Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025

Meet The London Design Firm Disrupting The World Of Superyachts

“I think the biggest compliment we’ve received is, ‘Oh my God it looks different!’” describes Albin Berglund of working with yacht owners, the top slice of society who are not easy to please.
Berglund, along with Marie Soliman and Sarah Colbon, has just launched Njord, a new yachting arm to the established London design firm Bergman Interiors, which takes its name from the Norse god of wind and waters.

With over 25 years of combined experience, Soliman and Berglund have been innovating the often staid world of luxury interiors and architectural design.

But recently, they noticed a sector-yachts-that seemed to attract people with limitless budgets despite limited variations in the design and execution of the Herculean boats.

And it was with this knowledge that they joined forces with Sarah Colbon, a long-time marketing and management executive in the yachting industry with a bursting little black book and created Njord.

“I've worked with some of the major and iconic yachts,” describes Colbon of her experience. And she’s right-the likes of Black Pearl-the 350-foot, three-mast superyacht built by Oceanco and managed by Divergent Yachting that consistently tops media lists of the world’s most-impressive vessels.

Exciting the client who has everything is not easy. It’s not simply a matter of choosing and installing the most expensive items at every bend. “It's our part of the job to get them excited, and that means finding things that they haven't seen before,” says Berglund.

It’s about designing something that is surprising but also functional. But how do you surprise a client who travels the world and has seen every finish of wood and cut of marble?

“We challenge, and we push the boundaries,” explains Soliman. “When you say ‘boat’, you have a very specific idea of what will you see. The same happens in hotel lobbies and lounges or gyms. But the idea behind Bergman was always to break that mould. And we are doing the same here with yachts.”

Even Colbon, who has now come onboard as a partner, notes that when she first saw Bergman’s designs of an infinity pool released on social media she took pause. “I was like ‘Oh this is a breath of fresh air!’”

Collaboration is also an important part of the process. As designers, the Njord team consult the boat captain and crew throughout to ensure each element is not only beautiful but functional. Where some designers tend to be blind to those around them, the aim here is to listen and celebrate every voice and idea. “It’s all about the family on the boat,” says Soliman.

And it’s not simply lip service.“We are creating that amazing community of captains, crews, craftsmen and artisans,” says Soliman. “These people will be members of our club because we are organising amazing events and connecting people on both a professional and personal level. We will show movies, launch products and create a journey for everyone involved.”

It’s also about celebrating the unique artists and craftsmen behind each piece and artefact inside the yacht. A perfect example of this is Mathieu Lehanneur, a French artist and furniture designer who makes large and elegant marble pieces, manipulating the glossy edges of the stone to resemble the surface of the ocean. “It’s about collaborating with the right people and not just running it by yourself,” says Soliman.

And it’s not just yachts the team has their sights set on. “We want to enter the world of floating hotels and cruise ships,” explains Berglund. “We want to design anything on water.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Warns of Escalating Cyber Assault Linked to Putin’s State-Backed Operations
UK Consumer Spending Falters in November as Households Hold Back Ahead of Budget
UK Orders Fresh Review of Prince Harry’s Security Status After Formal Request
U.S. Authorises Nvidia to Sell H200 AI Chips to China Under Security Controls
Trump in Direct Assault: European Leaders Are Weak, Immigration a Disaster. Russia Is Strong and Big — and Will Win
"App recommendation" or disguised advertisement? ChatGPT Premium users are furious
"The Great Filtering": Australia Blocks Hundreds of Thousands of Minors From Social Networks
Mark Zuckerberg Pulls Back From Metaverse After $70 Billion Loss as Meta Shifts Priorities to AI
Nvidia CEO Says U.S. Data-Center Builds Take Years while China ‘Builds a Hospital in a Weekend’
Indian Airports in Turmoil as IndiGo Cancels Over a Thousand Flights, Stranding Thousands
Hollywood Industry on Edge as Netflix Secures Near-$60 Bln Loan for Warner Bros Takeover
Drugs and Assassinations: The Connection Between the Italian Mafia and Football Ultras
Hollywood megadeal: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for 83 billion dollars
The Disregard for a Europe ‘in Danger of Erasure,’ the Shift Toward Russia: Trump’s Strategic Policy Document
Two and a Half Weeks After the Major Outage: A Cloudflare Malfunction Brings Down Multiple Sites
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
×