The sea and an open feel – Viking Glory’s interiors offer a wealth of details and Scandinavian timelessness

16. March 2022

Viking Glory’s interiors will change our conception of vessels that provide transport to Sweden. It was designed to be timeless and withstand changing trends for the next 20–30 years. The interiors enhance the sea views with their focus on nature in the Baltic archipelagos. They were planned by the architecture firm Koncept, which is known in particular for its hotel projects.

When passengers climb aboard the new Viking Glory, they have a brand-new kind of ship experience to look forward to. Archipelago scenery pours through the big windows, fantastic sun terraces on the deck outdoors await the arrival of spring, and the private venue Fyren, located in the bow on the top deck, offers a spectacular 220-degree view of the Baltic Sea. The Swedish architect firm Koncept, in partnership with Viking Line’s own design team, is responsible for the interiors.

“With the big windows, the sea is present everywhere on Glory. We’ve also placed various elements borrowed from nature in the archipelago here and there on the ship: waves, beacons, flags, skerries and lighthouses. These are seen both as moving images on giant LED screens and as abstract figures, for example, in carpets and lighting fixtures. The colour palette on the vessel was inspired by the sea, the cliffs, the forests and the nuances of the different kinds of wood,” says Koncept’s architect, Niclas Makowsky, who led the work on Viking Glory’s interior design.

Unifying theme

Koncept was chosen to be Viking Line’s interior designer from among a number of highly regarded architect firms. The firm previously did the interiors for the hotels Haymarket and Grand Central by Scandic, both in Stockholm, and for Copperhill Mountain Lodge in Åre, Sweden. However, Viking Glory was Koncept’s first work with ship interiors.

“We have worked previously with large hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, spa facilities and commercial interiors. In this project, we got to do all of them at the same time, which was really interesting, of course, but also somewhat of a challenge,” says Niclas Makowsky.

What is special about Viking Glory’s interiors is that there are no clear boundaries between different spaces and functions. Instead, passengers move seamlessly from one place to the next.

“The interiors are very rich in detail but at the same time have a clear unifying theme. For the stairways, which are so typical of ships, we thought about them in a new way: they no longer constitute separate spaces but are instead part of the interior on each floor. These floating boundaries create a feeling of openness and harmony on board.

“Viking Glory is one of the world’s most climate-smart vessels. When it came to the interiors, we also wanted to minimize the environmental impact. So being on trend was not the main criterion in the choice of furniture, materials or colours. Instead, the interiors were made to be timeless and hold their own for 20–30 years. The vessel’s environmental impact is also reduced by avoiding the use of heavy decorating materials, such as stone. The more the weight of the vessel is kept down, the less fuel is used,” Makowsky notes.

Careful consideration must be given to flows of passengers and goods

Viking Line’s own experts were responsible for the general planning for the vessel together with Koncept Stockholm, which handled the technical planning. The project was led by Viking Line’s own architect, Johan Nordberg. All in all, some thirty people were involved in the various phases of Viking Glory’s interior decoration.

“Functionality was very important when we planned the new vessel. Especially on the Turku route, our vessel serves a large number of passengers in a short period of time, so flows of both passengers and goods need to be smooth. We placed the kitchen premises and stockrooms centrally and built shops and restaurants around them so that the transport of ingredients, materials and finished products would be efficient. On Deck 2, there is a service corridor along which we transport goods between the bow and the stern. Bed linen is also conveyed this way,” says Johan Nordberg.

Viking Glory has 922 cabins, which were mostly planned by Viking Line’s own architect, based on models and experiences from Viking Grace. Koncept was responsible for the interior furnishings of the suites.

“People have fundamentally different expectations about cabins now compared to the 1980s and 1990s. Passengers compare the cabins with hotel rooms and appreciate sleep comfort. We now offer even more cabins with a window and cabins with double beds. All cabins have quality mattresses and fluffy comforters that guarantee a good night’s sleep. We’ve also situated the cabins so that they will be as quiet as possible,” Nordberg adds.

The architect’s choices

Architect Niclas Makowsky from Koncept thinks that passengers will especially remember the following places onboard Viking Glory.

1. Torget: “Torget’s open atmosphere and two-storey LED wall with moving images are guaranteed to make an impression.”

2. Vista Room: “The bar in Glory’s entertainment centre has fantastic lighting: the lights glowing in the ceiling call to mind the beams of light from a lighthouse.”

3. Spa facilities: “In the opulent spa facilities, the pools have been situated so that they create small skerries and coves in the space. The view is fantastic!”

4. Shopping World: “Shopping in the tax-free shop is at the same time a journey to attractive environments.”

5. Fyren: “Fyren is a rotating glazed-in space for people who want to enjoy good food and unbeatable views of the archipelagos. I look forward to having the opportunity to try it out myself!”