Guido de Groot Design is a Dutch based yacht design company which works on both interior design and yacht exterior styling.

Guido de Groot studied at the prestigious Art Center of Design at Pasadena (USA), where he graduated with a (BSc) Honours Degree in Transport Design. He then proceeded to work for the French Car maker Citroën in Paris, designing cars for six years. He started drawing yachts in parallel with his career in car design. By the mid 1990’s after working on award winning upgrades to the Citroën range, he felt it was the right time to switch full time to yacht design. Nowadays, the Guido de Groot Design office comprises a multidisciplinary, young and cosmopolitan team of designers, which handles projects in many countries.

The company does the interior and/or exterior styling for the varied projects, collaborating with a number of well established Naval Architects and Yards. They combine the use of the latest computer 2d and 3d modelling programs with the use of traditional hand drawings and illustrations to get the best blend of accuracy and craftmanship. The company has the ability to design and develop from the earliest preliminary sketches right to the final workshop drawings used by the yard.

Guido de Groot considers himself extraordinarily lucky to work on a variety of exciting projects, but some that stand out for him are the Feadship “Katrion”, which broke with that marque’s typical style for the 80’s and 90’s. He is very proud of the interior design of “Crazy” as it was the first of a kind for a client with a very exciting brief to design a very fresh, modern and contemporary interior. It was also the project that opened the gates for more work in Italy. The Italian projects have provided them with many opportunities to design some beautiful yacht interiors; some contemporary, some traditional, but all special.

In the last three years the office has delivered eight projects in Italy,(three 34m, three 32m, two 108’ and one 92’), is currently working on two projects for immediate delivery in Russia, one for delivery in Turkey next year, and five in the Netherlands. The company have numerous other projects on their drawing boards including one 120m yacht, and three for well known Dutch super-yacht yards.

Guido de Groot Design were the first office to design luxury yachts for the Russian market. They are very proud of “Pallada”, given that they had only eleven months to design and build her, with a yard that had no experience of constructing luxury yachts. In every respect it has been a great success, which has lead to further ties with the Moscow Yard, and which has meant that two exciting ranges of Guido de Groot yachts are being built; the Timmerman 31m and 25m. The office also designs for the Saint Petersburg yard Laky Verf, which has currently completed two very attractive 23m motor yachts.

More recently, the office has been involved on the design for a follow up to “Crazy,” The Mangusta 108’ “Crazy Too.” She has taken on some of the modern thinking of the first vessel but moved the concept on. Her interior really works well both at a functional level, where it can be tailored to the users’ very diverse requirements and at an aesthetic level, where she fully reflects the priorities and likes of her owners.

“Jade Mary”, a 32m Leopard fast (42 knot) fly-bridge cruiser built in Italy by Cantiere Arno, is another yacht designed by the office which has received very positive comments; blending modern and traditional elements into a very successful design.

The design of the interior of the recently delivered AB92 “Anthea” for her client has also been very interesting, as her very high top speed placed many constraints on weight; the office had to come up with an interior that would not only look stunning, but also meet the rigorous low weight requirements needed on a 55+ knot motor yacht.

The office is enthusiastic about the 40 meter motor yacht that is being built in Turkey. It is the first yacht Guido de Groot Design to be built in Turkey by Neta-Marine for a Middle-eastern client.

In recent times the studio has re-established ties with Feadship, carrying out work on the exterior styling of the second Feadship SL, and designing the re-fit of the upper decks of MY “Utopia” .

Additionally, other interesting design work includes the re-fit of the classic Perini Navi “Gitana”, the interior design of recently delivered Mangusta 108’ “O’” and the interior/exterior design of two AB 35m fast motor yachts. AB Yachts is also building a 42m fast motor-yacht with a contemporary Guido de Groot design interior.

Based in Leiden, Guido has a long established relationship with local Dutch shipyard Mulder Yachts, with the majority of the yachts built in the last years being to Guido de Groot designs. Worth noting are the 68’ Mulder Aluminium sport cruisers, which have flowing classic sculptural lines, and which in many ways show the careful attention to detail that Guido de Groot brings to his designs.

Additionally, the office is developing Motor Yacht designs for Dutch yard Jongert, more commonly associated with Sail boats. These designs range from 39m to 50m motor yachts.

The variety and scope of the projects reflects the fact that the company is very flexible; the projects range from the futuristic to the traditional, but behind all of the projects there is a cohesive and unifying style. It is partly a design language, but also something perhaps that shows Guido’s roots as a car designer, where attention to detail and the careful sculpture of forms are extremely important.

When asked about his design style Guido de Groot replies:

“I try and always create clean designs. They are distinctive, elegant but with real flair, I believe. We seek to be original through the use of unique forms both inside and out.”

“It is a shame that so many designs produced currently are so similar. I think that the lack of original designs is a fundamental problem, which is why we are open minded, passionate and eager to explore new solutions.”

Guido de Groot design continues to promote new solutions to both yacht interior design and to exterior yacht styling, and it is this thinking that makes their designs not only look good but also stand out. However, the most important element of any project is to establish a good rapport with the client, be they the final owner of the yacht or a boat yard.

According to Guido: “For me the relationship with the client is very important and exciting. We translate the clients’ dreams into a cohesive, beautiful but practical reality. If the client is the potential owner, he can achieve savings by being able to commission our office to do designs from the earliest concept right through to production, steering the project through the various steps, removing some of the uncertainty. It is a process with clear stages, which enable the client to explore many possibilities and to shop around for the yard offering the best value for their money.

Our visuals make it much easier to get an idea of what the potential boat will look like, long before the vessel has begun construction. It is much easier, quicker and cheaper to change your mind at this stage. Equally, if the client is a yard, taking on an experienced yacht design team ensures that the vessel’s design has been properly thought out, saving considerable time and money. We provide full workshop drawings, which help the constructor not only build but also estimate the cost of a design. It is our aim to make the final product attractive and well resolved, which will make it easier to sell (or for an owner to later re-sell).”

For further information, please, contact: 

Tel: +31 (0) 71 566 3040
Fax: +31 (0) 71 566 3039
e-mail:
web: www.guidodegroot.com