and Joseph Klibansky, who we previously interviewed in FRANK Magazine.

When it comes to bespoke crystal sculptures, which are popular on board, many designers turn to the Czech Republic to engage with the masters of Bohemian crystal, including Jaroslav Prošek and Vlastimil Beranek, a third-generation glassmaker and creator of the world’s largest art sculpture made from a single piece of glass. Both artists are represented by Czech company Crystal Caviar, which has supplied sculptures for superyachts including Talisman C, Kaos, White Rabbit Golf, and Kismet.

When designers are commissioning pieces, they factor in a yacht’s primary use. If it’s frequently chartered, artworks may be more generic and pleasing to a broader audience, while private-use yachts tend to be bolder. “If it’s for private use, you’ll have lots of symbolism and elements that remind owners of their family or favorite places on Earth,” Carrozzo says. “On Kismet, there are lots of references to the areas and places close to the owners; and on Sea Owl, which is a family yacht, we created a Harry Potter-style piece in the library and awesome sliding panels with a pirate ship battle scene in the kids’ room.”

As the superyacht industry continues to evolve, so does the work of artisans. “In the last 25 years, interior design onboard the yacht has changed, so we must always push our creative boundaries. Also, regulations change, so we need to comply with new rules and restrictions while delivering the artworks or finishes the client wants.”

He reveals that currently, there is an evolution in terms of both materials and use of space. “The new generation want to experience the sea and see outside, so there are more windows. As a result, there is an opportunity for us to work more with decorating glass methods like verre églomisé and gilding,” Carrozzo says. On the other hand, standalone artworks are always a great option. For example, on Ultra G, a super-contemporary Heesen yacht, DKT crafted a striking whale tail sculpture to make a link between the art and the ocean, leaving the rest of the clean space clear.

While bespoke art by studios like DKT is an effective way to showcase the unique personality and tastes of a yacht’s owner, there’s also nothing wrong with hanging an artwork by a favored contemporary or classic artist. “There are different ways to go about it,” Carrozzo says. “You can buy a Picasso because you love Picasso, which is obviously fine, or you can say ‘this is my room and I want something bespoke that’s created just for me’. DKT is at the opposite end of the spectrum to an art gallery. In a gallery, you find the piece and try to fit the room around it; we go the other way round.”

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