“It’s a constant challenge to make that happen,” she says. “We try every trick in the book: we use lighting, we use subtle steps in the ceiling, changes of finish and texture, trying to direct focus to somewhere further away.”
Clixby keeps abreast of land-based and marine luxury design trends, but aims for a timeless feel, both to maintain the Cunard brand – she has more than a century of archives to draw on – and to futureproof the ship against upcoming fashions. The Cunard ships are refitted every few years in dry dock, a process where a cast of thousands, including the ship’s crew, work for weeks to deliver the maximum impact with minimum time away from the water.