Unique Looks: Yacht Club Chic

Yacht clubs invoke thoughts of luxury and class, but for good reason. Yacht clubs tend to be exclusive, members must invest in a membership or be part of a certain circle in order to attend. That being said, how does one create a yacht club chic look? For 2012, a number of trends for interior design will revolve around nautical, beach or maritime-inspired looks. Yacht-club chic is no exception. Of course, with so many different variations of this style floating around out there, how do you know what to pick and choose for your space? Here’s the low down on yacht club chic.

For starters, stripes! Stripes are clean and classic. They’re timeless. You can use them in bedroom designs or living room designs, as well as kitchen designs and in bathroom designs. Look for stripes that are wide and blend a nautical-inspired hue with a clean white or off-white color for a truly yacht-club chic look. You can use stripes on furniture or bedding, as well as on throw rugs or throw pillows.

Speaking of colors, you’re probably wondering what hues constitute “yacht club chic.” For starters, blue hues that are feature rich, saturated tones are a perfect start. Royal blues, navy blues and muted turquoise blues are all perfect for this interior design scheme. Other hues that work well with this style include emergency red, linen beiges, off-white ivories, clean and crisp whites, rich weathered browns and even soft yellow hues.

Once you know what colors are best suited for this style, you’re probably wondering what comes next? For furniture, yacht club chic is all about a polished, clean and timeless look. That means that rustic-looking pieces, especially furniture, would be completely out of sorts with this style. For living room designs and bedroom designs, you’ll want to opt for furniture that features deep, rich saturated wood tones paired with high polish finishes. This includes your dining tables, coffee tables, side tables and so forth.

Remember, when you step onto an expensive yacht, you expect to see polished woods in deep rich hues, so this should also apply to your furniture and if necessary, your wood flooring, should you decide to invest in wood flooring.

When it comes to accessories, things can be a bit more tricky. For starters, recent trends involve the use of clear glass apothecary jars. These are actually great for use with yacht club chic inspired interior design. You can fill these jars with sand or shells, or other items of your choice.

Finally, it is worth noting that just because yacht club chic is clean and polished, that doesn’t mean you can’t mix this style with other nautical-inspired themes for a more casual and comfortable look. In the end, don’t be afraid to mix and match styles if necessary to achieve the right look. You want to be comfortable in your space and if overly polished and clean isn’t your look, don’t be afraid to stray from the ‘rules.’ Interior design is flexible!