INSIDE THE DESIGN WORLD OF PRIVATE JETS
BY JILLIAN DARA
Flying on a private jet epitomizes the expression, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” As soon as you step foot on a private aircraft, your trip begins. It’s part of the reason that private aviation has earned its place as a pinnacle of luxury, explains Michael Silvestro, CEO, Flexjet. “Its extraordinary convenience significantly expands what can be experienced within the same 24 hours we’re all allotted,” he says. In other words, “travel time isn’t lost time,” says Silvestro—especially when a private aircraft offers an onboard experience that’s infused with surprise and delight.
A historically overlooked factor of private jet experience is now on the rise: private aircraft design.
“A well-designed interior turns the cabin into an extension of the owner’s world,” says Sarah Mespelt Larranaga, principal of Sarah Larranaga Aviation Design. Whether it’s a boardroom, a retreat, or a social lounge, Larranaga explains that tailoring a jet’s interiors to how a client wants to “live in the air” results in a flight that feels less like a mode of transportation and more like part of the journey.
Yet, the process isn’t as seamless as renovating a home. “You are designing the inside of a flying tube where weight, safety, durability, maintenance, and regulation are always a determining factor,” says Larranaga. Interior cabin materials must be fire-retardant, lightweight and carpets are typically replaced every six months. “You are advocating for the integrity of the concept while adapting to technical, production, and budget realities,” she says.
This is why private aircraft interiors have traditionally followed a monotonous palette, something Silvestro and his team have coined as “greige,” a mundane grey-and beige formula across aircraft which is “not in alignment with a mode of transportation that is far beyond the ordinary,” he says. Rather, Flexjet opts for an “evocative aesthetic,” which is supported by their LXi Cabin Collection, a portfolio of over 60 custom interior designs curated by their in-house artisans.
Over the years, one of Flexjet’s signature features installed in large cabins has become the kibitzer, or pop-up seating that aligns with the main table, which reimagines the often underutilized credenza to accommodate a bigger group for fine dining or for a game of cards. Beyond creative configuration, Flexjet has recently worked with luxury brands to style ultra-special interiors like the Bentley Bacalar and Riva Volare, respective collaborations with the iconic British motor brand and the Italian Ferretti Group’s Riva Yacht. Both collaborations retrofitted a Gulfstream G650 with details like hand-sewn, quilted techniques from Mulliner for the Bentley Bacalar interior and striped-wood veneer panelling with a silken carpet to evoke the feeling of a yacht cutting through water for the Riva Volare design.
“When you step into a uniquely designed space, be it a luxury hotel or a celebrated restaurant, something is communicated before a word is spoken or a dish arrives; the environment sets the tone, and the same holds true inside the cabin,” says Silvestro.
To keep it all maintained is a process that’s realized by Flexjet’s Completions Team of over 1,500 individuals who are dedicated to the care, materials selection, and proactive refurbishment of the firm’s 340 private jets and helicopters. “A dated interior is one of the fastest ways to devalue an aircraft, so the refurbishment really impacts the aircraft value now and later,” emphasizes Larranga. Even more so, it affects the overall experience of travel: “True differentiation comes from committing fully to the experience of our aircraft owners across every single touchpoint,” says Silvestro. “That most certainly includes the interiors of the aircraft they fly on.”
