Scottish Low Carbon Leather first choice for luxury ships

Andrew Muirhead & Son and Bridge of Weir Leather Company have recently supplied their Low Carbon Leather for the upgrade of two of the world’s most luxurious ocean cruise liners.

The UK’s largest manufacturers of leather, Andrew Muirhead & Son and Bridge of Weir Leather Company, subsidiaries of Scottish Leather Group, have recently supplied their Low Carbon Leather for the upgrade of two of the world’s most luxurious ocean cruise liners, the P&O Oriana and the Queen Mary 2.

As the most established ship in the P&O fleet, the Oriana carries hundreds of thousands of cruisers worldwide and, assisted by London based designers Adfecto and following a multi-million pound refurbishment, has now been rebranded an ‘adult only’ vessel.

The luxury cruise ship plays host to bars, restaurants, shops and lounges and boasts a stunning Tiffany glass ceiling.  She is also home to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White’s Ocean Grill, as well as the Sorrento, a fine dining Italian restaurant. 

Onboard, Andrew Muirhead leather in Sateen Sahara was used for the refurbishment of existing chairs at The Ocean Grill.  Further Andrew Muirhead hides in Ingleston Sable and Bridge of Weir Grampian Taupe hides were used on Knightsbridge furniture at Le Club Nightclub and at the Sorrento Conservatory, Bridge of Weir leather in Grampian Lip was used on fixed seating and chairs by Italian manufacturer Potocco Spa.

Rebekah Ellis, of designers Adfecto Design commented:
“We specified Bridge of Weir and Andrew Muirhead for all the leather projects onboard the Oriana due to price, colour range and the extremely high level of service that they offered.

“Their top of the range colour matching service provided a near exact colour match for the scheme that we were working with.”

Archie Browning, sales director for Andrew Muirhead said:

“It is a credit to see our leather used on such an iconic vessel.  Named by HM The Queen in 1995 and now featuring Bridge of Weir Leather in some of the most prestigious areas onboard, we are delighted that the service we offer has once again been proved to be first class.”

Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 has also undergone a two week refurbishment to celebrate her eighth birthday this month.  Working in partnership with the original designers, Tillberg Design, the company aimed to restore the ship’s signature elegance.

Andrew Muirhead hides in Lustrana Chestnut and Oxblood were used within the British pub, the Golden Lion, on sofas, stools, barstools and armchairs.  The pub underwent a complete redesign where the new design retains its traditional character with warm colours and plush seating.

Linda Hult, interior designer at Tillberg Design said:

“There are two main reasons we chose to work with Andrew Muirhead, the first being that the colour and finish worked very well for the design and style of the pub.  The second was the IMO certification of the leather and the fact that this rating was required for all materials used onboard.”

Mr. Browning finished:

“Modern ship builders and interior designers up until now have found it difficult to source a leather that has the quality they need to make their design work, while meeting the very high demands for safety and quality at sea.

“We have achieved the coveted Ships Wheel quality accreditation and at last designers can specify premium quality leather that matches the most stringent safety expectations, as well as looking luxurious.

“Not only does it have to look top quality, but passengers need to feel comfortable and our leather delivers on all aspects required.”