Gulfstream is world-renowned for its beautiful luxury jets, coveted for their sleek and stylish designs. With the reopening of the company’s London Sales and Design Centre, Grace Hardy was invited to tour the facility and experience the design process first hand.
This article was published in the July/August ‘25 issue of Inflight. To read more articles, apply for your complimentary subscription today.
Whether you’re considering commercial airline aircraft or luxury business jets, cabin design is a pivotal element of the aircraft manufacturing process that should not be underestimated.
From passenger wellbeing to aircraft performance, operating costs to aesthetics, the choices made during the cabin design process will render an aircraft vastly different to another of the same type.
Wool wall materials create soundproofing, marble countertops weigh substantially more, and cabin configuration can transform a jet into a corporate office or a relaxing family space.
A perfect example of the ability to truly personalise an aircraft is Gulfstream, which recently renovated its Sales and Design Centre in London. The carefully reimagined space discreetly echoes Gulfstream’s classic branding, with muted, neutral tones and modern décor.
Clients can create their own cabin design and configuration, then view a 3D rendering of it. Image: Gulfstream
What truly brings the studio to life is the implementation of aircraft materials, from aviation grade leather on the walls to aircraft carpets on the floors, which immerses the client in the world of cabin interiors from the moment they enter.
“Immediately attaching the client to the materials that are available to the aircraft is something that we find is pretty critical to the process, and it also just enhances the customer experience,” says Tray Crow, Director of Interior Design.
The centre has distinct spaces for each step of the design process, with a full-size G400 cabin mock-up and a G700 and G800 cabin mock-up upon entering for clients to experience the interior’s feel first-hand, in addition to G500 and G600 seats to try out.
“Customers no longer want to look at an aeroplane on a little piece of paper.”
Michael Swift, Group Vice-President of International Sales, Gulfstream
Another area features a large screen and seating area, where customers can create their own cabin design and configuration on a cabin layout tool, and then view a 3D rendering of their design using 3D Cabin Creator.
Meanwhile, the design showroom contains wall to wall wardrobes filled with samples for each section of the cabin, including carpets, leathers, fabrics, veneers, dishware and soft furnishings.
“Customers no longer want to look at an aeroplane on a little piece of paper,” says Michael Swift, Group Vice-President of International Sales. “They want to touch and feel the materials, they want to sit in the seats, they want various schemes, and they also want to see it on the big screen with live renderings and play with different floor plans.”
The London hub is one of three Gulfstream Sales and Design Centres, accompanied by matching facilities in Savannah, New York and Beverly Hills, California, with London providing an ideal location for customers who often shop in Mayfair or Knightsbridge.
From the outside, the location is completely unbranded, enabling a certain amount of privacy for customers. It is only upon exiting the lift into the showroom that the essence of Gulfstream’s branding comes to life.
The three destinations have been closely replicated for customers to seamlessly attend meetings at the different locations without any friction in the process. The functionality of the space goes above and beyond in thoughtfulness for Gulfstream’s customers, with, for example, a dedicated office space for clients to take business calls or meetings during their visit.
Swift says: “If you ever see someone pulling up to an airport with six or seven big black suitcases, they may be an aircraft designer, because that’s the way we used to do it, and we still do actually. If the customer says, ‘No, I need you to come to me, I’m in this location,’ we will do it that way. The team will load up the materials and go to the customer’s office, but we’ve found that the experience here is second to none. It’s enjoyable, it’s interactive, it’s iterative, and it makes the whole experience one worth remembering.”
Gulfstream’s Sales and Design Centres are a testimony to luxury and diligence, rendered particularly impressive due to the practical purpose of the aesthetics and design features.
Each material used is an opportunity for a customer to trial the future product, and the harmony between the three locations promotes a fluid series of meetings during a process that should be fun and enjoyable more than anything else.
About the author
Grace Hardy is a new addition to the industry but very keen to learn, covering a vast range of subject areas across four HMG Aerospace titles, including low-fare and regional airlines, rotary operations, airports, and the in-flight experience.
Having recently emerged from the University of Winchester with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and English Literature and a master’s degree in Creative Writing, Grace hopes to bring a little bit of literary flare to the world of aviation.
