Bringing the personal touch to cruise interior design

By

Alex Smith |

30 May 2024

Liz Schneider’s journey in cruise design began in 2015, when she joined Holland America Line’s growing interior design department as an intern. The cruise line was embarking on a period of revitalisation, as it carried out several significant refits onboard its ships. Schneider fondly recalls her first days on the job, when she rapidly became involved in some of the line’s biggest projects. 

“In my second week on the job, I was travelling to visit Holland America’s Eurodam to write the scope of work and walk the ship with contractors,” she says. “From there, my role progressed quickly, as I started taking on a lot of different projects. I’ve always enjoyed interior design, but I quickly fell in love with cruise ship design as soon as I got involved. The process, which one of my colleagues once referred to as being like floating Tetris, really resonated.” 

As part of the interior design team at Holland America, Schneider contributed to a wide range of projects and vessels, including heading up a fleet-wide sofa replacement project for staterooms and initiating a plan to create custom furniture designs for each class of ship. Schneider describes the process of designing a cruise ship interior as a balance between delivering an impactful, memorable moment and ensuring consistent comfort. 

“The first thing I think about when designing a space is what someone is going to feel when they walk into this venue,” she explains. “On the one hand, you want the design to create big and impactful moments for the guest on a cruise ship. On the other hand, less noticeable design elements such as comfort and durability are also influential in shaping the overall quality of a guest’s onboard experience. It’s important to get those small things right to help a guest relax, even if they aren’t going to go away talking about how comfortable the sofa was.” 

After five years at Holland America, Schneider left and founded her own design studio in 2020. Liz Schneider Interiors has since carried out both land-based and marine projects, including the redesign of several suites and restrooms onboard Windstar Cruises’ luxury yachts, and managing the planning and installation of dry dock refits for Holland America, Windstar and Princess Cruises. Schneider says that experience with refit projects is important in understanding the challenges they pose. 

“There are bound to be surprises with what you find on some of the older ships when you start pulling back materials, and having the experience of knowing what to do in those situations is absolutely crucial,” she says. “One thing that’s always a challenge with refit projects is determining the scope, because if you’re not renovating the entire vessel, there can end up being a very obvious divide between the old and the new. During such refit projects, a designer has to understand and work with the older designs to create solutions that transition between the two.” 

Environmental responsibility and sustainable practices have become a priority for the cruise industry in general in recent years, and Schneider says this has significantly influenced her own design choices when creating interiors. She highlights the need for designs to become less ephemeral if the sector is to become more sustainable. 

“I would like to see the spaces we create become more long-lasting and timeless,” she says. “One way we can make that happen is by rethinking the furniture we use. We can choose products made from sustainably produced materials that can easily be maintained, then refurbish and recycle them instead of replacing them at the end of their lifecycle.” 

Schneider highlights UK-based Morgan Furniture as an example of a manufacturer taking this approach to producing furnishings. For example, the company’s Aran chair is made from a combination of renewable and recyclable materials. 

“Products like Aran feel very innovative, and it’s something that I think we’re going to see more of going forward,” she says. “I aim to be progressive in my choices for projects, and I think choosing products like these is an important part of moving the needle on the way we think about sustainable interiors.” 

Liz Schneider is putting her design principles into place on both land-based, residential work and projects at sea, and she suggests that staying open to developments on land can help designers find inspiration in places they might not have expected. 

“Design is a huge part of people’s everyday lives, and I think as brands continue to grow, there’s a need to look to what’s happening on land,” says Schneider. “If we’re thinking about how to make people comfortable, it’s helpful to look at the places they call home. Trends in residential design can carry over to marine projects as a great inspiration for creating a space that feels upscale but is comfortable for guests to spend time in.” 

Another source of inspiration for Schneider is her recent work designing spaces onboard research vessels for the University of California. 

“There are only crew members onboard these vessels,” she says. “It’s made me think about what is being done for crew onboard cruise ships, and how the design of those spaces can be improved. We should be looking at how we can recreate at sea that great feeling you have on land of being able to find a place to relax together with other people after a long day at work.” 

Schneider has also been consulting with Holland America’s team on how to design accessible cruise interiors in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. This is a uniquely rewarding challenge, says Schneider. 

“It’s something I studied at school, and I think accessibility is at the heart of good design,” she says. “Our designs are what enable people to be able travel in comfort when they might not otherwise be able to, and I believe that is incredibly important.” 

Schneider cites the connections she’s made within the industry and with the guests enjoying the ships she’s helped to create as the highlights of her cruise design career to date.  

“The sense of community has been the most rewarding thing for me in the industry,” says Schneider. “I started my own firm during the pandemic, and people have been there supporting me at every step. I also love when I get the chance to visit a ship while guests are onboard and I can see people enjoying their holidays. That’s a big motivation to do the best I can to help make those memories special.” 

This article was first published in the . All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.   for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.