Story by ANN RUPPENSTEIN
When Queen Anne’s creative director, Adam Tihany, was choosing a team of internationally renowned designers to bring the staterooms, restaurants, retail shops, and public spaces on Cunard’s first new ship in 14 years to life, he thought outside of the box — or in this case — the ship.
The first people he brought on for the project were from David Collins Studio and Sybille de Margerie, two interior design agencies , neither of which had actually designed a cruise ship before. “Selecting the designers to participate was the most interesting and fun part of this whole process because we wanted to challenge people to come and do something that maybe they’d never done before,” Tihany shared from the ship as it was in port in Southampton, England, ahead of its maiden voyage in May. “My belief is that a good designer can design anything if you give them the chance. What was interesting too was to mix and match — David Collins Studio was known for beautiful restaurants. We wanted them to do something that they’d never done before so they started working on the cabins.”
Tasked with maintaining the level of luxury and elegance that Cunard has become known for over the years as one of the oldest cruise lines in the world, while also modernizing the spaces for today’s travellers, the team spent many hours going through Cunard’s archive in Liverpool, England, which houses a collection of historic documents, memorabilia, and keepsakes from the brand’s evolution since 1840.
“Telling the story of Cunard, a story that has created so many memories and so many life stories since 1840, was a real challenge and an opportunity for us. What we wanted to do, as Cunard always does, was try to set new standards and enlist the very best of expertise across the creative world to help us do that,” said Lee Powell, vice-president of brand and product at Cunard, adding that they started working on the ship in 2017. “We have an incredible roll call of creative designers who have created, I think, one of the most beautiful ships at sea.”
One of the most innovative spaces on the 2,996-guest and 1,225-crew Queen Anne is The Pavilion, a pool area by day and an outdoor movie theatre, silent disco, and entertainment zone under the stars by night. The area is set under a retractable glass roof designed by architect Martin Francis, who had a hand in creating the landmark Louvre Pyramid in Paris. Here, a new partnership with the British Film Institute unfolds with a curated collection of rotating shorts that are screened during sailings on the cinematic LED screen in The Pavilion, as well as in guests’ staterooms.
The 113,000-ton ship spans 14 decks with 15 eateries ranging from lite bites, pub fare, and wellness options to fine-dining venues. Guests dine in the dining room associated with their staterooms, the most of luxurious which is the Queens Grill.
Cunard has introduced a new partnership with Harper’s Bazaar to deliver a range of holistic wellness programs for passengers. The spa area has a pool as well as salt and steam rooms, and also offers treatments like acupuncture along with massage services and a beauty salon.
Onboard activities include pickleball and even archery at sea. In terms of entertainment, an adaptation of the British film Brief Encounter is currently being staged. There’s also the Bright Lights Society, a speakeasy-type setting with smaller productions.
“We see a trend that increasingly people are interested in wellness and their wellbeing, whether that be through the food they eat or their lifestyle and the time they spend on themselves,” noted Powell.
Queen Anne also stands out for having the largest curated art collection at sea, with some 4,300 art pieces, paintings, and sculptures by more than 3,000 artists on display throughout the ship.
While we were on board, we witnessed an unveiling ceremony to introduce several pieces in the collection, including one of Banksy’s counterfeit £10 banknotes featuring Princess Diana, which states it’s from Banksy of England instead of the Bank of England, and a highly recognizable piece called Love Is In The Air. It was released as a limited numbered print and the ship has one of only 500 in the world, of which the highest selling price was £215,000 in 2022.
The third piece that was unveiled was a brand new original by Mr. Brainwash called Channel 4, featuring a Mona Lisa-like portrait — with a moustache — set inside a retro television.
“Many of you would have heard of Banksy, know the story of Banksy… in terms of Mr. Brainwash, he may be a new name to many of you. He’s taking the art world by storm with incredible commissions all across the world, including being commissioned by Cunard last year to create a five-metre mural on board Queen Elizabeth when he was out in Los Angeles,” Powell said. “It's a great excuse to have this piece at home whenever somebody tells you there’s never anything good on television.”
And if you want to add it to your collection, it will only set you back £64,500.
