Time drags on when you’re confined to a small seat inside a commercial aircraft. Sleep is elusive and your favorite Nicholas Cage film has only occupied 90 minutes of an overnight flight. However, for those flying privately in 2024, a trip from New York to London aboard aircraft like the Dassault Falcon 10X can feel like you’re spending the night comfortably in an exotic penthouse.
Dassault Aviation is one company in a competitive field offering purpose-built aircraft ready to host custom luxury interiors. In the private aviation world, given the space restrictions of a jet cabin’s dimensions, it takes a significant investment and talent by industry-leading designers to craft a truly exceptional concept. But when done right, the results are an enchanting atmosphere built around “the client’s personality, their way of life, and their own tastes and desires,” Pietro Scaglione, CEO of PINTO Design, told Jetset.
These premier interiors feature a thematic design tailored to the client: a bespoke approach to luxury private aviation. Multifunctional layouts mean flyers can use the lounge for business, rest or relaxation. Many aircraft include estate bedrooms, state-of-the-art entertainment systems, and lounges meant to accommodate whole families and parties of friends. Each cabin is an extension of its owner’s mission in life, with every square inch of cabin design carefully considered.
Some cabins seem otherworldly, especially the Mercedes AMG “Red Pig” concept, where the collaboration with Lufthansa falls on the more masculine side of the design spectrum. It’s a flying tribute to the attitude of the 6.8-litre V8 saloon-turned race car. The cabin is built for those with a high-octane sensibility, featuring blacks, greys and whites with red accents wrapping around a space-age cabin. Moreover, this concept honors the legacy of the high-performance Mercedes-AMG through “precisely embedded carbon fiber elements as well as a characteristic seat upholstery facelift,” the company said.
Many of the most compelling bespoke cabins, however, come from smaller companies specializing in luxury interiors, like France’s PINTO and the United Kingdom’s Design Q and Lie Alonso. Their work often results in clients making their jets into a second home. Sometimes, this means just creating comfortable, low-profile dynamic spaces. Other times, it means creating interiors with a pronounced ambiance and an almost palpable aesthetic. It is all about fitting the needs of the VIP clientele and their aircraft.
Dynamic Space
Howard Guy, CEO of Design Q, told Jetset that when his company broke into the private interior design game back in 2005, he found private aviation interiors seriously lacking. Instead of the dynamic cabin experiences of today, most private aircraft were drab and set in boring beige, with little thought as to how a VIP might want to experience space aboard a private jet, Guy said. He credits Design Q’s experience working with cars as giving the company the needed chops to create a “slick environment” in smaller spaces. He said he wanted to bring the same standard of luxury clients experienced inside a Bentley to the cabin of a private jet.
Today, Design Q’s work can be found within the Bombardier Global 7000 airframe. The Global 7000 is a state-of-the-art private jet with a range of 7,700 nm and the capability to fly near Mach speed with up to 19 passengers. The prototype mockup for the 54-foot by 8-foot aircraft demonstrates how a jet’s interior can be transformed into a dynamic cabin that ultimately functions as a home away from home for many of its VIP owners.
The Global 7000 mockup conveys a mood of contemporary business luxury. The layout features a stately bedroom with a king size bed, a bathroom straight out of a penthouse and an enclave designed for business and leisure, where passengers can view films in ultra-comfortable leather seating. Like Lie Alonso’s concept, Design Q focuses on fine materials like silk carpets and stone countertops. Lighting intensifies the ambiance with contemporary tones set against hardwood floors, as well as satin and gloss wood veneers throughout the cabin. Wood finishes and rows of leather seating make for the perfect place to conduct business before cracking open that champagne.
In the end, there’s no reason not to celebrate when flying privately aboard a Bombardier, Dassault or Gulfstream amidst the most captivating interiors the industry has to offer. Because “it’s a bit like theater,” Guy said. You take a VIP, “work with their character and give them something they have not seen before.” This results in a travel experience that is savored, not endured.
