Neutral zones

THE CURRENT TREND for neutral, tone-on-tone decor is people’s response to their busy lives, believes Dianne. “When people go out on their boats or come home they want to be in an environment where they can feel relaxed. They don’t want to be over-stimulated, except perhaps in specific rooms.

“Colour is energy so reds, oranges, yellows are all high-impact, so you don’t want to use those colours greatly where you want to feel relaxed. On racing yachts, high-energy colours are fine but if you want to relax on the boat for two weeks over Christmas, you want calming colours.” on nylon which she says has improved hugely in the last decade, especially in appearance retention and longevity, but eventually they went with polyester, which can be less than half the cost of nylon, per lineal metre.

“Polyester is a very popular option as it’s a plusher pile and much softer in the handling,” she says. “We needed to have a plush pile carpet because of the height of the timber facings on the stairs.”

The 64ft Squadron required 20 lineal metres of carpet – not much less than a three-bedroom standard home – so savings on carpet were significant. Carpet off-cuts were used in cupboards and wardrobes.

ALMOST LIKE NEW, BUT NEWER

Although the boat’s refurbishment went well over the original budget, the owner was delighted with the result. It brought the interior decor in line with modern Fairline Squadrons, reflects the modern trend for neutral tones and a relaxed, spacious yet luxurious atmosphere with continuity throughout the boat.

As any yacht broker will tell you, you have to speculate to accumulate. Refurbishing your boat before putting it on the market will hugely increase your chances of a quick sale at a good price – although that didn’t work for the boat featured on these pages. The owner liked the new decor so much, he fell in love with his boat all over again and took her off the market. B