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DESIGNERS AS PROBLEM SOLVERS

  • louisedalrymple7
  • Nov 18, 2020
  • 7 min read

Updated: Jan 6, 2021


Le Cirque 2000



It's a historical building designed by Stanford Dwight. A very important landmark in New York City. And one of the very few landmark interiors in New York City. Which is quite unusual. There's a lot of landmark buildings, but not landmark interiors, which meant that you couldn't do any you couldn't touch any of the interiors. The historical interiors, you had to build within the confinement. So problem number one.


The problem is how do you take a contemporary restaurant WITH THE CIRCUS THEME, by the way because this is a circus and you create a Cirque for our century 2000 in a confine of a very classic 18th century neo classic interior, which you can’t touch. So when I sat down with with Syrio to discuss. I said, Syrio. You know, we have two options here really we restore the place, we put in BEAUTIFUL LIGHTING put in period furniture and we end up with a mausoleum.We know something that befitting the Archdiocese of New York serving food.

This is or we behave like the Italians do. Now this caught his imagination.


So what happened was we created an interior within the interior completely over the top, I'm banking on the fact that the the stodgy and heavy interiors will be set off by contemporary furniture and fixtures and, you know, everything was freestanding that you will see it in your contemporary’s chair and you will view this interior, which will be clearly less threatening.So each one of these elements will will will feed off each other and create this tension that is positive because you're trying to do something contemporary and we created the bar, you know, you couldn't drill a hole, nothing. So we had a bar that had its own pumping system. You couldn't plug it to a plumbing, all we could do is plug into light and everything had to be not only freestanding but removed from the wall because according to the landmark Commission, the public at large has the right to walk into the space several times a year and see the interiors as they meant to be. So you couldn't. I mean like drapery was good up with tension rods. There was no screws into anything bottom line, we created a circus a real circus. The circus comes to town pitches attempt opens it up in the middle of the square. It doesn't touch anything. You know, the city remains the same. The circus is on its own, then you can knock it down, close it leave and the city remains where it was so. Philosophically speaking this solution to a problem became an asset instead of a liability. You know, and if you look at the images, you will see exactly what I mean.






"Started working on cruise ships while ago. But, you know, doing the little pieces here and there. One Dining Room one lobby one this one that I was always fascinated about cruise ships, because they are moving hotels, actually. With the emphasis on the word moving but what attracted me is, is the fact that they are actually very controlled environment. And when you have a captive audience.

You will have the passengers and the customers that are on the ship. Sometimes days, knowing and they have no place to go. They can’t go anywhere else. So, which is good, you know, but it's also challenging you know how, how do you keep them interested. How do you keep them.

You know, owning some sense of discovery on the ship. If you you you know you're on all the time and and there's a variety of ways to do that. And the responsibility of a designer though becomes quite a bit because you're, you have to keep your customers fresh, you know, some of the larger cruise lines cruise ships. You know when you're talking about, you know, 2500 captains and up there so big that some of them have 30 Food and Beverage venues theatres clubs, you know the the new conception of the cruise ship now is, is to create multiple venues versus bringing everybody to the same place.

Because first of all, it's physically almost impossible to to have a dining room for 2500 people I know it's impossible to manage impossible to organize it’s possible to service. Plus, you know, modern day cruise ships for people are like cities. They are not. They are not the old-style different classes that each one had their own dedicated dining room it's, it is about variety about freedom.

Movement about choices. Every night so frankly when you go on one of the big ships and you stay for a week. I mean, you literally have no possibilities possibility to experience everything you have to pick and choose. And that is, you know, one of the secrets that, you know, why do you come back you know because you know you had a great experience and you haven't experienced everything. So you want to try again and you wanted to discover new places.The smaller ships have a little bit more of a challenge. And this is where I come in because I my studio works on on the ultra luxury cruise ships and specifically on seaborne and to brand called seaborne cruises belongs to carnival. But the ships are under 300 cabins and it's called a small category ship. At the same time, by the way, I am working on larger ships. I'm also creative director for canard cruise lines and Costa cruise lines, meaning I get the higher the designers to design the ships and direct them. I mean, those are the big, big boats 2500 cabins 1600 cabins is a shifts that need a lot of moving parts, and a lot of talent and various talents and the keys to mix and match them to the point that you know it's a different challenge, you know, But, in any way, coming back to the seaborne ships that I'm designing This is a 300. It's basically like a floating four seasons or a mandarin Oriental hotel, and he sees ultra-luxury everybody caters to all your wins the design is Super, you know, beautiful, you will see an image is everything is sorted out. We even have Thomas Keller uber celebrity chef on the on the ship all inclusive. You don't have to ever put your hand in your pocket. Pay tips, nothing. It's all included. And you get to see the world so no wonder they have a very big loyal customer base and so on and so forth. So when it comes to design. When I inherited the ship.

The my first project the ships prior were designed by a very well-known Nordic company. And they had that Nordic sensibility lighter woods and so on and so forth. But they were very Angular and very contemporary My first observation. When I got on the ship. I was, well, you know, it's very sharp. You know, it has this You know, a little bit of an aggressive look inside and most of the customers are 60 plus. These are not young people and you gotta be careful not to bump into things, you get bruises and so forth. So I sent you know my first reaction is I want everything to be soft.

I want all the corners to be sinuous I want everything to be sexy when you touch it. You know, I don't want you to feel any sharpness at all. And and guess what the week before the ship was sailing in overall, I don't know. Actually, it was a week after I wasn't on the ship on its inaugural voyage, which you know we do because it's important for me to hear from their regular customers. To hear from you know people that have been on the cruise for 1020 times how they feel about the new shape, how does it respond to their you know, what's the reaction, you know, because, you know, older people come on the ships. They don't want change that they want the familiarity. They want to make sure that everything is where it is, which we made sure it is.

In the decks that are designed that way. But the look and feel was totally different. And you know what was the most important for me, the most gratifying. Comment, and it did not come from customers. It came from the Chamber mates.

They, they came to a meeting with me all the staff and they said, Mr. Tihany, we, we want to thank you for The soft corner we don't bend our knees. We don't have any bruises anymore. It feels so nice to be able to make the bed and not to burn it and and that was for me.

It was really the the proof of the pudding that we did something right we did something that you know again in the hospitality business, your people. Are who you are. Your staff your service people are your face and they are your success or failure and you have to take care of them. As much as you take care of your customers because otherwise you cannot form or create a cohesive group of people that perform certain level of service. I mean, you know, why would they work for you if you don't take care of them, they'll go working for somebody else. So, you know, staff accommodations Take care of your people so they have a happy place to work. They, they have a safe place to work. They have a comfortable place to work. You know, you're going to get a better product at the end. They will make the guests happier if they are happy. There's no discussion, you know, you know, Heleri Rande: So you really solved a problem For the staff for that. That made their life a lot easier and better, and probably


Yeah I there was not frankly I, to be honest, this was not my original intent. This is the but it was it started become apparent that you have to, you have to think about it, this whole problem solving.

In a more, you know, global and and and and broad sense, it's not just a singular problem. It's the industry. What is hospitality and if there are problems. That that you can solve and do better by design. It adds value to your product. There's no discussion. So you as a designer have a responsibility. I mean, you're ultimately you you have to create value for your client.

And it comes in many forms. You know, it comes in many forms, but you have to have that passion and that understanding that your, your product is is is Affecting. A lot of people and and and it's all about people, you know, at the end of the day, you know, you could be a beautiful room without a soul. Doesn't do anybody any good.























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