Winch Design

• Founders: Andrew Winch and Jane Winch
• Founded: 1986 as Andrew Winch Designs, renamed Winch Design 2015
• Based: London (Putney, since 2024)
• Team: more than 150 people
• Disciplines: yacht interiors and exteriors, private jets, architecture
• Signature yachts: Madame Gu, Al Mirqab, Sea Owl
• Heritage: Andrew Winch trained under Jon Bannenberg

A London house with deep roots

Andrew Winch trained under Jon Bannenberg, the designer often called the father of the modern superyacht, before setting up on his own. He founded Andrew Winch Designs in 1986 with his wife Jane, starting with the interior and exterior of a small Swan sailing yacht. The practice was renamed Winch Design in 2015 as its scope widened. It grew from a two-person start into a studio of more than 150 people. The husband-and-wife start gave the studio a personal culture it has kept while growing.

For three decades the office worked from the old fire station in Barnes on the River Thames, and it moved to a larger home in Putney in 2024. The team now covers yachts, private jets and land-based architecture from the same building. That range is unusual and lets the studio carry a single design language across very different objects. At its heart the firm remains a yacht house, with the sea shaping much of its thinking. Jane Winch has helped run the business alongside her husband since the very beginning.

Craft, narrative and detail

Winch is known for interiors built around a story, where every material and finish serves a theme the owner has chosen. The studio invests heavily in craftsmanship and in the fine detail of joinery, metalwork and fabric. Its exteriors tend towards elegance and balance rather than aggression, whether on a sailing yacht or a large motor yacht. The result is work that feels considered and personal rather than showy. A scheme often begins with a colour, a place or a period, and the interior grows from that single idea.

The office treats each commission as a blank page and resists repeating a house formula. Sailing yachts remain part of the portfolio, which keeps the studio fluent in the discipline of light structures and rig. That grounding in sail feeds a lightness of touch that carries over to the motor yachts. Owners come to Winch when they want a rich, tailored interior with a coherent idea behind it. That narrative method has become closely tied to the studio's name over the years.

One design language for a yacht, a jet and the house on shore.

Award-winning yachts

The 99 metre Madame Gu, built by Lurssen, is among the studio's most celebrated projects, a bold and sculptural motor yacht. Al Mirqab, a 133 metre yacht, won a World Superyacht Award and showed the studio working at the largest scale. Sea Owl, a 62 metre Feadship, is another award winner and a favourite for its detailed and characterful interior. These projects sit alongside a long list of decorated sailing and motor yachts. Working at the largest scale on Al Mirqab confirmed the studio could match its taste to size.

The office has collaborated with respected naval architects and exterior stylists including Tim Heywood, Philippe Briand and De Voogt Naval Architects. That willingness to share credit reflects a studio focused on the finished experience rather than sole authorship. Its record includes World Superyacht Awards and ShowBoats awards across many launches. The breadth of recognised work is one of the strongest in British yacht design. Sustained recognition over so many launches is rare for any single design house.

How the studio works

Winch positions itself as a full-service house able to take on interior, exterior and even the owner's home and aircraft. That single point of contact appeals to buyers who want one aesthetic across their world. The studio partners with leading yards in the Netherlands, Germany and beyond depending on the project. It is comfortable leading an interior while another firm handles the naval architecture. One point of contact across yacht, jet and home is a genuine draw for busy owners.

The design process leans on close and lengthy dialogue with the owner to draw out the story that will drive the scheme. Large in-house teams for materials, lighting and detailing support that conversation. This depth lets the studio deliver interiors of real complexity without losing the original idea. It is a way of working suited to owners who enjoy being involved in the making. Many clients return for a second or third project, which speaks to that relationship.

A pillar of British design

Winch Design stands among the handful of studios that define British superyacht design, alongside the legacy of its founder's mentor. Its scale, its awards and its reach into jets and architecture set it apart from smaller ateliers. The firm has become a training ground whose former staff populate the wider industry. That influence extends well beyond the yachts it signs. Its reach across yachts, jets and buildings is unusual for a design house of any kind.

The move into aviation and property has broadened the business without diluting its marine core. Owners still come first for yachts, and the studio continues to launch significant new builds. Andrew Winch remains the guiding figure behind the name. The house looks set to stay near the centre of the market. Andrew Winch remains the guiding figure whose eye still shapes the studio's output.

Who it is for: Owners wanting a richly detailed, story-led interior and a single design hand across yacht, jet and home.