SMC Design – The Lido
Company Name: SMC Design
Space Name: The Lido
Cruise Line: Saga Cruises
Ship Name: Spirit of Discovery
Inspired by popular British outdoor swimming pools and with a distinct Art Deco feel, The Lido comprises of sun loungers and deck games to create an easy atmosphere, whilst on an evening the bar area supports a dynamically lit stage area sat beneath the ship’s statement funnel.
Brief
To create are modern interpretation of a 1930’s Lido.
What is it?
On the Lido Deck, ‘The Lido’ is the hotels outdoor pool venue. With a 60sqm pool at its centre, the venue supports all day entertainment with deck games, a bar and a stage area for musical performances sat underneath the ship’s statement funnel.
The Design
Covering over 800sqm, ‘The Lido’ has a flexible variety of offerings to the guests throughout the day.
At the centre of the space is a 60sqm pool surrounded by a charcoal colored Bolidt bench and petrol blue border lines to the deck. Nearby, two jacuzzies sit underneath a tensile canopy structure with showers hidden behind glass blocks, allowing natural light to penetrate and illuminate the shower area but also providing privacy to the guests within.
Flanking the pool is an array of sun loungers and lounge sofas to accommodate both the sun and shade seekers with views inboard and also out to sea. Traditional deck games also take place here, with shuffleboard a providing a timeless and popular event.
In the evening, the venue transforms from an area of relaxation and recreation to one of entertainment, with a stage area sat proudly beneath the ships statement yellow funnel with blue piping and the recognizable ‘LIDO’ sign. Dog-legged teak stairs sit symmetrically either side of the performance area, with the deco influence of the venue carried through into the railing details that surround the pool on the deck above and the painted steel moldings on the funnel facade. The architectural details in the space are then illuminated subtly with linear LED highlighting the pool bench, stage and teak step details.
Away from the entertainment offering is a stone clad tiled bar with a ribbed teak structure to the ceiling, surrounded by the signature petrol blue border lines to the deck.
Designer’s Insight
Interiors and Exteriors (by Ben Wilson, Senior Designer/Project Manager @SMC Design)
“In the creation of Spirit of Discovery, we had a great opportunity with ‘The Lido’ to marry both the interior and exterior design elements of the hotel in this fantastic outdoor space.
From the patterning of the Bolidt decking, the ‘LIDO’ sign above the stage and the railings on the deck above, it was fundamental for us that the design elements of the interior and exterior sat together in tandem to emphasize the design narrative of the hotel to the guest.
On top of other disciplines, being responsible for the Exterior Design and Styling of the ship gave us this opportunity to fully control and coordinate all of the hotels elements that essentially fall under the term ‘Design’.”
