The World is the largest privately owned residential ship, a community of 165 private homes that continuously sails around the globe. Residences range from studios to multi-bedroom penthouses. These images were made while the ship was docked in New York City.

Founded in 1970 and based in Los Angeles, Mark Weaver & Associates is a full-service design firm whose work includes private homes, aircraft, yachts, and island retreats. The firm avoids trends, building each interior around the client, with close attention to scale and proportion, dramatic lighting, and carefully chosen furniture, art, and antiques. On The World, MWA tailored each residence to its owners, bringing the comfort of a fine home on land into the tight spaces of a ship.

Photographer Matt Walla documented each residence, working within the limited space and mixed lighting of a ship’s interior. He balanced daylight from the windows with interior lighting to show the custom millwork, art collection, and fabrics. The photographs record both the precision of the design and what it feels like to live there.