Cruise & Ferry Interiors
Maxime d’Angeac tells Alex Smith how the world’s largest sailing yacht evokes the history and luxury of the stories Orient Express brand.
Orient Express Corinthian became the first ship to set sail for Orient Express Sailing Yachts on 2 May 2026, bringing the heritage of the storied rail brand to the sea.
At 220 metres long, Corinthian is the world’s largest sailing yacht and accommodates 110 guests in 54 suites. The interior design project was led by Maxime d’Angeac, architect and creative director for Orient Express, who brought his 30 years of design experience to the sea for the first time. d’Angeac and his team worked closely with French shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique to adapt to the unique challenges of marine design.
« What sets marine design apart from other forms of design is simple: the sea, » says d’Angeac. « Humidity, salt, fire, water, vibrations – in short, a whole range of technical challenges that Chantiers de l’Atlantique has mastered to perfection. Our role was to push the bounaries as far as possible… without ever forgetting the shipyard bears ultimate responsibility for the vessel and its interiors, in terms of weight, cost and schedule. This obliges us to remain humbly in their wake, even though we have constantly pushed them forward, encouraged them to evolve or changed their minds regarding feasibility. »
This close collaboration shaped the project from its earliest stages. Design and technical teams worked in parallel, allowing the interiors to influence core architectural decisions.