Carla had a fine time visiting DW! Sao Paulo Design Week, a vibrant celebration of architecture, urbanism, crafts and art in true Brazilian style. This nine-day festival runs from 14 to 24 March and Carla took part in one of the keynote eventson the opening day. The ‘Superyachts and the future of high-end design’ seminar also brought together two of the biggest names in custom yachtbuilding and bespoke furnishings, Feadship and Artefacto.
As a festival that aims to promote the culture of design and its connections with architecture and art, the DW! Sao Paulo Design Week is perfectly aligned with Carla’s work onshore and onboard yachts. The seminar looked in part at Carla Guilhem Design’s flourishing partnerships with Artefacto, which have included the beautiful Origin Residences overlooking Miami’s Bay Harbor Islands, and the impressive Essenza Collection, a luxury furniture line that stylishly captures the essence of superyacht living.
Transcending differences
Carla talked at the event about how these projects came about and the key differences between creating interiors for onshore residential and superyachts that traverse the world’s seas. “There are distinctions between these two environments which transcend all normal rules of design,” she explains. “They range from the obvious impact of saltwater and fast changing weather conditions experienced on yachts to the entirely different ways of working with spaces that can be literally changed on land but not within the confines of a fixed superyacht layout.
“What unifies these strikingly diverse settings for me, however, is my desire to seamlessly meet a client’s personal preferences and the way they and their family like to live. This transcends all considerations about surroundings and often comes down to a very specific feeling.”
Spreading the message
Another speaker and panel member at ‘Superyachts and the future of high-end design’ was Sip Halbertsma, commercial director of Feadship America. He gave a brief introduction to the current superyacht market and explained the rich history of Feadship, which has roots in the Netherlands dating back into the 1800s.
“I love the way Feadship takes on a pure-custom brief for all its clients and would welcome the chance to work on one of its extraordinary projects one day,” Carla continues. “Feadship specializes in the largest superyachts and although they do have Brazilian clients, owners tend to keep their megayachts in the Med or Caribbean. This event was a great way to spread the message in Brazil about the upper echelons of quality offered by yards like Feadship and CGD as a design house.”
All at sea
Artefacto CEO Paulo Bacchi also gave a talk on how his luxury furniture lines have evolved as the brand looks at the yachting industry with different eyes. Artefacto has become very adept at ensuring its manufacturing processes are able to produce pieces that thrive in the maritime environment.
“It was an honor to create the Essenza Collection together with Artefacto,” adds Carla. “Launched in August 2023, this luxury furniture range was designed to combine refinement, practical functionality and elements of the ocean into outstanding pieces that feel instantly at home on a superyacht.”
Click here to dive into the Essenza Collection and read more about Carla’s cooperative ventures with Artefacto on land in this interview here.
