An aircraft design project can be driven by many factors. The design work scope can be defined by budget, timeline, certification requirements, feasibility, quality standards, the client’s needs and desires, the aesthetics, look, and feel.

To create a vision transcending the boundaries of the known, we bring an artistic approach into the process, where we draw inspiration from the depths of life to create a storyline and a space full of brilliance: inspired by travels, history, literature, art, fashion, and life surrounding us. This approach allows us to welcome and explore the creative essence within our existence.

Essaouira, the Embraer Lineage 1000E private aircraft transformed into a rich interior full of charm and personality.

After a trip to Essaouira, an enchanting beach town in Morocco, full of colour, beautiful handcrafted items, kind people and amazing food, I kept having these visions from gathering all this inspiration, and I knew I had to create something out of it.

As an interior designer specialized in private and corporate jets, I chose the Embraer Lineage 1000E as the media to explore this artistic expression and slowly turn these visions into a full design. It is the result of an intrinsic connection to the creative essence of life.

MOOD BOARD

 

A mood board is a composition created to help establish the direction of the atmosphere, feeling and story behind a project. It’s a way to express the identity we are looking to illustrate, where we can draw inspiration from, and directing and influencing decisions throughout the design process: such as the colour palette, textures, materials, motifs and styles. It is a great tool for exploration, especially in the beginning of the project where we are brainstorming and communicating ideas.

In this instance, I created this mood board using photos taken during my trip in Morocco to help illustrate my inspirations. However, the inspirations were drawn during the trip itself, where I was present living in the moment, through sensory awareness, exploring the city, the souks, the food, the people, the culture, the beauty, the order and the chaos.

ARCHITECTURAL / INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Why not immerse ourselves into a fairytale experience?

This blend of an architectural space within an industrial machine brings an interesting dimension of complexity. There are restrictions revolved around limited space, weight savings, and there is significance importance in maximizing functionality and longevity/durability. Additionally, there are concerns in making use of each zone (area) of the aircraft purposefully, maximizing storage space as well as thinking about how the passengers will interact within each zone while moving throughout the cabin.

Challenges also revolve around airworthiness regulations and certifications. In this project we took creative liberties to instigate conceptual and artistic development which can always be modified into more conservative variations for feasibility practices. Here, our focus was to stimulate creative thinking, an imaginative exploration to push the boundaries of the known.

Working with sketches enables us to create a clean sheet design. As such, the entire space can be fully customized, from its floor plan and monuments to intricate details.

When planning the aircraft floor plan I decided to transform the galley into an open chef dining experience. Turning the galley into a relaxing atmosphere filled with Middle Eastern motifs, aromas and exotic spices from the chef’s cooking, the passenger is able to appreciate a unique journey while surrounded by intrinsic custom details.

Amongst the many special custom features are the galley doors, where metal plating inlays were designed from hand made drawings,

R&D / VISUALIZATION PROCESS

The research & development process is extensive, involving a thorough investigation and gathering of references and resources. All phases of the design process intermingle together as the project evolves and we work from a wholistic approach.

With our visual designer, we worked together to bring these visions into a full 3D model and developing rendered images. From a blank canvas, little by little the creations start coming together into life.

COLOUR, MATERIAL & FINISHES

An essential and one of the most pleasing aspects of the design process is selecting the colours, materials and finishes. Here is where sensory awareness comes to play.

This is where we are thinking about every visible surface on the aircraft. Every panel, furniture, flooring, ceiling, window panels, cabinets, all the way down to the metal plating parts, such as hinges, latches and seatbelts. Accessories such as throw pillows and blankets are also selected here.

Striving for coherence, it is all about creating balance within the storyline we seek to narrate. Making thoughtful decisions on colours, textures, patterns and what they represent, and how we intend them to be subconsciously perceived. We are also considering their sizes and proportions, how they contrast and interact with one other as well as as a collective, and their relationship with light and shadow.

As long as something exists in our imagination, we have the potential to create it.

Our runway finalist is the custom carpet. Bringing an artistic perspective into design is one of my main pillars –– I created the carpet starting with an intuitive hand made drawing, which I later vectorized on the computer, created a pattern, until it was brought into the 3D model as a finalised design.

To me design is an organic, non-linear process. It’s an exploration that grows and evolves until we tackle each and every nuance and detail throughout the journey.

It’s about the art of creating a space that brings inspiration, wonder and love. Surroundings that take the mind to deeper levels of appreciation for the finest details. The result is a fluid artistic space that connects to deeper levels of the human experience. Like being inside a painting— a piece of art. Something unexplainable, outside of the ordinary, defying the status-quo of human conditioning to inspire something new to arise.

View the complete Essaouria Design Project here.