Giuseppina Arena

QUART ERLY - P.I. 31/07 /2019 Intern Spedizione in Abbon ationa l € 10, Chf amento Postale 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 - 70% - LO/MI Poste Italiane S.p.a.

C O R A L

SL102Asymme

I S S U E

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CORAL ISSUE - n° 19 - 2019 - € 10

The Art of Sailing

[ CREATIVE MINDS: GIUSEPPINA ARENA ]

MY CREATIVE PROCESS ALWAYS STARTS WITH A SMALL DETAIL, A MATERIAL, A FABRIC, AN ACCENT THAT BECOMES THE LEITMOTIF OF THE PROJECT

by Samuela Urbini

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Architect and interior designer Giuseppina Arena works on luxury yachts, residences, private aircraft and retail stores. She is currently based in Miami. A sunny yet decisive character, Arena takes much of her inspiration for her work from her native Sicily, a land alive with colours, perfumes, architecture and traditions

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[ CREATIVE MINDS ]

he has a unique ability to listen to and intuit her clients’

boats that had been ordered on that side of the Pond.

desires. This is a strategic quality which, combined

In Giuseppina Arena’s interiors, décor details are turned into

with an encyclopaedic knowledge of materials finishes

architectural elements and imbued with their own personality.

and furnishings, has seen Giuseppina Arena rise to the very top

Regardless of whether it is the finish of a material, an unusual leather

of the yacht design world. In 2016, in actual fact, she opened her

or wood treatment, that detail will be used to develop the leitmotif

own studio in Miami where she designs interiors for luxury yachts,

running through the entire yacht. “The initial idea always comes from

residences, private aircraft and retail stores. “After I graduated in civil

a freehand sketch,” she says. “Sometimes clients come to me with an

architecture and did my thesis on the creation of the Grand Princess,

abstract idea. For example, in the Dynamiq 100 concept, the yacht

my career really centred around the naval sector, apart from a brief

was to be minimalist but not cold. But for the Dynamiq 165, however,

foray into the military segment. I absorbed as much as I could from

there was a more specific theme: the Maldives. This was to make the

this fascinating world before I returned to designing interiors (as a

client feel they were on a remote atoll and give the same idea of the

civil architect) that were the product of my nautical experience. That

water as one would get from a bungalow in that part of the world”.

means making the very most of the available spaces and having 80

This was the spark that saw Arena research typical materials from

per cent of the architectural and design features bespoke-created for

the Maldives, until she eventually settled on stone and wood. Another

the client”. Arena built her career working with some of the leading

specification was that the furnishings come from the Bottega Veneta

yards, including Intermarine, Cantieri Admiral and, lastly, Ferretti,

Home collection. When she looked at the materials used, Arena

for which she developed interiors for Pershing and several other of

saw a bamboo weave she liked and that provided the starting point.

the Group’s brands before the latter suggested she make the move

“It’s a very simple material that echoes nature but I enriched it with

to Miami to work directly with American clients on customising the

a lacquered finish. All the furnishings I designed have that woven

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Giuseppina Arena’s projects all develop from a single detail which she cleverly turns into an architectural element in its own right. Her aim aboard is to harmonise elements, treating fixed areas as a freestanding customisations. Aboard the Dynamiq 165 (in these renderings), the recurring motif is a bamboo weave present in certain Bottega Veneto pieces chosen by the owner which Arena has also borrowed for the custom-designed furnishings and accessories

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[ CREATIVE MINDS ]

All of Giuseppina Arena’s designs start out as freehand sketches before she throws herself into intensive research which only ends when she is convinced she has got what she needs. There is a very specific motivation behind every item, every choice aboard and this creates hugely atmospheric projects

motif. It is incredibly important to me to amalgamate all the elements by treating the fixed furniture as a freestanding customisation component”. The lampshades on the stone-topped table have the same weave but in fabric and the ceilings have the traditional Maldivian cabin structure, a detail with plenty of character. “I pour huge passion into what I do. I keep researching until my mind is made up because I like to have a motivation for everything I bring aboard. And clients can feel that”.

The architect is sunny but decisive, a bit like her native Sicily to which she returns on a regular basis to soak up its island atmosphere. “Sicily is brimming with inspiration – its scents, colours, architecture, traditions, food. Everything you are surrounded by is inspirational. It gives your creativity a real power boost!”

www.giuseppinaarena.com 94