Imagine walking down a cobblestone street in the heart of Paris’ Marais neighborhood, turning a corner, and happening upon a bistro—a yellow-gold light emanates through the glass windows, and conversation and clinking glasses is heard from the street.
Now imagine this on a cruise ship.
If it sounds difficult to pull off, that’s because it is. But for Regent Seven Seas Cruises—whose mission is to make its forthcoming Seven Seas Explorer the “most luxurious ship ever built”—it’s a challenge happily accepted.
Helmed by Siobhan Barry of the NYC-based design studio ICRAVE, the concept for Chartreuse—the Explorer’s newly unveiled French restaurant—all started with the diffused glow of the glass windows on Parisian streets.
In trying to capture that feel, Barry layered on distinct textural elements to the restaurant’s spaces. Marble creates a mosaic floor pattern in the bar area (some tiles are even inlaid with gold leaf). Metal latticework screens (evoking the Eiffel Tower, of course) separate tables along the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. A grand crystal chandelier and decorative lanterns light up the courtyard-esque back portion of the restaurant. The result? A little bit of Paris on the open sea.
The 750-passenger, all-suite vessel will make its maiden voyage on a 14-night sailing from Monte Carlo to Venice on July 20, 2016, and remain in Europe for its inaugural season. Reservations are available now.
