Rule Britannia- Chelsom creates bespoke lighting for luxury cruise liner
Chelsom were commissioned to create a series of bespoke lighting products onboard Britain’s biggest ever cruise ship, the £473 million P&O Britannia, which was officially named by Her Majesty The Queen at a glittering ceremony in Southampton in March.
The 3,647 passenger luxury cruise liner is the largest vessel designed for the British holiday market and stretches longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. It boasts 15 passenger decks, 26 bars and eateries and 4 swimming pools. It also features a three-tier atrium, a 936-seater theatre and a multi-million pound art collection.
Having most recently collaborated with award winning designers Richmond International on London’s 5-star boutique hotel ,The Beaumont, Chelsom once again partnered with their design team to produce an array of unique lighting products for the public areas designed to enhance the sophisticated luxury of the wider interior scheme. Chelsom’s vast experience in devising lighting schemes for marine projects ensured that all products supplied blended superior design and functionality with the exacting requirements of marine specification.
One of the standout pieces created by Chelsom was a dramatic gold centrepiece specified for the Epicurean Restaurant. Over 9 meters of interwoven gilded metal ribbons form a sculptural ceiling feature running the length of the restaurant to create visual impact. Each of the ribbons was fitted with an LED strip on the upper side to give a warm reflective glow from the ceiling plate above.
Chelsom produced another illuminated ceiling structure for the Live Lounge bar area featuring a series of sculptural 3D diamonds in gloss black and metallic gold fixed to the ceiling in pairs of smaller and larger sizes to give a more organic look to the piece whilst emitting a soft ambient glow reflected in the gilded ceiling above. The Oasis spa area also features statement linear and circular light installations using clear acrylic solid rods of varying lengths along the main wall and the central treatment area of the spa. Each rod has an individual integral LED module housed at the top and has been designed with bubbles inside to give a waterfall effect picking up and refracting the light to generate a warm ambient glow suited to the relaxing spa environment.
In addition to these statement custom-made pieces, Chelsom supplied a series of 12-armed bespoke chandeliers for the ship’s Supper and Limelight Clubs, finished in copper with complementary copper shades to provide a touch of decadence to the surroundings. A quartet of bespoke, rectangular LED fittings in matt black were also produced for the Cookery Club designed to provide functional light to optimise space and generate efficient light for working conditions.
Director Will Chelsom said, “We have worked with P&O Cruises on a number of projects over recent years and it was a true privilege to have been part of such a prestigious project as Britannia. To be able to add Britannia to our marine portfolio is undoubtedly a real honour and is testimony to the expertise we have accumulated within the marine sector. With a number of high profile marine projects on the horizon for 2015 and beyond this will hopefully further cement our reputation as one of the leading designers and suppliers of decorative lighting to the international marine sector.”
All Images © Chelsom 2015