Cristiano Gatto Design: "The importance of being close to the owner in its broadest sense"

In 1992, fresh from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, Cristiano Gatto began studying the relationship between industrial design and contemporary art. A year later, he was hired by a well-known Italian design firm as project manager. He quickly rose to head the interior design department and later became general manager of the entire firm.

At the end of 2001, the time was ripe to take a big step: opening his own independent studio. Thus was born Cristiano Gatto Design, which in 2006 was renamed Cristiano Gatto Design Team.

Year after year, the studio's reputation and name have grown internationally, earning the trust of shipyards and clients. In recent years, Cristiano and the team have amassed a portfolio of over 260 projects, including yachts, residences, hotels, and luxury restaurants. The studio has designed both production and custom yachts for leading Italian, Dutch, and Spanish shipyards, and created unique projects for private clients worldwide.

SUPER YACHT 24 interviewed him to find out more about his thoughts on design in the yacht sector and the most significant current trends.

Is the life of a designer necessarily that of a nomad traveling the world?

I frequent the construction sites I work with, and I've always tried to travel to different places to meet people and cultures different from my own. I come from the Academy, and the 'cultural' part of my profession is what interests me most because it helps me understand how people live in the world. So I've traveled extensively and almost everywhere to learn the artisans' working techniques: I understand how they make their products and I can clearly draw what I'd like them to make for me. I've been doing this job for 30 years, and I consider this perhaps its most fascinating aspect.

From sailing to real estate and vice versa: how do these career transitions occur?

"When working with clients in the residential sector, we often talked about other things, including their yachts. And today, of course, it happens that a yacht owner who is satisfied with his yacht also asks us to design his new home or offices.

I started with Pershing, and then Ferretti, Leopard, Mangusta, Perini, Benetti, CRN, Isa, Canados, Cantieri di Pisa, Gulf Craft, Palmer & Johnson, among others, up until my new experiences with Van Der Valk, with whom I'm building a new and innovative 40-meter yacht. I've never been a designer for a shipyard. But I've been working with the Dutch shipyard Heesen since 2009 and currently have four boats under construction, where I oversee both the exterior and interior design. After an experience in Turkey, I moved on to the desert of the United Arab Emirates with Gulf Craft, with whom we built the largest production fiberglass boat, over 500 tons, with excellent results. It's a shipyard with enormous potential."

Given all this experience in the nautical industry, what do you think is essential to do your job well?

It's essential to be able to communicate with the owner and be close to him in the broadest sense. That's why I try to understand their culture, their way of thinking, and their way of life. I try to connect with someone whose background is different from mine, so I can make their true desires come true. I listen, without filters, to what the client tells me with emotion, and I translate it into technical drawings that a German, Dutch, American, or who knows what other craftsman can understand.

It is a journey of understanding: over time, a harmony is established that leads to a true meeting point and dialogue.

It's necessary to clear away all mental constructs and approach the person with a spirit of collaboration, total availability, honesty, and curiosity. I'd say this approach has helped me become part of the shipowners' lives, not just their consultant.

The same principle applies to carpenters and other craftsmen. And this helps you focus.”

For a creative, is there a risk or fear of falling into the trap of not being identified by the signature and therefore not being 'visible'?

“The best compliment for me is: 'You can't tell you were the one who designed the project.' I'm noticing that over time my work has become more distinctive: this is precisely because there isn't a single style that connects all our projects.”

If we were to delve beyond this ability to connect with clients through communication, what do you think is a distinctive feature of your firm?

More than one: our 'damned' skill—pardon my bluntness. When we deliver our drawings, the technical offices mistake them for executive plans. I'm a stickler for detail, and I insist that the entire 'language' be developed in-house. Project quality is one of the highest ambitions of my work and is evident in everything we do, from the images to the technical drawings to the specifications.

Then there's the constant research into materials and manufacturing techniques that allows us to better define the client's requirements. The best example I can give is the "Home" boat by Heesen Yachts, commissioned by a mathematician. In some parts of the boat, there were up to 14 materials all in the exact same color (lacquer, wood, leather, stitching, etc.): the richness of the workmanship enhanced the space without being cumbersome. The concept the boat had to respect was to empty the interior so that the view could be admired to the point of making it feel like part of the interior. Creating a sophistication that becomes legible as the richness of the environment is perhaps one of the things that differentiates, characterizes, and highlights what we do.

And finally, the third characteristic of our work is overseeing the entire process: we start with the master plan and continue six months after the ship's delivery. We take care of the interior and exterior layout and furnishings, but not only that: we oversee everything, from the furniture to the dishes, the sheets, the towels, and even the room fragrance, to create a connected sensory experience.”

What does it really mean to create an experience? It's a saying found almost exclusively in the nautical world.

"An example is the setup we're currently doing for a yacht that, after traveling in American waters, is returning to Europe: we need to ensure that clients feel as if they're on the same boat, but more in tune with the Mediterranean environment, recreating the typical atmospheres of our region with colors, materials, and scents. Building a superyacht is a wonderful journey of discovery for everyone, and for the owner, it also means being able to create an environment that represents them and where they can be themselves with the people who matter most to them."

How does your education at the Academy of Fine Arts and being an artist influence your work?

I consider myself an artisan of art. Having a sensitivity for 'making,' I also have respect for it. From the Academy, I learned to confront my ideas with the more practical aspects of their constructibility and durability. This fundamental training was provided to me by the masters of the Academy and the various Venetian art workshops, and has never been interrupted by my constant contact with a variety of artisans, from whom I am constantly learning new things.

How does sustainability factor into a designer's work?

“The topic is very broad: we should think about having greater responsibility for the work environments, for the manufacturing techniques, for the sourcing of materials and the energy used.

What I do in this sense is to be aware of the origin of the materials I use, in which environment and with what ethics they are produced.”

What types of projects are you working on at this stage?

The way we experience boats is changing, and this allows us to work on many new and interesting projects. This change is affecting both people's relationship with boats and their intended use. One example is beach clubs, once closed, which are now increasingly open, allowing for contact with the marine environment through open terraces, spaces that merge from inside to outside, and hollowed-out sterns.

On the other hand, technique helps us a lot. By changing the technique, the needs and aesthetic potential that the object can assume also change. You have to master the technique for the aesthetic to be different.”

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