Company Description
Marco Casali TOO-DESIGN is an architecture and yacht design studio based in Rome. Founder of the business, Marco Casali was six years old when he started sailing with his family on an old steel Akerboom yacht. He developed a passion for drawing boats but never thought this could be his job. After completing a degree in architecture and gaining experience with an in-house design team, his interest brought him back to the sea, and he spent six years collaborating with important design officies on projects for Ferretti, Bertram and CRN. In 2004 Casali established his own studio to consolidate his experience in luxury home design with his passion for yacht design, and since then the company has been responsible for the exterior and interior design of the Itama brand, part of the Ferretti Group. Other production yacht projects have been developed for Bavaria, Nix catamarans, ZL RIBs and others, totaling over 300 yachts cruising today. Since 2010 the studio has worked on larger custom projects from 30m to 110m for shipyards such as Benetti, ISA Yachts and Fincantieri. The studio is still involved in luxury interiors and product design, combining the experiences of different worlds into a common creative process.
Personality
Q : How were you introduced to the world of superyacht design?
I started designing at a young age and used to sail often. I loved looking at superyachts dreaming of how I could do something better. After completing my studies I gained experience in the design and execution of production yachts. This gave me the confidence to act and to apply my experience in making the most of small spaces together with my aptitude for creating luxury homes to realise new ideas.
Q : Where does the inspiration for new projects come from?
Most of our projects start with the interior. We try to create a feeling of freedom when on the water or to bring the owner and their guests closer to the sea. Privacy is important to our clients and many of them like the idea of yachting, as it allows them to spend time with their children. All these points inspire our work and drive us to create something new.
I would hate to have a custom yacht that is similar to all those in existence today. So we always work hard to achieve a client’s dream!
Q : If there were an award for the best design of all time, which one would you choose?
The design that deserves an award like this would be the wheel because it looks good and it is functional. I would also consider the Porsche 911 for its timeless design, the Ferrari California because it makes you dream and the Harley V-twin engine because it talks to you. Then there are things such as Stark’s squeezer, which is beautiful but it is not functional! I can’t forget Apple either, as many of the products have inspired other manufacturers to produce more simple and yet elegant designs.
