Designing the Costa Concordia gave Joe
Farcus, Carnival Corp.s interior architect, the opportunity to pull
from his love of history and pay tribute to some of his favorite
architects.
Farcus has designed
the interiors of Carnival Cruise Lines ships for almost 30 years
and is responsible for the lines playful, colorful entertainment
architecture.
Farcus began
designing the interiors of Costa vessels six years ago, starting
with the Costa Atlantica.
He designs each
vessel with a central idea, and while onboard the Costa Concordia
last week, he said that when he learned the Concordia was going to
stay in Europe year-round, he decided to focus on design styles of
the continents various countries.
Theres a real story
here, and each room is part of that story, Farcus said. I liken the
ship to a good book, he added. Once youre in it, you cant stop
turning the pages.
Farcus said that
when he studied architecture, he always enjoyed the history courses
students were required to take.
Ive made it part of
my life, he said. My interest in history has served me
well.
For the Concordia,
Farcus chose styles ranging from ancient Greek classical
architecture to post-modern Italian design of the 1970s.
The Barcelona
Casino is inspired by the work of Antoni Gaudi, Barcelonas famous
architect and Farcus all-time favorite.
Broken tiles,
columns in the form of the Sagrada Familia spires and the iron and
copper work that Gaudi used are showcased among the slot machines
and gaming tables.
Standing in front
of the Vienna Cafe, Farcus explained that the large mirrors on the
wall are reflective of the Baroque period in Austria.
Each areas relation
to a particular country and design style is not always obvious to
casual observers of period architecture.
The London Lounge
is modeled after a late 19th century period in England called the
Aesthetic Movement, during which designers created things to be
beautiful, Farcus said. It was beauty for beautys sake.
Zsolnay, a
Hungarian ceramics style that was part of the countrys Art Nouveau
movement, inspires the Budapest bar. Farcus owns several Zsolnay
pieces and modeled some of the rooms statues after them.
Farcus said he
styles ships so that the architecture is not in the background, but
a part of the show.
You spend a week on
a cruise, and you go through a discovery process, Farcus said. This
is my contribution to the enjoyment of passengers.
Carnival Corp.
manages to keep Farcus busy. He is currently working on the Costa
Serenity, the Carnival Freedom and the Carnival
Splendor.
Farcus has designed
specific rooms for Cunard Line and Holland America Line ships, as
well.
Costa CEO Pier
Luigi Foschi showed his appreciation for Farcus work in a
not-so-subtle way.
Foschi surprised
Farcus with a prominently displayed mural by Italian painter
Stefano Spera of a scene that features giants of European
architecture at one table: Walter Gropius, the German founder of
the Bauhaus School; Le Corbusier, the Swiss modernist; Leonardo da
Vinci; Antoni Gaudi; and sitting at the center of the table, Joe
Farcus.
To contact
reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].
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For more
details on this article, see First Call: Take a tour of Europe aboard the Costa
Concordia.