Balcony Cabin – NYK Cruises – Asuka III
Submitted by: SMC Design
Lead Designers: Oliver Raine & Andrew Brown, SMC Design
Outfitter: Meyer Werft
Completion date: 20/12/2024
In summer 2025, 52.2 gt, 385-cabin Asuka III will set sail along the coasts of Japan, and annually a world cruise. Asuka III is designed to appeal to experienced guests and those new to cruising so NYK Cruises wanted an interior that felt fresh and inviting with an international appeal.
The brief for the Standard Balcony Cabin was to offer comfort with ease, encapsulating a contrasting and contemporary residential style with an abundance of light and space for an exceptional guest experience.
The Asuka period of Japanese creative history – marked by beauty, craft and poetry – influenced SMC’s design aesthetic across the Asuka III spaces, with themes and colours inspired by Man’yōshū poetry from this time. Textured timber finishes, elegant marbles and subtle accents in kokihanada blue and Aokin bluish gold embrace guests from the moment they step onboard, with even the contemporary artwork chosen to enhance the relationship with the Asuka brand.
The interiors are spacious & bright – with carefully curated furniture and discreet lighting to encourage relaxation and contemplation at every turn. The intimate scale of the accommodations and their considered arrangements, on one hand offer simplicity and comfort, while on the other allows the contemporary design to exist parallel to the more traditional natural materials. The contrasting wood tones, natural textures and the amorphic residential choice of furniture cleverly combines to ensure a welcoming elegant style without compromising on comfort.
Each cabin maximises storage and has some unique features respectful to the Japanese clientele, including: a walk-in wardrobe. A bathroom featuring a vanity table and, uniquely, a full-size bath with a built-in seat. Unique for a standard cabin, the Asuka III features a kitchenette with a sink, fridge and coffee machine. It also has two spacious beds, two armchairs, a multi-functional table and a separate desk plus a balcony with a table and two chairs.
SMC Design’s Senior Designer & Project Manager, Oliver Raine and team worked hard to ensure each space onboard has a unique identity and key motifs are reflected throughout all areas of the residential-style design, from the architecture to the wayfinding and dual-language signage.
The residential theme was very important to deliver. To achieve this the materials chosen work hard to ensure that Asuka III’s architectural geometry is softened by the contemporary furniture and layers of light to enhance the materiality.
