From Riva to the World's Finest Yachts: Officina Italiana Design Eyes New Horizons

Officina Italiana Design has stood out as one of the most influential studios across the world of international yacht design for over thirty years. Founded by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta in 1994, OID has developed its own consistent style over time, a style that has evolved to become iconic and a true benchmark in yachting, infusing rigorous design with a constant search for balance in form. 

The relationship with Riva, the historic shipyard for which Officina Italiana Design has designed both the exterior lines and interiors of the entire range of yachts since its foundation, represents one of the most important chapters in this journey.

For decades, Riva has been associated with the legendary history of 1960s wooden motorboats, a prime example being the Aquarama. Today, however, the brand enjoys a new source of prestige, one just as firmly projected into the world of large yachts. The transformation has been gradual, consistent and conscious, where Officina Italiana Design has played a key role: reinterpreting an icon without being bound to it.

'Remaining tied to the Aquarama legend would mean standing still,' states Mauro Micheli, Chief Designer at OID. 'The Aquariva, for example, enjoys the merit of renewing the Aquarama without losing her own identity, demonstrating how evolution can take place through subtraction, balance and precision, not excess.'

Today, within this same scenario, Officina Italiana Design approaches the issue of dimensional growth not as an exercise in gigantism, but as a design opportunity, in which experience, measure and balance become essential tools for shaping a new concept of a yacht. Art is always the primary and constant source of reflection. It is in classical and contemporary art that OID finds its inspiration for that new formal equilibrium that makes Riva yachts such masterpieces.

This long-standing partnership with Riva has helped redefine an icon without crystallising it, accompanying the brand in a coherent evolution: from motorboats symbolising the beloved golden age of la dolce vita to stylish boats across a broad range of lengths. 

With the Riva Superyacht Division we witnessed the launch and success of the Riva 50Metri (with three units in service), the launch of the 54Metri in the summer of 2025, the presentation of the Riva 42Metri Caravelle project (a clear tribute to Carlo Riva and the first megayacht of the 1960s), and the announcement of the largest model to date: the Riva 70Metri.

While developing increasingly larger Riva boats, Officina Italiana Design has also gained experience in the large yacht segment. This process first began in 2015 with projects carried out for Sanlorenzo (the 52 Steel and the 64 Steel). 

'These were decisive experiences for us,' comments Sergio Beretta, CEO of OID, 'embodying a decisive leap in scale, not just in terms of size, but most of all in terms of design.'

When working on superyachts measuring over 50 metres, OID has experimented with innovative solutions that focus on space, lighting and the relationship with the sea: completely open beach areas, using multiple hatches to transform the stern, swimming pools that become elements of architecture and light, capable of redefining the perception of the interiors.

'These insights have demonstrated how a large boat can offer greater freedom of expression, while upholding the model's identity and the hallmark stylistic features of the brand it represents. It is a matter of vision,' emphasises Micheli.

For Officina Italiana Design, growing in size does not mean pursuing unbridled gigantism for its own sake. There is, indeed, a threshold beyond which size risks becoming excessive. 

'The true goal remains that of striking a balance between form, function and character, of maintaining the elegant sobriety that has always distinguished high-quality Italian design and has always been an expression of the Officina Italiana Design philosophy,' explains Sergio Beretta.

Whether for 15 or 80 metres, the creative process remains the same: every project stems from a strong idea, an intuition and an overall vision. 'The stylistic features developed on smaller boats emerge just as naturally on larger ones, reinterpreted and redefined on a larger canvas,' underlines Mauro Micheli.

Today, Officina Italiana Design is prepared to accompany Riva and the international yachting industry as a whole into this new phase, breathing into large yachts the same consistency, rigour and vision that have made past projects so iconic. An evolution that looks to the future, without ever forgetting where it all began.