Cunard Reveals Queen Mary 2’s Art Deco Makeover for 2027
Inspired by the original 1936 Queen Mary, the refit will refresh every cabin category, add new Grill Suites, and expand the ship’s wellness offering ahead of its May 9 return to service.
Photo: Courtesy of Cunard
In the redesigned Princess Grill Suites aboard Queen Mary 2, a clock will always read 4:33 p.m.—the moment that the original Queen Mary first sailed from Southampton in May 1936. The clock appears on a bathroom panel inspired by a map that once hung in the liner’s first-class dining room, and it’s one of several details Cunard has pulled from its archives for the flagship’s 2027 refurbishment.
Cunard unveiled the plans as Queen Mary 2 departed Southampton on Tuesday for her 450th transatlantic crossing. The world’s only ocean liner in regular service will enter dry dock in Brest, France, on March 31 and return to service on May 9, 2027. The refit will touch every accommodation category, from Britannia staterooms to the Grand Duplex Queens Grill Suites, as well as both Grill restaurants and the Grill Suites Lounge. Cunard also plans to add Grill Suites accommodations and expand its wellness offering.
London-based design studio AD Associates began the project in Cunard’s Liverpool archive, studying original drawings and decorative arts from the 1936 liner. Cunard calls the resulting style “Cunard Deco,” a take on Art Deco that pairs the geometric lines and rich colors of old Hollywood with details drawn from British decorative traditions. In the Britannia and Britannia Club staterooms, that translates to marine and midnight blues and geometric carpeting inspired by an overhead view of the New York skyline.
The Princess Grill Suites lean further into Hollywood glamour, with Cunard red accents, symmetrical detailing, and embroidered headboards depicting city skylines. In the bathrooms, the artwork with the stopped clock reinterprets Leslie MacDonald Gill’s Atlantic map. “A guest might not know that the clock design in their suite stopped at the minute Queen Mary first set sail, but once they do, they never look at the room in the same way,” said Chris Finch, founder and CEO of AD Associates.
Queens Grill Suites will feature purple tones, paneled walls and bespoke furniture, with marquetry on cabinets and tables. The largest suites, including the Grand Duplex, Royal and Penthouse accommodations, take their cues from Britain’s royal gardens and parks. Their custom textiles and hand-tufted rugs will incorporate botanical references such as Balmoral heather, Windsor yew, and Sandringham oak, alongside a palette of granite gray, green, and muted mauve.
A scallop shell, a traditional emblem of safe passage, recurs throughout the Grill spaces. In the Queens Grill Suites, its shape evokes the bow of Queen Mary 2 cutting through the Atlantic. In the Grill Suites Lounge, it fans out like a peacock’s tail, referencing the original Queen Mary’s Peacock Alley, the promenade where passengers strolled and socialized. The refit will also restore the black stone floors in both Grill restaurants, the existing timber paneling in the Grill Suites, and the bespoke furniture in the Grand Duplex Suites.
Cunard commissioned illustrator Tanu Vasu to give travelers a first look at the ship’s proposed interiors, including the living room of a Grand Duplex Queens Grill Suite. Vasu, who grew up watching Cunard ships arrive at Sydney’s Circular Quay, used ink, etching techniques and soft pastels for the hand-drawn series. “I look for the details that give a brand its character, whether that is a typeface, a colour, or the way a scene was composed in an old advertisement,” she said.
Queen Mary 2 has sailed between Southampton and New York since 2004. For the milestone crossing, which runs through Nov. 17, Cunard has revived its onboard Ocean Times newspaper for a special edition and is serving a gala dinner featuring dishes from previous celebration voyages. The program also includes talks by maritime historian Chris Frame and Stephen Payne, the ship’s lead designer, and an afternoon tea that tells the stories of war brides who crossed the Atlantic to join their husbands-to-be.
