As the secondary market for private jets goes into overdrive, there has been a notable increase in demand for specialist interior designers. With many jets staying in service for two decades or more, the interiors can quickly become tired and dated.
That simply won’t do for the UHNW with limitless cash, who no longer sees owning their personal flying machine as enough to impress their friends. There has been a large uptick in trends for one-off designs, on-board artworks and interiors that match the owners’ superyacht. In fact, many of the private jet interior designers mentioned below hail from the superyacht industry.
Here, we take a look at the designers leading the way in a growing market.
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Winch Design
For all Winch Design projects, the process starts with a conversation between the designers and the client. This ensures the design team fully understands the client’s vision for the project, and how the jet’s interiors will fit in with the client’s lifestyle. Shifting away from typical private jet interiors — such as dark wood veneers and deep leather seating — and discarding the spatial rules typical of private jet design, Winch Design creates interiors that are softer, brighter, and more playful than what is traditionally found within an aircraft.
The studio creates flexible, relaxing spaces with the help of movable furniture (that can be stowed for take-off and landing), bespoke divisions, and light color schemes. One of Winch Design’s recent projects, a Global XRS, features a contemporary, masculine interior that takes its inspiration from the Owner’s passion for Art Deco furniture and is equipped to conduct business, entertain, or relax.
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In 2022, the company delivered a complete Bombardier Global 5000 refurbishment, which saw a 10-year-old business jet transformed into a bespoke, art-filled space. Working to a brief that specified creating a bright space that was personal to the client, the large art wall on the aft bulkhead acted as the starting point for the project. Commissioned as an original piece, the artwork was painted directly on the aircraft.
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Patrick Knowles
One of the USA’s most prolific designers, Patrick Knowles specializes in custom megayacht, superyacht, residential, and aircraft interiors. The team at Patrick Knowles Design combines decades of experience in both the marine and aviation industries to create unique and beautiful interiors for clients across the globe. The team confidently takes clients through project inception to final delivery, and even offer post-delivery services.
“I thrive on the challenges of the boundaries [presented in aircraft design],” says Knowles. “I like knowing what the rules are and becoming innovative in the ways we work around them.” Due to the nature of the work, and the clientele that commission Patrick Knowles Design, the details of the studio’s previous projects — including the private jet interiors — often cannot be shared publically.
AirJet Designs
AirJet Designs has earned an international reputation for delivering creative and luxurious interiors for a range of aircraft, including Airbus, Gulfstream, and even helicopters. The Avante-Garde design studio has been designing private jets since 2001, and combines its knowledge and expertise of aircraft structure with the individual needs and wishes of the client, creating interiors that work with each individual’s style.
AirJet Designs is continuously researching and learning about the latest aviation developments and technologies, ensuring that the design proposals it shares with clients are the best possible combinations of technical skill and personalized creativity. Part of AirJet Design’s service includes generating detailed 3D models and renderings, allowing the client to clearly visualize what the interior of their private jet will look like.
Design Q
Founded by Howard Guy and Gary Doy in 1997, Design Q has been creating innovative interior designs for over twenty years. The studio specializes in automotive and aviation interior design, and sees its projects through all design stages, including conception, engineering, and prototype creation. Design Q has previously worked with Comlux America to develop an interior concept for the ‘next generation’ of narrow-bodied private jets.
It has also developed a series of four design concepts with BAE Systems; each design used the same jet cabin as its base, showing the skill with which Design Q is able to customize and adapt its proposals to meet individual requirements. One of Design Q’s other highly successful projects was the mock-up of the Bombardier Global 7000.
PINTO
With projects ranging from private residences, office buildings, and airports to hotels, yachts, and jets, PINTO is a cross-industry specialist in luxury interiors. Founded by the late Alberto Pinto, the studio adapts its interior style depending on the project at hand; it can confidently create designs for any space, whether this is an intimate room or large building.
The studio’s previous clients include the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, numerous hotels including The Dorchester in London, and private residences across the world. PINTO has also worked extensively on private jet interiors; previous projects include a Boeing 747-8 and Boeing 737 BBJ, a Gulfstream G550, and a Bombardier Global 600.
Martin Kemp Design
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With bespoke solutions and no fixed design style, Martin Kemp Design is known as a studio that attracts individuals who are accustomed to luxury service. The studio creates interiors for a range of industries, including super-prime residential developments, cars, yachts, and private jets.
The design team encourages its clients to enjoy the experience of creating and designing their projects, whatever this might be. Up to 90% of the furnishings used in a Martin Kemp Design project are created bespoke, with the team using modern technologies to deliver sophisticated and practical interiors One of Martin Kemp Design’s previous projects included designing interiors for a Challenger 604, which was dubbed as the ‘best jet in the air’ by a buyer.
