{"id":61671,"date":"2024-01-04T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/?p=61671"},"modified":"2024-01-04T13:42:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T18:42:05","slug":"cristiano-gatto-yacht-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/yachts\/cristiano-gatto-yacht-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"Designer Cristiano Gatto Sculpts His Yacht Designs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Cristiano <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Gatto expresses his ideas through various media.<\/span>\n Courtesy Cristiano Gatto<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Some yacht designers trace their passion for their profession back to art school. For Cristiano Gatto, it all started with puzzles for kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gatto vividly remembers his parents completing books of crossword puzzles when he was 3 or 4 years old. He also recalls sections for kids in those books, with dots with numbers to connect, creating a design. \u201cI was passionate about that because from nothing I was able to design,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd still today, I think I\u2019m doing the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gatto, creating a yacht\u2019s exterior lines, designing salons and staterooms, and fashioning furnishings all starts with an idea. \u201cI\u2019m just connecting thoughts,\u201d he says. \u201cLike a miracle, the design comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"164-foot <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Cristiano Gatto penned the exterior and interior of the 164-foot Cosmo Explorer I Nova<\/i>.<\/span>\n Courtesy A&B Photo Design<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

With his eponymous studio\u2019s headquarters and his team near Venice, Italy, Gatto has contributed to more than 200 yachts, with a few dozen yachts and residences in the works. Whether it\u2019s a penthouse apartment, a 180-foot superyacht, or specialty lighting for foyers on land and at sea, imagination is at the heart of each contract. \u201cWhen you are young, you have the idea that everything is possible, and you can do whatever you want in a different way,\u201d Gatto says. \u201cWe still have hope for new ideas, and that is the most important part of my job today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Venice, Gatto was influenced by the thousands of years of history reflected in the architecture. The same is true of boats plying the city\u2019s 100-plus canals. The designer also says he was always fascinated with colors and graphics. The way design involved hues and shapes especially caught his attention. \u201cIt was the only thing that I was good at doing in school,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Cristiano <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Cristiano Gatto and design team.<\/span>\n Courtesy Cristiano Gatto<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

After enrolling in the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice (he graduated in 1993), \u201ceverything was about sketching, designing, colors and materials,\u201d Gatto recalls. He specialized in sculpture, \u201ctrying to build up things that my mind was trying to create for the first time.\u201d Still to this day, Gatto says yacht design and sculpture are largely the same things. While sculptures are made of different materials, they all begin with creating a mold, and then painting and finishing the object after it\u2019s removed from the mold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe exterior-design process is very, very similar,\u201d he says. \u201cIn my opinion, it\u2019s even more so because you\u2019re building a space. There is a bit of theatricality to any material, and you work with perceptions, volume, space, lights. When you do sculpture, you do a very similar exercise. I don\u2019t see big differences between them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Elements <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Gatto\u2019s art influence can be seen in the owner\u2019s stateroom on board the 263-foot Turkish build Elements<\/i>. <\/span>\n Courtesy Cristiano Gatto<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

A prime example of Gatto\u2019s sculpture in superyacht design is Crazy Me<\/em>, a Heesen from 2013. To say the custom 164-footer was\u2014and remains\u2014daringly different is an understatement. Complementing Gary Grant Design\u2019s avant-garde exterior styling, Gatto worked with the owner to execute a contemporary ambience emphasizing geometry and volume, along with fine materials. Arguably, the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance is the central guest stairway. Made of glass and polished steel, it has cantilevered, bamboo-treaded steps that illuminate from within to augment the sensation of light, which is already significant because of large overhead curving windows along the decks. A skylight further illuminates the staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what he considers the more successful projects in his 22 years of heading his own studio, Gatto says, \u201cSometimes I joke and say, \u2018The next one.\u2019\u201d He quickly adds, \u201cSome of the projects that I have in my memory maybe are not the most known, but it\u2019s more the people whom I work with who teach me something, or an experience. They make the project become so special. And frankly, for different reasons, there are many different projects that I have this connection with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Gatto <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Whether it\u2019s a penthouse apartment, a 180-foot superyacht, or specialty lighting for foyers on land and at sea, imagination is at the heart of each contract.<\/span>\n Courtesy Cristiano Gatto<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

The owner of the expedition yacht I Nova<\/em>, a 164-footer also from 2013, certainly fits the bill. Gatto\u2019s studio handled styling and interior design for this ice-class custom yacht, built by Greece-based Cosmo Explorer. At the time, Gatto was contemplating luxury versions of research vessels and showing the concepts to clients. He had a model of a luxury expedition vessel on hand when a client entered his studio. Gatto recalls: \u201cHe looked at me and said, \u2018What is that ugly boat?\u2019 And I said, \u2018I have this idea to have all the toys on board and to be able to circumnavigate the world.\u2019 So, I was looking to create a boat that\u2019s not really a yacht for fashion, but more to live aboard and visit the different areas of the planet. And he said, \u2018I like the idea,\u2019 and from that moment, we started to sketch and design it, and then build it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who says his studio started from \u201cminus three\u2014not zero, but minus three, because we had a lot of ideas but not a lot of experience\u201d\u2014Gatto has come a long way. Just as when he was 3 years old, he connects the dots between owners\u2019 visions and what\u2019s possible, while respecting the engineering and build teams as well as the crew who need to live and work on board. To him, owners want unicity, the quality of being unique. \u201cAny experience with any clients in reality is unique; it\u2019s a subjective aspiration,\u201d he says. \u201cYou know your job is not to produce an object that is equal for thousands of people.\u201d\u2009\u2009<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Gatto <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n With his eponymous studio\u2019s headquarters and his team near Venice, Italy, Gatto has contributed to more than 200 yachts, with a few dozen yachts and residences in the works.<\/span>\n Courtesy Cristiano Gatto<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Singular Sensation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe boats that we design are tailor-made,\u201d Cristiano Gatto says. \u201cEach person is different, so the identity or personality\u2014or unicity\u2014is important in a world where everything is multiplied, where we have a thousand of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Land and Sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond yacht design, Gatto\u2019s clients seek out his team\u2019s expertise for luxury homes. Gatto is collaborating with a few clients who have residences in Miami and is designing a palace (his third) in Dubai. A number of his residential clients are also yachting customers, requesting similar looks and feels on land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superyachts and Sculpture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gatto sees a deep connection between yachts and sculpture. \u201cWhen you make a sculpture, normally people are walking around the object,\u201d he says. \u201cIn this case, people are walking inside the space, but you can consider any object [like a door handle] a micro sculpture. In reality, it\u2019s the work of micro and macro.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the next step:<\/strong> cristianogattodesign.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Designer Cristiano Gatto sees similarities between superyachts and sculpture, but people are also a significant part of every project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":61673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Diane M. Byrne","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true},"categories":[163],"tags":[367,2139,171,164],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61671"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}