Kid-Friendly Yacht Design Comes of Age

Most yachts are designed for adults. But a new wave of practical, fun, and kid-centric designers and furniture manufacturers are working to change that for the better.

Thanks to Covid and changing demographics, more and more families with kids have realized just how great owning or chartering a large yacht can be. But go to any boat show or flip through any yachting magazines and you’ll quickly see that most large yachts seem to be for adults only. The clues? Wall-to-wall monotone carpets. Overstuffed white sofas. Leather wall coverings and tables with sharp corners. Or perhaps it’s the floating stairs that a toddler could literally fall through with handrails that no preschooler’s hand could hope to grasp.

Humans have been strangely slow to realize distinct differences between children and adults in many areas. Until men began wearing bifurcated robes in the 1400s to make it easier to ride horses, everyone wore some sort of gown or robe as outerwear. Yet children continued to be dressed in long smocks for centuries, and boys as well as girls wore dresses with stiff stays to stays to help develop a straight spine.

News flash: Children are not short adults! They move quickly without thought of consequences, tend to be clumsy, and are very tactile. Until they reach a certain age, they have the attention span of gnats; yesterday’s “Mommy told you, please don’t touch that” is gone on the first breeze.

French writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau gets much credit for influencing the change in (Western) children’s clothing during the latter part of the 18th century. He asserted that children’s physical and social needs were different from those of adults. Therefore, Rousseau argued, they should be allowed to wear plain, comfortable clothing for freedom of movement. Loose-fitting “skeleton suits” for boys consisted of matching pants and a short, long-sleeved jacket, usually with a lace or ruffled collar. It wasn’t until the 1860s that knickerbockers, or knickers, and a loose shirt became the fashion for boys. Little girls were still stuck in tiny versions of their mother’s clothes. One-piece rompers for toddlers did not appear until the 1890s after crawling was acknowledged to be an essential part of a baby’s development. It took until the 1920s for ready-to-wear children’s “play clothes” to become commonplace. And, of course, with mass production came things like youth beds as the next step after a crib, along with tiny tables and chairs.

Why, then, was the last child’s room on a yacht I visited fitted with adult-size twin beds and mattress levels more than 30 inches high? I searched in vain for a pull-out step or hardware to attach temporary side rails. Forget trying to reach the Crestron control panel in the adjoining bath. Yes, a dedicated nursery or child’s room might diminish options for a yacht that will charter. Still, multifunctionality, which seems to be the design buzzword these days, means that all functions genuinely need to be accommodated. A room that functions as a twin for adult guests will need some thoughtful details to make the space functional for a small child—and that might also work to charter advantage.

Multifunctionality, which seems to be the design buzzword these days, means that all functions genuinely need to be accommodated.

Anthropometrics is the science dealing with the proportions of the human body. And just as there are building code standards for everything from the width of a door to the height of a toilet seat, there is no need to guess about child-friendly dimensions. Libraries know that tables in the children’s reading room should be 27 inches and the seat height of the chairs, 16 inches. Can a child appreciate that massive mahogany handrail sweeping down a yacht’s grand staircase? No, that’s why elementary school railings are no more than 1¼-inch diameter and 18 to 20 inches off the floor for preschoolers and 30 inches off the floor for preteens.

The largest annual furniture and décor show in Europe is the Salone del Mobile in Milan, but according to Manola Ballerio, an interior designer who manages Sabrina Monte-Carlo Kids for her accessory maven mother, despite 14 display halls filled with furniture, lighting, and carpets at the 2022 show, European furniture manufactures have missed the wave. “There were three pieces of children’s furniture at the show, and I bought all of them,” she said. “A lot of what we use has to be custom made.”

One thing that surprises Ballerio is that although the firm has done a lot of nurseries and playrooms in houses and apartments since its launch in November 2020, it has yet to design from scratch a children’s playroom on a yacht. Yet she has strong ideas about what design excites little people.

“Ever since Covid, the interior trend in homes and yachts has been tones of white on white on white, or beige with a contrasting wood. When we ask clients about the color scheme they envision for their child’s room, they say neutral beige or white. I say, ‘Please. Your child has the rest of his life to have a beige bedroom; now is the time for fun.’”

HGTV’s Drew Scott says children feel at home with colorful designs, especially urging parents to double down on bright colors, bold patterns, and a few whimsical pieces that can change as the child grows.

Suppose you are dealing with redesigning an existing space. In that case, the starting point should be sitting on the floor and noticing how the room appears different to children. because children are tactile and floors provide a multisensory experience, Ballerio recommends a mix of hardwood floor and area rugs to bring color and introduce texture. “Today, you seem to have to choose between the silk carpets for guest and owner cabins that are 800 to 1000 euros per meter and wood floors. We are working with the French carpet company Pinton on a line of area rugs made of Tencel for children’s rooms that will be out in 2023. They clean in a washing machine,” she says.

When asked if there are any trends in playrooms or nurseries, she said, “We don’t work on trends but themes. We find out a child’s interest and create a room around that. We did a basketball theme for a child’s bedroom in London. The headboard was stamped leather with a texture like a basketball. We created a team logo for him and embroidered it on linens and lampshades. We have done rooms for kids who are crazy about cars, planes, and helicopters. Not surprisingly, the princess theme is a big request,” Ballerio says. “Parents tell us a lot, but to make sure we understand, we do Zoom interviews with the kids,” she said.

Wallpaper is a quick way to establish a theme and one that can change as a child’s interests change. Select a pattern on a wallpaper section for an accessory article, hand-paint it on storage bins or desks, or embroider it on window coverings, bed and bath linens, and lamp shades to tie the look together.

At Sabina Monte-Carlo Kids, clouds are often used to soften hard edges and create a dreamy environment. “We like the cloud lamps from Circu. Balloons and hot air ballons are another popular way to bring soft shapes to a room,” Ballerio says.

Parents considering a new build might rethink the yacht’s standard layout to connect a nanny’s cabin to the child’s bedroom, perhaps through a connecting bath. A dedicated playroom can become a classroom as children age and easily become a library, a media room, or even an additional guest stateroom for a subsequent owner. Suppose a teacher will be accompanying the family on voyages or for seasons at a time. Will it be appropriate for the teacher to live in the guest or crew space? And, if a crew member serves as a nanny or even an occasional babysitter, does your lifestyle accommodate crew in owner/guest spaces?

Scott also notes that if a child’s play or study area is part of a larger family space, it is key to let them bring some of their personality to the space to make it feel comfortable.

Finally, no matter how sleek the rest of the yacht is, remember that children are not minimalists. Storage is vital, especially on a boat: things need a place to go. “Think of a child’s room in terms of use areas. There needs to be space for sleeping, study, and storage, and the space in the middle should be reserved for play,” Ballerio says. “Don’t overcrowd the space.”

Top Tips

NO SHARP CORNERS. That should go for all furniture on a yacht, but especially in children’s areas.

PROPORTIONS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. Don’t make things too high.

ORGANIZE EVERYTHING. Books on one side, toys on the other.

INFUSE THE ROOM WITH THEIR PERSONALITIES and make it unique
by embroidering their names on things.

PAINT SOMETHING IMAGINATIVE on the ceiling, or wallpaper it.

CHILDREN PERCEIVE DARK COLORS as drab and boring. Lighten up!

DESKS OR TABLES FOR SCHOOLWORK should be light colored because the contrast between a dark surface and white paper tires the eyes.

TRY TO PUT SOMETHING EDUCATIONAL in the space.

CHILDREN LIKE TO LOOK OUT; consider making a window seat or perhaps a raised reading nook next to a porthole.

FABRIC PANELS should be above wainscoting or chair-rail height and be in sections so only one area needs replacing if damaged.

USE MATERIALS that can be treated with a stain protectant.

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