In Profile:
F-DR Yacht Architecture Studio

Name: Gianandrea Fiorillo, Lucio de Rubertis
Company Name: F-DR Yacht Architecture Studio
Position Within Company: Co-Founder
Website: https://www.f-dr.xyz/

Tell us a little about the company background :
F-DR is an Italian Yacht Architecture Studio founded by Gianandrea Fiorillo and Lucio De Rubertis, two Neapolitan naval architects who chose Palma de Mallorca as their operational base, at the very heart of the Mediterranean yachting world.

With over a decade of combined experience, we bridge design and naval architecture, uniting hands-on shipyard practice with a deep understanding of physical dynamics and aesthetics. Our approach is built on balance between creativity and engineering, intuition and precision, pursuing a design language that feels timeless, functional, and essential.

F-DR was founded on the idea of collaboration. We work side by side with shipyards, studios, and craftsmen, merging different visions to create yachts that are refined, technically sound, and emotionally engaging. We draw from tradition but look forward – reinterpreting classic principles through a contemporary, intelligent lens.

Over the years, F-DR has collaborated with major shipyards and design offices. Our work spans interior and exterior design, project management, and technical consultancy, supporting projects from concept to engineering.

Today, based in Palma, we also follow refit projects, support professional sailing teams, and design custom components for performance yachts.

In a constantly evolving industry, F-DR stands as a creative laboratory — rooted in Italian design culture yet shaped by an international mindset — blending craftsmanship, science, and emotion to create yachts that feel alive, balanced, and pure.

How does your company approach each project from concept to completion? :
Whether it’s the design of a full yacht, a custom component, or the refit of an interior, every project at F-DR begins the same way: by listening.
We try to understand the true need behind the request, to enter into a kind of symbiosis with those who will live or build what we design.

The choices don’t belong to us alone. Our role is to guide combining the client’s vision with our experience, technical knowledge, and two principles we never compromise on: life at sea and timelessness.

We approach design with the mindset of naval architects and engineers, not artists. Every line, curve, and surface has a reason to exist. Nothing is random, not even a concept sketch.
We use parametric tools and a scientific approach rooted in our backgrounds, ensuring precision and coherence throughout the process.

At the same time, we are young designers — and that slightly naïve, fearless energy often pushes us to go beyond conventions, to find that extra spark that makes a project unique.

We divide tasks based on our strengths, but we constantly exchange ideas, blending our perspectives until something fresh and unexpected emerges.
In the end, each project becomes a shared journey: a balance of reason and emotion, discipline and instinct, leading to yachts and objects that feel honest, functional, and alive.

Where inspires your company in this sector? :
Our inspiration comes first from our origins. We are both from Naples – Lucio from Procida, a small island in the Gulf – places where life and sea are inseparable.
We grew up surrounded by boats, by the rhythm of the waves, and by a culture that treats the sea not as a landscape, but as a way of living. We are sailors ourselves, and that connection runs deep in everything we design.

At the same time, our path has taken us far from home. We’ve worked across different fields (from architecture to product design and engineering) constantly learning and exchanging perspectives. That cross-pollination has broadened our vision and keeps us inspired.

We admire the masters of yacht design, past and present, and often draw lessons from their clarity and restraint. We also find endless inspiration in what surrounds us here in Palma de Mallorca: one of the most vibrant harbours in the world, where some of the most beautiful yachts ever built pass by our studio.

Beyond yachting, we are inspired by art, fashion, and design culture. By anything that celebrates proportion, material honesty, and emotion. All of these influences flow into our work, shaping projects that remain deeply connected to the sea, beauty, and timeless Italian spirit.

In what direction do you feel that your projects are moving towards in a general sense?
In the beginning, our designs were more classic and essential, looking back to tradition and timeless proportions.
Now we are slowly opening up to softer, more organic forms, while still maintaining the same sense of balance, clarity, and discipline that defines our work.

The key words remain life at sea and timelessness, creating yachts that feel natural, effortless, and connected to the water.

That said, we are still a young studio, and we believe that finding a clear direction takes time. We need more projects, more challenges, and more encounters with the sea before we can truly define our path.
For now, we are simply following our instincts, guided by curiosity, experience, and a deep respect for what the sea can teach us.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching projects in the future. :
Beyond trends — Never follow fashion or design trends for their own sake.
Connection with the sea — Every design decision starts from the sea itself. A yacht must first and foremost be right from a seamanship point of view: safe, functional, and ready for any situation.
Harmony of lines — Shapes and surfaces must speak to each other. Every curve is guided by the one beside it, in a game of symmetry, reflection, and inversion: a continuous dialogue that creates balance, rhythm, and a kind of musical unity.
Life at sea — A yacht should celebrate the experience of the sea: the ability to move freely, swim easily, and truly feel the water around you. Many boats forget that. We don’t.
Feeling at home — Interiors should convey a sense of belonging and warmth. Whether you prefer the look of a “true yacht” or a “floating villa,” what matters is that it feels like home

If your company could offer one piece of advice when it comes to projects, what would it be?
We’re probably still too young to give advice. We’re still learning, still building our path. We prefer to receive advice rather than give it, especially from those with more experience. This industry is built on shared knowledge and we believe that curiosity, humility, and openness are the real foundations of good design.

How important are The International Yacht & Aviation Awards? :
For us, this has been a real opportunity to challenge ourselves: to create something new, to explore a different language, and to do it with a clear goal in mind. The Awards gave us the chance to present a concept that marks a step forward in our style and vision, and we’re truly grateful for that.We’re very much looking forward to the ceremony: to connect with other professionals, share experiences, and learn from people who inspire us.

What projects are you currently working on? :
At the moment, we’re focusing mainly on research and development, refining our processes and exploring new design directions. We’re completing the project management of a refit that began last year, and we continue our collaboration with Southern Wind Shipyard in South Africa, supporting their engineering teams. At the same time, we’re actively looking for new challenges and clients: people who are ready to trust us with something fresh, meaningful, and ambitious.

For us, every new project is a way to grow, to experiment, and to keep shaping our identity as a young yacht architecture studio.

What was one of your company’s key projects to work on and why? :
Probably our very first one. In collaboration with Alberto Simeone Yacht Design, we worked on the naval architecture of a 70-foot performance sailing yacht, a project that marked the real beginning of F-DR. It was a turning point: we developed our own processes, expanded our technical knowledge, and managed CFD campaigns to study and optimise the yacht’s performance, working side by side with industry leaders such as Alberto Simeone and Cape Horn Engineering. We also took part in shaping the exterior design, exploring proportions, ergonomics, and countless layout options together with Alberto’s team. It was the perfect project to start our new chapter as F-DR: challenging, collaborative, and full of learning.

What was your company’s most challenging project to work on and why? :
There was a project we worked on for several years while still collaborating with our previous studio. We can’t share many details, but it lasted almost three years, marked by continuous ups and downs: first the pandemic, then the uncertainty of the global situation that followed. It was a project of extraordinary scale and prestige, something that could have changed our professional lives completely. But as circumstances shifted, it suddenly collapsed, forcing us to start again from zero. That experience taught us a lot about resilience, humility, and the unpredictable nature of this industry. It was painful at first, but it ultimately gave us the strength to create F-DR, rebuild what we had lost, and rediscover the passion that made us start in the first place.

Which products/services could you not live without when completing projects?:
Honestly, our most essential tools are the ones we’ve built ourselves. Over the years we’ve developed a set of custom digital tools, written and refined by hand: small pieces of software that help us design, calculate, and visualise with precision. They’ve become part of our daily workflow, and we couldn’t imagine working without them. And then, of course, there’s music. Our playlists of Mediterranean sounds keep us grounded and inspired, a quiet reminder of where we come from and why we do what we do.

What are your company’s aims and goals for the next twelve months? :
Our first goal is a personal one: to reunite in Palma de Mallorca after a year of working apart, as Lucio has been based full-time in South Africa.
We can’t wait to sit at the same desk again, share ideas in real time, and bring back that daily creative exchange that defines F-DR. We also want to complete a few ongoing projects and start new adventures that challenge us and push our boundaries. One of our aims is to refine our focus, to understand what we truly enjoy and where we can bring the most value. At the same time, we remain open. We’re still a young studio, and every new experience, collaboration, or mistake is part of our growth. The next twelve months, for us, are about learning, reconnecting, and evolving.