Company Description
Trained as a car designer and having worked for more than seven years for French car manufacturer Citroen, Guido de Groot launched his company in 1997 specialising in exterior and interior designs for luxury yachts. Since those days, Guido de Groot’s design office has expanded, to the point that it works with an international clientele and collaborating with yards from all over the world.
The variety and scope of the projects reflects the fact that the company is flexible; the projects range from the futuristic to the traditional, as shown in the images, but behind all of the projects there is a cohesive and unifying style. It is partly a design language, but also something perhaps that shows Guido’s roots as a car designer, where attention to detail and the careful sculpture of forms are extremely important.
Guido de Groot Design continues to promote new solutions to both yacht interior design and to exterior yacht styling, and it is this thinking that makes their designs not only look good but also stand out. However, the most important element of any project is to establish a good rapport with the client, be they the final owner of the yacht or a boat yard.
According to Guido: “For me the relationship with the client is very important and exciting. We translate the clients’ dreams into a cohesive, beautiful but practical reality. If the client is the potential owner, he can achieve savings by being able to commission our office to do the designs from the earliest concept right through to production, steering the project through the various steps, removing some of the uncertainty. It is a process with clear stages, which enable the client to explore many possibilities and to shop around for the yard offering the best value for their money.”
Personality
Q : How were you introduced to the world of superyacht design?
My love affair with yachts began back in 1986 when I saw the fourth Highlander close to completion at the De Vries (Feadship) yard. Awestruck by the majesty of this 45m masterpiece, I started drawing yachts in parallel with my career in car design. The following decade was spent learning everything there was to know about luxury yachts.
Q : Where does the inspiration for new projects come from?
Because of my work I am able to travel a lot and visit some of the most beautiful yachts and houses, and am often inspired by these visits. Furthermore, I have the chance to work for clients that are, in their own right, a very important source of inspiration. We work for different customers and I believe all our projects are unique and are tailored toward their personal requests. It is a shame that so many designs produced today are so similar. I believe that the lack of original designs is a fundamental problem, which is why we are open minded, passionate and eager to explore new solutions.
Q : If there were an award for the best design of all time, which one would you choose?
My favourite examples change on a daily basis and although it is a bit reductive and insufficient to list a series of names, I will give some examples. The GO chair and the Ty Nant water bottle designed by Ross Lovegrove are pieces for the new century and have a classic, organic beauty. That is the combination, which makes things contemporary. In architecture, I like the Mercedes Benz museum designed by UNStudio. I could go on forever, as there are so many good designs in the world, however, there is always room and a need for improvement.
