Crystal Cruises receives “Crystal Award” for Innovative Ship Design

When Crystal Serenity debuted her $25 million redesign in 2011, everyone from guests to press raved about the innovative changes. Taking center stage, the ship’s refurbished Apropos boutique caught the eye of the design world.

The boutique, which is a retail space for designer clothing and accessories, was awarded the prestigious Association for Retail Environments interior design “Crystal Award” for creating the distinctive aluminum interlocking circle partition walls.

The design won the first-ever Wall Treatment Award in the new, Individual Element category for 2012.

“Due to marine requirements, we have more design restrictions than a space on land, so this is a huge honor for a cruise ship to have won,” says Alexandra Don, Crystal’s vice president hotel services and design. “Awards like this simply validate what we and our guests already know: that our ships are the ultimate of chic, anywhere on the globe.”

The design was inspired by antique nautical instruments and globe stands. All fixtures had to be securely bolted to fit marine building codes, yet maintain a graceful, slender appearance—a unique challenge for retail spaces at sea.

Other winners in different categories included Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, REI, and Alexander Wang.

June 2012 will see Crystal Serenity’s sister ship, Crystal Symphony undergo similar renovations to all of the public and private rooms.