An exclusive interview with our lead interior designer
Meet Atilla EREN, the talented interior designer behind Eternal Luxury's beauties.
Atilla brings over 20 years of experience in designing inviting spaces that realize the specific needs and desires of high-profile clients. His keen eye for detail and innovative thinking have resulted in impressive interiors in Eternal Luxury's projects.
Can you tell us a little about your background and how you became interested in yacht interior design?
I was born in Istanbul in 1980. I completed my high school education in Istanbul and my undergraduate education in Kocaeli University, Faculty of Architecture and Design (2002).
I began my career by starting to work while I still was a student and gained experience in different branches of the profession. Work life experience during my school period had thaught me that every project is an experience that enriches the next project. Since then, I always see each new project as a new contribution to increase my knowledge. I also continue to improve my professional knowledge through fairs, seminars, lectures, books and exploring digital platforms.
During my education period, internships in the yacht sector supported my work on mobile structures. I had the opportunity to examine and practice the local and foreign designers’ approaches and perspectives to space design in the leading companies of the sector. I learned from their approaches and their points of view that interior design makes a big difference in minimal spaces in terms of visual, functionality and industrially. They inspired me to become more passionate for yacht interior design.
What are the influences that shaped your design philosophy over the years?
I believe that discovering life feeds our design philosophy and creativity. Every stone you touch, every minute you spend in front of a good work of art, when you experience it at the sea or in the forest, the worlds you dream about while reading, or a person you say hello to for the first time are the factors that create the synaptic networks of our design world. It is the designer's main responsibility to seek and discover these factors.
How do you approach for creating cosy and luxurious spaces that contributes Eternal Luxury's vision?
Eternal Luxury brand has an approach that prioritizes modernism and minimalism to follow changing concept of luxury and also to support functional demands of customers. Since this point of view matched my point of view on design, good spatial results emerged. We also target that a customer who desires an on-board life on a yacht should feel that he/she is living in the sea without giving up his personal comfort. This approach includes large windows, opening balconies, spaces with direct interaction with open decks, routes that reduce the interaction of the crew with the guests, balanced communication of the colors and textures to each other, avoiding an attitude contrary to nature, and supporting different life style needs by large volumes as much as possible.
Can you walk us through the process of designing the interior of the RHODEIA 125 and the inspiration behind its elegant aesthetic?
RHODEIA 125 Project started with a small-scale design competition to find the designer who meets the spirit and demands of the concept. I think this perspective gave passion to the project. Project management, which minimized the effect of time pressure on the designer, contributed greatly to my search for the best for the concept. Since I believe that elegance and aesthetics come from nature, we tried to create a solution in which there are no unnecessary decorations in order to ensure the continuity of natural light in the spaces, and in which only purposeful forms dominate the forms of the space. Here, we can say that the main inspiration is natural light, and the space design is the forms that allow the light to circulate freely in the space.
How do you balance the need for comfort, functionality, luxury and safety in design for confined spaces such as those found on yachts?
Space layouts are generated by targeting maximum utilization of the spaces left for the interior. First, I try to formulate the safety requirements by integrating the certification rules into the process. I initially determine the locations of access ways and stair halls with reduced walking distances as much as possible to minimize the impact of these features on the relevant volumes. From my point of view, comfort comes as the second most important issue after safety. After I formulate the safety concerns in a specific space, then I concentrate on the comfort in that area. Comfort is obtained by satisfying the demands and needs of the user both by anthropometrically and by functionally. This way, functionality of that space is automatically ensured. Luxury is then applied as a highlighting element to that space, such as a jewel. Of course, this process is an iterative process until the optimum balance is obtained in that space.
How do you incorporate eco-friendly materials into Eternal Luxury's yacht interiors?
Standards that are coming from certification, safety and insulation requirements determine some of the selection of decorative or hardware materials used in yachts over certain lengths. Apart from these factors, the environmental sensitivity level of the project determines the sustainable nature of the material selection. For example, material choices that are resistant to sea moisture and that do not deform in a short time, eliminate the need for re-flashing and consequently support sustainability. In addition, using recyclable hard floors as an alternative to natural stone, using laminated semi-transformed parquets instead of solid parquets, using organic fabrics and upholstery materials will reduce the impact on the nature. This also helps to design lighweight furniture to reduce the total weight of the yacht, thereby enabling fuel savings and reducing carbon emissions. Furthermore, the correct use of windows in the spaces helps daylight access to all areas of the spaces, thus the reduction of electricity use will be possible. Preference of certified products for environmentally friendliness in the lighting and wiring elements are equally important.
How do you stay current with the latest design trends, and what are some of your favorite sources of inspiration?
As a designer, we use many resources to follow design trends around the world: Social media, design and architecture magazines, industrial fairs, sectoral magazine news, art and culture, and finally, nature that updates us in many forms and perspectives as we change.
Boat International, Robb Report, Tend Book, Architectural Digest V.B., popular Instagram and Pinterest accounts are sources that support my inspiration.
What aspects of Eternal Luxury's yacht interiors do you think particularly appeal to the discerning tastes of our high-profile clientele?
Eternal Luxury yacht interior design philosophy consists of a perspective that utilizes technology in the right degree both in production and in use, and that supports the needs of the user with a maritime spirit. At the same time, the perspective that complementing simplicity with elegance, the belief that functions create forms, that visual richness does not consist of unnecessary pomp, not compromising on quality, are other factors that complete the Eternal Luxury design philosophy.
Where do you see the future of yacht interior design evolving to, and what role will technology play in this transformation?
Since yachts have been used by a certain group of people, the construction and the entire industry supporting the construction had to remain at the same capacity in the last century. Developing world economy, developing maritime culture and recent pandemy have increased the demands in this area. The high costs of yacht building made the stakeholders realize that a quality construction is possible after a good design and planning. Although designers are the ones who make the biggest difference among the needs, designers who use technology well will open the door to successful and risk-free results more quickly. As a result, not the one who has the technology, but the one who knows how to use the technology well will be successful.
In your opinion, what sets Eternal Luxury apart from other yacht manufacturers, particularly when it comes to interior design?
The feature that distinguishes Eternal Luxury from other yacht manufacturers, especially in interior design, is that they focuse on developing yacht design solutions in line with user needs and that they believe engineering should support this perspective.
Are there any exciting projects or design collaborations in the pipeline that you can share with us?
Yes there are. For Eternal Luxury, a 16m long motor yacht that is designed outside of the usual operation, is on-going. We also work on a 30m Sailing project for one of the leaders in the sector.