Designing Liners Cover Art

Designing Liners: A History of Interior Design Afloat covers the interior design of these floating palaces from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first century.

The book’s latest edition explores the design history of ocean liners and how their interiors reflect the changing social order and global patterns. The analysis of this crucial aspect of interior design is particularly significant now, as the demand for holiday cruises is rising. The book is the first to provide a comprehensive history and analysis of ocean liner interiors, reflecting and reinforcing cultural concepts such as national identity, gender, class, and ethnicity.

The book’s main story is how interior design went from being done by a local decorating company to being done by an internationally famous architect. It is an essential addition to the study of interior design, and it looks at this type of building that is only there for a short time.


This book is the first to look at the history of interior design and how it changed over time with the growth of passenger shipping. It tells the history of these significant ship interiors, from when the line owners asked for them to be made to what materials, methods, and sources were used to how they were made, used, and received.

This new edition contains more information on the South African Union Castle and P&O Lines, the ships’ demise and changes in use.

Anne Massey’s method combines interior design studies, design history, architectural history, and maritime studies. It is based on a wide range of original research. The new edition was carefully assembled with illustrations in black and white and colour.

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