Andrew Winch’s love of yachts was ignited in childhood, during long summers spent sailing the Solent in his father’s 42ft (12m) Beneteau. He completed a degree in 3D Design at Kingston College of Art, and then went on to gain experience as a skipper in the Caribbean, followed by an apprenticeship for acclaimed yacht designer, Jon Bannenberg. His love of yachts would persist through adulthood and inform his entire life’s work, leading him and his wife Jane, as designer and company manager, to establish Winch Design in 1986.
Winch Design's first project was to design the interior and exterior of a Swan 36ft sailboat, which soon led to the creation of other, bigger projects, such as the interior design of the 140ft Cyclos III, completed in 1989, and the 160ft White Rabbit motor yacht, in 1994. In the three decades since Winch Design was established, the business has grown exponentially. The architecture portfolio spans interiors, exteriors, chateaux, beach villas and mountain retreats and the yachts and aviation departments have produced sailing yachts, motor yachts and aircraft ranging from helicopters to the first-ever private Boeing 787/9 Dreamliner.
In that time Winch Design has won over 30 prestigious design awards and come to be recognised as one of the leading international design studios in the world.