It’s one of the most luxurious assets that you can own when it comes to living a luxurious life. Whether it’s a small yacht or a big one, the boat’s interior is an important one to consider in order to showcase its beauty on the inside.
Just like any home or property, wear and tear can occur, thus making any boat look tired if you’re not maintaining it on a regular basis.
With that being said, if you’re looking to spruce up your boat’s interior for 2025, here are ten ways to give it the update it needs.
Yacht Life:Start with Clearing Up Any Clutter
The first step in updating your boat’s interior is by tackling the unwanted clutter in your spaces. With any boat, you might be limited on space that you have and that includes any cupboards and drawers available.
Therefore it’s imperative that you’re keeping your spaces as clear as possible. It’s incredible just how much clutter you can collect over a short period of time, which is why it’s good to stay on top of it where possible.
Look to declutter your boat’s interiors every season or at least every time you decide to take a trip on the boat. You want to have as much free space as possible, which can be challenging if it’s all taken up by clutter from previous excursions and vacations away.
Keeping on top of the clutter will help to make the space feel more spacious and organized as a result.
Photo by Marcin Ciszewski on Unsplash
Get Organized with Storage Solutions
Speaking of getting organized, you can make use of smaller spaces that often come with boats by being smart with storage solutions.
A lot of boats will benefit from furniture that doubles up as a storage space. From under-seat storage to storage underneath staircases, there are a lot of innovative ways that can allow you more space in what can traditionally be a limited amount of space.
Once you’ve decluttered, try to organize your boat’s storage in a way so that you have everything in its own place. Every part of your boat should be for a specific reason and so if you have certain items in places where they shouldn’t be, like shoes in a kitchen cupboard, then it might be worth organizing it better so that everything is more functional.
Even the biggest boats won’t have unlimited storage, so it’s good to be organized where you can.
Yacht Life: Add Light Colors to the Walls
A great way of helping make a space feel bigger is by opting for lighter colors on the walls rather than choosing perhaps darker and muted colors.
Some boat enthusiasts might opt for darker colors to mimic the traditions of a wooden boat but that can make the spaces within your boat’s floorplan, feel smaller.
Adding some lighter colors such as white, cream and other neutral shades will help to avoid such dark spots on the boat and will help to open up spaces that might be smaller than you’d like it to be.
Sticking with lighter colors and neutrals is also a great way to help both artificial and natural light bounce off the walls and help create a brighter appearance.
Add the Right Type of Lighting
Lighting is an important one in a property like a boat. Unlike other properties, a boat can feel quite dark and poorly lit if it’s not installed with the right type of lighting. You want to be strategic with where you light up your boat, especially when it comes to lighting up pathways to ensure there’s no danger of falling overboard.
Think about what boat interior adjustments are worth making in order to fix some additional lighting to the space. Consider what might be missing in the current fixtures and fittings, opting also for some standing but fixed lighting to create levels for the lighting.
Floor lights are also a go-to option, especially if you’re looking to add some more light outside of the boat or within the hallways where there might be fewer or no windows.
Ditch heavy curtains
Heavy curtains are a great way to insulate a space and they can also be great when you want to block out any annoying light around you. However, when it comes to your boat, there’s not really a great deal of need for heavy curtains. Unless you’re anchoring up near bright city nightlife, you’re going to want to ditch the heavy curtains.
Heavy curtains can prove to be a hassle to shift back and forth throughout the day or evening. Plus, it can take up valuable room which you want to avoid when on a boat.
Consider ditching the curtains and instead replacing them with drapes that are lit and perhaps not so invasive on the space. Otherwise, you might want to think about blinds or shutters that minimize the use of floor space and instead just prioritize the window itself.
Play around with textures
Textures are something that you should look at playing around with when it comes to dressing up your boat.
Adding texture is great for a cozy vibe and also creates a bit of personality within the space. Playing around with a mixture of textures whether that’s woven cushions or wool throws and blankets. You could even take that texture to your lampshades or bed frames.
The more you experiment with texture, the better the results are likely to be. You’ve not just got the same one or two textures running throughout.
To get inspiration, it’s worth looking at the features of your boat space. What are the standouts and what could that ultimately look like when picking out interior designs?
Paint the Ceiling Light
It’s not uncommon when it comes to boats that painting the ceiling a darker color will help to make the ceiling feel a lot closer. This is sometimes done within spaces that feel too tall and imposing.
However, the majority of boat owners might find that painting the ceiling a darker color, would have the opposite effect that’s desired when they’re trying to make their boat interiors feel more spacious.
Painting the ceiling a lighter color – doesn’t need to be just white – can be helpful to draw the eye upward and ultimately makes the boat feel higher too. With a bright white, cream, or pale light-colored ceiling, you’ll likely find it works well for boat interiors.
Keep Soft Furnishings and Decor Seasonal
When you’re decorating your boat’s interior, you want to treat it like it’s your home. Adding personable items is a great way to give your boat that spruce up it needs but with a bit more personality to boot.
Keeping your soft furnishings and decor seasonal will help to ensure your boat space remains modern and current. If you’re using the same soft furnishings for years and years, it’s going to become worn and tired. This is especially so when it comes to a boat and the difference in weather conditions and environments the boat is exposed to versus a home.
So look at what marine upholstery fabric is best for this time of year and make sure you have a few options to see you through for the remainder.
Hang Up Mirrors
Hanging up mirrors is an important one because mirrors help to bounce the natural light that comes into the room and to do the same for interior lights too. Not only that but mirrors often help to create the illusion of a bigger space.
Therefore, it’s definitely worth hanging up mirrors around the spaces so that you help mimic a bigger room, particularly in those spaces that are a lot smaller.
While it might not physically change the size of the space, mentally, it can shift your perception and have you thinking the room is bigger. It’s a great way to impress your guests, as well as add something else to the space in terms of decor.
With the types of mirrors you put up, experiment with different styles and sizes. The bigger the size of the mirror, the more of the illusion it’s going to create which is helpful for really cramped spaces.
Do regular maintenance checks
Regular maintenance checks are a great way to keep things in order and to hopefully avoid any problems with your boat that could be expensive.
From checking ventilation and changing filters on the heating and air conditioning system, will all help to keep the boat running properly. It’ll also be useful for keeping up its appearance so that you’ve not got dust on surfaces or an odd smell wafting through the air due to dampness problems.
Doing regular maintenance checks is an important check to make when looking after a boat. While they’re like a home on the water, they require a lot more upkeep to ensure your investment is worthwhile.
Sprucing up your boat’s interior is a great way to get more use of it in the coming years so make sure to follow these tips.
Top photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
Check out my stories, and email me direct at mkeast@regardingluxury.com
