Officina Italiana Design has been one of the most authoritative names in international yacht design for more than thirty years. The studio founded by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta in 1994 has, over time, developed a coherent design language that has become iconic and a true benchmark in the nautical world, where design rigour combines with the pursuit of balanced forms. The relationship with Riva, the historic shipyard for which OID has designed both the exterior lines and the interiors of the entire yacht range since its foundation, represents one of the most significant chapters of this journey.
If for decades Riva was associated with the myth of the wooden runabouts of the 1960s – foremost among them the Aquarama – today the brand enjoys a new recognisability that is also firmly projected into the world of large yachts. A gradual, coherent and conscious journey in which Officina Italiana Design has played a central role: reinterpreting an icon without becoming its prisoner.
“Binding ourselves to the myth of the Aquarama would mean standing still,” says Mauro Micheli, Chief Designer of OID. “Aquariva, for example, had the merit of renewing the Aquarama without losing its own identity and demonstrated how evolution can occur through subtraction, balance and precision, not through excess.”
In this scenario, Officina Italiana Design now addresses the theme of dimensional growth not as an exercise in gigantism, but as a design opportunity in which experience, measure and balance become fundamental tools for shaping a new idea of yacht. Always with art as a primary and constant source of reflection. In classical and contemporary art, in fact, OID finds inspiration for new formal balances and harmonies that make Riva yachts true masterpieces.
The long-standing collaboration with Riva has helped transform an icon without crystallising it, accompanying the brand in a coherent evolution: from the runabouts that symbolised the golden age of the dolce vita to vessels of great style in different lengths. With the Riva Superyacht Division we have witnessed the launch and success of the Riva 50Metri (with three units currently cruising), the launch of the 54 Metri in the summer of 2025, the presentation of the Riva 42 Metri Caravelle project (a clear tribute to Carlo Riva and to the first megayacht of the 1960s) and the announcement of the largest model ever: the Riva 70 Metri.
At the same time, alongside the development of increasingly large Riva yachts, Officina Italiana Design has also gained experience in the large-yacht segment.
This process began in 2015 with the projects developed for Sanlorenzo (the 52 Steel and the 64 Steel). “They were decisive experiences for us,” says Sergio Beretta, CEO of OID, “representing a true leap in scale, not only in dimensional terms, but above all from a design perspective.”
On yachts over 50 metres, OID has experimented with innovative solutions that place space, light and the relationship with the sea at the centre: fully open beach areas, multiple hatches that transform the stern, swimming pools that become architectural and luminous elements capable of redefining the perception of the interiors. “Insights that have demonstrated how a large yacht can offer greater expressive freedom while maintaining its identity and the stylistic features typical of the brand it represents. It is a matter of vision,” explains Micheli.
For Officina Italiana Design, growing in size does not mean pursuing gigantism for its own sake. There is a limit beyond which scale risks turning into excess. “The real objective remains that of finding a balance between form, function and character, maintaining that elegant sobriety which has always distinguished high-quality Italian design and has always been an expression of the philosophy of Officina Italiana Design,” emphasises Sergio Beretta.
Whether it is 15 or 80 metres, the creative process remains the same: every project originates from a strong idea, from an intuition and from an overall vision. “The stylistic features developed on smaller boats naturally emerge on larger ones as well, reinterpreted and redefined on a broader canvas,” explains Mauro Micheli.
Today Officina Italiana Design is ready to accompany Riva – and more generally the international yachting industry – into this new phase, bringing to large yachts the same consistency, the same rigour and the same visionary capacity that made past projects iconic. An evolution that looks ahead, without ever forgetting where it all began.
