Luca Ardizio, the designer of original motor boats

A tribute to the companies and people who have made Barche a Motore great over these 35 years allowing it to be born, grow, and become great up to this historic anniversary. In these articles the great excellences of boating tell their stories and reveal their projects, making an important contribution to the knowledge of this world, which allows us all to go to sea, in all forms and contexts.

When a designer becomes trendy

Luca Ardizio, from sailing to projects that bring an original touch to the engine as well.

In recent years Luca Ardizio ‘s name has become a trendy name in nautical design, particularly in that of interior styling, but not only. In fact, he is behind the total renewal of the Dufour range of monohull sailing yachts, and he is behind some interesting designs of powerboats, walkarounds and more. A designer who has made in his career a particular path, since before becoming a designer his “gavetta” was in the production department, in the technical department of a large shipyard, as we tell you in these pages. The passion for sailing came late, that for design kidnapped him as a teenager, but it was with a small dinghy that came his first contact with the sea. In the last 10 years Ardizio has collaborated with some of the best nautical design studios there are in the international field, and since 2021 he has founded his own studio in Milan, from which very interesting powerboat projects are also starting to come out from a design point of view and beyond. We interviewed him, to learn more about this story that began with a small Zodiac dinghy and a 25-horsepower Mercury engine.

Let’s start from scratch Luca, how was your first contact with the world of the sea and boats?
As a child I sailed with Renato’s Zodiac, a family friend, 25hp Mercury engine, air keel. The most fun thing was mounting it every summer, it was the beginning of that joyful time. They were great vacations, every day a different beach to explore. The passion for sailing, on the other hand, started quite late, I was interested in architecture and design as a boy, especially mobility design, so with my studies I specialized in Nautical and Naval Design. I didn’t actually know how to sail, though, so I decided I had to try. I found an opportunity and embarked on a Cyclades 50 for a transfer from Corfu to Hammamett. It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and of course since that transfer I have never stopped. Then the apprenticeship did the rest. First the experience in the technical office at the Cantiere del Pardo, where I was able to learn directly from the workers how the construction of a boat works, which I think is a fundamental background also for people like me who do something else today, confronting me with production. 2008 came and they were somewhat difficult years as you may remember, I started to get some experience abroad, with a year in Australia, and when I returned to Milan I started working in Nauta Design, which was a completion of my training as a designer after the period more in “production” at Del Pardo. I soon missed the shipyard, however, and decided to gain experience in France, in 2019 with Beneteau, in sail product marketing, a role somewhat in between the design and sales side. At the end of 2020 I returned to Italy, and in 2021 I opened my own design studio, and in the same year there was a knock on the door from Dufour. And here we are.

What is Ardizio Design today, and how does it fit into the nautical world?
AD is a Yacht Design & Interiors studio based in Milan. We do both exterior and interior design and planning, depending on the client, sail and motor. I opened the studio in 2021 as a freelancer, initially collaborating with other studios and designing for small shipyards such as B-Yacht, sail, and Blumartin motor. Initially I was working alone then started collaborating with Kelly Arena, a trusted naval architect, with whom I had previously worked on the Brenta Yacht 34.

Why did you also decide to enter the powered market and what is your design philosophy?
To date, we operate mainly in mid- to high-end mass-produced or semi-custom sailboats, but the motor world has been a natural continuation of this path. We are approaching the motor world in particular with three projects that have innovative features: the Blumartin Walk Around 46 for which we did the interiors and two other boats of 7 and 9m for Ganz Boat both in collaboration with Kelly Arena and naval architecture by Leone Yacht Design. Two different boats, the first with ultra modern and sporty lines, the second winking instead at the philosophy from open with a “retro” style, with in terni embellished with wood. The motor market is certainly interesting and evolving, with many possibilities for us as designers since spaces have a few less constraints than sailboats and allow us fascinating variations. On this front however as a philosophy we are more interested in slow, fuel-conscious motorboating. We would always like to design boats that combine the feeling of sailing, declined in the engine, putting at the center of the design, speed, consumption and sustainability. And that is what we are trying to do.

How does a project come about in your studio, what are the steps?
It depends on the client. Sometimes we receive a brief that we analyze within a more complex market and competitive analysis, other times we come up with our own vision based on an intuition or desire of the client. After that there is always a brain storming moment untethered from the project that we use as a source of inspiration, and from there the first drawings and sketches arise, almost always by hand and poorly done. Then we move on to the actual moderation, when the fixed points of the project have been well defined.

What should the ideal sailboat and motorboat look like for Luca Ardizio?
The ideal boat does not exist or is very subjective anyway, and I believe then that every boat in terms of design is born from a compromise. The one that most reflects my idea of freedom is a 45-foot sailboat, comfortable and light. If I sail by motor, on the other hand, I see myself aboard a wooden runabout, perhaps electric and with a retro flavor. In general more than the type of boat, it matters a lot to me where to sail and I must say that Greece is often one of my favorite destinations and also by my family crew.

www.ardiziodesign.com