Home Away From Home: Trends in Airplane Cabin Design
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APEX Insight: When passengers climb aboard, airlines hope the textile choices remind them of home.
Think of the airplane cabin as a home away from home. That’s the effect airlines are trying to create with fabric and other furnishings, according to design experts.
Jonny Clark, founder of TheDesignAir, a website that covers product and design news in aviation, points to Etihad, China Airlines and Cathay Pacific’s use of fabrics, colors and textures to imbue comfort and coziness.
Ilona Illing, director of Design at Lantal, which produces textiles for airlines, sees her clients following home interior trends, which in recent years have been largely influenced by a spa aesthetic of clean lines and warm tones.
This translates into textiles with small and subtle patterns in one or two color tones. “The idea is to enter the cabin and feel relaxed, released from all your stress,” Illing says. While colors and patterns are understated, airlines add textures to fabrics with bouclé or shiny yarn.
“We are seeing locally inspired materials being used in aircraft.” Jonny Clark, TheDesignAir
The feeling of home can refer to something grander – heritage. “We are seeing locally inspired materials being used in aircraft,” Clark says. He mentions Factorydesign’s use of fabrics from Dublin-based Botany Weaving for seat covers, carpets, curtains and blankets in Aer Lingus’ business-class cabin.
Traditionally, airlines have been averse to dirt, and certain colors were off limits because they show wear and tear. But as airlines look to differentiate themselves, Illing says some clients are inquiring about bigger patterns and bolder designs. And as home styles move toward darker, richer, deeper tones in the greens, yellows and reds, that may just be where airlines dare to tread – and thread – down the line.
Illing says Lantal’s clients are also inquiring about sustainable and biodegradable fabrics. “While they’re trying to be more fuel-efficient, they’re also starting to ask about, for example, a curtain fabric that’s made from recycled material.”
“Home Away From Home” was originally published in the 7.2 April/May issue of APEX Experience magazine.