Photo Courtesy of Alexis Andrews

As the world has changed exponentially in recent years, so has design, particularly because the millennial market is driving the consumer marketplace.  Those born between 1980 and 2000 make up 25% of the global market and are catapulting new design trends everywhere, including in the air and on the sea.  Capitalizing on speed, ease, efficiency, quality, and sustainability are the hallmarks of the best designs catering to this highly discerning and distinctly dynamic group of pioneers and yes – storytellers. 

Photo Courtesy of Kristina Strobel

Design is indeed an extension of the individual’s personality, but particularly for this generation where steering the yacht or air experience, living that experience, zoning out from that experience, and sharing that experience– in person and through the social media universe – are all of equal gravitas. 

The design journey in this case begins and ends on the same high notes of minimalist, understated, and modern luxury, punctuated with scintillas of nostalgia.  Sleek and sexy are key to design for millennial yacht and jet owners, but the sexiest ethos of all is the underlying theme to any and all design elements: sustainability.

Photo Courtesy of Kristina Strobel

As examples, clean, white space juxtaposed with bold, jewel-toned or pastel palettes, geometric patterns and prints lend just the right touch of the unexpected, a nod to the adventurous spirit of the millennial lifestyle and personality.

Photo Courtesy of Jim Raycroft

Sustainability comes into play by Incorporating variegated uses of natural resources in flooring, tiling, furniture, walls, counters, and hardware through beautifully crafted stone, helping to convey down to earth riches – literally and figuratively – and embodying the artistic flair and sensibilities embedded in the uniquely distinct millennial approach and interpretation to luxury living design on the sea and in the air.  

Photo Courtesy of Kristina Strobel

Lighting and technology are also opportunities to emanate creativity and originality, leveraging the most cutting-edge, yet enduring products and designs possible, while also exuding whimsy , playful and the “see and be seen”, “do and be done’, and “share and be shared” mentality of this can-do generation.   

 Photo Courtesy of Cathy Bridges 

The defining millennial design traits are the piece de resistance: endurance, longevity, wellness, and a modern, highly curated twist to timelessness.  These are truly the pivotal aspects to designing the quintessential millennial living experience for yacht and jet owners.

Whether it’s by sea, in the air, or on land, designing with and for this new guard of visionary mavericks is heralding a new era of design for superyachts and jets.  Where this design journey will take us no one knows, but isn’t that the best and most thrilling part of any journey? Discovering the unexpected.Exploring and venturing into unknown areas. Charting new territory.  The millennials are captivating the captains of design to take a leap into the unknown and follow a new compass, invoking the spirit of the renaissance and the technology revolution into one, and evoking the spirit of a modern, global design renaissance.